My teenager wants an E-bike

[ucmgrad]

Here in the central valley, just a couple weeks ago there was an accident where a kid t-boned a car (full speed) and didn't make it. Junior High kiddo

Personally I'm against e-moto's, I rode dirt bikes/quads growing up but we took them out in the country and rode in the dirt and I wore full gear.

These days these kids are riding them without even a skid-lid.

First it was the oversized bmx bikes kids were riding in packs (ride-outs) and doing the wheelies in front of traffic.

If I had a kid (team no kids) I would get them into dirt before an e-moto for the street.

 

[sidewazzz]

Not to downplay the horror any family experienced from an ebike accident with their kid, but it is definitely being milked by the media for views and clicks

I doubt pedal bike accidents were getting much media play outside of anything hyperlocal

IDK man... kids and young adults are dying down here in Socal weekly. Its so bad, parents are now being charged with child endangerment. All three of my kids have been in ebike crashes. From my understanding of the crashes two were from speed and inability to navigate at speed, another was a passenger and was ejected from the bike after going over a speed bump at 20+. The amount of crashes is insane just talk to some ER nurses or Paramedic.

 

[Rtmac]

If I had a kid (team no kids) I would get them into dirt before an e-moto for the street.

I agree 100%. I insisted my oldest ride a dirt bike before a street bike. But he had zero interest in riding dirt bikes with me... he went straight from hard-core skater to riding harley's. He didn't even ask my permission. News flash, kids don't always do what you tell them. At least mine didn't.
(and I'm kinda glad)

 

[Holeshot]

Figure out how to give them skills and experience in the safest environment you can, in the beginning. Use the tool (be it dirt bike, Ev, or even personal watercraft) as a cudgel if they fall out line. Personally, while not the easiest instant access to riding, I believe a standup jetski provides the safest, most basic way for someone to learn core skills: vision, balance, throttle, turning, etc. The bonus is; water doesn't break bones...and an older standup can be bought for about $2K or so. 2 strokes, so the kids will also learn basic, or even more advanced, mechanic skills.

Dirt bikes are a good choice as well...just lots more injuries there to get past basic/ moderate skills under one's belt. The standup jetski trains very similar skills...and yeah, I'm biased here.

 

[nakedape]

Figure out how to give them skills and experience in the safest environment you can, in the beginning. Use the tool (be it dirt bike, Ev, or even personal watercraft) as a cudgel if they fall out line. Personally, while not the easiest instant access to riding, I believe a standup jetski provides the safest, most basic way for someone to learn core skills: vision, balance, throttle, turning, etc. The bonus is; water doesn't break bones...and an older standup can be bought for about $2K or so. 2 strokes, so the kids will also learn basic, or even more advanced, mechanic skills.

Dirt bikes are a good choice as well...just lots more injuries there to get past basic/ moderate skills under one's belt. The standup jetski trains very similar skills...and yeah, I'm biased here.

Transport, marine vessel registration, storage (wide footprint), water skills and proximity to water. You left that out. Personal watercraft are expensive hobbies, whereas a pit bike or small dirtbike is accessible to anyone. "I have a jet ski" is a rare statement for me to hear, and I live in arguably the best locale outside of FL for the sport. Where storage is expensive, it's a rich person's sport.

"Cudgel if they fall out of line?" I think you mean incentive but it came out like something else entirely. Some parents do all the heavy lifting for their kids and invite them to have a seat (or stand) on the ski no strings attached. No cleanup or purging or loading. They still resent the imposition on their screentime or favorite sport. Bed rot dead ahead matey!

 

[900ss]

I am glad my sole teenager no longer is one. He is all grown up and stuff (yes, teh grammatical suckle), and being a prototype machinist at Specialized, he does me proud. Not that that counts for shit, moreover he does himself proud. You go son, you go. Good on you.

 

[Holeshot]

Transport, marine vessel registration, storage (wide footprint), water skills and proximity to water. You left that out. Personal watercraft are expensive hobbies, whereas a pit bike or small dirtbike is accessible to anyone. "I have a jet ski" is a rare statement for me to hear, and I live in arguably the best locale outside of FL for the sport. Where storage is expensive, it's a rich person's sport.

Dirt bikes have the same needs, unless you've got land to ride on. Transport; yes. registration; yes. storage; yes. proximity to riding spot? You left those out for the DB. Dirt bikes are the same dollars as a standup. In fact, probably worse, given the abuse a DB takes. I understand you don't operate in Jetski circle, which I'd expect given your made-up cost assessment on skiis and belief that SD is "the best locale for the sport". It's not and it's not a "rich person's sport", mind you; used stand-ups are as cheap and plentiful....and massive fun for learning how to operate a piece of equipment with your body. Do you know where all the stand-up guys came from in the race circles? Dirt bikes. Wonder why? Their injuries are way less on the water....

It's like you C/P'd an AI answer...it's that inaccurate. Next thing you'll claim is DB's have less injury rates (they don't).

 

[CDONA]

Never thought of a SUS, "stand up ski" as a moto training tool,
I can see the flips, jumping wakes , as soft /safe but the timing/speed for the launch you need to get close enough to hit something is threatening.
Railing, hooking up front traction, (preload the tire), and my painless deal killer, the counter steer,
Wouldn't crossover.

