My Son Wants to Start Riding

[ChipBeck_imp]

I have mixed feelings about my son riding a motorcycle. Southern California is not the safest place for those of us on two wheels. Plus, he's 22 years old. I think back to the craziness and invincibility I believed I possessed at that age and it makes me shudder. The thought of him going down and getting hurt really messes with my head.

Another part of me is excited at the prospect of riding together. It would be great to share this passion of mine with him. There are very few things that compare to the feeling I get while riding and none that I do as frequently. I would love for him to experience the same joy. I would love for us to experience it together.

He's always been an athletic, coordinated kid, so I have no worry about him mastering the skills of riding. It's all the uncontrollable dangers that scare me. I'm brought back to the day I let him ride his bike to the park alone for the first time. The anxiety was nearly overwhelming until I heard the back gate open and he came inside, all smiles. He must have been 8 or 9. I'm sure I'll be just as anxious when he rides off on his motorcycle for the first time.

His plan is to take the basic rider course then buy a slightly used Kawasaki Ninja 300. It looks like a great little bike. Even after the course, I'll take him to some large parking lots and we'll practice some more, eventually making it onto surface streets in light traffic and slowly progress from there. My hope is that he'll soon be riding rings around me. And my biggest hope is that he never feels he has anything to prove and that he takes things slowly.

I'm excited and terrified...

Mentally,

Like some others here I started my son Charley very young riding in the dirt. But when he wanted to start riding on the street I was a nervous wreck. The combat mindset required to stay alive on a bike is so different from that required in a car and mistakes can be so serious. So I bought my son the Ducati he wanted for his college graduation but I bought it a year early with the stipulation he could only ride it with me until he graduated. I did my best to observe and critique. He was fine riding the bike so I was just trying to show him how to avoid accidents caused by auto drivers.

The best mindset advice is to imagine that you and your bike were completely invisible and you needed to ride to a destination in traffic. How would you ride? How would you position yourself relative to the cars around you? You would assume that every car would turn left in front of you, or pull out in front of you because they cant see you. You'd never stay directly beside another car any longer than necessary. Ride like you are invisible because to a lot of drivers, you are.

Despite all that I did, shortly after his graduation Charley was sideswiped by a woman in a car knocking him off his bike. She said, "I didn't see him". He didn't get hurt but over $5000.00 worth of damage to his bike was done. He admitted that although he was not at fault that he could have prevented the accident by being more aware. Charley's bike is repaired and he's back riding. I'm glad he wasn't hurt and I know he is more in tune with being invisible. That lesson learned, I love riding with my son. All the best.

Chip

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