Too young to ride?

[kikazz]

I bet most of you probably had this problem. How on earth did you convince your parents/family (especially your mother) that you were going to ride a motorbike??????

[The Tazman]

I bet most of you probably had this problem. How on earth did you convince your parents/family (especially your mother) that you were going to ride a motorbike??????

Is it the same as a car over here 15? My personal opinion is that 15 is too young.

I didn't have a problem as my Mum had ridden bikes, My Dad rode bikes and my step brother rode bikes so I was in a good position to get one. As I said in my other post My Dad actually went and got mine, I had to pay for it though

[jrandom]

I feel your pain.

Personally, at your age, I got around it by remaining frustrated for many years, and then eventually buying a motorcycle when nobody could stop me.

For the moment, you pretty much just have to suck it up and handle the jandal.

Unless you can afford to move out of home and support yourself.

Can you afford to move out of home and support yourself?

[Karma]

I'd been driving a car for about 3 years before riding, so she knew I could handle myself on the road anyways.

Plus since when do you need permission? HTFU.

[jrandom]

Plus since when do you need permission? HTFU.

Dude's living with his parents, dude has to live by their rules, s'way it works innit.

Sure as hell will be for my kids, anyway.

[Romeo]

Well, first you need to decide whether or not it's the right thing for you. If you convince yourself that you're going to get one (for the right reasons), there's nothing your folks can do to stop you. If you approach them with the attitude that "I AM getting a bike one day" rather than "Can I have a bike one day?" it'll definitely be easier to get support from then down the track.

Everyone thinks bikes are dangerous, and people who care about you are obviously going to try and keep you away from danger - so do your own fact finding about the safety of motorcycles and then decide whether or not you're in this for the right reasons. They'll take your word for it if you can prove to them that you fully understand what you're getting yourself into - if they cant? Well, then they're selfish I guess...

Has anybody got that link for the website where all the guys are torn to pieces and stuff? DieToRide or something? Maybe Kikazz is a bit young for that though...

That said, there's no need to get a bike right now. Get yourself a car and learn the road rules and stuff, that's what I did. I'd hate to learn the road rules all over again on a bike - that would increase the likelihood of a crash exponentially.


Good luck though...



WTF kind of positive reputation is this!: "Should i quit my job and run my own business full time?" - Unknown

[swbarnett]

I had no trouble. The decision was more my Dad's than mine and my Dad was riding when my parents met so Mum was no stranger to them.

[Jantar]

...That said, there's no need to get a bike right now. Get yourself a car and learn the road rules and stuff, that's what I did. I'd hate to learn the road rules all over again on a bike - that would increase the likelihood of a crash exponentially.
...

Bad advice, from someone who hasn't yet learnt to ride. The best cage drivers are those who learn to ride a motorcycle before learning to drive a car. On a bike you quickly learn to respect other road users, to keep a good lookout, and most importantly to not overreact. You'll get to appreciate different road surfaces, different weather conditions etc, all which combine to make you a safer road user overall.

The road rules are (almost) the same for both, and you must prove that you know them before you get your learners. Its the application of the rules that's a bit different, but choose the right bike and it isn't an issue.

[Boob Johnson]

If you approach them with the attitude that "I AM getting a bike one day" rather than "Can I have a bike one day?" it'll definitely be easier to get support from then down the track.

Excellent advise

[Romeo]

Bad advice, from someone who hasn't yet learnt to ride. The best cage drivers are those who learn to ride a motorcycle before learning to drive a car. On a bike you quickly learn to respect other road users, to keep a good lookout, and most importantly to not overreact. You'll get to appreciate different road surfaces, different weather conditions etc, all which combine to make you a safer road user overall.

The road rules are (almost) the same for both, and you must prove that you know them before you get your learners. Its the application of the rules that's a bit different, but choose the right bike and it isn't an issue.

I agree to a certain extent, your point of view would work perfectly if we were talking about a responsible adult. But I feel that being a road user requires a lot of self control and decision making capabilities, most of which aren't the best in an sub-18 year old. As I said in my post somewhere else it's much easier to get in trouble on a bike and the consequences are a lot higher if you let the adrenaline or red-mist get to you.

"On a bike you quickly learn to respect other road users, to keep a good lookout, and most importantly to not overreact."

... And the consequence of NOT "learning quickly" is likely to be an accident, just as if you were in a car, except it's likely to be more servere.

[Karma]

Hmm... car first or bike first... who knows eh...

All I can say is that it's advantageous to have both for sure, I've seen more than enough dickhead bikers whilst driving the car for sure.

I've come to realise when riding the bike that certain things I do such as race up behind a car can be very aggressive and led to mistakes by that car driver.

So yeh... get both for sure...

[janno]

www.ride2die.com

I don't think a 16 year old wanting to get a bike is too young to look at this. Unless you'd argue they're too young to kill themselves on a bike . . .

My advice - act responsibly in your family environment, (I'm sure you already do) and then as Ma and Pa see you are rapidly becoming a young adult whom they can trust, they will start to treat you as an adult who can make his own decisions.

If you act like a snot nosed little brat (not saying that you are - but I was at that age) or do dumb shit which makes them grit their teeth and roll their eyes, you've got diddly squat chance of getting their support . . .

An easy but simple way to get Ma on side is to do household chores every day without being asked. And for more than a week, too!

If that's too hard, then you can't want a bike that badly . . .

Or else move out of home, making sure you get a job which will allow you to afford a bike. Hard at your age, but not impossible.

[Mole_C]

My parents didn't take much convincing. They went away for 6 months on a boat and when they got back i had a new toy in the garage

Just go buy one. It's a lot harder for them to tell you ya can't have one when u already have one

[Coyote]

Sure as hell will be for my kids, anyway.

Seeing the rate of change in society, I wouldn't be at all surprised if you were imprisoned for not letting your darling children with their poor upbringing make the rules.

I started riding at 15. After 2 and a half years, I'm still alive aren't I? I was and still am sensible. I did have a few offs on the road but that was due to a horribly unsafe bike (plastic tyres, shit suspension), my previous and current bike I've had no problems on. I think teenagers are more likely to get in trouble in a cage since they have extra seats which you can hear your friends peer pressuring you, whether it'd be speeding, passengers on restricted or drunk driving. Can't really hear a pillion over a whining engine, and when you're drunk you don't tend to make it out of the driveway. What's more I'm now the one when I'm travelling with mates in a car that says 'slow down, this isn't a race track'. I may be a killjoy but at least my mates and I are still alive, that's the respect for the road I've learnt through riding a bike.

By the way kikazz, that's a picture on an R1 in your signature.

[Dodgy1]

I'm going through this with my 12 yr old already. He's ridden pillion on my bike and his mums.He is keen as a bean to get a bike when he's old enough to ride. We have talked to him about the pros and cons of motorcycling and he has started saving for his first bike which we will work with him and advise him on whats best to start out on. I will also be enroling him with a riding school. My wife learned to rid through one and she is now riding a 900 hornet. The bottom line is if your kids are keen to do somthing then you should work with them instead of against them.