I'm 45. Do i stop riding mx or not?

[livharder]

Hi, everyone i've been in this sport (mx track) since 2002 and i'm 45. i dont race but i ride mid pack amateur level. i know this is a question that comes back often but i've had a few serious injurys in the last 5 years and now i'm realy thinking about selling my mx stuff and leave the sport for good. this last year i'v almost broke my leg when a another rider t-boned me and had to have 5 inches of stitches and pain then 1 month ago i got sideways on a 40 tabletop (easy jump) and got a major concussion that i still feel the effects and wuill be resting for a few months. a few years back were 2 other concussions, broken ribs, lung problems, acl surgery followed by pulmonary embolisim, and many other crashes. what should i do?, i love the sport so much, i also raodrace and street ride so i'm a passionate motorcyclist that will be doing these other 2 activities but it will break my heart to stop riding. i'm trying to convince myself that there are ways of riding mx and supercross tracks with safety but everywere i look, my friends, magazines, everyone gets hurt bad. i think all of my riding palls got hurt in the last 2 years or so. sure i could only jump max 60 feet table tops and stop jumping the 80-100 feet ones but i get hurt as bad on small jumps and staighaways. please help.

[MaxPower]

thats a personal question that only you can answer

[basketcase]

You know, I might trip going down the stairs of my deck today and hit the slab at the bottom head first with no helmet. I hope not, but the possibility is there. I minimize that risk by walking instead of running, and by watching where I step. As a wild card in the mix I have a knee issue that makes the left one sometimes give way. When it has that feeling I go out the carport and around the yard instead of down those steps.

And I recall that eight or ten years ago a BMW dealer in Orlando died when he was "peddling" a bike around to the front. The engine coughed and died and he when he fell he struck his head on a curb. It was a ritual he had done countless times over the years as they opened up in the mornings. But on that occasion it did not work out as it had before, and the glitch caused a fatal result.

What's the point?

The reality is that it is not the length of the jump or the surface of the straight-aways that cripple or kill you when you fall or get hit. Rather, it is the blunt force trauma that occurs when a breakable object (your body) suddenly impacts another object.

Beyond that, there are some bone, joint, and recovery time issues related to aging that are very real. It sounds as if you have already had enough damage done to insure you have a painful old age.

Over on AdvRider there are several threads about riders who crashed and are now either deceased, or permanently crippled to some degree. When all the misty-minded verbalizing about "passion for the sport" is cleared away, the fact is those guys are confined to a bed or wheel chair, and will never again just sit up on the side of the bed and pull on their britches, or hop up and make their way to the john where they will comfortably flop down to take a dump.

Instead, their wife or another caregiver has to help them with most moves, including wiping their behinds, getting a bath, or shifting their position in the bed. One individual in particular opted to take his own life rather than spend it that condition.

So the way I see it, intellectual honesty demands counting both sides of the ledger -- or in other terms, all factors in the equation and deciding from there.

Personally, I am scaling back (age 54) and planning more of my riding in safer venues (dual sport parks, less "busy" forest areas). It is my approach to the risk management related to the sport.

And back to the answer to your own question -- your call, that. As maxpower commented, it is strictly personal.

Edited January 30, 2010 by basketcase
the usual grammer & speelin' issues

[2Trider]

gee I'm 44 and feel I'm just getting started in this whole Motorcycle thing:ride:

Started with moto some 25yrs ago and have migrated to offroad/woods/DS stuff and recently (last 4-5 yrs) into Trials :thumbsup:and have literally started all over:banana:

Personally I would never give any of it up till I'm 6' under and right now I'm planning my life around riding.

manage the risk and keep it all FUN:thumbsup:

[Mike38]

Sounds to me like your tired of the big jumps and big mouths of modern MX. Do they have Vintage motorcycle racing in Quebec? Could be just what you need. Find a nice Pre 1975 MX bike such as a Suzuki TM, Yamaha MX, Honda CR, Husky CR and give it a try. That's what I do. It's safe, fun, and I can get up and go to work Monday mornings. No huge jumps, no 50 foot table tops, no triples, just some fun safe riding.

[OLHILLBILLY]

You might give up motocross, but you don't have to give up riding. The dirt world doesn't end at the track fence, go woods riding. You don't even have to buy a different bike or gear, just re-work your suspension, add some handguards and a skid plate, off to the woods you go.

Whole different world and challenge out there in the trees.

