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Parent child moto trip.

budman

budman

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Budman
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I never did this with mine. It kinds of bums me out
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Racing, life and resistance from the other half never let me do this.
None of my kids became motorcyclists so don't get to ride with them as piers either.

Grandkids.. maybe a shot there. At least some short rides are going to be had when I retire.

Story of the happy faces above

Anyone here get to do something similar?
 
We recently came across a bunch of old photographs (analog format of a digital image, for you youngsters) of the family members riding.
I took all 3 of my kids riding. Started on the gas tank of my Monark 125, holding the cross bar.
All 3 became riders themselves.
None have bikes currently, but my daughter is thinking about starting up again.
I am now riding with her son, my 20 year old grandson Iain, who is on his 3rd bike.
 
That kid is digging it.😎

I enjoyed the story about their trip over 33.
Made me feel like I missed out.
 
I took my (then-12-year-old) daughter on a couple of camping trips. Also took her to elementary school most days on the back of the Triumph - she enjoyed showing up at school in her leather jacket and helmet and getting to store them in the principal's office. But she never got the biking bug...
 
When our kids were little my wife would get nervous if they climbed up on the 3 foot high retaining wall in our backyard and jumped onto the grass.

Even if they didn’t get hurt I’d get a stern lecture. She’s very protective.
Have fun sure, but don’t put the kids at risk.

Riding a moto was out of the question.

And honestly I can’t blame her. If I did something that caused my kids to get injured I couldn’t live with myself.
 
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I want to put my 5yr back there. too young i reckon though
 
I'm taking my 5 year old to school now on the Norden. It's about 35 minutes to get there. I use an Oxford passenger handle setup and he's stoked. He does have riding experience though which probably helps.
 
FourThreeSix said:
I'm taking my 5 year old to school now on the Norden. It's about 35 minutes to get there. I use an Oxford passenger handle setup and he's stoked. He does have riding experience though which probably helps.
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One of the super cool kids no doubt.
HIglesias said:
I want to put my 5yr back there. too young i reckon though
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See above!!!!
 
I gave both my nephew and niece rides on my bike about 8 years ago when I first rode it to Colorado. Didn't get out of first gear around the block as the parents seemed dubious about it and they were both kinda tiny. If they ever ask we can go again but I don't think either of them are all that interested in motos.
 
Am I correct in saying that there's no specific minimum age requirement in California - it's just whether they can reach the passenger pegs?
 
senpai71 said:
Am I correct in saying that there's no specific minimum age requirement in California - it's just whether they can reach the passenger pegs?
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That is what I understand.
 
I would love to do this but I always have concerns that the kids arent holding on tight enough. Has anyone purchased anything to ensure the pillion safety? What does everyone else do?
 
XXshawnXX said:
I would love to do this but I always have concerns that the kids arent holding on tight enough. Has anyone purchased anything to ensure the pillion safety? What does everyone else do?
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I googled safety strap for motorcycle passenger and found a lot of options. Some looked hella complicated.

This one looked like something I would consider.
Basic strap

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The rule for us was when he could reach all the way around me with his arms, then he would be big enough. Every once in a while we would test and he could only reach my boobs 😆 When he could reach around I would take him to school, which had exactly 0.0% cool factor for him. Sometimes on the way home I would feel him completely relax and I would realize he had fallen asleep so I would slap his thigh to wake him up again.

We took two moto trips: the first was to collect a one-way Dubbelju rental. We flew to San Diego to pick up the Honda shadow. I had bought a cushy seat topper for the terrible passenger seat and when we took off I let him know that he could slap my thigh if he needed us to stop. I started the bike, pulled onto the highway and he immediately started tapping. I pulled off at the next exit and he informed me that his butt hurt and that he was the most uncomfortable he had been in his whole life. I said oh sweetheart we have two days to go! we had good hotels and hotel pools and good food and we made it back without too much misery.

The second trip we took on a borrowed 2017 Goldwing so that he could have his own recliner back there. He was older now, maybe 11, and I was a little alarmed about not being able to tell he was even on the bike. One of the happiest moments of my entire life was when we were riding on Alpine Road and I was moving along effortlessly with that magical Bike scraping the pipes a little bit every now and then and he was behind me humming the sweetest little happiest song. Years later he told me that he didn’t really love those trips and that I made him go anyway so it wasn’t really like he had any choice. Ugh!

He’s ridden Dirt off and on with me for much of his life, but he’s not really into it. He’s 18 now and he has his whole life to explore or not explore the motorcycle part waiting for him if he chooses to pick it up again.
 

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We’ve been going out for rides since early 5 years old or so. He can outride me. Well easily put on 100+ miles through 9, skyline, 1, 280, etc and when we get back home, he still wants to stay out riding. He loves cruising on the freeway and seeing the world.
 

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HIglesias said:
I want to put my 5yr back there. too young i reckon though
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Never too young! Mines 5 and we do 100+ mile days all around the coast and alices. Amazon sells an awesome body harness that fully goes on their body like a vest and then has a huge thick strap that goes around your waist. They’ll love it I’m sure!

Mine would be sitting on the bike when I got home from work all the time and asking to go for a ride. I figured they wouldn’t like it or it would be too loud. One day I just said okay we’ll go up the street and back. And that’s all she wrote. It went from a ride up the street to being gone most of the day riding all over the bay.
 

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This is the motorcycle safety harness my 5 year old and I use when riding if anyone is curious. It’s fully adjustable to grow with them (or you if you’ve had one too many little Debbie’s, cakes, etc 😉) plus the straps are very good on them and don’t slip when weight or force is applied. I really like this one because many are just waist bands but don’t help if they doze off or lean. This covers the waist and the torso, keeps them very safe.
 

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maidenfan84 said:
This is the motorcycle safety harness my 5 year old and I use when riding if anyone is curious. It’s fully adjustable to grow with them (or you if you’ve had one too many little Debbie’s, cakes, etc 😉) plus the straps are very good on them and don’t slip when weight or force is applied. I really like this one because many are just waist bands but don’t help if they doze off or lean. This covers the waist and the torso, keeps them very safe.
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I was looking at this one because it should hold them snug even if the front wheel comes up accidentally https://www.amazon.com/TOKCKYBL-Upgraded-Motorcycle-Safety-Harness/dp/B0DQ8Z8Q38 1789513241976.png
 
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