[abyssdncr]

It's interesting to me how many motorcyclists are also so often involved in the shooting sports. Like shooting, the best part of riding is sharing the sport and good times with your kids.



My youngest has been my wrench buddy for the last month or so as I've been tweaking on the TW. While the help is most definitely helpful, it's just a blessing to spend time together and watch the wheels turn and the information congeal into understanding and appreciation.



Well, this weekend I got to share the fun with her... Took a couple hour drive last weekend and picked up an '03 TT-R90 that had some idle issues for a great price. I got the carb cleaned out over my lunch break on Thursday and it was running like a top after that.



The girls helped me get it washed up and peel off the bubbled tank decals Thursday night and I let the wife ride it around a bit. She...wasn't quite as enthusiastic as I was about what was about to transpire, but enjoyed it nonetheless.



Friday night the fun started. She wasn't too sure about riding it herself and was rather gun shy about the engine running. The driveway is sloped, so with the bike off and in neutral we practiced using the brakes to slowly walk the bike down the driveway. She was a little wobbly at first, but picked up the necessary techniques quickly. Walking went to rolling 5-10 ft. at a time, went to rolling down the driveway with both feet on the pegs and nice clean controlled stops at the bottom. Took about half an hour to go from gun shy to giggly grins.



Saturday we went to the local park to get the bike running. Started trying to walk with it, like the night before. She was goosing the throttle at first and I had to play catch with the rear end the first two tries. However, after showing her how to do it again, she was off and driving. Little spurts at first, a few feet at a time. Then she started making 5-10 ft. runs at a time. Surprisingly, she didn't have any problems walking the bike around the turns. Gaining confidence, she started going 20-30 ft at a time in the straights with her heels skimming the grass and walking through the corners, then only stopping toward the end of the corners and taking off again. And finally she was riding laps around me - feet on the pegs and smile on her face. Finished up with some more braking practice and headed back to the van. Jogging beside her I lurched ahead and gave her the "come & get me" grin...and she grinned right back and goosed the gas passing me by. What a hoot!



She was so giddy she was bouncing when we got home, and as excited as she was, I'm pretty sure I was beaming even prouder...it was awesome!

Gotta love the smile!

 

[lizrdbrth]

I'd give up a lot of ride time for the opportunity to TEACH someone to ride. Or wrench. Or shoot.



There is nothing so worthwhile as that "I did it!" smile.

 

[qwerty]

Little girls are so much fun, especially when they get to go to school and brag about doing boy things. Glad to see her in gear. Get her some BMX boots. Much cheaper and less painful than a broken ankle when those heels catch a rock or stick.

 

[admiral]

abyssdncr,



I'm guessing you were as happy as she was! See her ride and smile brought a smile to mine as well.



It's a couple of years away, but I'm working on it. Hopefully my grandaughter will enjoy it too!

 

[Fltw200]

I remember when that was me! First 4wheeler at 7.. First dirt bike at 9.. Still some of my best memories with my dad! Never will forget those days. A lot of parents think that is irresponsible, but I'm still here at 31 years old, and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. As with shooting, if you teach the importance of safety and proper equipment, you are doing the right thing! I also feel my time on the bikes at a young age greatly helped me when it came time to drive a car. Experience can't be taught when it comes to judging speed, distance, and turns.

 

[qwerty]

Studies were done in the late'70s that showed people who learned to ride motorcycles before driving cars had fewer wrecks, and people who learned to ride dirt bikes first had fewer wrecks than people who had learned to ride street bikes first. Strange as it seems, I've known many people who made the transition from dirt rider to street rider with no problems, but it is rare to find anyone who made the transistion from street rider to dirt rider without a bit of road rash and a broken bone or two.

 

[abyssdncr]

Little girls are so much fun, especially when they get to go to school and brag about doing boy things. Glad to see her in gear. Get her some BMX boots. Much cheaper and less painful than a broken ankle when those heels catch a rock or stick.

All the goodies should be coming at Christmas time...hot pink of course. I probably should have thought this through a little more as it seems that the helmet/goggles, chest protector, knee/shin guards, boots, jersy/pants/gloves is going to cost more than what the bike did. But in the scheme of things, I can't think of a better investment.

I'm guessing you were as happy as she was! See her ride and smile brought a smile to mine as well.

It's a couple of years away, but I'm working on it. Hopefully my grandaughter will enjoy it too!

Oh, you know it! I can't remember when I've been more proud. We had an awesome weekend last week as I got my hitch carrier in and was able to take the TW & TTR up to the family farm and ride around with her. We did a quick refresher and after about half a mile of jogging beside her, I fired up the TW and we got some side by side riding in together. It was so cool. I followed her for a bit and then she chased me around. Can't believe how well she does with the corners. Got some fun hill time in and a little mixed terrain. She didn't miss a beat - still makes me grin just thinking about it.

