I've been riding for about 6 months. I started with a Ninja 250R - before I knew what I didn't know. Two months later came the Savage/S40. It introduced me to the life of riding: other riders nod at me when they come the other way on the highway, when I take a pit-stop at a cafe I get invited to ride with the random bunch of blokes that stop for a break while on their monthly ride, strangers (old Harley riders) ask me about the bike, I meet friendly and generous people on the interwebs, I got a job because I asked the guy at the local 'small engines' shop if he had a vacancy while I was seeking advice about tuning my carb.

I started to ask myself "why did I wait so long to find this?"

That question changed a few days a go.

An old biker came into the shop looking for a part. He had the look of the 'typical' biker: bald head, tattoos up the back of his head, and a leather lace-up waistcoat weighed down with club badges and pins. He was probably 70 years old or so. And, he was the softest-spoken bloke I've ever met. We chatted about bikes.

He also had a brace on his leg. He told me he hit a gravel patch on a country road while riding his Harley. He came off the road and hit a tree side on. He broke the major bones in his upper and lower leg, and wouldn't be back on a bike for at least three months more. I wished him well.

A week later I bumped into him at the post office while I was down the street running some errands. He was inspecting some x-rays of his leg. I asked him how he was doing. He said "not so good. The legs not healing ... the doctors reckon it's old age". I can still see the sadness in his eyes.

During the conversation I thought, "what positive thing can I say?"

"Have you thought about a trike?"

"Yeah, that might be the next option" he said "But I'm not giving up yet."


Why didn't I find this sooner?

No.

Thank heavens I found it now.