[ironhorse]

been back and forth with my better half on a scoot for my eldest son as a graduation present, and in the last week in our quaint town of 60000 there have been at least 5 bike wrecks rangeing from gunning it aroound a corner and all be dang two wheels and gravel don't mix add a steel post and cable barrier, another was some goofball trying to do a wheelie on the interstate in a construction zone two went down because of poor spacing and a kid wheeled out in front of them on a bicycle, and another who the hellll knows how he did it, and those are just the ones the mediea is ranting on and boy do they make a spectical of it. but now down to crunch time the 30th is the day (by the way yall are invited and bring cash lol)and i now have a lead on a 05 sporty 883 and the renewed blessing of my better half, (it helps when he is such a good student) and as long as every one quits banging up their bikes and bodys i still have a chance of accompolishing this little mission anyway yall ride safe and thanks for listining

[wvak47]

Being the diplomatic type .

Does your son have riding time already (alone as driver not passenger) or is he a newbie?

Has your son taken the MSF course? If not would you be willing to finance this class and would he be agreeable to taking it?

What kind of a cage driver is your son? Is he a responsible driver and obey traffic laws, or is he a speed freak/wreckless type? May well transfer over to the bike as well, once he becomes more comfortable with it.

The most important question I would ask myself is:
If I am responsible for buying this item for my child, and my child gets hurt with this item will I be able to handle the guilt and come to an understanding with the situation?

I happen to be partial to the 05 883 (own one). NEVER been on any kind of two wheel motorized rides in my life (driver or passenger) prior to buying this Sporty. It's a good starter bike for sure, and has potential to be an all around good ride. Not real heavy, handles well, and has more than enough power to get down the road, without really being a race rocket like the rice things.

[ironhorse]

Originally Posted by wvak47

Being the diplomatic type .

Does your son have riding time already (alone as driver not passenger) or is he a newbie?

Has your son taken the MSF course? If not would you be willing to finance this class and would he be agreeable to taking it?

What kind of a cage driver is your son? Is he a responsible driver and obey traffic laws, or is he a speed freak/wreckless type? May well transfer over to the bike as well, once he becomes more comfortable with it.

The most important question I would ask myself is:
If I am responsible for buying this item for my child, and my child gets hurt with this item will I be able to handle the guilt and come to an understanding with the situation?

I happen to be partial to the 05 883 (own one). NEVER been on any kind of two wheel motorized rides in my life (driver or passenger) prior to buying this Sporty. It's a good starter bike for sure, and has potential to be an all around good ride. Not real heavy, handles well, and has more than enough power to get down the road, without really being a race rocket like the rice things.

little ride time but pretty much a newbie( we all start some where)
yes and it's only 25 bucks (state sponsored) and their bike
very responsible driver dads a hard asss
and i ain't buying the whole thing, he wanted a rice rocket and to control the situation we converged on a 883, nothing against the other brands just know he will be up grading and the resale value is there
and things happen and i don't look back or regret he was determined on a rocket, and i know that if he wants a bike he will get a bike so to control the situation we shopped around for a few months also discussed the pros and cons along with the finances I am only putting the down and cosigning, the 883 is a durable bike lite and agile looks sporty, and can easly maintain road speeds also under 1000 cc is an insurance brake, he must go through the msf and the first thousand miles are with me, and not that you incinuated or anything but he is not a dumb ass kid he is probably the most responsible level headed youg man i know and that isn't dad talkin, and i am not just jumping into this like i fell off the turnip truck yesterday this has been in the works for some time, the bike will also be in my name so that i can control his attitude also, I would rather control his purchase now and as a graduation gift i am in control, and with my name on it i can also control when and where he goes of course this is all in reason and chit happens
and now that i know you have one i can ask you questions

[ironhorse]

oh yea it's a little safer than the bull riding
and picked up a blk, xl883 lowered with progressive, all the flame medalions and covers kuryakyn pegs crash bar, new badlander, and rack, 4900 miles 4500 with full service and inspection, spit and polished

[bdfin]

Well I'm pushing 55 and I felt grateful I got a slalom waterski ( 100.00 then ) for graduation present........
Even if you are a hard ass, it sounds like you raised a good kid and this can be the best possible way for him to get started riding the right way, and you could have that connection forever.
And the bike sounds nice....
Way to go IH.

