RE: little passengers

There was a post a couple months ago about a guy with his small kid on the bike and was it good or bad thing.

Yesterday I was headed for lunch when I started hitting all these detours. I saw it coming so I jumped West 5 blocks and still hit it. When I got to the cop at the detour I peered West and saw a cycle lying in the middle of the street, not good. I see today that a guy 33 y/o rammed his Harley into the side of a van driven by the proverbial “old lady”. Since he’s a Harley rider he probably didn’t have a helmet. Anyway, he’s dead and his 8 y/o who had a helmet on, is in critical condition in the hosp.

A couple months ago when I dropped my bike at the pumps, a Harley rider came to my rescue. Like all of them in this area he didn’t wear a helmet but he made his kid wear one. This kid may have been all of 5 or 6 y/o. I just don’t think I would be able to do that with a child that small.

It looks like the old lady was leaving a parking lot on one side of a busy road and tried to cross 5 lanes to the other side. This isn’t a big town but this is probably the fastest road in town since there really isn’t much there to interest anybody. Bad place to try to ride with your kid.

Since I live close to Sturgis and this is the time for all the bikers to show up, seeing one lying in the road isn't all that uncommon. Their injuries are usually worse because of the no-helmet thing, several die each year usually under preventable circumstances. Most who show are adults in their 40's and 50's and since this guy had a kid he was probably a local.

Ever since i was a teen I knew that riding without a helmet was like rolling the dice, maybe it would catch up to me maybe it wouldn't. Now that I'm much older I may not have the jacket and boots on but I always have the helmet. Road rash, broken leg are not fatal but bump your head a little too hard and you're screwed whether the rest of your body is untouched or not. I guess I just don't understand the Harley "macho" thing.


vic

 

I'm glad to see that the VFRW crash obsession, judging other people for making their own choices and calling out anything Harley is alive and well. :thumbsup:

 

Not exactly sure you mean by that but I believe you're saying I shouldn't pass judgement on this guy's choice to ride a certain brand of bike and to include his kid in highway target practise.

Perhaps I will clarify for you. You want to ride a Harley, Honda, Suzuki, whatever without safety gear you're taking a chance. Riding in heavy traffic is another chance you're taking and as an adult take whatever chances you want. Essentually, its your life risk it as you will but when you drag your kid with you you're taking chances with his life also and this is what I'm passing judgement on.

If you take exception to what I'm saying, TS! This is a forum and this is my opinion take it or leave it.

vic

 

Some people do like to get their children started young which I think is great if the child is wearing appropiate gear. You said the kid had gear, so why judge the man for using his ability to choose to wear one or not?

 

Putting a child on any kind of bike without gear is a bad idea.

I will make that judgment call without remorse.

 

I'm all for riding with the right gear....
I'm also for people doing what they want...
I'm also for parents making their own choices on how they bring their own kids up.
I'm NOT for other people getting on the soapbox(legislating how to rear other peps kids).
"And that's the way it is"
IMO

 

the law in Ontario is that the passengers must be able to touch their pegs, along with the helmet law.
I've always had mixed opinions when I see children strapped in as a passenger with bungi cards to the bike. I have also seen a fancy velcro setup which straps a rider/passenger together with built-in handle bars and pegs. I don't know if it would be safer for a child to fall off a bike freely, or being strapped to bike or rider. I don't think its worth the chance either way. have a child start on their own 50cc dirt bike if one wants to start exposing them to motorcycles, or a side car.

 

If they can touch the pegs and want to ride I'll let them; so long as they wear all the gear. after all they can be run over riding their bicycles on the side walk too. or a child can die from simple choking. if the Kid wants to ride and it makes them happy, bring them along.
this coming from someone who rode with his dad in the 3rd grade on....

 

Kids

I don't ride passengers ever, and that is just me.I would not give up the rides I got as a child and they are the reason I ride now. I do some things on my bike that most would not agree with but it is what I do and I am enjoying myself when I do it.My buisness.End of story.

 

Do you at least take some moist towelettes with you so you can clean up afterwards?

Yeah, that's how my brain works... :crazy:

 

my little girl is almost 2 i ride her in my back yard everyday shes asks me too. she loves it.and when she is big enough to go out on the road im taking her as long as she wears everything she needs too

 

My kids are 15 and 17. I took them both for rides but first we stopped by Cycle Gear and got them helmets, gloves and jackets. It's amazing how much more alert you are when your kid has their arms wrapped around you on the bike.

We went down some twisty backroads at a moderate pace and they both loved it!

 

Interesting thoughts.... I would never even consider riding with my kids onboard until they could reach the pegs, hold on tightly, understood how the motorcycle moves and understood the risks at the minimum. My choice to ride, my choice as to the risk of riding. My kids think I am invincible right now and that might lead them to thinking that while riding with me, they too are invincible. As careful as you might try to be while riding with them, there is always an undesirable chance of something going wrong. Besides, my wife would KILL me right now....

ATGATT for sure....

 

This is key point when riding with kids/wife/girlfreind is to not take the same risks as when you ride solo. There are plenty of outside factors that can cause problems without the pilot adding to the pile. case in point:

I was riding with my buddy's daughter on my bike and he was trailing with his son on his. we wern't going nuts, just riding through the twisties when a bee flew inside my helmet while in a turn and wanted to land on my eye. it was a scary few seconds tryting to get that bee out, I wasn't thinking about what could happen to me or the bike but what would happen to his daughter .

For my efforts I got stung, but that was it:redface:

 

Well, the little guy died of injuries from the accident a day later.

vic

 

An overview of US law concerning bikes.

Motorcycle Riding Laws by State

Best IMO, to read the specific section in the vehicle code for any given state. Case in point: In the same column listing passengers, reference is made to earphones. ie "one ear only". This could be interpreted by some jailhouse lawyer type to mean the other ear should be removed.

 

Illinois Law says that they must be able to touch the footpegs, and I believe that anyone under 16 must have a lid on, and eye protection. Beyond that, anything is fair game.

I took my daughter out on back city roads when she was 11/12 ish. After a while with that we hit the main roads, but no interstate.

 

So sad. :frown:

 

Not bad, but I recommend (as a quick reference) to check out the AMA state law listing. Much more detailed and up to date.

State-by-state motorcycle laws

Of course, your own state laws are the only ones that matter.

 

The actual details are in the vehicle codes currently in use. Overviews are merely guides.

Can you suggest a defense citing ignorance that the court will buy? I got this ticket in Washington and the cop said my St Bernard. was a passenger under six even though he had both hind paws on the pegs and he was wearing his helmet. I'd hate to think what might befall me in Idaho or Canada.