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Rated: E · Message Forum · Entertainment · #2308655
Available on Amazon. Tips on riding motorcycles from Larry lifesaver.
HOW WE MET OLD
LARRY LIFESAVER
This here is the story of how we met
Old Larry Lifesaver as we call him. I
say ‘we’ because I would like you to
just sit back, let your imagination
run for a while and maybe pick up a
few tips on how to keep safe as
Larry would say, “On them Ole
Moto-Sickles.”
I want you to try to picture yourself
out for a ride one sunny summer's
afternoon with me, some buddies
and a few of the girls. We stop at a
little wayside motorcycle cafe for a
break and a coffee. Seems, if I
remember rightly, the sign out the
front read ‘The Sidecar Cafe, All
Motorcyclists Welcome.’ As we

walked away from the bikes toward
the cafe door, I remember looking
down at my watch; the time was
2.05pm.
Once inside and coffee cups full, we
are all seated around a table by the
window generally chatting about the
usual things motorcyclists talk about.
Through the window, we see outside
a rider. We watch as he pulls off the
road and into the parking area. He's
riding an early 1950’s pre-unit
Triumph Thunderbird 650, one of
those with the sprung hub rear
suspension. He's wearing an old
corker helmet and a set of full
leathers that look like they date back
to the sixties, over which he seems to
be wearing what looks like a worn-out and faded old hi-viz of some
kind. His kit is topped off with a pair

of fisherman's socks turned over at
the top of his calf-length leather
riding boots.
As it ticks over, the engine of his old
bike sounds as sweet as a nut. We
watch as he slowly removes his
helmet to reveal what we can clearly
see now is an older man. He has
everyone's attention now. He reaches
down, turns off the petrol tap, and
gives the throttle a quick blip before
he turns off the small spade key on
the headlight nacelle and the ancient
engine rumbles to a stop.
We continue to watch as he kicks
down the side stand and nimbly
swings his leg off the old bike. He
stands there for a moment with a
smile, looking fondly down at his
old machine, shrugs his shoulders,

turns, and casually walks toward the
cafe door with the contented look of
a satisfied man.
Once inside the cafe, he orders
himself a mug of coffee with extra
sugar and looks around for a place to
sit. His eyes immediately catch sight
of our group of riders seated by the
window. We invite him over and he
pulls out a chair, turns it round
backwards and sits down with his
arms crossed on the backrest. He
introduces himself as Larry. He
smiles, nods his head to one side as
if stretching his neck, then
announces that he is going to tell us
all about riding motorcycles -
“Safely that is,” he says.
I remember thinking to myself at the
time, "Who does this old man think

he is?" just plonking himself down at
our table and proceeding to tell us
what we know, or rather don't know,
about riding motorcycles. Well, I
guess we were all about to find out.
Turns out old Larry has been riding
motorcycles on a full license for
more than half a century and has
nigh on two million miles of riding
behind him over three continents.
As the conversation rolls on, we
discover that Larry, in his retirement,
has been working as a motorcycle
instructor, one of those guys who
train you to pass your bike test and
do basic training for as he puts it,
"Them young'uns on L plates.” We
never do get to know his last name.
So in the future when we refer to that
day, we all just call him, “Old Larry
Lifesaver."

What follows are some of our
questions and Larry's Lifesaving
Tips. He starts out by asking a
question.

The story then goes on with Old Larry giving his new friends some sage advice on riding motorcycles.
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