Should I let my son learn how to ride a motorcycle?

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Should I let my teenager learn to ride a motorcycle?

When a son or daughter shows an interest in motorcycles a parent’s heart skips a beat. Every parent struggles with the question “Should I let my son or daughter learn to ride a motorcycle?” With the exception of those families that grew up in motocross, any two-wheeled motorized vehicle strikes fear in the heart of all parents who want to protect their children from unintentional harm. And that is a good gut instinct to have.

Father-son motorcycle rides

I purchased a Kawasaki cruiser several years ago. For many middle-aged men like me it’s been more of a glorified toy than a serious mode of transportation. When my son was younger I would take him on short rides or drop him off at school on my way to work. While he has enjoyed the time riding, less so as he got older and taller, he never been obsessed with learning to drive the bike.

A mother’s concern

After my son got his driver’s license I told him that if he wanted to learn to ride and get his motorcycle license I would be “OK” with it. Now, my wife and his mom, has seen me take him out on rides and always bring him back safe. But of course, riding by his self is a different matter. While I know she is not thrilled with the idea of him “potentially” riding by himself, there are several factors that I have considered before I gave him the green light to learn to ride.

Each family and child is unique

Every child is different and not all that I discuss will necessarily apply to your situation. In addition, every family’s situation and experiences are unique and will lead to different conclusions about the appropriateness of their child riding a motorcycle.

My 18-year-old stupidity

On a hot summer day I handed over $500 to some guy for my first motorcycle and motorcycle ride when I was 18. After figuring out how to kick start my 1975 Honda 350, I promptly left the apartment parking lot, zipped onto Arden Way in Sacramento and drove right up, on, and over the center island. Now riding the motorcycle in the lane of on-coming traffic I surmised that if I jumped the curb once I could do it again. I dropped the bike into first gear, twisted the throttle and jumped back in the right lane(s).

10 hour motorcycle trip in the rain

Later that year I would certify myself competent enough to ride that little bike from Humboldt State University where I was going to school, through a driving rain storm, all the way down to Sacramento for winter break. Dumb, stupid, ignorant are all words that described my actions. I don’t think anyone would have determined my action to be a safe and sane ride on my motorcycle even by 1982 standards.

Mandatory riding hours

Today, in addition to far better protective gear, teenagers in California have to take a mandatory weekend riding course that goes over the basics of motorcycle riding and safety. I took the course at 45 years old before I bought my latest bike as a refresher course. It made me a better and safer rider. Perhaps because I’ve taken the course, I feel a little more confident that the training really instills good riding habits like not going over center medians or riding through rain storms on Hwy 299.

Every car is trying  to hit me

Rarely are serious motorcycle accidents the result of rider error but are from a  lack of awareness from other drivers. Most often in multi-vehicle accidents, car vs. motorcycle, it is the automobile that violates the motorcycle’s right of way. When I ride, I just figure every car on the road has decided to try and hit me. Consequently, defensive riding is the norm for me.

Control is better than adrenaline rush

But inculcating that fear and defensive posture in a teenager, who feels invincible in life, can be a difficult task. Fortunately for us, our son has never been a big risk taker or thrill seeker. The predisposition of your child to be a risk taker plays into the equation of whether to let your son or daughter learn to ride. Like me, my son has shied away from the big roller coaster rides. He prefers to be in control.

Early childhood experiences

He found out early how he wasn’t in control on a family bike ride. We had taken our bikes out to ride the trails around Folsom Lake and found ourselves riding through the parking lot of Granite Beach State Park. Walker, our son, was only 6 years old. As if to confirm my mantra that every car wishes to hit me, a gentleman, not paying attention clipped my son’s bike at low speed. Our son fell off his bike and had no injuries other than a scrapped knee. He was reluctant to ride his bike after that.

What could be safer than a jog around the block?

Six years later Walker had found his sport of choice in the relatively safe pursuit of cross country running. At the age of 12 he decided to go on his evening run which took him through Cavitt Junior High School up to the trails around Folsom Lake. From around one of the buildings zoomed a younger lad who had no clue how to stop and ran into Walker’s leg. The fibula and tibia were broken. It took surgery and a plate to make his leg heal properly.

It’s always the other guy’s fault

Will Walker’s or your child’s experiences with accidents and injury make them a cautious motorcycle rider? Pain is a great teacher. But there is still the issue of “the other guy” who isn’t aware or is impaired while driving.

I’m guilty of poor judgement

Heck, I almost got us killed riding the motorcycle up to Apple Hill in Camino, CA, one autumn. On a back road with a steep hair pin curve on a blind corner I completely misjudged which gear I needed to be in to get up the slope. As I down shifted I had to go wide into the lane of on-coming traffic. If a car had come around the corner at that instant we would have been history.

Real world experience

Increasingly, there is a loss familiarity with mechanical equipment, engines, gears and physics as more families live in the suburbs. Most families no longer have any contact with farm tractors or working on the “project” car so many of us had growing up before the 1980’s. Even the most cursory involvement with mechanical equipment help children and young adults understand the power and danger of these machines.

Learning about machines and dangers

Part of me acknowledges that my son’s learning to ride a motorcycle is a glancing education in mechanical arts. All children need to learn how to think and be in control of large and small appliances. It is no different than learning how to cook. There are lessons to be learned that can be applied later in life. While some may scoff at that notion and accuse me of cooking up excuses and rationale to let my son learn how to ride a motorcycle; if there is no risk, there is no gain.

Will they even want to ride?

I don’t know if my son completes the required riding lesson and passes the motorcycle test if he will want to ride my bike. It is a little big for him and I could see him as being more comfortable with a scooter which are no less dangerous. He may pass all the tests, get his license and just be content with saying he has his Class M1 license. I’ve seen how he drives our cars and I know the cautious approach he takes while driving.

But it’s not him I am worried about…it’s the other guy.

Only you as a parent can determine the motivations and behavior of your child once they are licensed to ride. At the very least I figure I can let him get his motorcycle license if for nothing else other than a life experience.

Family activity: motorcycle riding lessons

My recommendation, if you don’t ride, is too learn as much as you can about the training, testing, safety equipment and statistics of riding a motorcycle. You may want to take the course and tests with your son or daughter, not to necessarily ever ride a bike, but to show them how serious you are about safety and understanding what it takes to ride.

Respect is the best guide

Talk to your son or daughter about what motivates them to want to ride a motorcycle. While pain is a great teacher, respect is a better guide. If your child respects your motivations to protect him coupled with your involvement with their motorcycle education, they will have a stronger sense of caution if and when they do ride.

He’ll be a better rider than me

When I review my motorcycle experiences, both positive and hair rising, and my son’s temperament and experiences, I’ve concluded that the benefits of him learning to ride out weigh the potential costs. I would rather him learn to ride while at home under the watchful eye of his mother than plunk down that $500 and drive off into on-coming traffic like I did.

Motorcycle Update, April 12, 2015

My son decided against taking the motorcycle course back in 2013 because his mother was opposed to it. Walker understood that his mom was just uncomfortable with the idea of him riding a motorcycle at a young age. Since he turned 18 at the end of March he has matured physically and decide he might want to learn how to ride after all. Part of his motivation is the possibility of a summer job between graduating high school and traveling to Massachusetts to attend college in the fall of 2015.

In this short video Walker takes his first solo motorcycle drive with his feet off the ground! You can see how cautious he is, which is the foundation of his personality. He is going slow and it is a big bike for him to learn on. If he attends one of the motorcycle riding courses, those bikes are half the size and easier to maneuver.