Interesting Situation

[Anonymous]

I have been in love with motorcycles ever since i first rode my friend Adam's Kawasaki KDX dirtbike when I was 12. I Am about to turn 19 and several of my friends bought bikes and let me ride them (2002 GSX-R 750 and a 2001 Yamaha FZ1). I do not know why they let a novice such as myself on thier truly awesome road machines but the expieriences definitly 'set the hook' so to speak. I immediatly approached my parents with the idea of buying a motorcycle and they said "Sure, but you'll have to move out of the house" . You see my Father's in the insurance buisness, so he hears all the motorcycling horror stories. Plus his friends that ride always seem to maim themselves on thier bikes.

As you can very well imagine I was extremely disheartened and had almost given up on the idea of buying a motorcycle. When a freind of a freind offered me his '81 GS750L TSCC for $400 with manuals and a trailer. And after telling my parents that I was just going to "fix up the bike and then sell it" they let me take it home. So now I have a bike but just need to pesuede my dukes to let me get a liscence. Any suggestions on arguments that I can make to my parents so that they will let me kkep the bike and live at home?

[Anonymous]

RiderRob:

When my 18 year-old son recently approached me about getting a bike, I faced a difficult decision, both as a parent and a motorcyclist of 37 years experience. I knew from my personal riding history that using a motorcycle involves some inherent risks. However, I also knew that the emotional rewards and sensations of riding are enormous. The way I resolved these issues (since simply being strongly anti-motorcycle would have been hypocritical) was to insist on 5 things:

1) My son's motorcycle must be suitable for a beginner and in top mechanical shape. Maintenance is a safety issue.
2) My son must wear good quality protective gear at all times when riding. This not only means a satisfactory helmet with good and comfortable fit, but also m/c gloves, boots, jacket, etc.
3) My son would take the MSF "beginners" riding course before riding an inch on the road. I would give him some basic training in a parking lot prior to the course, and more extensive "on-the-road" training after the course. After or during joint rides, we would discuss any "situations" that arose.
4) I would tell my son that riding skills are not static: they can atrophy or can grow. Practice drills must be kept up, no matter one's experience level. Hard emergency braking, counter-steering/swerving, cornering lines, situational awareness/precautionary actions, etc. are things that require continual honing. Emotional control and maturity are also vital if potentially dangerous actions are to be avoided??only a few seconds of an untamed throttle hand are needed to get you in big trouble on a bike.
5) Always ride well within your skills "envelope", and with respect for prevailing road conditions.??this is a great incentive to expand that envelope, and closely observe those conditions, by paying attention to #4 above.

In short, if my son was going to get a motorcycle sooner or later anyway, it was far better that I ensure that the circumstances were optimum than have him do it a few years later without my guidance. If neither of your parents are experienced riders, perhaps you have a family friend who does have those qualifications and can ride with you (on their bike, not on the back) for the first few vital weeks. Convince your parents that you are responsible and can be trusted (and make sure that this is true), and you will have won a large part of the battle.

Simon Waters

[WifeofDink]

I totally agree with Simon

Before you talk to your parents make sure you find out about the courses that you will need to take and if possibly what you will learn in them as this may help them feel more comfortable with you riding a bike.

Also make sure that you have good protective gear as well, don't be in too much of a hurry as learning to ride and riding on the road is a huge learning curve for young people and commensense tends to be overridden by excitement at being able to ride a bike, I have kids that have been in your position and one soon will be, she is looking forward to getting a licence which is still a couple of years away but we have managed to make her aware that she needs to learn "Road Craft" etc and the importance of practicing what she is learning.

Let us know how you get on.

[Dark Jedi]

Make the effort, show your parents the safety courses availiable to you.
Show that you have researched the issue, and understand the risks. I bet this goes a long way toward convincing them of your mature approach on the subject.

[Hotblack]

These folks seem to be giving you excellent advice, good luck - we need more Jersey riders. I'm still denying to myself that my 8 year old will ever even drive a car.

[Anonymous]

I heard exactly the same thing from my parents some 25+ years ago, except it was "Yes you can have one when you're 21 and living out of the house"..

I have an 11 yr old son and 9yr old daughter and they've both been riding dirtbikes for the past two years. We mostly ride trails, and one of the things that makes me feel ok about it is that they both ride with a good degree of caution.. They ride within their abilitities.