[cowboy]

Tis the season for the young one's to start riding & pushing there ride's & learn some skills on there rockets some just do it in the wrong places , those 5 or so you mentioned are just about all over the country now like the dragnet show the names where changed to protect the dumbazs
your son sounds to be a good kid & like you said we all started somewhere & fell down a time or two gongrets & good luck to your son

[Red Rider]

Look at it as a glass half full.......all those other riders eating asphalt (and bark, steel and sand) have lessened the odds that is will happen to your'n!

But seriously......we all know riding is not safe. If your son is the kind that ya trust with your wheels, then you can buy him his own. If you don't, then ya gotta be ready for the results.

Frankly, I don't know that I'd make that call. I'll probably let my eldest have my Jeep until he finds his own way. I kinda think a man or women should get their own bike - like picking out a mate. The more I think about that, the more I agree with me...if someone wants to ride, they will. Buying it for 'em is like picking their "honey". I've bought my sons dirt bikes, but they're still too young for street ones. I'll likely make 'em buy their own (with lots of parental hovering, to be sure) if they want one. Mainly because I could live with that if it turned out bad.....but if I gave it to one?

No one ever really knows fear until they've had a child.

[wvak47]

Originally Posted by ironhorse

and now that i know you have one i can ask you questions

oh yea it's a little safer than the bull riding
and picked up a blk, xl883 lowered with progressive, all the flame medalions and covers kuryakyn pegs crash bar, new badlander, and rack, 4900 miles 4500 with full service and inspection, spit and polished

Hey Ironhorse, anytime I can be of any help on that 05 let me know. I be a rookie, but I do have the service manual LOL.

Sounds like a kicka$$ ride man. Of course you know WE ALL WANT pics, now get them posted .

I wasn't trying to start no BS with ya either, just asking some rather simple questions. I figured you had answered them before on your own, but sometimes when I am wanting something and I ask myself a question the answer is different to me than when an outsider asks the same. Atleast you talked him off one of those donorcycles. Sounds like you thought it through very well. Also sounds like you are well on your way to having one of the best riding buddies around. I would kill to ride with my Dad. His chicken arse won't get on two. Raking and scraping trying to find the stuff and funds to put together a trike for him (he agreed to ride one of them LOL). Man best of luck to you and your boy.

[Panthera]

wvak47, those are good questions you asked for any parent getting a offspring into riding. I asked those questions myself when my son wanted to ride with me. He like being on back, but thought it a bit gay for two guys on one bike,..lol. I figured better with me than on his own. Fortunately, he has always been a safe and decent driver. When teaching both mine to drive, my biggest complaint for him was that he was too cautious on turns and curves, a complaint I know many parents who have helped teach driving would have loved to have.

Of course, silly me, after he took the motorcycle safety and riding course, and before we found him a bike, he took my sporty for a short ride (with my permission) and he laid it down in the driveway! He stopped a little too hard, and leaned the bike to far and it was a bit too heavy (standing drops are not as bad as moving drops)

Then he was behind me when I hit the deer. I think that rattled him a bit, as he did not ride for 3 or 4 days after that. He is cautious now. A lot of young men starting to ride need to use some more caution.

[wvak47]

WOW Panthera, you really dug out an old one I had forgotten about LOL. Thanks for the kind words and for sharing your story. It is more important to me now than ever. My wife and I are expecting our first born (a Boy ) this November. Now it all starts for me LOL. How old before he rides with Dad, how old before he has his first bike (50cc or so) all this is crashing in to home for me now. I know I am excited and pray I have a future riding buddy (my luck he won't even give motorcycles a second look LOL).

Anyway Ironhorse how did all this work out for you guys, man? That boy ridin with ya yet? Beter question how many miles you guys shared so far?