I remember when that was me! First 4wheeler at 7.. First dirt bike at 9.. Still some of my best memories with my dad! Never will forget those days. A lot of parents think that is irresponsible, but I'm still here at 31 years old, and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. As with shooting, if you teach the importance of safety and proper equipment, you are doing the right thing! I also feel my time on the bikes at a young age greatly helped me when it came time to drive a car. Experience can't be taught when it comes to judging speed, distance, and turns.

When I was that age, such animals were evil...but that's the way things are when your mom is an ER nurse. However, these are exactly the arguments I made to the wife who if slowly warming to the idea of the girls riding. And like it or not...it's true!

Studies were done in the late'70s that showed people who learned to ride motorcycles before driving cars had fewer wrecks, and people who learned to ride dirt bikes first had fewer wrecks than people who had learned to ride street bikes first. Strange as it seems, I've known many people who made the transition from dirt rider to street rider with no problems, but it is rare to find anyone who made the transistion from street rider to dirt rider without a bit of road rash and a broken bone or two.

This is exactly the reason I got the TW in the first place. I didn't go through MSF when I first started riding, but did study David Hough's Proficient Motorcycling & More Proficient Motorcycling thoroughly, went through the advanced course when finances allowed, and still try to reread those books annually for refreshing. Hough repeatedly mentioned how dirt riding experience can often be the hat trick required to save a street rider in traction challenged terrain. So far so good with my street to dirt transition, but I am learning more & more with each outing and being infused with good information lets me be equipped to teach the wife/kids/friends good skills from the beginning and not have to learn everything via the school of hard knocks.

 

[owtcast]

I'm sure you are bound by the Christmas deadline but in the future, hit up the online gear stores and ebay for last year's gear. The gear can be found at a huge discount compared to the latest and greatest styles out.

 

[Xracer]

Next thing you know she will want to race motocross,drive a rally car,fly a jet fighter and go to the moon. GOOD ON YA MAN!!!

 

[[email protected]]

Great fun, great report, I remember doing that with our kids on a Honda 50 and look forward to doing the same with my grand kids on the same Honda 50, almost 40 years later.

 

[LuneyTW200]

Looks like total fun, can't wait to have one to share those times!

 

[sinophilia]

Great pictures! Such an early experience will be invaluable later on.

And if we want more women in motor sports, we need more dads willing to put their daughters on a bike at a young age

 

[T-Dub Ken]

My 14 year old son is riding with me.

Dirt on his 140KLX

Took my near 17 year old daugther our a month ago and go her on the KLX.

She wouldn't come off it.

Had a ball.



Now I may need another dirt bike!

 

[wrench-puller]

Good to see another dad not scared to let his daughters go against the norm. Both my girls had dirt bikes growing up and scares to go along with it, but you could never wipe the grins away. There were rules though, you break it - you help fix it! They both had full socket/wrench sets by 13. But the bikes were soon left in the shop as we moved into dirt track race cars.....Yup, she left her XR100 for a ministock. Wife was little upset, but my mom was very disappointed in me for letting my daughter get a car. But she worked on that car all winter and come opening day she had that grin again. She pulled on her fire suit (custom fitted and sewn by "Daddy") and slid on her helmet and neckbrace... and never looked back. Practice day went great, next day was the real thing and after two heat races she was still smilin ....but then the main event! Now she always rode her bike hard into the corners and loved the feel of it fighting to hang on, which i could never break her of. Now in her little Toyota, all strapped in and enough safety gear to stop you breathin, she was racing for keeps. At 15 and the youngest on the track she felt she had to prove she deserved to be there, so once again she was hard on the throttle in the turns. Third lap into the main, she was heading thru turn two and a rut on the track launched her car into the air, a skip and a bang. Into the back wall hard, one full revolution in the air, back on its wheels, and that was that. The car was a write off, but she was OK, i was in worst shape then her. I ran to her in 2 seconds flat, beat the ambulance and the tow truck, and when I stuck my head in the side window she was just undoing the seat belt straps. Then there it was.... that cheeky little smile and i knew she was fine. Sitting in her seat, covered in glass chips from the broken windshield, smoke still coming from under the hood, she looked at me and said "fix it dad, i want to go again". Not knowing if i should laugh or cry, i pulled her out of the car and said, not this time sweety, gave her a hug and led her to the first aid people to get checked out. She raced for several years and went on to race stock class against the big boys and with her little sister as pit crew they were quite the team. This all came about because of a little honda 50 and a little girl who believed her dad telling her she could do and be anything she wanted to.



So I say "right on" to you and your daughter! There will be spills and tears, but you have to let them go, just keep them safe and always make sure the helmet is strapped on tight. You will never reget the time you spend with your kids, especially when its spent doing something as cool as motorbike ridin'.