I think the advice above is excellent, especially the safety course info. We have a young woman staying with us for a year, and she was always into motorbikes. We restored an old GS550 over the winter (see my post in the GS stories about the Iron Butt ride) with the intent that she could ride it IF she helped restore it and took the MSF courses. My wife & I got her the weekend MSF course for a Christmas present, and she was initially reluctant to take it as she figured it would be too remedial. But after the three day course was over I know that she was a much better rider for it. As a parent, and as a host parent responsible for her safety I felt much better about her riding because she was able to demonstrate a sensible and responsible attitude by working on the bike and by taking the course.

Always ride responsibly, always remember that you are invisible to cars, always believe that cars will suddenly turn left into your lane at intersections without signals, and when your light turns green at an intersection count to 3 before going through to avoid being t-boned by some red light runner (especially here in San Francisco...)

Tim

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much for all your help, I have a pretty strong argument to present to my parents later today. I'm going to go do some research on some msf safety courses now. I finally got the bike running today and if all goes well I'll be buying some new tires and some riding gear this afternoon wish me luck!

-Rob

[Anonymous]

I am 22 and still live with my parents (untill August) and I got the same slack from them. The first thing I did was sign up for the MSF class and got my license. After I took it they realized that I now knew how to ride a motorcycle and had more faith in me. However they tried to keep me from buying one by saying "you can get a motorcycle but you can't keep it in the garage." HAHAHA!!! So I bought my GS750E and parked it in the basement :twisted:

But as for you, since you are 19 you don;t really need their permission to get your motorcycle license nor do you need their permission to insure it. If you really wanted to, you could go behind their backs with both. Also getting a $10,000 life insurance policy helps with the convincing a lot too.

[shaftzuki]

But as for you, since you are 19 you don;t really need their permission to get your motorcycle license nor do you need their permission to insure it. If you really wanted to, you could go behind their backs with both. Also getting a $10,000 life insurance policy helps with the convincing a lot too.

I can tell you this - you wouldn't be living at home after that little "stunt"!! 8)

[Anonymous]

......... Also getting a $10,000 life insurance policy helps with the convincing a lot too.

Thankfully, I don't think that are many parents who would look at a $10,000 insurance policy payoff as a fair trade for any of their children. Besides, it represents a lousy return on their investment.

[argonsagas]

Full compliments to Simon, for a very well-expressed summary.

I agree with every point.

The key thing you have available now is an MSF course...something Simon and I did not have when we began riding.

The course is invaluable. Discuss it with your parents before you bring home a bike. Show them you are REALLY interested in educating yourself in this mode of transport, and that you intend to avoid the crotch-rocket mentality that so dramatically affects the perceptions of insurance agents/companies.

Far too many new riders get onto machines that they refuse to believe are vastly beyond their ability to properly handle. Yes, basic riding is easy. Anyone can get on any bike, and ride it, but there is an inescapable reality: better bikes are more capable, but, the more capable the bike, the faster it can get the rider into trouble.

(Please note I did not say faster bikes, I said BETTER...although that may include faster)

Pretty well all bikes are of good quality, and capable of things a novice rider cannot handle at all. The commonly seen result is that new riders can, and often do, get themselves into serious trouble VERY fast.

[Jay B]

You guys know of course that when he takes all this good information back to his parents they are going to log on here and kick our collective butts for corrupting their son.

[Hotblack]

Thanks so much for all your help, I have a pretty strong argument to present to my parents later today. I'm going to go do some research on some msf safety courses now. I finally got the bike running today and if all goes well I'll be buying some new tires and some riding gear this afternoon wish me luck!

-Rob

Well how did it go? I wish you retroactive luck, as it were. Two of the key points brought up are that you WILL ride anyway, sooner or later (trust me) and that the MSF courses are outstanding (I haven't taken mine yet, it's in two weeks) at least every living sould I've ever talked to who has heard of them assures me they are. You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders (*ahem*, mattdez ) and your parents probably know that. Let us know how it comes out.

[humhead]

Check out this link http://www.state.nj.us/lps/hts/cyclepage.html#gdl I took the MSF beginning rider course for free thru this site. The course is 3 days long rain or shine. If you pass the course, you get a waiver for the NJ motorcycle test. It's a great way to start. Lets face it; riding a motorcycle in NJ is a CHALLENGE! We need all the help we can get! One last thing to remember- After you take the course & get your license, take your bike to an empty parking lot & learn how it handles.
A GS is very different from the DR200s thet you use during the course.

Terry

[Anonymous]

......... Also getting a $10,000 life insurance policy helps with the convincing a lot too.

Thankfully, I don't think that are many parents who would look at a $10,000 insurance policy payoff as a fair trade for any of their children. Besides, it represents a lousy return on their investment.

My parents argee, they took out 75000 on me