I am 73 and currently own and ride my 4 Ducatis (2006 749s, 2014 Multistrada S Touring, 2018 Scrambler Icon and 2020 Panigale V4). Usually run a 70 mile loop daily April to late October. On occasion will ride up to 300 twisty miles in a day. Recently, at a rest stop, met 4 old guys on motorcycles of which the youngest was 70, the oldest 80. Take good care of your body (eat well, EXERCISE DAILY) and you can ride Ducatis into your 70s
I have been riding my 900 SSie for the last twenty odd years, before which I had a 30 year break. The SS always has been a shade too tall for me having to tippy toe it. Last year I realised that the day would come when I would need a more relaxed ride so started looking at what was on offer. I know the SS is not overly heavy but it has always struck me as a big bike. So my 3 requirements for my future steed was lower weight, lower seat height and some electronic aids like ABS, traction control, rider modes etc. If I were to go for another Duke my first thoughts would be a Multi as I had a test ride when first launched and liked it but it’s heavier than the SS. A Monster is the only one that tips the scales acceptably but starting at over 11 grand I looked elsewhere. Eventually I returned to my original love, Triumph. I still have the Tbird I bought in 66 in the garage. So I ended up buying a new Street Triple R (LRH). Same weight as the Monster, 2 grand cheaper on list and I got 10% off, more power but lower torque, all the electrickery, including an auto-blipper, Brembo brakes, zero storage and the pillion seat is a joke. So easy to ride, we did 800 miles in a long weekend to Wales in August. Sitting on it it feels like a toy compared to the SS but the SS proved how special it is when I took it out for a spin before SORNing it for the winter. Whatever the speed you are comfortable but with a naked bike as soon as you get into three figures it starts to get a bit challenging. Forgot to mention, I was 75 earlier on this year.
Just a few thoughts on deteriorating eyesight as you get older. My arms were no longer long enough by the time I got to 50. With single vision distance specs you can see the road ok but the dash is a bit blurry. After suffering spectacles for a goodly number of years I was persuaded to try contact lenses. Multifocal contact lenses, an absolute game changer, like someone had turned the clock back a few decades. A couple of decades later I am now pushing the capability of these lenses so for long journeys I am now trying Toric lenses, for astigmatism, which are only single vision at the moment. As for laser treatment your eyes will still continue to deteriorate and it may preclude some of the options that would otherwise be available in later years.
Coming up to 75, still riding my Monster 1200S, but I'm 21 when I'm out on the bike. Better after cataract surgery
I have 3 pairs of varifocal glasses for riding and driving. One with clear lens, one pair full sunglasses and one pair with light reactive lens. Now I can see everything clearly including the clocks/dashboard in any prevailing light.
I have never had varifocal specs but understand that, like bifocals, the reading portion of the lens is at the bottom whereas multifocal contact lenses don’t have this constraint. And you are never having to find where you left your specs. No, they are not for everyone but if you don’t try them you will never know. I found them amazing and with the type that allows an appropriate level of oxygen to my eyes I use them every day.
I've used varifocals for the last few years and they are fantastic, the only problem I found was when vertical welding, because the highest magnification is at the very bottom of the glasses, causing your head to tip right back as you look through the specs, my solution was to get a pair of single vision reading glasses for welding/any overhead working jobs, but don't try walking when wearing them ;-)
Lady Nasher had exactly the same when she tried them. 15mins using her laptop with them made her very unwell.
With the multifocal contact lenses there is no need to tilt or raise your head as the various powers of magnification are rings around the central portion because they do not have any requirement to be aligned. Unlike the toric lenses which I am trialing to deal with astigmatism. .These use gravity, yep they are bias weighted to self align.
Worth giving the multifocal contact lenses a try as it doesn’t cost anything. The most comfortable ones that I now use every day are called Total 1 and I buy them from Costco!
I’ve tried multi focal contacts before and liked them except for a couple of things. I didn’t like putting them in and taking them out. They made distant objects look like the do in a kids 3D viewer. I worked in an environment with heavy duty aircon and my eyes dried up with them in. Driving at night is hellish because of the way they make headlights flare. I went for varifocal glasses but I don’t really need them for driving. My life has changed and so I’ve decided to give contacts another go but after writing this, I’m not so sure.