[CaptainKnobby]

gee I'm 44 and feel I'm just getting started in this whole Motorcycle thing:ride:

Started with moto some 25yrs ago and have migrated to offroad/woods/DS stuff and recently (last 4-5 yrs) into Trials :thumbsup:and have literally started all over:banana:

Personally I would never give any of it up till I'm 6' under and right now I'm planning my life around riding.

manage the risk and keep it all FUN:thumbsup:

Tell em brother, Tell em:thumbsup:

[ray_ray]

Very good advice here by some old grasshoppers just like me! With all this said, everyday life, ESP bike riding, is risky....vintage racing takes some of the danger out with the jumps but those bikes move very well and any time you hit hard, anything can happen. My last 3-4 wrecks where I did not break anything, hurt a great deal from the impact alone.

Trail riding is dangerous also but you can pick your spots...GPNF has easy trails ...what ever that means. These easy trails have numerous places where long drops are just off the trails and other short areas lined by large rocks for breaking legs or what ever. But I was riding there last year in all trails. Have you bike set up correctly and the 4ts are safer machines up in the highlands I think.

One thing I learned when boogie boarding in Hawaii from the surfers about deciding on whether to go out in the bigger waves, was to decide if you could handle the worst wipe out possible in the current size of waves and ocean conditions. I do the same with any maneuver on a bike ...if I try this, can I handle the wipe out ...If I am not sure I can handle eating it or the landing spot for my body is all rocky or non-too soft, I don't go for it, or I scale it back to a level I can handle the wipe out. We all think we can do about anything on a bike already and the positive side is easy to handle.. And I know most wrecks, by pros and amateurs, are caused by going too fast for ones skill level, so just take the edge off your pace ...let someone else set the pace ...even DeCoster has slowed down?

This is risk management, your risk management. Take it seriously because no one else is going to for you, but you. In my case, I take it seriously, for myself. So I ride within my abilities, ride a 08 Husky TXC250, don't let anyone tell me what I should and shouldn't do, and basically ride like I want, and leave the ego behind and go have a very good time each time

Edited January 31, 2010 by ray_ray

[livharder]

thank you so much for your input, very good replys. i've done alot of trail riding before but i love mx. i could probably just change back to trail riding or, i'm thinking about trials, any riding can give pain but i guess riding fast on an mx track can bring pain faster and more often. riding slower on mx sand tracks will not garantee me less pain. i could slow my pace i guess. managing risk factors on an mx track is possible but many elements (ex:other riders jumping a 80 double over my head while i would be rolling it) are way out of my control. keepem coming i'm listening, thanks

[KcDavis]

You could always do more GP style riding.... a little mix of both and then you get the best of both worlds.

[Laurentian]

Livharder, at 46 I'm in the same boat as you are.

I'm dolling up my '99 400 with new white plastics and a retro red / black theme and all. I just love having the bike around and it obliges me to stay in shape to ride it as I'm just 5'8" / 175 lbs so it's a beast. Have not ridden in the past 6 years thanks to work and all but I'm back this summer. One thing for sure if I do intend on pushing the enveloppe like I did in 2004. I'll take my time working back up to the level I was at and will not take any needless risks anymore. As for track triding I love it too but only within my group. I do not race ( but did when I was 18 in Junior 125 once in St-Gabriel de Brandon ) and will not tolerate some bonehead jumping over me , PERIOD?

Call me antisocial if you like but the race MX crowd here in Qc. are

a bunch of big pick-up driving ego maniacs living way beyond their means off of credit with bike and truck payments and shoot off about how great they are. Give me a break man, there's more to life than dirt bikes ( like spirituality )

OT : Did you see the the snocross in St-Jérôme two weeks ago ? So commercial it made me want to puke when driving by on the 15.

Fat attention a toi, fait se que tu aime avec raison

et bon sense et met toi de quoi de côté pour la retaite et ta famille.

Edited January 31, 2010 by Laurentian

[Esten831]

I am 44 years old and used to ride and race motocross. I personally don't do it anymore because it is just to hard on my body. I now ride mostly trails in the woods and desert. It is different but really enjoyable because of the difference. You can do any type of riding from casual to very technical and it is nice to take in all of your surrounding's. Our sport is inherently dangerous but I believe less so as a trail rider. It is just my opinion, but I would not give it up, maybe just change the type of riding that you do. Good luck to you on whatever you decide.

