My Son Wants to Ride

Sounds like you had a magic day with your son. My kids all ride pillion with me (my son, 7, is a bit young so it's very short rides with him) and we treat the bike as just another mode of transport. I agree though that there is not much more sobering than having one of your offspring on the back of your bike. My girls are learning to ride a beater that I built up for them. I would want them to be proficient off road before they went out on the roads though. I started out riding off road and think that it is the best way to not only hone your skills, but as far as the "feeling invincible" thing goes, you learn (at relatively safe speeds) that crashing hurts!

 

Hat's off to your kid for getting back in the saddle after that! And to you for being armed with a camera to capture it all and sharing it with all of us. I better not let their mom see the pics of that Ninja!

 

Thanks duccman. It seems that a lot of people on here share your thoughts on starting out with a dirt bike. Not a bad idea except for the fact that we don't have much in the way of off road areas close by. That would mean I'd need to get a trailer and, if I'm going to get a trailer, I might as well get a dirt bike for myself. And I can't just get a dirt bike for me and one for my 16-year-old, I'd need to get one for my 18-year-old too. Of course, my girlfriend would feel left out and want one for herself too. My Mustang isn't really set up to pull a trailer, so I'd need to get a truck (I should have never sold my truck)! Haa ha. Although I agree with the wisdom of getting started in dirt, I'll probably start him off on a 250cc street bike, get him into the MSF course, continue practicing with him in deserted parking lots, start with short rides around the neighborhood on off-peak hours, and make sure he's competent and confident enough before moving up in bike size. Hmmm...Honda has that new CBR250.

 

I think it's great that you've shared your love of motorcycling with your daughter. I think that as long as she understands the difference between racing on a closed track and street riding, you won't have as much to worry about. Oh, you'll worry, but hopefully not as much.

 

I really like the idea of getting an older bike that needs work (not a complete rebuild but something that will take time and dedication), maybe an older Honda CB400, and working on it with my boy(s) with the thought that once it's fully operational and safe, it's theirs. My thoughts are that it will teach them about taking care of their bikes, they'll hopefully appreciate it more having brought it to life, and it will be something else for us to experience together. I'm not much of a mechanic but I'm not afraid to pick up a service manual and turn a wrench. We'll all learn together.

 

My son made the comment, "It seems like you guys are all part of some kind of brotherhood." I smiled and said, "We are. We all try to look out for one another." I asked how he was enjoying the ride and he said it was amazing. He asked if we could keep going. [/QUOTE]

You're right, we are all part of some kind of two-wheeled brotherhood.
Since you live in California you probably know that your son will have to take the
California Motorcyclists Safety Program (CMSP) course before he can get his motorcycle license.
I would suggest that you find out where the local course is taught and take him down there to just see what it's like.
The father-son riding experience is priceless.

Bob
Former MSF Chief Instructor and key developer of the CMSP program.

 

Thanks Bob. I took the course myself years ago and will check to see if the same place is still offering it. That's a great idea to just take him down there for him to see what it consists of. I'm also planning on giving him some extra curricular reading assignments, including the MSF Proficient Motorcycling series as well as the David Hough books. I plan to do everything in my power to make sure he's got the information needed to make the right decisions when it comes to riding.