For Those With Children That About to Ride....

[hedo2002]

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Tell her she can get a street bke, that you will even buy it FOR her.. She has to pay her own insurance... that should discourage her for a while..LOL

As others have said, start out small and let her work her way up. nothing more than 125 to start. Only small subdivisions at first and I agree time in a cage on the streets first.

 

[Baggsy]

I'm thinking it's odd that you are getting strangers opinions on how to raise your kid from the internet.

So, "winging it", is the way to go, is it?

Definitely, get her some car time before a bike.

If she can safely see first hand, what bikers are doing wrong, she can get some perspective on doing it right.

 

[dricked]

Different times.

Todays youth is a different breed. I'll leave it at that.

Like I said, I'd never let any 16 year old on the open road on a motorcycle with Zero driving experience.

Lol ya 12 years and the whole world has completly changed. Today's "adults" are a different breed. The older they get the better they are at everything compared to youngsters. Sorry I'll get off your lawn now.

 

[MacDoc]

Originally Posted by RedDogDarren
I'm thinking it's odd that you are getting strangers opinions on how to raise your kid from the internet.

getting information from people that have been there done that IS the smart way to do it. Kids don't come with instruction manuals no a license to have them ( mores the pity )

Hooking up with others that have faced the same situation gives the OP persepctive...he'll act as he chooses to.

I remain unconvinced that a cage is much value as pre - motorcycle use tho it is a useful lifeskill. Better the money spent on the motorcycle training courses.
Bicycling legally on the street tho I think is good and then starting small. It really sucks that the cut off is 100 cc - 50 cc in my view is a bit of a danger as it's under powered whereas the 125s can keep up and are a good foundation for road as they are in the dirt.

You ride a bike...you drive a car....world of difference.

Here is a thread on ADVRider on translating bicycle skills to motorcycling...

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=446096

bit of humour from it

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[TD="class: alt1, bgcolor: #F5F5FF"]There is some overlap. The first "field test" of the MSF Basic Rider Course, at least back when I took it, was to prove you could ride a bicycle.

Believe it or not, one participant failed! (What was he thinking?!) Needless to say, they didn't let him get on the motorcycle.[/TD]
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some good insightful posts. Here is one I agree with tho it does not apply to the age of the OPs daughter..

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[TD="class: alt1, bgcolor: #F5F5FF"]Heck yeah! Most of my experience and reply is regarding off road riding. Growing up, among the people I knew, the best off road racers were the ones who seemed to have spent the most time riding around on their bicycles - jumping, skidding, riding wheelies etc. This was before these kids ever got a motorcycle. Some would just try jumps over and over again on their (this will show my age) banana seat schwinns. Or sliding through turns, learning how to control a slide. We could always tell who was going to be best on a motorcycle by the way they rode their bicycle.

One of my best friends is a former pro motocross racer from way back. His advice to young dads, with young kids is get your kid a bicycle and let him learn to wail on that thing in the back yard, before ever worrying too much about purchasing a small motorcycle.

Not to cut down other opinions, but I think those that don't think the skills translate are overthinking the thing. It also goes the other way. Many probably know the story of off road racing legend, Dick Burleson, trying downhill mountain biking and winning the nationals not long after.
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[nakkers]

getting information from people that have been there done that IS the smart way to do it. Kids don't come with instruction manuals no a license to have them ( mores the pity )

Hooking up with others that have faced the same situation gives the OP persepctive...he'll act as he chooses to.

I remain unconvinced that a cage is much value as pre - motorcycle use tho it is a useful lifeskill. Better the money spent on the motorcycle training courses.
Bicycling legally on the street tho I think is good and then starting small. It really sucks that the cut off is 100 cc - 50 cc in my view is a bit of a danger as it's under powered whereas the 125s can keep up and are a good foundation for road as they are in the dirt.

You ride a bike...you drive a car....world of difference.

I agree MacDoc. It's easy to ignore the peanut gallery and find the posts that have nuggets of wisdom.

My circle of fellow riders is somewhat limited. Many have grown children that were discouraged from taking part or didn't take interest. A few ride with their kids but it's a very select and small portion.

