First (and Second) Motorcycle Ride With My Son
Ride | August 18, 2009The time finally came for my oldest son to take a ride on my motorcycle. He’s been asking for a ride since he could talk, and at long last I felt he had the size and the maturity level to allow him to safely go for a ride around the block.
We outfitted him with:
- His mom’s motorcycle helmet. It fits surprisingly well, apparently his head is the same size as a small womens.
- His mom’s Motorcycle Jacket. We had to roll up the sleeves, but it worked.
- Jeans.
- Winter Boots.
- Motocross Gloves. He uses them for his mountain bike.
The ride went great. We took a 7 mile loop around a local lake that provided some fun corners and one stretch with speeds up to 50 mph or so. He was a little nervous, and so was I, but it was a lot of fun.
Now that it was clear that we would be riding together again, it was time to get him some of his own gear. We went to a local bike shop and found a bunch of gear on sale, we even found a mesh riding jacket that fit him really well.
The gear we bought:
- First Gear Extra Small womens mesh jacket. This is essentially the same mesh jacket that I wear (and love) every day. CE approved armor in the elbows and shoulders, and a back protector. The jacket is only a little big, and should fit for at least another year.
- Fox Comp S dirtbike boots. Very rugged, good ankle protection.
- Shift dirtibike pants. These have hip padding and some knee protection. I would still like to find him some better mesh pants with CE armor.
- ICON leather riding gloves with carbon fiber inserts. These were $80 gloves marked down to $20, a great find and quite protective.
Here he is on our second ride:
Our second ride took us on a 25 mile ride into town via some winding back roads. The second ride went well, but I came to the conclusion that I will be looking into some blue tooth communicators soon. I would like to be able to have the ride be a little more interactive.
The other item I am looking into is a belt that makes sure that the child rider will not fall off if he/she falls asleep or you have to make a sudden maneuver. I read about this belt in the book Wheels.
I also saw a father and son using one while out on a ride one day:
Just this week I found another version of the belt called the “BackRider”. The BackRider seems to be a similar but perhaps more rugged version of the Child Riding Belt.
Try BabyBiker.com in the UK. Bought my son a bunch
Larry | October 2, 2009Try BabyBiker.com in the UK. Bought my son a bunch of gear there when he was 9, and couldn’t be happier.
We spent two years developing this "BackRider Belt" riding harness
Brian | October 3, 2009We spent two years developing this “BackRider Belt” riding harness product. We wanted to make it the best product of it’s kind and we are very proud of what we have built. The BackRider Belt makes riding recreational vehicles a family affair!
If anyone has any questions and/or comments, just send them to us via our website “Contact Us” link.
Thanks & Ride Safe.
Brian.