My friend Jackie tells a great story about coming home from high school one day to find her mom, Janet, riding around their Johnsonburg, Elk County, neighborhood on a motorcycle. If I remember the story -- and the incriminating photos -- correctly, Jackie's father, Louie, dyed his hair a fiery red right around that same time.

I'm sure my friend thought her folks had lost their marbles, but, alas, her mom's motorcycle lasted not much longer than her dad's dye job. Funny what parents do when faced with the prospects of an empty nest.

Russ Maier of Mars finding his nest empty, found his way back to motorcycling -- and he's not alone.

Maier, like so many riders of our generation, started off riding minibikes. He enjoyed riding off-road, but because he needed a way to get to the trails he favored street and trail bikes for much of his youth. In his early teens he bought a Ducati -- although he assures me his Ducati was nothing like the sleek Italian bikes he sees on the streets today. His was a real beater, and it also spent some time off-road.

Maier continued to ride a bit after he married, but when he and his wife started their family he quit cold turkey and remained bike-free until a few years ago when the bug bit him again. He still lives near several of his old classmates, and when one of them bought a Harley, Maier decided it was time to make his move. He chose a Honda as his second bike, and off he went, wife in tow.

Turns out Maier wasn't the last of his crew to succumb; the bike bug spread faster than mono, and before long there were four new bikes in four garages ... and four born-again bikers.

The urge to return to motorcycling in middle age is a strong one. Once the kids move out time -- and money -- may be more disposable. Frank Gates, a 60-something rider from Sacramento, Calif., wrote an extensive analysis of the phenomenon, complete with a pro-and-con list and cost projections for the Web site www.aginghipsters.com.

There's also a blog, Returning Motorcyclist, written by a fellow who goes by the name Big Cab Daddy from Fort Collins, Col. His blog's home page sports the headline, "I used to ride when I was a kid. Always wanted to get back to it." Sound familiar? Only last summer I actually acted on the urge. This is my story.

I think most second-time-around bikers have a good story to tell. Here's my favorite:

I was working at a dealership in Cranberry when a 40-something couple came in. They hadn't ridden in years, having given up their bikes to raise their daughter and to save every dollar they could for her college fund. Unfortunately the daughter's freshman effort produced grades lower than a cruiser's seat, so her parents issued a warning: Bring the grades up next semester or we'll stop funding your education.

Maybe the daughter considered her parents' threat an empty one, but she was sorely mistaken. When we asked the couple how we could help them, the mom replied, "We're looking for two bikes, and we've got a college fund to spend." Their nest may not have been empty for long, but their garage most certainly was full.