I'm lucky that my kids do show an interest in things. Like how to release the hood and check the oil. Where the jack and spare tire is and how to change it. Even where the battery is located and other basic things. Maybe not completely on their own but, they have helped out Dad from time to time. There is more to life than the computer screen with google and cell phone. We camp often and use peddle power. Try and connect the dots from what they learn in school to how it applies in life.

I've found plenty of great information here and with other forums and will continue to seek and share advice.

As for access to two wheels, I may pick up a small displacement bike again in the off season. If it needs any TLC, maybe get my kids involved to make it good again.

Insurance and the cost of ownership are major components they will have to consider as well.

 

[MacDoc]

Sounds like a well balanced family life....congrats....you single dad or??

If daughter has the bicycling in hand then maybe get to try and ride as if she was on a motorcycle on the local slow roads, obey all the traffic signs etc. Make it a pre-test

But your small displacement sounds the ticket....dirt skills last a lifetime.

I had not been offroad intentionally in decades when buddy's GPS led us down a what was supposed to be a road but turned into a stony streambed.

Got the the Burgman turned around okay and had to channel those old skills to get back up the stream bed safely....came back right away...
Then got into the KLR in AUstralia and did okay there but I reallllllly need practice.....confidence is a big thing in trail riding and I've been wimpy at times taking on a challenge and try and tiptoe and get into more hassles than just riding it through.

It's really the confidence building that is the pay off for the kids and for you.

My kid is eager to ride and quite happy to pay ANYONE to do his maintenance

 

[basmn]

.Here is what I did with the kids, took them to the ganaraska forest (dirt)with trail tours to get the feel of bikes in general (3 rounds), oldest on did the intro to track at TMP, youngest was signed up for surviving the streets but we got washed out, the oldest has been to audi driving school, youngest is scheduled for this fall. wife also did the trail tour thing, surviving the streets coarse at TMP and audi. I guess my point is to try to get them as much pro instruction as possible before they hit the streets . ANY instruction/practice is better than none. It just may save there bacon one day. yea it's not cheap but it's far less than a coffin. in actual fact my kids said they would rather track that street anyway....good choice in my opinion.

 

[MacDoc]

Good stuff and wife on side all the better....yeah it costs but they are only kids for a vanishingly short time then gone their own ways.

•••••

OP

This the Motopark offering

TTR125
The TTR125 is a medium size bike which is great for shorter adults, kids aged 12 to 15, and lady's, with little or no experience.

Experience and Lessons:
- 1 hour lesson required for riders with no riding experienced

http://www.motoparkracing.com/motocross-rentals.html

 

[nakkers]

And this is why I ask. Lol. Thanks folks. Great info and I'm pretty sure this will be helpful to others as well.

Cheers!

 

[CafeRay]

A person at 16 has all the rights to do whatever they want including leave home and there is squat all you can do about it.
You don't own kids...and a heavy handed controlling approach will be sure to ensure no future relationship with them as adults....just ask my ex.

No 16 year old can afford to ride a motorcycle without parent's money, and lots of it. I realize some cultures still dump out kids at 16, but they are children at 16, regardless of farming laws of 200 years ago.

 

[SLaP]

In my opinion, I say off road all the way at first. It will be easier for your daughter to focus on learning proper riding skills when she doesn't have to worry about crashing into guardrails, or getting smoked by taxi cabs and texting drivers.
I would look at taking your daughter to a place like TrailTours (Ganaraska Forest) , Yamaha Adventures (Horseshoe Valley) or MotoPark (Chatsworth) which was mentioned by MacDoc above.
Rental with instructions seems the best was to go, for at least a couple of times, to ensure that your daughter has a real interest in riding before investing in her own bike (off road or street). It will also give you/her an opportunity to see if she has the ability to pickup the required skills to be able to handle herself when/if she does make the move to the streets. You can even ride with her or have her go with a friend to make a fun day out of it.

 

[spaceboy]

You are either there for them for some light handed guidance as they to go their way or you'll be put on ignore and they'll do what they want anyways.

I want to encourage and guide my kids instead of telling them they can't until a predetermined time. If there is interest, I want to cultivate and be a part of it.

Refreshing outlook.

+1 for off-road experience first.

 

[kiwi]

Different times.

