Grand Kids Riding up front?

[Offroad]

I've always enjoyed riding around the neighborhood (5-10mph) with grand kids in front of me.
I've always felt that was the safest place (I'm sure they won't fall off) and most enjoyable for them (hard to see around a big fat man and gives them a more realistic view of what it's like to ride a motorcycle).
I have 3 problems I want to fix:
1. I want a small set of extended handle bars for them to hang on to
2. I a set of foot pegs for them, extended out (away from engine) and up (for shorter legs)
3. I want a way for them NOT to get burned by the engine (some type of shield or maybe something they wear on their legs)
Does any one have the same idea? Have you solved problems 1,2 or 3? How?
If they are small enough their legs can't reach the engine, but as they get bigger it becomes a problem.
Thoughts?

 

[the Ferret]

This thread is probably going to bring you a lot of heat, but I understand. My kids rode up front until they were big enough to ride out back ( they are 39 and 35 now) and my older grand kids have ridden in front until they were big enough to ride in back (now 14 and 11). They have never burned themselves on the motor, and I usually put a tank bag on the tank for them to lean on. Everyone of them loved riding and always asked for rides, even if I didn't have a bike out.

People ( strangers) have always given me a bunch of crap about it, even those that ride their kids around in front of them on off road 3 wheelers, 4 wheelers, tractors and riding lawn mowers.

I have never seen any accommodations like you are asking for since, to the best of my knowledge, technically it is illegal to ride a passenger up front. They used to make a belt that went around the driver with two handles in the back for little kids to hold on to, but I haven't seen them advertised in the last few years.

Unless his mom objects (his father won't) my youngest grandson will be getting neighborhood rides in front of Grandfather on the CB before too long.

 

[Ridem32_imp]

My grandson will be 2 in August he rides up front on my cb750. He has rode my st1300 and cb1100 behind me with his mom on the back. He loves to ride. I got him a Yamaha 50 raptor he sits up front with me on the back. I had a Corbin seat made with a back rest in the eearly 90, s to fit my FJ1100 for my daughter she rode with me lots for hours at the time.
Opps he will be 3 in August
But I'm with ferret about this thread bringing up heat! But both my kids was put on wild ponies at age 3 and had to learn to ride lol. My daughter won Mississippi state champ all ages at age 12. Both my kids by age 10 could drive my standard shift truck ! My daughter could ride my Harley road king at age 13 my son which is 2 years younger could ride my Harley ultra classic at age 13. Both grown now and can ride and drive anything I have tractors and all.

 

[Pterodactyl_imp]

My grandson will be 2 in August he rides up front on my cb750. He has rode my st1300 and cb1100 behind me with his mom on the back. He loves to ride. I got him a Yamaha 50 raptor he sits up front with me on the back. I had a Corbin seat made with a back rest in the eearly 90, s to fit my FJ1100 for my daughter she rode with me lots for hours at the time.
Opps he will be 3 in August
But I'm with ferret about this thread bringing up heat! But both my kids was put on wild ponies at age 3 and had to learn to ride lol. My daughter won Mississippi state champ all ages at age 12. Both my kids by age 10 could drive my standard shift truck ! My daughter could ride my Harley road king at age 13 my son which is 2 years younger could ride my Harley ultra classic at age 13. Both grown now and can ride and drive anything I have tractors and all.

That's kind of the way I was dragged up. When my feet could reach the pedals I drove my Dad's timber jinker on forestry tracks, and when I got down I kept my own snake watch. He did care though, I wasn't allowed near his axe, you could shave with it, or the circular saw which was driven by the PTO. I was a little more protective with my boys but they still had to look after themselves.

Different world now. Here in Sydney the lattė sippers will have your knackers if you expose kids to a bit of self reliance.

Cheers

 

[Lord Popgun]

Technically illegal in VA. The forward most person is in control of the machine so the kid can't be... I've never seen people do around here and don't know if those who might do it get pulled over.

 

[Ridem32_imp]

Here in cars & trucks we have the seatbelt law! But you see pickup trucks all the time with folks riding in the back bed of truck the law never pulls them over lol. . But this is the south!

 

[Damfino_imp]

Quote:1. I want a small set of extended handle bars for them to hang on to

I would think some type of handle bar arrangement for them to hold on to would be a bad idea. If something were to go wrong, they may become impaled on them! Just a safety thought!

 

[dBuster_imp]

it is illegal here in Wisconsin as well. They need to touch existing foot pegs and be helmeted prior to being a passenger.

 

[thumper_imp]

it is illegal here in Wisconsin as well. They need to touch existing foot pegs and be helmeted prior to being a passenger.

Same in California.

 

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Quote:This thread is probably going to bring you a lot of heat, but I understand
You shameless internet troll, you

 

[Cormanus]

I'm sure it's as illegal here as it is in other places and I can see why. But Pterodactyl's latte sippers have some of it badly wrong. Denying children, and adults, exposure to every possible risk has induced in us a growing unwillingness to accept responsibility for our actions. If something goes wrong, it must be someone else's fault.

I've spent a little time working in an Asian country where the motorcycle is a critical form of transport and every day you see whole families loaded aboard a 90cc scooter. I've regularly counted 5—mother, father, 3 children, including tiny, tiny babies. I'm sure occasionally there are accidents, but mostly they get there safely and generally they take great care. All sorts of important life lessons are learned at those times.

Not long after I arrived the first time, I remember driving up behind a bicycle (one of the ones with pedals) and seeing a tiny face watching me over the rider's shoulder. My first reaction—conditioned a I was by life in Australia—was that this was terrible and what was the fool doing exposing the child to such risk. But I looked at the child and she looked perfectly happy. He was riding very carefully. I passed the bloke and she was perched on the bar with her arms around his neck. It was such a picture of trust and love that it made me think a lot about the harm we are doing eradicating so much risk.

While I don't think I want to see people hurtling down the motorway with small children up front on a large capacity motorcycle, a careful ride around the block can't really be too risky. Can it?

 

[Damfino_imp]

This article, while tragic and having to do with the child riding on the back of the motorcycle, outlines some of California's laws about children riding on motorcycle's.


http://thestir.cafemom.com/toddler/160395/toddler_who_died_riding_on

 

[dBuster_imp]

There was an accident a few years ago with a mother giving her daughter a ride on their 49cc moped with the daughter standing in front of the mother and the mother hit the curb doing less than 10mph and in the tumble of mother and daughter heads were bonked and so forth. In the end both died because of the accident.

Now whether the outcome would have been different if the daughter was in the back or not, who knows. It is a shame that there was loss of life. Especially how strange it sounded like it happened. But it doesn't take much, just the right way.

I wish I could remember where this was so I could see if I could find an article or story.