Riding Wisdom from Jerry Smith

11 Jan Riding Wisdom from Jerry Smith

Catching up on my RSS feeds, I read this from Jerry Smith’s blog and even though I’m only 35 I think I’m pretty much in agreement with him about riding…

On one of the forums I visit now and then, someone started a thread by asking for responses to the question, “How old are you and how has your riding changed, or has it?” I jotted down a few things that came to mind right away, then the more I thought about it, the longer the list got. This was my answer:
I’m 57 (for a couple of months more), and I’ve been riding for 41 of those years.
Yes, my riding has changed.
– I no longer ride at night.
– I no longer have to be the first guy there.
– I no longer care about anyone’s pace but my own.
– I no longer try to keep up with anyone who passes me.
– I no longer feel the need to prove anything to anybody.
– I’m 100 percent ATGATT. (For the uninitiated, that’s an acronym for “all the gear, all the time,” “gear” being riding gear—helmet, armored jacket and pants, gloves, boots.)
– I’m convinced that most motorcycles need much bigger and brighter taillights.
– I’m intrigued by big scooters and sidecars and I don’t care who knows it.
– It’s more fun to ride a small bike as fast as it’ll go than it is to ride a big one way too fast.
– It’s more fun to stop for coffee or to stretch and sightsee every 50 or 100 miles and arrive in time for a late dinner than it is to ride 400 miles in one shot and get there by lunchtime.”