They have spent their lives doing what was expected of them--advancing their careers, raising their children, paying their taxes. They are middle-aged and respectable. Now they want recreation and travel that's liberating and youthful, even a bit on the wild side. They're motorcyclists--baby-boomer bikers.
Like Dr. Charles Falco, 54, a professor of optical sciences at the University of Arizona at Tucson. He enjoys art history, theater, ballet and travel. He has an extensive library in his home--and 17 motorcycles outside it. Falco's journeys have taken him as far as the Pyrenees Mountains, bordering Spain and France, and the back roads of western Ireland. "Riding a bike gives me a young feeling, like I'm 15 again," Falco says. "It's a great way to see the world and awaken the senses."
Another baby-boomer biker is dentist Steven Bobbe, 55, of Melrose Park, Ill. "Driving my car, even for a couple of hours, puts me to sleep," says Bobbe. "But when I'm on my bike, I'm invigorated and can ride for days." Bobbe returned last month from a 2,300-mile round trip to Santa Fe, N.M., driving straight through on the way home.
Baby boomers are the fastest-growing segment of America's 6 million--member motorcycling population; their numbers are increasing 10% a year. Boomers tend to have the time to take to the open road, as well as the financial resources to buy bikes costing as much as $20,000, just for the thrill of it. Nearly a third of Harley-Davidson riders are now 50 or older, says Joanne Bischmann, vice president of marketing.
They have a celebrity role model in Jay Leno, 52, who helps raise money for charities at widely publicized biker runs. Last year the comedian and talk-show host auctioned one of his motorcycles, adorned with numerous celebrity signatures, on eBay to raise money for the Twin Towers Fund after the terrorist attacks.
"Especially since 9/11, we see how unpredictable and short life can be," says Robert Rasor, president of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). "More and more boomers are now wanting to try something different in their lives, like motorcycling, realizing that they shouldn't put off their dreams until tomorrow." The average age of AMA members is 47; a decade ago, it was 42.
In the past five years alone, the number of people 50 or older taking motorcycle road trips has increased about 50%, notes Burt Richmond, tourmeister for Lotus Tours, a Chicago company that arranges motorcycling trips worldwide for groups of eight to 20. Lotus' service includes planning the routes, arranging for bike rentals, booking hotels, handling all luggage and even arranging seating during meals. The average domestic trip is 10 days and 1,800 miles and costs $3,500 to $4,200, not including airfare.