Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

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moshe_levy
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Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by moshe_levy »

Hi All-

My new video focuses on the controversial issue of riding motorcycles when you still have young kids at home. Some give up riding altogether. Some curtail it. And some keep on going.... How did you handle it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnV5vW92RF8

-MKL
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by Buckster »

Keep riding! :D
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by Sunbeemer »

I did two things when I had kids:
1. Quit cave diving.
2. Got accidental death insurance.

I felt riding was not too dangerous, which of course depends on how you ride.
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peels
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by peels »

what?! I really STARTED riding when I had kids LOL sort of. it was my brief escape. long ride to/from work, which I still do. turn 7 miles into 40. 8) But, after a having a second, and as they got a bit older, I stepped away for about 5 yrs, gave up the SPORT-bikes. no bike at all for 3 yrs. Spent that time with them.

However, I kept the atv hobby, then eventually swapping those atv's for a boat, which I could share with my whole family.. And going back to a bike the same year(this ole Beemer)

My Boys are 13 and 9, and are growing up well. life is decent. <knocks wood> wouldn't mind if I could just stop time at this particular moment, and let me dwell right here. :)
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by sjbmw »

Another terrific video. Thank you. Your wife has a great bike!! Great taste!

As a single dad, the only way I could ride was to get a baby sitter, him staying at his mom's house, or take my son with me.
I guess I can openly talk about it now he has grown up!

Bought a '99 cb 750 when my son was 6, after going 7 years without a bike, after logging 150k+ miles in the 1980's.
installed a Honda line back rest. Tied a belt around his waist, and circled the neighborhood until he learned. Immediately purchased a wired Autocomm to keep the instruction going.

Fast forward 4 years later, purchased a R1150R with a Pirates Lair backrest. (now laying in a box somewhere)
He went to his first rally at age 12, been to 3 MOA nationals pillion.

He rode a XR100, and a tomos before 17, and got his motorcycle license at age 17, and rode my vintage 84 CB700SC Honda to Bloomsburg MOA rally, trips to Finger Lakes, etc.
He just bought his own bike at age 23, at the last Finger Lakes rally, a pristine well kept 2001 F650GS.
Went to Cardo team sets once he started riding street, to never stop the instruction.

Whenever we see that Subaru commercial "Don't tell your mother", we both laugh out loud.

Age 12, near Keuka Lake.

http://s113.photobucket.com/user/dyer93 ... hare_media
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peels
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by peels »

sjbmw wrote:Another terrific video. Thank you. Your wife has a great bike!! Great taste!

As a single dad, the only way I could ride was to get a baby sitter, him staying at his mom's house, or take my son with me.
I guess I can openly talk about it now he has grown up!

Bought a '99 cb 750 when my son was 6, after going 7 years without a bike, after logging 150k+ miles in the 1980's.
installed a Honda line back rest. Tied a belt around his waist, and circled the neighborhood until he learned. Immediately purchased a wired Autocomm to keep the instruction going.

Fast forward 4 years later, purchased a R1150R with a Pirates Lair backrest. (now laying in a box somewhere)
He went to his first rally at age 12, been to 3 MOA nationals pillion.

He rode a XR100, and a tomos before 17, and got his motorcycle license at age 17, and rode my vintage 84 CB700SC Honda to Bloomsburg MOA rally, trips to Finger Lakes, etc.
He just bought his own bike at age 23, at the last Finger Lakes rally, a pristine well kept 2001 F650GS.
Went to Cardo team sets once he started riding street, to never stop the instruction.

Whenever we see that Subaru commercial "Don't tell your mother", we both laugh out loud.

Age 12, near Keuka Lake.

http://s113.photobucket.com/user/dyer93 ... hare_media
awesome.

sorry off topic, but what are your thoughts on that backrest? That is one of the bigger issues my wife has with me taking the boys on the highway, don't have one. I was considering a top box but HATE how they look. And wondered about that pirates lair backrest. :)
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by sjbmw »

PL is the best backrest for the R1150R you can get, if one can get one. They have reached unobtainium status.
The BMW salesman saw the Honda backrest, and "threw" one in to seal the deal.
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by smutny »

We see that a lot in the competitive aerobatic flying sport, a single pilot finds a spouse and soon they're not showing up anymore.

One data set I've not seen in motorcycle accident statistics is amount of "recent experience". As you said, MKL, skills fade quickly when you don't ride often. I commute 60 miles a day, when the bike is down for maintenance more than a week, I notice that my skills need some rust brushed off. Personally, I've never heard of a motorcycle cop accident.