[dirtracker]

Hi, everyone i've been in this sport (mx track) since 2002 and i'm 45. i dont race but i ride mid pack amateur level. i know this is a question that comes back often but i've had a few serious injurys in the last 5 years and now i'm realy thinking about selling my mx stuff and leave the sport for good. this last year i'v almost broke my leg when a another rider t-boned me and had to have 5 inches of stitches and pain then 1 month ago i got sideways on a 40 tabletop (easy jump) and got a major concussion that i still feel the effects and wuill be resting for a few months. a few years back were 2 other concussions, broken ribs, lung problems, acl surgery followed by pulmonary embolisim, and many other crashes. what should i do?, i love the sport so much, i also raodrace and street ride so i'm a passionate motorcyclist that will be doing these other 2 activities but it will break my heart to stop riding. i'm trying to convince myself that there are ways of riding mx and supercross tracks with safety but everywere i look, my friends, magazines, everyone gets hurt bad. i think all of my riding palls got hurt in the last 2 years or so. sure i could only jump max 60 feet table tops and stop jumping the 80-100 feet ones but i get hurt as bad on small jumps and staighaways. please help.

No dont stop riding just take it easy the next time you ride.Just ride within your limits and be safe.You dont need to clear triples just to have fun.

I am 42 now still riding so far dont have injuries. I can still win the C class if I want.I still ride with the B guys but racing days are over for me.

I started riding mx tracks when I was 25 pretty late.

I still have no plans of hanging my boots.

Riding keeps me feeling young.

[Fox505]

you might give up motocross, but you don't have to give up riding. The dirt world doesn't end at the track fence, go woods riding. You don't even have to buy a different bike or gear, just re-work your suspension, add some handguards and a skid plate, off to the woods you go.

Whole different world and challenge out there in the trees.

+1 !!!!

[dirtracker]

Hi, everyone i've been in this sport (mx track) since 2002 and i'm 45. i dont race but i ride mid pack amateur level. i know this is a question that comes back often but i've had a few serious injurys in the last 5 years and now i'm realy thinking about selling my mx stuff and leave the sport for good. this last year i'v almost broke my leg when a another rider t-boned me and had to have 5 inches of stitches and pain then 1 month ago i got sideways on a 40 tabletop (easy jump) and got a major concussion that i still feel the effects and wuill be resting for a few months. a few years back were 2 other concussions, broken ribs, lung problems, acl surgery followed by pulmonary embolisim, and many other crashes. what should i do?, i love the sport so much, i also raodrace and street ride so i'm a passionate motorcyclist that will be doing these other 2 activities but it will break my heart to stop riding. i'm trying to convince myself that there are ways of riding mx and supercross tracks with safety but everywere i look, my friends, magazines, everyone gets hurt bad. i think all of my riding palls got hurt in the last 2 years or so. sure i could only jump max 60 feet table tops and stop jumping the 80-100 feet ones but i get hurt as bad on small jumps and staighaways. please help.

No dont stop riding just take it easy the next time you ride.Just ride within your limits and be safe.You dont need to clear triples just to have fun.

I am 42 now still riding so far dont have injuries. I can still win the C class if I want.I still ride with the B guys but racing days are over for me.

I started riding mx tracks when I was 25 pretty late.

I still have no plans of hanging my boots.

Riding keeps me feeling young.

[maximoose]

I think the main question for me (Iam 42, so not far behind you) and had a lumb ar surgery 5 years ago and migrated from quads to dirt bikes, as they are easier on my back, but anyways is your passion for Riding or Racing? If it's riding and getting on the cycle and getting dirty, hit the trails and find as challenging terrain as you feel like. If it's racing, then turn it down a notch to a lower level of racing or if it is that serious that you are really worried about permenant debilitating injury, don't be stupid and keep racing. If you get the itch take the day off and hit the track and set your own pace. Just my .02. Good luck!

[mxkid12]

Do not give up riding I say you just try out different types like woods

[07RMZ450RC4ME]

No, I will be 41 this year, got back into at 39! I ride with a guy who is 50 and rips! Just ride with in your ability and ride to have fun and not for show.

[ccullins]

I would highly recommend trials!. I used to race MX/Hare Scrambles/enduros, but gave it all up once I started riding trials. And I hadn't even turned 30 at the time.

What I really love is you can push yourself hard at 5 MPH, in a small space and do things you couldn't do just the day before.

[MXOldtimer]

45???? You still a young'un!

My buddy has been waiting to turn 70. This year he turns 70 (that's 70 years YOUNG) and gets to race the 70 expert class in International Old Timers MX. Hell, your not even eligible to race until you turn 40.

http://russrr.home.comcast.net/~russrr/

Now get out there and have F U N!