Son wants a scooter

[coacha]

My 17 year old son says he wants a scooter or small motorcycle. I am not against it but I just don't know if he is ready for the increase in the responsibility it will take to ride as opposed to driving his car, I hope that doesn't sound too off the wall.

I would love to hear from any of our members that have faced a similar situation and how you handled it.

[dakals]

I will be in your position in about 7 years with my own son!!!!! Good luck with whatever you decide!!!!!

[socwkbiker]

You can look at it from the the perspective that it will make him behave more responsibly since he won't have the full protection of a car around him. All of the positives about riding that you've learned, he'll learn and that will hopefully make him a better driver.

I posted a story about a couple of teens who were involved in a scooter crash on the safety board under the conversation with a cop thread. The story got me thinking about my boy when he gets older (he's only 3) If my boy wants to ride I would let him but I would have some ground rules. I would fordib him from taking passengers untill he's 18. I would also fordib him to be a passenger on his friends bikes if they ride. I would also put him through several riding courses. The guy that does the "ride like a pro" series has a kid that rides like a pro. I think he was 16 and he handles that valkyre like a childs toy

[skimo]

It's a tough call for sure. But you have to really ask yourself is there anymore responsibility riding the bike vs the car? I know this is going to sound strange but he's more of a potential threat to the public driving a twenty-five hundred pound car over the bike. He's less of hazard to the public on the bike vs the car. Now the problem with the bike is does he really understand that on the bike, he would be a potential hazard to himself vs the public.

Well I never had to cross that bridge now that my son's 21 and daughter's 23 and have no interest in bikes. They both think their dad is crazy of course, I think my mother brain washed them.

[dantama]

I agree strongly with the points that Wolfman and Skimo makes.

Some here will say that a motorcycle that is ridden by a careful rider is no more dangerous than driving a car, but it simply not true. Your son will be in much more danger on a bike than in a car, but as Skimo points out, we're only talking about the danger to himself, not others.

Here's a clip from Lawrence Grodsy's obit.

"Lawrence Grodsky, a nationally known motorcycle safety expert and author who taught thousands of riders to handle themselves on the roads, died Saturday on his bike in Fort Stockton, Texas, after being hit by a deer."Larry was the most talented, experienced and competent motorcyclist in the country, but this is the one thing he knew he couldn't do anything about," said his girlfriend, Maryann Puglisi, ...."Just a few weeks ago he said to me, 'That's how I'm going to go, it's going to be a deer.' He could deal with all the idiot drivers, but at night when a deer jumps in your path, that's it and he knew that."

You couldn't get any more diligent than Lawrence, and a deer still got him. If he was in a car, he wouldn't be dead, he'd need car repairs. Bikes ARE more dangerous.

That said, it seems that you have 2 choices, forbid it, or allow it. He's 17 and lives under your roof and you can reject it outright.

But perhaps a wiser strategy is to allow it with extreme caution. A stubborn 17 year old can do whatever they want if they are independent enough. If my parents had forbidden me to have a motorcycle, I would have just left (I left at 18 anyway :) )

Rather than have a battle that you might not win anyway, keep the illusion that you have the power. Set a lot of ground rules as Wolfman suggested, and any others you can think of. Explain the extreme danger to life and limb, and strategies to mitigate the danger.

You'll keep the illusion that you still have the power (it's just an illusion once teens get old enough to be independent :) ) and your son will respect your willingness to see his point of view and let you be the expert in the decision.

His chances of reaching full maturity will go down with a bike, but you know your son better than we do, and you know how strong willed he will become over the issue and what judgment he will likely use out on the street.

Tough call, my sons are 26 and 20, and so far have been fine with just riding dirt bikes. Though it would have been great fun to ride on the street with them, I'm glad that they didn't push the issue. The way the male mind works, I'd be content to wait till the were 30 to ride with them :)

[cactusjack]

I have a 17 year old who wants a Ninja. He'll be 18 in December, and I told him when he's 18 he can get one if he wants. I won't help him pay for it, and he has to do everything legally and responsibly - MSF courses, insurance, good gear, etc.

