Iceland with a 5 yr old child as a pillion?
 

My original plan was to ride alone, from Reykjavik and then through the interior and then round west, alternatively a different route back through the interior. Trip duration estimated to one week. Bike is a BMW F650GS Dakar

Lately though I have been contemplating taking my five year old son as a pillion. He will be close to six when it is time to go late July or early august. At the moment he is 118cm tall. I have not checked to see if he can reach the foot pegs this year, but I have both a child harness to strap him to me and a child seat as an alternative.

What do you guys and gals think?

I am not too much concerned with gravel, rock and ruts or river crossings - I would just have to be very careful.

My greatest concern is riding in sand with my child and a heavy loaded bike (BMF F650GS Dakar). If it is only a few kilometers, then I could always walk him across bit by bit, backtracking to ride the bike bit by bit, a few hundred meters at a time. But if it is more than a few kilometers, then it might just be too much. Any of you know how much sand I should expect? The longest continuous stretch?

My second greatest concern is if he is just too young to appreciate it... hours in the saddle, little playtime, no electronic entertainment, few toys, no interaction with other kids, camping, eating poorly, no showers, cold, wind, rain, no toilets, etc... I really want to share my overlanding passion with him but don't want to squash his interest by setting off before he is of age.

Any comments will be appreciated.

We were in Iceland with the kids when they were 5 and 2, and they both loved it. We were in a vehicle, not a bike, so i can't speak to the pillion issue, but there is lots of interesting stuff for kids to do in Iceland. Seeing a glacier, seeing neat waterfalls, bathing in hot springs, watching an erupting geiser, riding across the lava plains ... My main bit of advice would be to go slow, get off the bike often and take time to play. Ours loved running across the squishy tundra grass!

If the kid can't put his feet firmly on the footrests then forget it. Apart from the lack of bracing points he's be taking all his weight on his bum, not good.

Harnesses? Madness.

Not many kids appreciate scenery like adults do and gruelling days in the pillion saddle can get too much even for adults never mind young 'uns. Send him off to grandma's for the duration.

I think its irresponsible as a parent but thats just my opinion.
Is it even legal at that age?

Thanks for the input, and please keep it coming.

The harness vs the seat vs nothing all poses tradeoffs. Both the seat and the harness are both great, but both with drawbacks. Children riding as pillion can fall asleep, and both a harness and a seat will keep them falling off. The harness has the benefit of me being able to jump off the bike with the child. On the other hand, in a high speed spill, the child could end up between me and whatever we would hit or tumble across... or I could act as a brace. A seat, the child would break free from both me and the bike (the kid is not strapped in), or the child could potentially end up underneath the bike.

As for reaching the foot rests, I agree - it is a must. Altough the seat comes with its own straps used as foot rests, they do not offer the same stability and may also be difficult to break free from in a spill - kind of like the stirrups on a horse's a saddle.

As for how responsible or irresponsible it is. Well, I can't argue that it comes with risk. Then again, I also let my child go downhill skiing, sledding, jumping on a trampolene, riding a bicycle, climbing trees, go swimming, etc. I have myself gotten serious injured doing all of the above, and know of people who have died dooing all of them... But yes, taking my child on a motorcycle is not something I do with a light heart. But on the other hand, the experiences gained on so many levels are worth many a risk in my opinion.

If I was to burn rubber, the trip could probably be done in 15-20 hours of effective riding I presume - which would make it my shortest overlanding trip ever. But with a child I would go much much slower, with the most difficult being paddled across. In the interior of Iceland I would see virtually no traffic I presume, so it would all be up to my own skills and speed and having my faith in being able to handle the occasional idiot coming my way. If I take it very easy, with all the protective gear, I would be more concerned of riding two-up on a bicicle arround town where I live. As for the tarmac, you don't have to venture far outside Reykjavik before even this is pretty barren when it comes to traffic.

I would also be looking at how I could pack the bike to brace him in the event of toppeling over on the side - but ofcourse I can't make it "safe".

