Looks like it's time to give up the ride - thoughts fm others who've faced this?

[bigbadbrucie]

I’m in the same league as Vito1943, also being 80, and yes, I too have been wondering if it was time yet. I’m just not ready to do that.... NOT YET. Miata? I’ve given that a lot of thought, but I just don’t think my arthritic bones will fit into one. I’ve never given any thought to a Mini Cooper, nor do I know if you sit as low, stretched out as in a Miata. Something else to ponder. In the meantime, I’ll just keep on doing my 100-mile circle rides, stopping for lunch half-way through.

Ray, I sincerely hope that whatever you wind up doing, that it was the correct decision for YOU! It has always been a treat to read your different posts and look forward to being capable to continue doing so.

 

[LALoner]

Just turned 80. Sold two now waiting on three (Jan/Feb time frame). Hope to continue for another five, anything after that will be gravy. Will it be worth the money? YES!

I'll sit around the house and watch the boob tube when I can't get a leg over the saddle.

 

[shakin_jake]

Sounds to me you have already given up the Spyder Ray. Since that’s your decision, best of what life has to offer you and Marci, going the Jeep route. Makes sense to me. We had 2 Suzuki 4 wheelers when we lived in the lower Fla. Keys (85’-98’). Of course down there everywhere was either sea level or 4’ above so we used them for pulling boats/trailers in and out of water at boat ramps and to enjoy riding under the Bimini top in the winter when it wasn’t awfully hot. Thank God for the air-conditioning both had in the summer months, even with just the Bimini top, always good to get a blast of cold coming out of the dash. Since I’m younger (67 come next Tuesday) than you and most that have commented on your thread, I’m facing a different decision. Wether to get back on an off road motorcycle again. I sold my GS airhead a few years ago due to the fact i kept dropping it and sometimes had to wait for help to right it. I’m keeping my Spyder but am kicking around buying a late model Royal Enfield Himalayan. They’re only 400cc (single cylinder) & w/the mods I have in mind, can keep the weight under 400 lbs. IOW, it’s not the monster the GS is. I’ve yet to sit on & ride one but only because I broke/fractured the 3rd metatarsal in my left foot (right where the shifter would contact my foot/boot). What’s criminal about this fracture, it happened in late July of this year & through a few missteps of my own, it hasn’t healed properly. That said, I found a good Podiatrist and I’m on the mend yet I’m waiting for his okay to try one (Himalayan) out. Bottom line, I feel the same yearning you do to get out on the off road trails, single & double tracks with a bit of carving my own trails through thick brush, woods where no man has gone before=

Godspeed to you and yours Ray!



Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile

 

[kroache]

My wife and I just picked up a gently used BMW 230i convertible. I also looked closely at the Miata and know it's a wonderful machine with a loyal following, however the BMW is just a bit easier to get in and out of as well as the benefit of having somewhat of a back seat (realistically only to be used for storage though....I wouldn't want to sit back there lol). We looked at Miatas and also the Audi TT Roadster. All great little machines and you can definitely get some good used deals if you take your time and shop around. Good luck with your decisions.

 

[blacklightning]

There are sure a lot of us that have been, are, or will be shortly at this crossroads in life. FYI: There is a couple in my community that has a Miata and they pull an Aluma Motorcycle trailer with it. It is a fantastically cute set-up. I looked at Miata's' but also had a space problem. Not with luggage, but with me....... Too many cheeseburgers!!!!!

I am 6'-2", 260 and had the nerve to try to fit in a miata. I sat in a friends and thought I could make it work. But when I got all the way in and closed the doors, it was another story. A very good option for a nice little 2 seater that is very dependable, is the nissan 350 and 370. My neighbor has one and it fits me like a glove (to be a small car). But in the end, I decided to stick with what I know and picked up a slightly used mustang convertible. I have had it for 4 years now and the wife and I drive it on many vacations. Always just the 2 of us and we actually have plenty of room with the trunk and back seat. Either way, life is a journey, so just enjoy the ride.

 

[JayBros]

I intend to ride the Spyder until I can no longer swing a leg to mount the machine and work out 5X/wk to ensure that doesn't happen until I reach at least 95. Legs are much too long to fit in a Miata. Were something to happen and I had to go to 4 wheels, I'd consider a convertible but not one that would require a minimalist approach, nor anything of tuna boat dimensions.

 

[easysuper]

At 71 years young I'm not ready to give up my Spyder and neither is my wife ready to give hers up. I still have several bucket list rides left and this coming summer we are planning on riding to Fairbanks from Portland. We still ride about 20K a year and our 2021 RTLs are our 3rd pair. There will certainly come a time when we give them up but hopeful that I have another 10 years of riding left in me.

 

[poprivit]

For the best of both worlds, find a Miata that has a small block Chev LS-3 properly installed. Kinda' a poor man's cobra.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

For the best of both worlds, find a Miata that has a small block Chev LS-3 properly installed. Kinda' a poor man's cobra.

Well, a friend of mine thought the same thing ..... However, after doing a cost analysis (using the same engine, trans, wiring, etc.) it was cheaper to just build a replica Shelby 427 Cobra...... Just Sayin' ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[ollicat]

Glad I am only 52 and this issue is a long way off.

