Motorcycle riding with kids

[VaSteve]

I have a motorcycle (haven't ridden in a while but that's a different story).

Yesterday after a kids ball game, I saw a dad suiting up for a ride with him and his preteen/teen daughter. He was wearing jeans and a jacket, she had on a sweatshirt and shorts.

I know we have many photos of 20 something girls on bikes improperly dressed but this seems irresponsible. I have kids and they have never been on my bike aside from reving the engine in front of the house. Everyone makes their own choices for themselves and family... I think the lack of safety gear was what inspired the post.

What say you?

[dlockhart]

Seeing the opposite too. Where the passenger is geared up and the rider is in little more than flip flops and shorts. I imagine a crash, where the child gets to watch the results. ( I have a local friend / racer who's father was killed in front of him )

[Seahawk]

Right about now he is thinking about all the gear he isn't wearing.

Probably not, but he will be...

[Arizona 911]

I have been riding for 30+ years. I never ride without a helmet, gloves, boots, & jacket and that includes the brutal summers here in Tucson. I commute every day and have more miles on 2 wheels than on 4. I cringe when I see young kids on crotch rockets wearing shorts and tank tops going down the highway. They look at me to be just as crazy for wearing full gear in 110 degree heat. I'd rather suffer and be protected than be stupid and learn the hard way. Freedom of choice.

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by VaSteve

Yesterday after a kids ball game, I saw a dad suiting up for a ride with him and his preteen/teen daughter. He was wearing jeans and a jacket, she had on a sweatshirt and shorts.

What say you?

There's an old saying...."common sense ain't so common".

[MMARSH]

I ride a motorcycles for a living. I ride everyday, all day. I'm on my third BMW, having put over 200K on the first two, an 04 and an 07. That's just working mileage. Before the Beemers, I rode a couple KZ1000s into the ground. I ride off road, I ride on road and I ride track. Ironically, the least amount of gear I wear is at work. we've abandoned the old equestrian style gear and are wearing more motorcycle specific stuff,but because of the nature of the job, wearing a jacket all the time is just not practical. When not working, Im a 100% gear guy. Curiously, I've never had an accident while working, but have had a few while not working. Two of them were single vehicle accidents and one of them I was hit by another motorcyclist. All three times I was geared up and suffered no injuries, not even a scratch. Of course, I've had offs on the track and off road, but same thing geared up, never hurt.

I've taken my kids for several rides and plan on a moto-camping trip this summer. I love riding motorcycles and want to share it with them. I wouldn't consider putting them on a bike without them being completely geared up. I've seen people riding with their kids on the back and no gear at all and it amazes me. Of course I'm sure some people will think I'm a horrible parent for putting my kids on the back of a motorcycle regardless....

[wildthing]

Sadly this is a practice in many Asian countries... seen too many videos... But I digress.

[atcjorg]

two types of riders, those that have been down and those that are going to go down, simple fact of the matter is that if you ride you will go down, it may not be your fault but it doesn't hurt any less.

[Hard-Deck]

It is absolutely irresponsible to give your kid a ride without all of the gear. I also go as far as to say that it's irresponsible to give anyone a ride without all of the gear, even if they are adults. AGTATT. period. If a person says that it's ok, then they also likely think it's ok to give passengers the option to not wear seatbelts in a car. The only people who should have the choice are those at the controls, who are also adults.

[Scott Douglas]

There's a neighbor up the street that has a Harley. I've seen him put what I assume is his grandson, but I'm not positive about that, could be his son, in his lap (kid is maybe 6-8 yrs old?) and let him control the throttle while he rides with no hands. They do have helmets but are typically in shorts and tee shirts.
Some people go to school in the school of hard knocks I guess. I just hope I'm not around when class is dismissed.

[gsxrken]

Funny thing is the ATGATT guys are likely under-represented in crashes because they think ahead anyways. Joe flip-flops is still in the indestructible phase, and the manner they choose to ride the bike is often as reckless as the decisions on gear. But it's still a free country so live and let live.

I went down once... as I was approaching a stopped car on the shoulder, the (lost) driver whipped out to do a u-turn ahead of some oncoming traffic. Rossi might not have hit her but I sure did, or better said the bike did. I went right over the car and tumbled, slid, flopped to a stop from about 40MPH. Not a scratch other than a broken thumb somehow. As the saying goes, the equipment seems expensive until you check the price of skin grafts.

[VaSteve]

They both had helmets but having kids makes me realize you have to think for them as well.

[speeder]

Not really related to gear but I went out to dinner with a lovely lady last night who lost her brother a couple years ago in a MC accident. Someone turned left from oncoming traffic into him. He had been hit exactly the same way but survived 30 years earlier, when he was 20.

Needless to say, she was not a big MC fan. I am but the physics are really unforgiving in a crash. A little armor goes a long way.

[Nostril Cheese]

My dad used to put me in his lap when he rode his Kawi Z1. Probably not the sprt of thing that would fly these days..

[Gogar]

Here's me and my Dad in 1975. Didn't seem to be a problem. Not quite the same as what you fellas are talking about, though.

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by atcjorg

two types of riders, those that have been down and those that are going to go down, simple fact of the matter is that if you ride you will go down, it may not be your fault but it doesn't hurt any less.

That silly statement has been around since I started riding over 40 years ago. Lots of people been riding accident free and will never have an accident.

[Hard-Deck]

The quote is not literal, it's a mind-set. Riders should cosider that they will be down sometime, and be prepared with ATGATT. If you snooze, you loose.

Originally Posted by Rot 911

That silly statement has been around since I started riding over 40 years ago. Lots of people been riding accident free and will never have an accident.

[MMARSH]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

That silly statement has been around since I started riding over 40 years ago. Lots of people been riding accident free and will never have an accident.

True, but I have a friend that I work with who says he's been riding for 20 years. when I asked him how many miles he had on his current 10 year old bike, he said about 2700 miles....I do that in a month......I know lots of riders, very good riders, never say never....

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by peteremsley

Do you dress for the ride or the crash?

I ATGATT when I ride. I was just commenting on the ignorance of the statement.

[epbrown]

Imagine this scenario: you're driving your kids to school when you're passed by a motorcycle with a small passenger on the back, fully geared up but no larger than your 11-year old son. You're outraged, even more so when you realize they're going to the same place. As they pull up to the drop-off point ahead of you, you get out to give this irresponsible parent a piece of your mind and as you approach the passenger gets off and removes her helmet - it's a teacher, a small Asian woman, being dropped off by her husband because her Sportsters in the shop.

I see it as nonsense to assume any child on a bike is recklessly endangered. If the child has proper gear and is old enough/mature enough to ride pillion properly, while large enough to reach the foot pegs and hold on to the operator, it's no more unsettling than any other risky day here on planet Earth.