Riding slowly over ruts, an occasional patch of stone, washboards, gravel, etc, doesn't worry me much. River beds with rolling stones, river crossings, narrow paths on steep inclines, and loose sand, poses a far greater risk of taking a spill. I would be walking my child across these difficult bits or be riding it in such a way that I could catch a spill (paddeling). But, if this type of terrain ammounts to many kilometers, then I wouldn't want to do do it. Hence, the question of how much sand I should expect.

Travel with kid
 

I once had a 5 yr old fall asleep on my bike in the daytime while doing 65 on the interstate in Albuquerque NM. Not the place or time to be trying to deal with him falling off! I have seen a couple with a sidecar taking a three year old on a 3,000 mile trip. I asked how it was going. They said good, once they put a net over the side car so he would stop throwing his toys out to hear the noise. When he as tired he could sleep safe and sound. Might be a solution for your situation. Hope it helps.

I've had a small bit of experience riding with a 5 year old. I used a child's climbing harness on him, clipped around my chest. He was as safe as I was (for whatever that's worth), but that's not really the issue.

The point is that the concept was thrilling for him, but the actual experience rapidly became boring: he couldn't move around, couldn't talk, couldn't play with toys or read books or play computer games, had difficulty regulating his body temperature and the condensation which formed on his visor (preventing him from even seeing anything at times).....etc. The price of keeping him safe was robbing him of anything remotely interesting or fun.

The thought of taking a major trip under such circumstances would not interest either he or I in the least--nothing whatsoever to do with safety on sand, mud, cobbles or ruts. It would be a very rare 5-year-old who'd stay engaged and interested under the circumstances. Unless yours is one such rare individual--proven by gradually increasing trips under similar conditions--I'd save that stuff for when he's much older. Seriously--try it out when the consequences are something less than a ruined trip for both of you. See how it goes. Don't get all caught up in how much YOU want to do this (or your shared fantasies) without verifying carefully before heading for Iceland.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

This is good advice, and I share many of your concerns of mutual enjoyment.

In a way, I have the notion that it in some ways is more challenging to do a 1-2 week trip than a one to two year trip. Simply because in the very beginning there is excitement that wears off quick, followed by a long acclimatization period to get to grips with a new situation and lifestyle and adopt to its unique thrills and enjoyment. Although a lot of overlanders have it this way, a child's "excitement period" is probably far more short lived and the acclimatization period longer... or maybe not?

I can remember too well my own struggles as a five year old with adjusting body temp, conserving energy, dealing with cumbersome equipment and terrain, etc, on long cross country ski trips with my parents... If the trips were longer or more frequent I might have learned the skills to be more self reliant and could have enjoyed it more.

So yes, you are probably right. Maybe I should start off with a 1-2 night trip and see how it goes and how much leeway there is to go on a more extended trip.

Since he has been three I have taken him on very short trips around where we live - and it is always a major highlight of the week, even those times where he eventually falls a sleep. The longest trip was half a day with several stops... a far stretch from a week long trip with lack of all the usual comforts and pleasures of home...

I can't say it's irresponsible because it depends on the child. My daughter grew up around bikes, in a side-car and aged 6 started riding pillion.
But you do need to check the legalities in each country. After moving to Germany when she was aged 7, I discovered the limit was 8.

Also, using a harness is a seriously bad idea. Better for them to have a few injuries than be squashed by a heavy adult on a fall. Kids bounce!
Perhaps if you're riding on difficult terrain, the journey would be better shared when he's older....

I've not ridden with a kid myself but in my travels I've talked about it with locals in places out is common. My thoughts:

Do you ride with him regularly now? To the store? To the park? For a fun day ride? If that works try an overnight then go for it. If you are not already riding with him I would really question the wisdom of going right into a long trip!

I've seen kids riding pillion too often in Latin America to believe it cannot be done safely. However, those kids literally grew up being a passenger their whole lives, starting strapped to mom's back.