Do I encourage my son to ride?
 

I'm sure there are many of you that have had to deal with this one. I would be interested to hear what you have to say.

If you can get him a little single cylinder bike to ride in a field yes.
I have two kids, a son and daughter. My son is completely inept with anything mechanical and drives like a badly programmed robot. he has no feel whatsoever. My daugter`s driving flows. However I would worry if either took up motorcycling. there you have it, a completely unscientific response from a parent :)

My oldest two sons both are not intersted in motorcycling but the third is. I do not encourage it because it has to be his own choice. To be honest, I would like it very much do do some touring with one of my sons but I don't tell him now.

He is driving a 50cc moped now. I did buy him a good helmet for his 18th birthday, a week ago, and if he buys a motorcycle, I'll get him some good protective clothing and I'll try to teach him to drive safe.

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.

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.

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 .

"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?

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.

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!

When my former girlfriend made her license her father commented she would be lucky if she lived to be 25. Impressed her a lot.

Maybe you can bribe him: Get your license after your 25th birthday and get the bike of your choice for free! :)

Until 4 months ago I hadn't ridden a bike since my KH250 in 1979, which I crashed 3 times.
I'm now 46 and just bought a bike for economy. I gave it a lot of thought; was I going to revert to my power happy days of my late teens.
I normally drive a Discovery 200 Tdi, 0-60 in about 20 seconds, I rarely get close to an accident, and if I do I'm generally far enough away to avoid it before it happens.
On the bike things are different. I still have the same "safe" awareness as when driving the car, but, in the 4 months I can think of at least 10 close calls.
In my opinion a bike rider needs to have a mature mind. Although I do travel at greater speeds on the bike, more than half of the close calls have been at speeds less than 60, within the limit at that particular incident.
Although I do get a thrill from the speed, I don't take risks, but I still seem to get closer to potential accidents.
I conclude; if one is to drive a bike in a potentially dangerous way then they'll probably be the same in a car, the car just offers more "life" protection.
I'd like my son to drive a Discovery, but as it has a 2.5 litre engine the insurance is ridiculous.
Kevin

I see a guy every wednesday doing his weekly shop with his tractor. I am pretty sure he is a retired farmer, and looks like father christmas. with his shopping in the box on the back. Both road tax and insurance is cheap for agriculteral vehicles, so what he is doing makes a lot of sense.

Simple... don't discourage him and see where it goes. You started somewhere.

John

step by step
 

I am in the same position but my view is a bit different, I am riding and travelling for the past 20 years on motorcycle and when people said that bike are dangereous I reply that its not completly the thrue.Now that my son ride I am a bit worry about him but one of the thing I learn is to traine and be prep for all events so my advice to all new riders is to get to learn to ride off road first and maybe attend some advence training camp (MX/trial/ADV). the danger are present but you do built reflex wich can save your butt another time on road , it is also much slower than road bike and after dishing yourself few time on the track or trail you start to think more than you speed.

Hendi

Don't encourage, but don't discourage either
 

I'm in a slightly more difficult situation; having lived most of her life with me and travelled on the back of my bikes, my step daughter now says she wants a bike for her 17th birthday. I have had enormous pleasure from motorcycling and would happily get her the bike and Compulsory Basic Training (1st stage tuition for non UK readers). The following stages would be up to her (I'm not rich), and she would be subject to rules I would set. Her mother is OK with this, BUT we also have to consider her father and he is unlikely to be so keen. For the moment it looks as though she will have to wait until she is independant of both him and me.

I don't think I have "encouraged" her toward motorcycling, but she has seen the pleasure her mother and I get from motorcycling and come to her own conclusions. I would certainly never discourage her interest.:nono:

I have a similar problem. Living in Spain, kids can ride a scooter from the age of 14 which personally I think is the wrong way to go. However, you can't drive a car until you're 18!! We average a loss of one kid a year from motorcycling in our village of 3000 people.

My son is now 14 and I don't think he is mature enough to ride, but I know he's taken the neighbours scooter out into the campo to see his mate. Whilst I was ranting and raving that he didn't have insurance, he wasn't a competent driver and it was irresponsible, his dad just stood behind me saying nothing. 'What would you do if the police saw you' to which he replied 'I did, waved, and they waved back!' His dad didn't say anything because at the same age, he was doing the same thing.

How can you discourage your kids not to ride if you ride yourself. I learnt on a Honda 90 when I was 17 years old and have ridden on and off for more than 20 years working my way up to a Moto Guzzi California. When I had a break from riding, I went on a refresher course. Now I ride an XT600 (as does my hubby) and a Tricker 250 and I'd love nothing more than our son to join us on our rides out. But I'd hate to think he was out there on his own pratting around with his mates.

Kids will always do things their way (we all did didn't we?) no matter how much you try to encourage/discourage them to do things. Much better that they do it with your blessing and your knowledge. All you can do is encourage them to ride safely and responsibly.

