40 years on and off. But I fit the classic description of highest risk rider. Age 40-59. Been off the bike for twenty years, and back on for twelve months. And now bought the one classic style of bike that 40-59 year olds have the most accidents on, a bagger. It arrives tomorrow. And in four weeks I'm taking it to Sydney.

Well here's some suggestions....do an advanced riders course just to get the hand eye co ordination and the theory of  what your doing . And relax! Enjoy your bike, be alert not alarmed. You dont have to mico dissect every area of a bike that may kill you, head out into the countryside and don't fear that the odds may claim you. Can you point me in the direction of the bagger stats would love to see the article

Good advice. The advanced riders course is on the list. I also spend a fair bit of time practicing small maneuvers in vacant car parks, and looking at rider skills courses on YouTube.  MCRider , Jerry palladino and FastEddy . I can't find where I read about older males and baggers/cruisers.  And I can't find any data supporting it. All I can find is the TAC data on males 40-59 being the largest risk group

https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/statistics/summaries/motorcycle-crash-data/motorcyclist-age-group-and-gender-data

philosophical theory as to why some riders may have less accidents 

Understanding why you ride is essential to evaluating your behaviour as a rider, and therefore your risk profile and accepting your chances of an accident. I am tired of hearing the stock platitudes "There are two types of rider, those who have gone down and those who haven't yet gone down"  or  'Everyone drops the bike or has an accident at some stage, what makes a rider is his ability to get back on" I have a theory that possibly explains why some riders never have had or will have an accident. 

Experience and skill can help you avoid serious trouble in real time, as the accident unfolds. Not panicking on the front brakes, being prepared to lean harder into a corner using counter steer, while focusing on the point where you want the bike to go, or knowing when to drop the bike at the optimum time in a low-side slide. Experience also builds up a wealth of subliminal knowledge of possible traffic hazards which helps avoid accidents  and conditions you to longer periods of concentration to be able to act on that knowledge and store new experiences.

Humans are innately concerned with their survival and act in those interests , and in our down time our brains like the effects of Dopamine , and encourage us seek activities that generate dopamine. Some people are fortunate enough to get it through being an athlete, while others get it through risk taking, and the lazy get it through drug use, or gambling or sexual perversions. My theory is that we fall into the risk taking category. We understand the risk of two wheels, we are used to being different in some way socially, we value the reward over the risk and we accept the calculation, we are not afraid of standing out from the crowd, we value our individuality and our independence. We also know that people in our circles benefit from our presence and company. because we are happy when we ride, and come back home, everyone benefits.

Understanding your enjoyment of dopamine, can help you understand why you ride. My theory is if you treat the motorcycle like a pharmacist , you can modulate your dopamine levels, and gain the maximum enjoyment from life. If you over use it then your risk taking increases in order for your brain to get the same effect. 

Lovely earings dont you think?

That bloke had just dropped his boy off st school. He didn’t know he’d be saying “bye son” again so soon. 

Just got the news my Road King has arrived from QLD and is getting a RWC. I haven't seen it, nor ridden it. And only ever ridden one Harley a Street Glide 103 for a day last month. And I am taking it to Sydney on the 28th of this month. I tick all the boxes for Rider at Fault. Hence the thread. It seems I am making every rookie  mistake and at the same time it seems like it's a dealt hand. Have to play the hand as dealt. Kings over 8's , and not Aces over 8's hopefully. 
I'll be taking the good advice I got here and just take it slow and easy. Let the Moss gather and live. 

Just got the news my Road King has arrived from QLD and is getting a RWC. I haven't seen it, nor ridden it. And only ever ridden one Harley a Street Glide 103 for a day last month. And I am taking it to Sydney on the 28th of this month. I tick all the boxes for Rider at Fault. Hence the thread. It seems I am making every rookie  mistake and at the same time it seems like it's a dealt hand. Have to play the hand as dealt. Kings over 8's , and not Aces over 8's hopefully. 
I'll be taking the good advice I got here and just take it slow and easy. Let the Moss gather and live. 

Just settle petal and savour it. Do you worry this much over heart disease, diabetes, or the myriad of other things that may kill you? The way your going i think you want to crash to prove the statisticians correct!

Just got the news my Road King has arrived from QLD and is getting a RWC. I haven't seen it, nor ridden it. And only ever ridden one Harley a Street Glide 103 for a day last month. And I am taking it to Sydney on the 28th of this month. I tick all the boxes for Rider at Fault. Hence the thread. It seems I am making every rookie  mistake and at the same time it seems like it's a dealt hand. Have to play the hand as dealt. Kings over 8's , and not Aces over 8's hopefully. 
I'll be taking the good advice I got here and just take it slow and easy. Let the Moss gather and live. 

Just settle petal and savour it. Do you worry this much over heart disease, diabetes, or the myriad of other things that may kill you? The way your going i think you want to crash to prove the statisticians correct!

dumb comment. 

philosophical theory as to why some riders may have less accidents 

Understanding why you ride is essential to evaluating your behaviour as a rider, and therefore your risk profile and accepting your chances of an accident. I am tired of hearing the stock platitudes "There are two types of rider, those who have gone down and those who haven't yet gone down"  or  'Everyone drops the bike or has an accident at some stage, what makes a rider is his ability to get back on" I have a theory that possibly explains why some riders never have had or will have an accident. 

Experience and skill can help you avoid serious trouble in real time, as the accident unfolds. Not panicking on the front brakes, being prepared to lean harder into a corner using counter steer, while focusing on the point where you want the bike to go, or knowing when to drop the bike at the optimum time in a low-side slide. Experience also builds up a wealth of subliminal knowledge of possible traffic hazards which helps avoid accidents  and conditions you to longer periods of concentration to be able to act on that knowledge and store new experiences.

Humans are innately concerned with their survival and act in those interests , and in our down time our brains like the effects of Dopamine , and encourage us seek activities that generate dopamine. Some people are fortunate enough to get it through being an athlete, while others get it through risk taking, and the lazy get it through drug use, or gambling or sexual perversions. My theory is that we fall into the risk taking category. We understand the risk of two wheels, we are used to being different in some way socially, we value the reward over the risk and we accept the calculation, we are not afraid of standing out from the crowd, we value our individuality and our independence. We also know that people in our circles benefit from our presence and company. because we are happy when we ride, and come back home, everyone benefits.

Understanding your enjoyment of dopamine, can help you understand why you ride. My theory is if you treat the motorcycle like a pharmacist , you can modulate your dopamine levels, and gain the maximum enjoyment from life. If you over use it then your risk taking increases in order for your brain to get the same effect. 

Lovely earings dont you think?

Just got the news my Road King has arrived from QLD and is getting a RWC. I haven't seen it, nor ridden it. And only ever ridden one Harley a Street Glide 103 for a day last month. And I am taking it to Sydney on the 28th of this month. I tick all the boxes for Rider at Fault. Hence the thread. It seems I am making every rookie  mistake and at the same time it seems like it's a dealt hand. Have to play the hand as dealt. Kings over 8's , and not Aces over 8's hopefully. 
I'll be taking the good advice I got here and just take it slow and easy. Let the Moss gather and live.