Here’s a question: As you get older, how should you approach your career as a motorcyclist?

And another question: As you watch your friends go through tough times, especially crashes with serious consequences, would it change how you ride?Shouldit change how you ride?

Barry Morris takes a break from the DR650 propaganda and willy jokes this week to dig a bit deeper, asking these questions and generally bringing up some thoughtful conversation in this week’s video.

Barry’s right: The adventure bike rider is in their middle age, and many of us are increasingly aware that our actions behind the handlebars have consequences. It takes a long time to recover after you’ve been banged-up. And the older we get, the more chance we have that one of our riding acquaintances is going to suffer a crash with severe injuries, or worse. It’s happened to my friends and acquaintances a few times, and every time I’ve asked myself in the aftermath: Will this change how I ride?

I think most motorcyclists have had those same thoughts, in those scenarios. Everybody’s answer is different, but on my part, I have often thought the answer was that I’d ride the exact same as always. But is that really the case? Over time, I don’t know if I ride the same as before, but I do think I’m a lot more mindful of the consequences.

But what of the other side of that equation: The older you get, the less years you have to ride. Barry makes this point, and I think of friends I’ve known who planned great things on their retirement, only to have sickness or other tragedies take those opportunities away. So where’s the balance?

I’m not 100 percent sure, but Barry puts it into perspective this way:

Most importantly, I think it’s time to ride more. How many of us will say on our deathbed “I should have spent more time at work and less riding motorbikes”?

While some of his questions might be hard to answer, that statement, at least, is right.