What kills kids on bikes is the first taste of thrill and freedom...

I got my first bike at 18...

Can anyone remember 18 ?? Fearless, hormonal, something to prove, tomorrow doesnt matter etc

Mix this up with a fast sexy bike and its going to spell dissaster. I'm lucky to be alive when i think back to my early riding.


I think its much better to get kids into bikes at a young age so when they are old enough to ride on the road, its nothing new to them and they wont tear round like a tosser !

Get the "new" thrill out of them at a young age and in a safe environment.

There is only one answer, that is yes:thumbup1: Don't be so selfish:rofl:.


Trophymick

I think I was told the best advice I know of on this subject 20 odd years ago.
I was told " I will teach my son to ride so i know he knows how to ride well, as if he is like any other child he will find a way to get on a bike with or without me..."

I say yes encorage him. Would it not be better to teach him yourself, or at very least get him proper teaching, then have his "friend" teach him who has not had any formal teaching himself?

It is like everything else. drinking, sex, drug, talk with him treat him like an adult and you will both be better off!
:thumbup1:

besides.. as a son.. I would have loved to ride with my dad. It could have been very special spending time doing what i love with him....(okay sorry that is getting sappy)

from the child's perspective!
 

I have only recently got into bikes, and when I was under my parents roof it was very clear that they would not be up for me getting a bike. I think the phrase 'not while you live here' was used!

I didn't even touch a bike until I did my DAS, but was still totally bitten just the same as I would have been if I was 16 - difference being I could go and get a 750 straight away. Which I did - great fun those elefants (when you're not fixing the b*&%$ds...).

Despite keeping me bike free my parents still had to suffer my adolescence spent in emergency rooms - if the kid needs danger he will find it somewhere! You can't stop it, you can't control it you just have to cross your fingers and hope. Don't encourage or discourage, just support - and do what you can to make sure that the dangers are minimised whilst keeping the rush. I reckon track days or off roading are the way to go... let him stack a bike on a track a few times and it should teach him to keep away from the ragged edge on the road

good luck!

Also from the childs perspective
 

My father never encouraged me to ride despite me being around bikes since before I was born. All the men on both sides of my family are keen on motorcycling and some of the women too, but none of them bought me a bike or encouraged me in any way which effectively meant that I spent about from birth to the age of 26 I spent roughly 20 minutes in control of a motorcycle. This wasn't because I didn't want to, it was just that I hadn't been given the opportunity and I was too polite to ask.

Now I'm 27 going on 28 and I've been riding for 18 months in which I've notched up probably over 10,000 miles mostly around London and including one overland to Italy. The wallpaper on my PC is my bike at the top of the Passo Del Stelvio. I wish that someone had put me on a bike when I was younger as now my life revolves around bikes. These are experiences I wish I had earlier instead of wasting my life worrying about unimportant crap. Give the lad a bike goddammit!

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...

Safe
 

If they want to ride then let them ... just teach them to ride safe..a bike is as dangerous as loaded gun in the wrong hands ... good luck

should i encourage him?
 

it would be hypocrytical not to, wouldnt it? and why would you not want to share one of the greatest pleasures in the world?

I only got into bikes because of some friends who actually loved'em and still do..My father bought a 2nd hand 1990 Yamaha XT600E with less than 1000miles on it in the US and shipped it back here to Portugal. Than he bought a Kawasaki Ninja 750 red and black which I loved but he finished up selling it :(

He kept the XT600E and now I'm the one who drives it...
When I started being curious about this bike [ I was 14y old ] I started asking my dad how to turn it on... how to shift it up and down... and eventually started turning it on [in the garage] and put 1st gear and letting the clutch bit by bit going about 4feet at a time stepping back a lil to get some room and doing that over and over UNTIL about 1 month later I started going out late at night with it around 4/5AM and driving around the whole island [yes I live in an island with 98square kilometers]... had my "rookie"crashes....

I knew I was doing that illegally hell I was only 14yo.. I finished up telling my dad I was riding and he argued with me telling me this bike is hard to drive and alot dangerous for a 14yo kid to be fooling around....

The thing is, he never prohibited me from riding it as long as I rode it slow, calmly PROTECTED and only off road on our lands by the house because of the cops..

I rode the XT until I was almost 16yo but than my dad bought me a Yamaha DT125R which I rode till I was 19..awesome beginner's bike that was power limited because of somethings on the exhaust but after taking that out the bike would top out at 90miles/h [almost 145km/h] in average about 15seconds.

Since then I'm riding the XT600. Now I'm 21yo and I understand his concerns and he was absolutelly right!

And someday if I have kids I won't disencourage nor encourage them to ride. It has to be something they want to do because it is dangerous...

Oh, and as you know the most danger doesn't come from us, it comes from the other people who is driving all around us because we know what we want to do but not what the others will do.

One thing my father tells me from time to time is: "O nosso para-choques é o corpo" ---> "The body is our bumper".....

Safe riding! :thumbup1: