How will you decide when it's time?

Mailman said:
That motorcycle reminded me of another one I saw. I was in a Walmart once and while I was shopping , I had noticed this guy in a wheelchair who was shopping. He looked to be in his forties and his wheel chair was this lightweight collapsible model. Later as I was walking to my car, I saw him in the parking lot. He had a Honda VTX1800 with a sidecar. It had been modified so that the front brake lever actuated both, front and rear brakes, and the shifter had been ran up to the handlebars , operated by a cable, and attached to a little stick shift.
I knew all of this because it caught my eye before I went into the store and I went over to check it out.

Anyways, he rolled up to it, and deftly pulled himself up onto the seat, then he reached down and folded the wheelchair and tossed it in the side car. I swear I felt like applauding the guy as he rode off!
Click to expand...
That reminds me of a guy I met back in the early 1990's at a sidecar rally in PA. Forget the bike it was one of the typical sport bikes at the time and it had a Vetter sidecar attached. Guy was in wheel chair and was camping in a tent at the rally.

Don't remember the brake set-up he had but the shifting was a simple rod attached to the foot shifter and run up to the side of the fuel tank with a bracket to hold it in place. It had a ring at the top and to shift he would just pull up or push down on the rod. If I recall correctly he was up in PA from Florida!

Another sidecar outfit I saw was set up to let the guy roll his wheel chair up a ramp right into the sidecar. He had removed the handle bars and controls from the bike and mounted them over on the front of the sidecar and had a tie-rod going from the sidecar over to the bike. Can't recall about the shifting but it may have been one of those automatic transmission Hondas, maybe a CB750A?
 
There is a fellow here in Edmonton, has an old Suzuki with a sidecar, rolls his wheel chair into the sidecar and drives from there. I have never gotten close up to it. The few time that I have seen him, he's always going the opposite direction. Been around for some time though, so must work pretty good.
 
yep its a hard one to make ,im 69 plus gymied up (not wheel chair) in the midst of selling the large bikes and bought a 250 to get around on ,bought a chair to fit on the xs650 and in the midst of buying a canam spyder (2008) all of which should exstend my riding life but im lucky to live in the country as think living in the city with city traffic would decrease the amount of riding yrs left , the major limiting factor is distance 100kls (60 miles) is my max these days by then the legs and arse are killing me .. the canam will be intresting , not quite a bike but will still have the face in the wind … by the way there is a site.. disable motorcycle riders adaptations .. which is fairly amazing..some people wont take no / cant for a answer
 
I have actually considered that Can Am for the future , if Im looking for something as I get older. They are coming out with a new one that is stripped down, leaner, smaller motor, less expensive, sportier?
A review,
https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2018/09/23/2019-can-am-ryker-review-20-fast-facts/

431FBF44-86AD-49D2-A015-4C1365322663.jpeg
4AEC0A38-9D35-47E3-BFAB-E5B243BF9A04.jpeg

I have also considered, if the day comes that I just want a real user friendly neighborhood bike for running to the store or short hops, one of the big scooters, like the Suzuki Bergman. Good power, easy to ride , lift the seat and throw a bag of groceries in the trunk.
B2C50B2E-AD65-43F0-8186-7A54DA350C13.jpeg
 
Last edited:
grizld1 said:
I hear that, Gary; I'll take quality of life over duration of life for sure. Turning 72 in a few weeks, figure I have 3 to 5 years of riding left. When attention to the road and controlling the bike become too much like work, I'll hang up the lid. But let's not get maudlin. Here are some lyrics I cobbled together. To the tune of "Amazing Grace:"

Old age has come and kicked my ass
And made a mess of me.
I now am slow, who once was fast
Tense tight, who once rode free.

In corners where I pitched in deep
To scratch an itching knee,
I clench my cheeks as 'round I creep
And fight to hold my pee.

Hang my helmet on the wall,
And keep it 'till I'm dead.
Then 'cause I'll have a ways to fall,
Please strap it on my head.
Click to expand...

very good .....but I think we all want to hear you sing this grizld! ;)
 
Can't knock the scooter idea, wife has a Vespa GTV300 and that thing will get up and move. If I'm not paying attention she will leave my 1200 Sportster with the sidecar in the dust! Then again I have five gears to deal with and all she has to do is twist the throttle and go.

Know a lady down in Texas who has a Burgman with a sidecar on it. Thought we were going to get stopped by the OPP in Canada one night while following her back to the rally, she was doing a bit over 75 mph!

burgman.JPG
 
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Mailman said:
I have actually considered that Can Am for the future , if Im looking for something as I get older. They are coming out with a new one that is stripped down, leaner, smaller motor, less expensive, sportier?
A review,
https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2018/09/23/2019-can-am-ryker-review-20-fast-facts/

View attachment 145550 View attachment 145551
I have also considered, if the day comes that I just want a real user friendly neighborhood bike for running to the store or short hops, one of the big scooters, like the Suzuki Bergman. Good power, easy to ride , lift the seat and throw a bag of groceries in the trunk.
View attachment 145552
Click to expand...
yep the ryker looks intresting but 1 draw back is no power steering so heavy
on the arms plus being stripped down hard to carry anything BUT would mind taking one for a test ride
 
MaxPete, that picture of the guy changing the tire on the hack brought back some memories.

First time I was stationed in Japan (I was single) I had a Yamaha RT360 and was very active in the base motorcycle club.

Another member had a Water Buffalo with a sidecar on it. He wanted to try out the RT and I wanted to experience a 'car so we swapped for a day. After I rode it enough to be familiar with how it handled, one of the young female members of the club requested a ride in the chair. Being a gentleman, I agreed and she climbed in. After tooling around a bit and seeing she seemed comfortable, I picked a nice straight stretch, turned into the 'car enough to hoist the wheel off the ground and proceeded down the road for a half-mile or so with the chair in the air.

When we got back to the clubhouse, she made it quite plain that she wasn't nearly as amused by the experience as I was...
 

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