Soliloguy, a little long

[solo1]

                                               Soliloguy

The Dead of Winter, a time for collecting of thoughts through the years.  A time for looking back and a time for looking forward.  Even a time for not looking at all, just a time for reflecting on the present.  Much can be said for reflecting on all the happenings in my 81 years of life but today I will be exclusive.  My thoughts are revolving around the exclusiveness of riding powered contraptions of only two wheels, or to be more explicit, motorcycling

The Summer of many years ago I enjoyed my first taste of powered two wheeling. A simple engine of 2 ½ horsepower mounted in the frame of a Schwinn bicycle, aptly named the Henderson. At the time, the name Henderson meant nothing to me.  It wasn’t until I visited the Schwinn factory that I realized Henderson was a name associated with one of the first motorcycles ever made.

My sojourn into powered riding started with that modest Whizzer. I graduated from that into a series of  motorcycles stepping up in cost and power each time.  My riding skills , by necessity, also stepped up.

The culmination of motorcycling reached the peak for me with the purchase of  a six cylinder motorcycle, a motorcycle that was designed by an enthusiast with me in mind.  

After 13 years of ownership of this marvelous machine, I found that my skills were on a downward slope that was accompanied by a corresponding decrease in strength and purpose of my knees.  The bike was simply too heavy to maneuver any longer with my  degrading knees.  I found the bike a new home.

The Past is now just memories of the wonderful experiences of motorcycling, The joys of wind-in-my-face, the grumblings while riding in bad weather magically turned into a“Wow, that was Great” rush, the rhythm of the road, the long miles of almost boredom,  punctuated by butt puckering threats of damage to me and my machine, all these, are in my memory.

However, memory can be a bad thing. As I get older I must constantly remind myself that there is a difference between remembering the past and living it. Remembering the past and sharing thoughts is MUCH different than living it.

Living the past can result in a down spiraling attempt to interject my experiences into the words and activities of others that are living in the present, something that I have been guilty of lately.  For my peace of mind, that will stop. I have my experiences, others are working on theirs and they must be allowed to do without interference from one who remembers the past but is relearning how to live for today.  And that’s Me.

Living for today, I am looking forward to riding my less powerful motorcycle using my less powerful body.  All the things that I’ve had to prove are behind me, I no longer need to prove myself to myself and I am more relaxed.  I’ll ride when I want to, ride short or longer distances if I want to, and not ride at all if I want to. The joys of riding are still there for me if I choose to experience them.  Meanwhile, I’ll go on talking to myself as I am

Solo1

[alph]

Last weekend I went down hill skiing with my daughter.  A guy went flying over a jump and my daughter said “wow, papa, did you see that?”  And I’ll lament over not being able to show her the crazy stuff I did when I was young.  I’ll still do some of the stunts, but nothing that puts me twenty feet in the air anymore.  I’m only 43, but after a hard fall, you feel like you’re 70!

[Doc Moose]

"after a hard fall, you feel like you’re 70!"

Out of respect for a few of our members, I'll change that to 85+ years! 

(Then again, my knee's bothering me.....  )

[solo1]

Thank you, Doc

[eric in md]

solo 1 dont have anything to say but i sure hope i can tell storys like that when im your age man.  you  have lived  alot of peoples dreams , hope i can live to do all that   your the man solo take your time and enjoy your life .

[R J]

Wayne, had a big long response written about your trip into, our, former fun land, hit a key, well actually 2 keys at the same time, and presto, it was all gone.

Guess I wasn't supposed to respond like that, so have a great trip and remember, I'm only 4 years behind ya, and I'm trying to catch up, but I ain't gaining any ground..........

Have a great day Buddy, if I get off of the O2, will see ya on the road........

[PharmBoy]

I have always enjoyed hearing from all experienced riders of all ages.  I'd say to anyone who has had some extra ordinary riding experiences and is able to tell them in such an enjoyable manor as Solo 1, just bring them on.  I have always been able to learn something from everyone I ever met.  I have never felt that I had the time, nor the inclination to do all the things that others have done.  The past and others' experiences are what we learn from and I hope that I never cease to try to learn.  Also, it is sometimes quite entertaining to read what others have done and what they are thinking.  Just my thoughts on the matter!...JTL 

[Spirited-6]

Solo1, while reading your post I became a little sad and thought that I had written several parts. While I`m only 75 in March, I understand where you are coming from. I enjoyed reading and it gave a lot of "food for thought"  

[Normandog]

Wayne, if I can ride my valkyrie 'til I am the age you were when you sold yours, I will feel blessed. Just as I now feel blessed to be a part of this club and enjoy reading the writings of you and others on here. 

[Dan Manko]

Solo:   WOW    just WOW ! Thank You.

  I'm only 59, haven't been riding long. I'm priveleged to now own the greatest motorcycle ever produced in the history of the world. I'm also priveleged to belong to this club and to read posts like yours.
  Your post was really powerful.

Ahh, I've got something in my eye...  I'll just- I'll ah--yeah, well, yeah.

[Michael K (Az.)]

Well Solo, ya did it again. You got right to the heart of the matter,(apologies to Don Henley), and summed it all up. Everything changes in some way or another and if you go with the flow, you'll be alright.
Thanks for the thoughts.