Best ride ever !
 

Well , my intention today as usual was to head up to the mountains . But the guys I was planning on riding with had things come up and couldnt make it and I am not big fan of riding in the mountains solo. So I was sitting there drinking my coffee about 7:30am and my 8 yr old son wakes up and comes wandering in and says so I guess your not riding today. ( He knows on Sundays that I am usually gone by now )This gives me a idea !.. I have been hinting around for a few months now to my wife about letting him ride with me on the VTR , As you can imagine she wasnt really liking the idea ! Well today she said yes ( I think she was still half asleep ) My sons eyes lit up ! He had his leather jacket & helmet on before I could even get the garage door open. We just cruised around some of the back roads with almost no traffic ... no faster than the speed limit ( trust me I was riding like a poster boy for two wheel safety ) . We rode about 80 miles today ( but never got more than 15 minutes from the house )just cruising & taking it easy and making a few stops along the way so his arms wouldnt get tired from holding on ( and to check in with his mom who was a nervous wreck ). When we would stop he would say ( We dont have to go home yet do we ?) This was probably the most tame ride I have ever took on the Hawk and it was worth every mile just to see the excitement and joy on his face . He couldnt wait to tell every kid in the nieghborhood he went riding on the big bike with his dad . So I may have a new weekend riding partner ! ......As long as we dont get more than 15-20 minutes away from the house .

Great story. Thanks for sharing it. My 8 year old son doesn't get nearly as excited about riding with dad as his 11 year old sister.

WAY COOL!!!!

I'm just not there yet with my 7 year old. This is a pic from this morning of his "Nicky" imitation. He ask me for a set of leathers after I took the picture. Obviously, he's more ready than I am at this point.

I was just asked today, if I were to ever have a little Scooby running around, when would I let him ride on the back. I said he'll be riding on his own dirtbike long before he hops on the back of my sportbike. I'm sure perceptions about life will change when/if I have a kid, but I don't think my opinion on this will need to change much.

But hey, that's cool you got him out there with you. Now he'll really be hooked for life!

My nine year old has never shown any desire to go for a ride. When he was really little, every time I put him on the bike just for a trip down the street (we live on a very short dead end street) he would try to jump off. I haven't tried to interest him in it since then, but your post makes me think it's time to give it another shot.

I agree with you 100% ! He's been riding his own bike since he was 4 ( XR50). I think it teaches them not only balance ,but physics and body positioning . He stays in the right position & doesnt wiggle around back there . He does really well . He has ridden just around the neighborhood with me before ( sitting between me and the tank) so he wasnt completely out of his element. So I think that helped too. But no doubt riding his own bike makes him a better passenger.