Todays youth is a different breed. I'll leave it at that.

Like I said, I'd never let any 16 year old on the open road on a motorcycle with Zero driving experience.

Agree. I was driving at 16. My parents suggested I get a motorcycle to commute to university when I was 18 or so.. Different time, different culture and different road licencing than here.
Although we have less people (4 million in all of NZ) unfortunately we have one of the highest road fatalities. Every long weekend you hear of a car of 3 or 4 people wiping out. It's really sad.

 

[crankcall]

I have a 25yr old daughter and a 23yr old son, I went through the "i'm going to ride" with both. I'm supportive of any activity my kids want to do, and will put in whatever effort I can to make it safe, controllable and ultimately rewarding. However at the time we had both vintage and SS bikes in the shed, and I wasn't willing to pay for road insurance for either kid. I would and did pay car insurance for them. Might be hypocritical, but the odds of car issues being less traumatic made my decision. As a result neither rode road, it just didn't have enough up side reward for them.

 

[nakkers]

I have a 25yr old daughter and a 23yr old son, I went through the "i'm going to ride" with both. I'm supportive of any activity my kids want to do, and will put in whatever effort I can to make it safe, controllable and ultimately rewarding. However at the time we had both vintage and SS bikes in the shed, and I wasn't willing to pay for road insurance for either kid. I would and did pay car insurance for them. Might be hypocritical, but the odds of car issues being less traumatic made my decision. As a result neither rode road, it just didn't have enough up side reward for them.

I think that is the reality right there. The kid is going to want mobility and having a driver's license and access to a vehicle year around will be more than enough. My ex wife is in insurance so, my daughter knows the cost of insurance for just the car is going to be huge.

So, I think I can be supportive and encouraging but, the reality of what it takes will ultimately decide. The great thing is, I do have options I haven't considered and it would be a blast to bring both daughters out for a little fun in the dirt.

So maybe I won't have a road warrior following in the foot steps of their father on the street right away but, I might be able to help satisfy the interest of two wheels responsibly.


Thanks for the insight crankcall.

 

[unL33T]

I wouldn't feel comfortable having a kid out on a bike at 16. Needs a few years to figure out the roads/driving first. Especially if you live in the city.

That said, I know plenty of people in their 40's that have had licences since 16 that can't drive for **** so maybe experience doesn't help anything.

 

[CafeRay]

I wouldn't feel comfortable having a kid out on a bike at 16. Needs a few years to figure out the roads/driving first. Especially if you live in the city.

That said, I know plenty of people in their 40's that have had licences since 16 that can't drive for **** so maybe experience doesn't help anything.

"Experience" is often repeating the same mistakes over and over with some good luck. The Motorcycle licence system is a joke, and most riders are not properly trained, insurance companies don't give a f-ck, and manufacturers don't care the minute you leave the showroom. Then they wonder why sales are dwindling on young riders.

 

[Joe Bass]

Thanks MacDoc and sLaP for those links, I'll hopefully be putting them to use as well. I think I will take the course with my boys.
Sent from my Nokia Lumia 625 Windows Phone using Tapatalk

 

[Boots]

Never mind experience on the trails, try getting them first accustomed to the road in general. The road can be a dangerous place for brand new drivers, at least enclose them in something with airbags for a year or so so they can see what to expect, how to look a certain distance ahead, how to calculate following distances in different weathers, how to handle emergency situations, how to deal with distracted drivers etc etc. If I would have started at 16 on a motorcycle instead of a car, I would be dead from all the mistakes I would have made in the first year of driving.

Get em used to the road first on four wheels, then or simultaneously take them on the dirt and teach them how to ride on two wheels, then merge the two and put two tires on the street this way they will have the knowledge of the street on one hand and the knowledge of dirt riding and how to handle a bike on the other. I'd say do this process for a year before you finally take them on the road with 2 wheels.

 

[MacDoc]

They already bicycle on the road. Driving and riding are very different.
Don't think a cage does a thing.
Small bike start on the roads after off road is a natural progression from off road riding and bicycling both of which are confidence building and make a rider very aware of what riding conditions are and what's around them.

You didn't start in the dirt did you Boots?.....don't have kids either I'll bet.

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