Is there any report that classifies recent experience in their motorcycle accident investigation?
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by mogu83 »

I think it comes down to how much enjoyment it gives you or how committed you are to riding, versus risk. When you get out of bed in the morning you start accepting risks and making decisions about taking them. Backing out of the driveway, crossing the street, getting on an elevator or eating a fish sandwich all involve risk. Riding is a high risk activity, no doubt about it, but so are a lot of other activities. Hunting, horseback riding, skiing (snow and water), smoking (tobacco and the other stuff), having a few drinks every day after dinner or before bed, auto racing,drugs (legal and others), etc, etc.
It only becomes a problem when it affects the way you interact with other people, and most of all your family.
Most men are involved in some sort of risk activity, mine is riding a motorcycle. My wife knew that when I met her fifty years ago and has never tried to change that. Naturally I took responsible measures to financially protect my family and worked my motorcycle time around all the family vacations and other activities that four children generate. Still while raising our family, I managed to go to Laconia for well over 30 years (the later years with one of the kids on the back) and Bike Week in Daytona for over 25 years.

When I hear people say they stopped riding because of a family I usually question their commitment to the sport. Just sayin. :roll:

Naturally IMHO.
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peels
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by peels »

mogu83 wrote:I think it comes down to how much enjoyment it gives you or how committed you are to riding, versus risk. When you get out of bed in the morning you start accepting risks and making decisions about taking them. Backing out of the driveway, crossing the street, getting on an elevator or eating a fish sandwich all involve risk. Riding is a high risk activity, no doubt about it, but so are a lot of other activities. Hunting, horseback riding, skiing (snow and water), smoking (tobacco and the other stuff), having a few drinks every day after dinner or before bed, auto racing,drugs (legal and others), etc, etc.
It only becomes a problem when it affects the way you interact with other people, and most of all your family.
Most men are involved in some sort of risk activity, mine is riding a motorcycle. My wife knew that when I met her fifty years ago and has never tried to change that. Naturally I took responsible measures to financially protect my family and worked my motorcycle time around all the family vacations and other activities that four children generate. Still while raising our family, I managed to go to Laconia for well over 30 years (the later years with one of the kids on the back) and Bike Week in Daytona for over 25 years.

When I hear people say they stopped riding because of a family I usually question their commitment to the sport. Just sayin. :roll:

Naturally IMHO.
well said.

also, i hear a LOT of "my spouse doesn't like it so I quit" type statements. I think That is bad. If me or my wife is into something (Within reason) the other is also. I had a cousin come visit, who was one of my inspirations to get a BMW. He had a shiny new r1200c when I went to visit them in Cali. Was sad to hear it sat and he gave it up.


<off topic warning> :)

smutny. tell us more about aerobatic flight competition! and with photos! MY son and I caught some air races the other day. It was in England, they took off from a horse track. I was completely transfixed.

PPL is my next adventure. I grew up around airplanes, and rode in gliders a few times. (i suggest you do this) I had about 2 whopping flight hours amassed :lol: around the turn of the millennium, then restarted twice but eventually put it off due to lack of time with first child, and $. Got into bikes instead....

I hope to fix that soon.

<end off topic>
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by smutny »

Well, peels, without wandering too far into another realm, I'd say check out the International Aerobatic Club website. All the info on what we do is there, feel free to PM me for more specifics. I'm old school so I fly a biplane, but she's a hotrod.

What you saw on TV is the Red Bull Air Race Series, most of those pilots came from the competition world.

I highly recommend learning to fly, it's so much fun and the correlation between riding and flying is close. Again, feel free to PM me for details on how to get re-started in it. I feel we lose a lot of potential pilots because they think they have to go the traditional Cessna/Piper route. There are so many facets to sport aviation.
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by peels »

smutny wrote:Well, peels, without wandering too far into another realm, I'd say check out the International Aerobatic Club website. All the info on what we do is there, feel free to PM me for more specifics. I'm old school so I fly a biplane, but she's a hotrod.

What you saw on TV is the Red Bull Air Race Series, most of those pilots came from the competition world.

I highly recommend learning to fly, it's so much fun and the correlation between riding and flying is close. Again, feel free to PM me for details on how to get re-started in it. I feel we lose a lot of potential pilots because they think they have to go the traditional Cessna/Piper route. There are so many facets to sport aviation.

yessir, the redbull race series. I watched the Nevada air races when I was younger. But its since evolved into even more awesomeness. I didn't realize the pylons were inflatable. I panicked when I saw them hit one. :lol:

that Pitts is a beauty. =D> I spend WAY too much time already on the aopa site. or looking at airplane ads and daydreaming.... 8)

my first non commercial flying adventure was in a glider. it was amazing.

thanks for posting.

-back to regularly scheduled programming.
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by Doug »

I stopped road racing when I had kids - at 150mph if you lose a tire, you're in the wall! But I didnt stop riding. I am however a lot more careful than I used to be. I ride at 75% of my and my bikes ability, and I leave room everywhere for a "way out" should the need arise. I keep a little skull keychain on my bike as a gentle reminder that what we do is dangerous, and some of it is out of our control, so ride safe! But lets face it, if it were totally safe, would it be as alluring and fun!?

For me, I compromise and take acceptable risk by riding well within my means and always treading a safe path. I think this makes my bike riding almost as safe as cage driving on a sleepy day. :)
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Re: Riding Motorcycles When You Have Young Kids At Home....

Post by MThomas »

I wear a back brace, neck brace, helmet, leave plenty of space, and avoid riding when there's ice on the roads.
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