[Panthera]

Your either up very early, or up very late!

Congrats on the firstborn, hope he or she is healthy! You have some trials and challenges ahead of you! Just raise them with some discipline and a lot of love, and things will be OK. Oh, and try to remember when you were their age, then whatever they do wont seem quite as stupid as it will now that you are the parent.

[ironhorse]

Originally Posted by wvak47

WOW Panthera, you really dug out an old one I had forgotten about LOL. Thanks for the kind words and for sharing your story. It is more important to me now than ever. My wife and I are expecting our first born (a Boy ) this November. Now it all starts for me LOL. How old before he rides with Dad, how old before he has his first bike (50cc or so) all this is crashing in to home for me now. I know I am excited and pray I have a future riding buddy (my luck he won't even give motorcycles a second look LOL).

Anyway Ironhorse how did all this work out for you guys, man? That boy ridin with ya yet? Beter question how many miles you guys shared so far?

well wvak its been good he has about 8-900 with me still waiting to get in the safty class, been turning him loose some he got a spook on some real loose deep gravel on our road once and couldn't steer it nor power through it so it did laydown but it was slow enough to step off it two others and a bicycle all done the same, wife ripped on the county for piling about 8 inches of loose sand on the road and they were out the next day plowing it back off but when there is sand he gets nervous, but will still ride on greasey mud, go figure. other than that he is loving it and has big plans for personalizing it. and there is a joy and a nervousness riding with him i didn't expect, but still love it all the same, i just keep telling him to look out for the idiots out there and be ready for any thing, and he was put in a situation on the interstate one morning but handled it like a pro it was me that blew my top watching it unfold. (post on that elsewhere)and congrats on the son I know you will be through the same with your son as some of the others of us on this site so a wish you well and enjoy that ride as well.

[Panthera]

Ironhorse, riding with a son can be nerve wracking at times, I know, but it is also fun. When my son started riding, the first few weeks I insisted that he rides only with me or a good friend of mine, just as additional learning. The safety courses are great, but they're not a replacement for real world experience. Now he has been riding a year, and has both some confidence and some caution to rely on.

Loose sand and gravel are a bikers nightmare. Where I live there is a wonderful country road for riding, lots of gentle curves and low hills through the forest. It is particularly nice in autumn, but a lot of the cages like to cut the curves too tight and throw gravel up on the asphalt, so we have to be very careful. We also have lots of whitetails, which is another concern, so he has learned that speed on a cycle is dangerous, better to take a little extra time to get to the destination.

Good luck, and safe riding!

[wvak47]

Funny you should mention whitetails Panthera, that is exactly what got me and my Sporty. The tail end of a white caravan LOL. I guess now I can tell everyone I hit a whitetail and won't sound as stupid as hitting a BIG WHITE VAN .

I can see a double edge sword ironhorse. First if you ride too much before taking the class you learn more bad habits to break in class, but you also have more real world experience to relate class material to. I got 7K in the saddle before I took a real spill. Haven't taken the class yet, so I imagine I have many habits that won't be easy on me in a class. I am pleased to hear you boy wasn't hurt gaining his respect of the road conditions. I wish you and him many miles of happy safe riding, and I can't wait to be tested like you when my son comes of age.

[cowboy]

The test is when your son & son-in-law & Daughter jack down on em & leves you & the geeser glide in the back & all three bike are at the next watering hole wating for you (me) to get there

[Panthera]

Cowboy, with an ex-cop bike, you should be able to open it up a bit, but then being a retired trucker, you probably have learned caution as a habit (a good habit). Just tell them the first one to the watering hole buys!

[chucktx]

great idea panthera!!!!!!!!!

[cowboy]

LMAO the eglide is open up some just not all the way per dyno if it 's there I will use it But I still wont come close to My son's S&S 88 in with some goodies in it or My son-in-laws Victory 100 in , Daughters sporty will get me of the line then I'll catch her around 75 , & they will /do buy a round or two for the old man