 

[Holeshot]

A lot of the skills/ experience transfers: Balance, throttle application/ finger sensitivity (if a trigger throttle), body shift/ movement to turn the ski, looking where you want to go, bar effort, traction (and what to do when you break traction), Loading the front of the ski for corner entry and the back of the ski for corner exit, and most important: knowing (and learning) one's limits. Interestingly, knee dragging started on stand-ups in the late 80's. I'm not sure when everyone started doing in on motos...late 80's too? IMO, stand-ups are the next closest vehicle type to a motorcycle...hence why the transition to and from motos is so much easier.

Fun comment on counter steering and stand-ups; most of my friends who ride motos and haven't ridden a standup spend the first hour trying to figure out how to turn a ski by turning the bars the wrong way. It takes them a fair amount of time to learn to turn the bars into the corner. I transitioned from a standup to a CBR 600 F2 for my first motorcycle. Some of the Stand-up stuff stayed with me (index finger always rest on the brake lever, I rarely actively use counter steering to initiate a turn, knee dragging was easy, high throttle sensitivity, etc)

 

[Rtmac]

I've never been on a jet-ski, sit or stand (I gotta get around to that ), but it sure seems like there would some similarities. I always thought they should have been called watercycles.

I took my son to rent jet-skis one year as a day trip on a vacation, but it was too windy that day and the rental place closed.

 

[budman]

I learned right away on a stand up. Turn the bars the wrong way is the fastest way to a faceplant. Just when you think you are going to have a righteous power slide... the tenth of a second you try to counter steer the water is cleaning your teeth.

 

[ctwo]

My GF daughter works in ER and says many of the patients now are kids with traumatic injuries, head injuries, and it's getting to her.

Vegetables for the rest of their lives.

 

[OaklandF4i]

Peter provided some really good info, parents should be informed.

I can't throw stones, like many I was on motos at a very early age, in elementary school. That said, we weren't riding regulary on sidewalks, through parks, and on the road other than sneaking a few blocks to the trails. I would be more apt to buy/support a young relative on a dirtbike, than an e-moto or e-bike. No reason young kids cant peddle..... they havent gotten old, fat, and out of shape like us geezers.

 

[budman]

The peddling thing and the old fat geezer thing is sadly…. A good point.

 

[Rtmac]

If I had kids they'd have pedal bikes and corded phones.

 

[ST Guy]

My GF daughter works in ER and says many of the patients now are kids with traumatic injuries, head injuries, and it's getting to her.

Vegetables for the rest of their lives.

Yep. I had a friend many years ago who worked at Agnews State Mental Hospital. She told me that many of their full time patients were kids (and adults) who injured their brains in bicycle crashes. Forever living vegetables for lack of a helmet. Ebikes can produce the same result.

 

[nakedape]

Dirt bikes have the same needs, unless you've got land to ride on. Transport; yes. registration; yes. storage; yes. proximity to riding spot? You left those out for the DB. Dirt bikes are the same dollars as a standup. In fact, probably worse, given the abuse a DB takes. I understand you don't operate in Jetski circle, which I'd expect given your made-up cost assessment on skiis and belief that SD is "the best locale for the sport". It's not and it's not a "rich person's sport", mind you; used stand-ups are as cheap and plentiful....and massive fun for learning how to operate a piece of equipment with your body. Do you know where all the stand-up guys came from in the race circles? Dirt bikes. Wonder why? Their injuries are way less on the water....

It's like you C/P'd an AI answer...it's that inaccurate. Next thing you'll claim is DB's have less injury rates (they don't).

RU srs? Entry points man, entry points. We had dirt biked growing up and rode out the garage to the fire roads and back. No reg back then. Stickers are the thing now, not sure how much they cost. On busy coastal areas, you will wait in line to launch. Many families I know own skis. My colleague just bought two sit downs with trailer. It's a project to spend a day at the bay. When I was skiing, we went from Petaluma to lakes north that were set up for the sport. Many, many restrictions the same as boats. Simple geography dictates accessibility to dirt riding is virtually limitless, and plated bikes transport themselves. It's ridiculous to suggest a young person can buy a "cheap" standup and get as many hours of use a year as someone owning a beater XL250 with plates.

I get it, you love jet skis. I do too. My friends own them. They have disposable income and lots of driveway space. Socal is prime territory for salt water skiing. You know, you've been here enough. I use AI for a lot of tasks, but never writing forum posts, lol!

Let's say something more about the topic, e-bike use. Unlike a dirt bike, there is precious little anticipation of an off, whereas with dirt riding it is an assumption, a when, not if. Setting off on a journey via pavement (just riding to school/work), there's a built-in assumption of no offs. This is a deadly delusion. The death of a student in our feeder school was a huge wake-up call for indulgent parents. They fall into two camps: let them learn the hard way, and no fucking way! The turbo 'busa analogy holds. A jailbroken e-bike (or scooter) can rip up to 70mph with a novice rider. No sane parent would let that be the condition of use. There are careless/insane parents out there. And the ERs, as someone above pointed out, are filling up. The litigious nature of our society will kick in soon enough...