I think it would be hypocritical to tell him he couldn't ride when I have the macdaddy of motorcycles in the garage. Under age 18, I'm dead set against it.

Now what you don't know, is this kid is lazy with a capital "L". He doesn't have a driver's license, no job at the present time and dropped out of high school last year. He is working on getting his GED. I'm in no fear of him buying a motorcycle anytime soon. My two older sons (24, 25) would like to ride but can't afford it at this stage in their lives. But they are old enough to make their own decisions.

[scion0]

Originally Posted by CoachA

My 17 year old son says he wants a scooter or small motorcycle. I am not against it but I just don't know if he is ready for the increase in the responsibility it will take to ride as opposed to driving his car, I hope that doesn't sound too off the wall.

I would love to hear from any of our members that have faced a similar situation and how you handled it.

Don't you really mean the insurance and how you (I was) at 17? My name was on my Dad's State Farm policy as NOT insured... everyone but Michael C. Floyd. :)

[scion0]

I take it he hasn't ever ridden any bike? I would be glad he is thinking smaller rather than Ninja.. but still a tough one.

They do say that being a good parent is the hardest job in the world...CJ...my son (16) would like to do nothing more than sit at the computer and play games all day (at least they are good games like the Roman War one which teaches him some history) And he hates me when I make him get off to do some stuff around the house...Maybe your son will get his rear in gear if there is something he REALLY wants and you make him work for it! Good luck to us both!!! lol

I taught both of my daughters to ride a little dirt bike when they were old enough to get on it and hold it up by themselves. I took them out in a sand pit where they could fall over without getting hurt, and when they had that down I took them out in a muddy field until they figured that out.

As it turned out neither one of them ever wanted a motorcycle. They wanted to get married and have babies and drive minivans. Now they both teach elementary school. Go figure. ???

Anyhow one of my sons-in-law called me about learning to ride a bike. I told him to just go ask his wife. "She learned to do it when she was 12 years old."

No feedback on that comment so far. ;)

[formikec]

I have no kids, but here's my $.02:

The way I see it, he is asking you now, and now is your chance to "guide him" in being a responsible scoot owner/rider. You can decide to do that, help him, educate him, and make sure he has all the available things to keep him safe (equipment and knowledge), and hope for the best.

Or, you can choose to say no, wait until he is a little older and does it anyway, then have no say or much ability to help him be safe and responsible.

That's my $.02.

;)

I guess that was my point in a roundabout way. Educate them about riding while they're young and you can still have some positive influence on them.

[Cajunrider]

My youngest son is 21. He decided that he was going to purchase my older son's Honda Shadow 600. I was against it but did my best to not let him see that I was. My older son and I let him begin in my Dad's pasture learning how to take off and steer/countersteer. After a few hours of that we took him on a slow street and stayed behind him observing how he handled the bike. He did quite well. The next day, we took him out on the highway and followed behind him. After a couple of hours of riding, we went back home. I explained to him that he needed to enroll in the next MSF basic course before riding on his own. The next morning, he told me that he wasn't going to purchase the bike because he felt paranoid everytime he crossed an oncoming car or truck. He said that all he could think of was what would he do if they crossed the centerline and came straight at him? It looks like he lost interest. I am not dissapointed at all. It's enough worrying about my 30 year old without getting stressed out over my youngest. It's his decision though, one way or the other. Good luck with your son.

[cactusjack]

At 21, your son is certainly old enough to know what he's comfortable doing. Riding certainly isn't for everybody. If I hadn't ridden back in my hell-raising days, I don't know if I would have taken it up a year and a half ago when I got back into it, given the traffic congestion and driving habits where I live. Having ridden in the past, I knew I was comfortable doing it, so it didn't require a lot of thought, just whether or not to invest in a bike.