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Blatherings From The
Editor (December 2004) Types of Motorcycles I imagine everyone is familiar with the classifications or styles of motorcycles that we use to describe our scooters. You have the tourer, the cruiser, the sport bike, the dual sport, the custom and the sports tourer, to name a few. Each of these general classifications is an attempt to define the look and to some extent the feel of the bike. We even tend to define our riding style and the needed ability to ride our machines by these classifications. The esteemed experts on the BMW big list, IBMWR, have expounded upon and cogitated the true meaning and etymology of these wonderful descriptive classifications ad nausea...and to no conclusion. Recently when a fellow SEAT member was describing their new RSFJRXGX’er I learned a new classification: Old Person’s Sport Bike. Now I have heard of “geezer mobiles” – over 25 years old and took 15 seconds to go through the quarter mile when brand new – but this is a new genre. These babies are capable of warp factor speeds and handle well enough to have been a Grand Prix winner just a few years ago. The ergos are set up to give us that hot blooded sports bike look and feel, but are just a bit less than Rossi’s Moto GP winning bike. In the vernacular, these babies haul! So how do you ride and how are you defined when out and about on your OPSB? First, you can go as fast you want any time you want - macho! Second, you can go around turns as fast as you want any time you want - killer! And third, you can stop as fast as you want any time you want – awesome! Now the reality. As an OP your eye-to-hand reaction time isn’t what it used to be, so as fast as you want is maybe 10 over. Accelerating at warp factor bazillion, which these hot rods are capable of, blurs the vision for those of us over mumble-cough-cough years old. Going around turns as fast as you want is hampered by all those vivid images of downed bikes you’ve seen in your cough-mumble-mumble years of riding. And the damage that that first stopie did to your heart was more than enough for someone over cough-cough-mumble years old. So why own one of these monsters? Because we can! And, with just a bit of practice, you too can wring the snot out of one of these go-fast machines! Once you’ve mastered the art of keeping the front wheel on the ground, the rest is easy! Power, seemingly unlimited power... There is a possible advantage of being an OP riding your OPSB…when The Man pulls you over for doing warp factor 10 in an impulse speed zone, hopefully all that gray hair under your full face helmet with tinted shield (standard attire for OPSB riders) is good for a wasting finite resources ticket rather than an impounded bike and your wife having to come get you from the local hotel without a view. Deryle, grey haired OPSB rider.
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