 

[JayBros]

Well, a friend of mine thought the same thing ..... However, after doing a cost analysis (using the same engine, trans, wiring, etc.) it was cheaper to just build a replica Shelby 427 Cobra...... Just Sayin' ..... Mike :thumbup:

When I was in grad school I used to visit my mother monthly and at one visit that 70+ little old lady was absolutely fascinated by a TV show in which some guy was building a kit Cobra. She loved every episode from beginning to end and wouldn't know a tie rod from a rolling pin.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Listen and keep an open mind when others start suggesting that it's time to give it up. They may see driving patterns that indicate loss of reflexes or lack of awareness of surroundings or other issues. I asked a driving tester a couple of years how many seniors who really need to give up driving are aware of it for themselves. He said, "None." People simply do not recognize their own limitations.

 

[MonPaul]

I am at the mindset, if I have the room to store it, and it's not costing me anything, and its mine and not the banks, keep it if I am going to ride it sometime in the year. If you're not going to ride it at all, then dump it and give someone else a chance to enjoy it, and don't look back, because you'll want another one. Good luck and take the money you get from your bike and get a winch for your new ride, you never know where you may end up. :2thumbs:

Totally agree with this, just one thing to add. Not sure what a 2014 is worth, but whatever it is, is it worth that much to keep it? It might be a nice change of pace from your newfound passion.

 

[Little Blue]

... Good Luck on Your Mission. I agree that this decision is yours and I will be quiet. You know how much life story goes. Just keep on keeping on to your dreams.

Hoping for you to enjoy your life and your happiness. Have a Blessed Day My Friend.
Remember to Stay in the Game. .... :thumbup:

 

[Hypurone]

I am not that old but my injuries are slowly getting the better of me... Each ride is a calculated measurement of how much pain I can take and if the limited amount of enjoyment is worth the days of pain that linger after.... FML....

 

[Pooch]

Saw your Jeep pic album... beautiful! What a new adventure package!!
Dunno... might be like my husband and I when we gave up tent camping and went to a motor home... we never looked back... the time was right..
Only you two can figure out what's best for you two.
Wishing you more miles of smiles whichever way you go!

 

[grumpyoldretiredcop]

teninospyder, my wife and I have been contemplating the same thing for a while now. I had a hip replacement in January that still isn't doing that well and have the other hip replacement scheduled for this coming January. A lifetime of injury has been catching up with me. We picked up a Jeep Wrangler when we moved to NV as a huge OHV is literally just down the road from us. However, the group that we'd started Jeeping with has pretty much broken up and we have no one to share those trips... and going out solo in our area isn't the best move.

So, for the moment, we are riding our F3T and still enjoying it, just not making any long-distance rides. One of the things we've found to help keep riding new is riding with a group of younger friends, some of whom are new riders. We're watching the "next generation" learn the lessons we learned so long ago and trying to share the benefit of our experience. Hopefully the next hip replacement will go better and we'll be back on the Spyder early in the season this time. Whether or not it'll go well enough for me to ride my Street Glide (purchased strictly for solo riding, can't trust my ability to hold it up when two-up) is another matter.

In the end, I think when riding loses all appeal is when we'll give it up and maybe get another Jeep. It's hard to say as I can't take on another project Jeep at this point and around here they aren't cheap!

 

[bikerbillone]

I keep following this thread, it's good to find out what others are thinking/doing in similar circumstances. Like most, I/we delay the inevitable for as long as possible. My 20 RTL sits in the garage on the battery monitor far more than it should. So as a follow up on grumpy old cop, I have a hip replacement going south that was done in 1998, not even sure my ortho man will do anything since I'm a grumpy 'old' motorcycle rider. A revision as it's called, is more difficult it seems, so between the rock and the hard place, that's where I am. It ain't the end of the world, but it's not a good place.

 

[wyliec]

I traded in my 2008 Spyder GS for a new 2018 Jeep Wrangler. I then decided on a new Jeep Cherokee a few years later, but will be going back to a Wrangler. The one thing I do want to mention is what is called the death wobble of the Wrangler. It happened to us, and I see it's still going on. We were doing 65 on a multi lane highway, and all the way to the left and no place to go when it hit. I had to grab that wheel with 2 hands, and yelled to the gf to hit the emergency flashers b/c I couldn't let go of the wheel. It honestly felt like the Jeep was going to shake itself apart. Once we were down to around 35 the wobble stopped. The funny thing is, the Jeep was taken to the dealer 2 weeks earlier b/c they had supposedly came up with a fix for the wobble. So, when I brought it in I reminded them of the previous supposed fix, and they said it was a new fix with a new calibration. But, I read the death wobble is still going on no matter the year. Good luck. I'm sure not everyone gets to experience the death wobble.

 

[fuzzyspyder]

I have been where you are ... Last April in fact. Anyway, I traded my TriGlide and older truck in on a 2019 F-150 King Ranch ... all the bells and whistles. Did this cause the right shoulder hated the Tri after the repair.

I had a good summer driving the F-150 and even camping. Took the toy hauler out several times and always hated the empty space the Tri used to occupy.

A buddy rode through town early Oct and let me take his Spyder for a ride. Long story short, the shoulder loved the Spyder. I did a search and found a 2019 F3 Limited that I just fell in love with. So, she is mine. She will go with me in the toy hauler and the F-150. I have no plans to take the Spyder on any long trips. At 70 and after 25 surgeries ... the aches and pains really make long rides on anything kind of miserable. The F-150 with the heated seats and massage make them bearable. I do really enjoy the shorter rides around my area.

I live in a valley that 5 miles in any direction and there is nothing but wide open spaces. Couple of the directions the next gas is over 100 miles ... LOL.

Anyway ... guess I am taking the long way around the block ... my point is ... if your Spyder is at a place where you won't get much for it, maybe keep it for short day rides ... and the occasional teeth filling of bugs? I missed being in the wind and feel whole again ... just something to think about.