So today, my local Honda mechanic here in Germany told me the following story:
Mr STIHL, the owner of the STIHL chainsaw company, who lives locally, came by to test ride a 2010 CBR 1000RR. When he came out of his big Mercedes, the chauffeur dutifully carried his lid and leather behind him.
So, he screams off into the Great Blue Yonder and returns an hour later with a big grin on his face and buys the bike outright.
Not bad going for a 75 year old man, don’t you think? 
(Apparently, I’m told he’s a brilliant rider as well.)
Sounds about right for some mature Germans.
Picked up on a Clarkson repeat of “Meet the neighbours” from Germany last night.
A bit of the programme was about a 78 year old glider pilot that holds 48 (I think) world gliding records and had recently just upped his glider world speed record.
Also had a friend back in the mid 60’s who was an Alpine climber. He, with a couple of others, was climbing in the Dolomites one year when they caught up with a 60+ year old German guy doing the same long ascent solo. The German guy was free climbing.
And what age were Brown and Jenkinson when they gave up competetive motor sport?
Don’t write us old farts off!
When I was buying my bike a couple of years ago, a guy in his 70s walked into the dealership and walked away (well, screamed away on) with a R1…
that’ll be me in a few years I hope…
Last year, my friend Jim left retirement and returned to our FE college for two terms to do some work. He told me that that it would be worth it to save the last bit of cash to upgrade his bike to a BMW as his 70th birthday present to himself. He complained that his mother (90s) said she wouldn’t ride pillion when she came down south for the party, he was most put out.
If those of us in our 40s have a mid life crisis, what is it at 70?
Bless him, and well done for being to ride in that position, I wonder if he can uncurl his legs after a long ride? :D:D
Mel Since you ask, it does get a bit harder to recover after long rides. Not that I’ve hit 70 yet. Years old that is.
My motorcycling contempories will admit, if pushed, that they are finding some things a bit harder but one recently rode an SM from mid Wales to the Sussex coast in an indecently (read not legal) quick time, the other is a professional bike tester still knocking in 12 hour days in the saddle.
I’m still hankering after a new SM and I’m the slow one of the bunch. But I do like a nice comfy seat these days though.
As I said; don’t write the old geezers off.
