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When will I quit riding??

kerry

Member
I wanted to see if anyone can relate to this----I started riding in '73, and for the last few years my back pain from a old injury started to kill me when I rode. So---I tried different bikes, different positions, short trips only----everything. Well, after deciding to stop riding a couple of times, I still can't do it. Nothing else gives me the "live in the moment--challenge--speed trip"
that biking does. I'm starting to think that maybe riding with pain is better than nothing.-------kerry
 
Well Kerry, first of all, welcome to the forum!

You'll find a LOT of guys, (ME included!) that continue to ride as we age, even though the riding itself is sometimes the cause of additional aches and pains!

The bottom line is....we're dead an awful long time.

As long as we can find joy in what we do, we should continue to DO IT!

Take a couple aspirin, get out for a ride, and call me in the morning....that's the advice the doctors HERE will ALL give ya!

Right guys???

I second that! Ride until you can hold it up any more, then get a trike!
 
You didn't say if the pain is present when your not riding. Have you consulted with your doctor to see if anything can be done to lessen the pain and won't cause you to be drowsey or knock you out completley. Are you doing further damage to the injury by riding? My wife rides a trike with a seating position that is like sitting in a lounge chair, leaned back with full back support. I would hate to give up riding and I think I would be doing everything I could to keep me in the wind. Good luck to you.
 
Yes Aspirin does dull the pain. The ride is worth it. We just don't ride as far and as hard as we once used to. Trike sounds like an awesome idea!!

Take care and ride safe eh!!:D
 
I know where you are coming from Kerry. I have the same problem. I weigh 150lbs and I take 4 tylenol ever 3hrs while riding and stop ever 60 miles. That seems to help some but if you ride in groupes you may get left behind, but most of the time riders I ride with understand. I plan on riding as long as I can stand it. And then we will see what is next.
 
Welcome to the forum Kerry - it's the best you'll find for HD bikes and riding.

As to your back problem: the first question is have you had it checked out medically recently? There may be therapies which will help you from exercise programmes to physiotherapy or spinal manipulation. Clearly, the best management for any pathological condition is to identify what the problem is and to treat the cause rather than just dull the symptoms with meds. Having said that - some back conditions are chronic and long term and are not readily eliminated. Aspirin regularly taken can lead to gastric bleeding and there are better alternatives available for joint related problems (such as back pain) which ease the pain and also reduce inflammation. Some examples of these Non steroidal anti inflammatory analgesics (NSAIDs) are Ibuprofen and Diclofenac (available under lots of proprietory titles). They can cause some stomach upset with regular useage, though not in the league of aspirin and some individuals with asthma can experience problems with them.

We can all relate to not wanting or being able to quit your motorbike. That has to be a last resort. Get it checked out if you haven't already. If you are not excluded from taking a NSAID try them instead of Aspirin.

I hope you enjoy your time here and learn lots and share your experiences.
 
Thanks guys, I appriciate it. I couldn't agree more with ya Richard-----
dead does last a long time, especially if you believe you live once like I do.
Yeah---it hurts all the time--pills don't do much, not a fan of them anyway.
I'm a slime guy like you Charlie and I'm down to doing the kind of riding you are, probibly less------but I'm starting to agree with ya, things have to get pretty bad to give it up.----kerry
 
I've decided(whether it's true or not)that riding makes my back feel better.I'ts called the power of positive thinking!
 
Yes, I can.

I am at the age where my doctor tells my age by counting the rings in my leg.
I have arthritis and a back problem that can cause pain or numbness in my right leg and arm depending on what kind of a mood my back is in that day. I need a cane to walk.

When I ride I may do only 50 to 100 miles but it is something I will not give up until I can't throw my fat old leg over the saddle. Riding my bike is one of the few pleasures where I can forget the world and just enjoy myself. No one but another biker would understand that.

If I am riding that day I take aspirin or Ibuprofen, nothing stronger, and then head out. After a few miles of riding I am in my own little world again and having a great time.

If it gets bad enough I may investigate buying a trike although I think that might take the fun out of the corners.

Have a good day and ride safe.
 
Just wanted to add a quick comment, especially for Cedar's benefit.

I was being a little facetious in my response quoting the old doctor's advice "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning", a cliché we have all heard before.

The more serious, and far more beneficial response, is Cedar's.

Your condition should, (correction---MUST) be medically evaluated and appropriated diagnosed and treated by a qualified physician.

Certainly there are FAR better pain-relief meds available than aspirin, (again, I was using an old cliché facetiously, not meant to be taken literally), and actually, chronic pain may indeed be exacerbated by riding, and that's NOT something you want to do, although we all understand your desire to continue to ride.

I had a serious, actually, a near-death serious, motorcycle accident almost 40 years ago, and thankfully, my only one, but it left me with conditions that now cause chronic, and sometime almost unbearable pain.

I still ride, but every year it gets harder and the rides get shorter.

That said, I intend to continue to ride until I literally can't hold the bike up any longer, and then?

A trike!

So, again, I hope this clarifies and gives more weight to a serious question you asked, which deserved a more serious response, as Cedar and some of the other fellas gave you.

Whatever you decide to do, do it following a doctor's advice and above all, Ride Safe!

Hey Richard - please don't beat yourself up! I thought Kerry had posted about taking aspirin not you :D. That's what happens while trying to type in the same room as my boys watching an old movie starring the current Governor of California :lolrolling.
 
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