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Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else This is an opportunity to ask any question, and post any notice you wish that doesn't fit into one of the other sections.
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 20 Feb 2007
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A tough one I know. We have 8 children between us and as they were growing up most of the boys showed an interest in motor biking. We didn't encourage it and they moved onto cars (3 of which were written off in their first few weeks of driving). However our youngest daughter asked for a CBT course for her 17th birthday. We didn't argue with her or try put her off, we just ignored her at first hoping it would go away, but it didn't. So we booked her into the Harley Davidson riding school at Builth Wells on the basis that we could at least give her the best possible start. After the course she then of course wanted a bike. So shortly afterwards a chineses 125 cruiser joined the fleet. She rode it nearly every day for about 9 months through all weathers commuting to 6th form through very heavy traffic on the A6. There were a couple of incidents, but not serious and I'm sure she benefited from them. She went back to Rider's Edge at Builth Wells for a 6 day course ending with taking her test on her 18th birthday, which she passed. She had the bike with her at university on her first term last autumn, but has left it at home this term since she didnt' think she'd use it much thru the winter.
I still wouldn't be as keen to help any of the more impetuous boys at the same age, but our daughter has made a very good and competent rider and at the moment she is not on a very powerful machine. I feel we gave her the best start we could, she is sensible and I think the risks to her on the road could be just as great if she were riding a push bike.
Would I encourage it - no. but we did everything we could to help her be as safe as possible.
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Old 20 Feb 2007
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Originally Posted by harleyrider View Post
we did everything we could to help her be as safe as possible.
In the end it always boils down to this, you can hopefully point them in the right direction, but eventually you have to let them go, like teaching them to swim or ride a pushbike.
ie do what you think is right, and hope for the best.
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Old 21 Feb 2007
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How well do you know your son ?
What is your opinion of his maturity and commonsense ?
If he is a well adjusted kid with a functioning brain in his head ,then why would you not encourage him to ride ?
You enjoy motorcycling don't you ? Then why would you deny him that pleasure ?

Familiarisation with a small machine off road is great for instilling bike control .Road based training is also essential these days [IMHO] .

Good luck .
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Old 21 Feb 2007
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"You enjoy motorcycling don't you ? Then why would you deny him that pleasure ?"


Thanks for your thoughts.
I managed to aquire many thousands of miles experience at a time when the roads here in the U.K. were relatively safe.
The problem is exactly that I don't want to be selfish and deny him the pleasure but his rookie years would be full of danger.
I can also remember how stupid, reckless and lucky I was as a teenager.
I think I could never deny him but do I encourage him?
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Old 16 Apr 2007
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Originally Posted by Bernard View Post
"You enjoy motorcycling don't you ? Then why would you deny him that pleasure ?"


Thanks for your thoughts.
I managed to aquire many thousands of miles experience at a time when the roads here in the U.K. were relatively safe.
The problem is exactly that I don't want to be selfish and deny him the pleasure but his rookie years would be full of danger.
I can also remember how stupid, reckless and lucky I was as a teenager.
I think I could never deny him but do I encourage him?
I don't know your background but I'm going to have a guess. The way you describe your early biking years, it sounds like there was less traffic on the roads so a few years back, no doubt.

But by the same token one could argue that the training they give riders now is more then they didwhen I passed in 1993 and certainly more than the 70s where I understand it was once round the block and there is your licence. Then there is the mprovements in handling and braking etc: Bikes are a lot more tolerant of crappy riding than before I think: you can make a mistake on a given line through a bend and you a re more likely to be forgiven than stuffed in a hedge, so hopefully that might reassure you somewhat (as you've no doubt guessed: I am not a parent!!)

As far as encouraging or denying is concerned: don't do either: just support what choices are made and know that you evidently have a lot of knowledge and skill to impart. No one in my family rode a bike and I was the first at 17 deciding, having never saved up for more than a penny sweet before, that I'd save up, get my CBT, a lid, jacket, boots gloves and a bike. 2 years of saving later and it was all mine. My parents weren't pleased, but they never actively got in my way, and its opend a lot of doors for me and made a vast array of experiences available to me, such as the trip described on here: I've never looked back despite the downsides...
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Old 21 Feb 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodger View Post

Familiarisation with a small machine off road is great for instilling bike control .Road based training is also essential these days [IMHO] .

Good luck .
You are absolutely right, my suggestion was intended for him to get some bike skills safely before roadcraft as in my view putting a beginner on teh road is a bad idea.
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Old 27 Feb 2007
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If he wants to ride then help him do it the right way. My parents were dead against me riding but I did it anyway - it would have been safer and easier if they had known!
How about getting him interested in trials riding first?
The bikes (twin shock or mono) are reasonably priced and he'll learn incredibly useful bike handling skills away from the hazards of the open road.
Who knows, if you're worried about him riding on the road, he may find he prefers trials anyway!
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