Self Balancing

Photo from TIME Inc.

 

 

Over the past summer, my mom mentioned multiple times that my dad isn't recovering as well from long rides. She says his back locks up, his legs cramp, and he needs to rest more often. She fears that his ability to hold up his motorcycle at a stop is also starting to fade. We're talking about a guy that spends a huge portion of his life touring the country on his motorcycle. He's ridden through all of the lower 48 states in a single trip (it did take two months). He's ridden to Alaska by himself. He has gone over 1000 miles in a single day multiple times. I think of these things and I fear what he would do if he couldn't ride.

 

I mentioned my mother's comments to my dad. "She's exaggerating," was his reply. He said that it was nowhere near as bad as she said. I imagine the truth of his ailments lies somewhere in between my parents' statements. He probably still has years of enjoyable riding left in him, but not that many.

 

This article that I came across has alleviated some of my anxiety. It is about the self balancing motorcycle that Honda is bringing to the Tokyo Motor Show. It will balance itself at slow speed and stops. The great thing is that this motorcycle exists, it's not just a concept on paper. With any luck, this will be in production by the time my dad gets to the point of not being able to hold up his own motorcycle. He has enthusiastically stated that he will not ride a three wheeled motorcycle (I'm not sure I totally believe him), so this would be a great alternative. Maybe it'll keep him riding into his nineties!

 

"The older the bull, the stiffer the horn." - Marlboro Man from Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man