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PredaClone · April 17th, 2018, 07:19 AM

Before anything, I want to apologize for the length of this post. When I started writing it it was just a couple questions in my head; it sort of ballooned as I went on. And on. And on...

My fear of forum non-activity was definitely misplaced, love it. And I'm rather happy that's the case, since other than the obvious reasons to be on a forum, I've got a huge need to have a community to help me out.

I'll explain...
I've been riding bikes forever. Started on dirt bikes 30+ years ago. I now ride sport bikes and will continue to do so until, very literally, my body can't handle riding in a sport bike's body triangle. I've gone all the way up the ladder of bikes, including a 'busa at one point, but I am on the way back down now. I decided I was ok with the size of my manhood and wasn't going to compensate for said body part. Now have a ZX-6R and an R6, I ride them both, and I ride them hard. I say all this so you know I'm not "that guy" who sees someone on a bike and thinks it's dangerous and everyone should drive around in cages.

Now, the important part...
My son is 17, a junior in high school. He's been talking about wanting to get a bike for a long time, dropping more and more hints in the last several months. As the weather's slowly gotten better, his comments and queries have been getting less subtle and stated more often. A little while back, I told him I'll keep an eye out for a bike at the right price that'll be something good as a first road bike. I found a good bike at a good price that he can use to really learn riding technique - picking a good line through a corner, knowing when to trail break, when to roll on throttle, shifting body position for faster cornering, etc. You guys all know what I'm talking about, and certainly don't need ME to explain it.

I didn't tell him about it right away, first I laid down a very specific ground rule. When we find the right bike, I'm not giving him the keys until he's at least taken the basic MSF course. He was fine with that, and still didn't know I had one in mind. And I kept it to myself, for multiple reasons - in case he sold to someone else, took a ride and totaled it, whatever - mostly to not get his hopes up.

So, about 10 days ago he and I went to look at the bike. Long story short, that day we bought my son his first road bike.

A Ninja 300.

Like I said before, I'm not "the guy" that thinks it's too dangerous. Not only would that be absolutely hypocritical, but I don't have that mind-set, either. I simply don't believe riding a bike is dangerous.

My struggle is this...
We've established bikes aren't inherently dangerous. The difference here is he's my son and I don't want anything to happen to him, regardless of the activity. I love riding. Day or night, gray skies or blue. Heck, if there's snow on the ground but the roads are clear, I'll ride in the middle of winter. Riding has given me a lifetime of great moments, and running through some twisties is the best anti-depressant I've ever used.

Coming back to what I was originally going to say...
Even though I don't think riding is dangerous, something happening to him is a really, really terrible thing to consider. Think about it like flying. Someone is 75+% more likely to crash DRIVING TO THE AIRPORT than on the flight itself. Fear of flying is irrational, but a lot of people are afraid to fly. I'm not. It's just not something that frightens me. But if my son is on a flight, I worry about the flight regardless of how irrational it is.

This post had a logical conclusion before I started typing, I lost it somewhere along the way. Um...
Ah, yah, I remember now. Anyone else who's a parent, guardian, sibling, friend, etc., know someone who rides and worries about that person despite knowing there's really nothing to worry about? This isn't something I constantly think about, or paralyzes me, or anything of that sort. Once in awhile in pops into my head and it's annoying, since I know it's stupid to consider. But it still pops into my head.

How do you cope?

Oh, and thanks for the welcoming - I'm thinking it's gonna be quite enjoyable being here!

- Pred

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Sent from my mobile phone - content is mine. Typos and other mistakes courteously supplied by autocorrect.

April 17th, 2018, 07:19 AM	#10
PredaClone ninjette.org newbie Name: Eric Location: Milwaukee Join Date: Apr 2018 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 300 Posts: 2	Thanks! And hopefully help my nerves Before anything, I want to apologize for the length of this post. When I started writing it it was just a couple questions in my head; it sort of ballooned as I went on. And on. And on... My fear of forum non-activity was definitely misplaced, love it. And I'm rather happy that's the case, since other than the obvious reasons to be on a forum, I've got a huge need to have a community to help me out. I'll explain... I've been riding bikes forever. Started on dirt bikes 30+ years ago. I now ride sport bikes and will continue to do so until, very literally, my body can't handle riding in a sport bike's body triangle. I've gone all the way up the ladder of bikes, including a 'busa at one point, but I am on the way back down now. I decided I was ok with the size of my manhood and wasn't going to compensate for said body part. Now have a ZX-6R and an R6, I ride them both, and I ride them hard. I say all this so you know I'm not "that guy" who sees someone on a bike and thinks it's dangerous and everyone should drive around in cages. Now, the important part... My son is 17, a junior in high school. He's been talking about wanting to get a bike for a long time, dropping more and more hints in the last several months. As the weather's slowly gotten better, his comments and queries have been getting less subtle and stated more often. A little while back, I told him I'll keep an eye out for a bike at the right price that'll be something good as a first road bike. I found a good bike at a good price that he can use to really learn riding technique - picking a good line through a corner, knowing when to trail break, when to roll on throttle, shifting body position for faster cornering, etc. You guys all know what I'm talking about, and certainly don't need ME to explain it. I didn't tell him about it right away, first I laid down a very specific ground rule. When we find the right bike, I'm not giving him the keys until he's at least taken the basic MSF course. He was fine with that, and still didn't know I had one in mind. And I kept it to myself, for multiple reasons - in case he sold to someone else, took a ride and totaled it, whatever - mostly to not get his hopes up. So, about 10 days ago he and I went to look at the bike. Long story short, that day we bought my son his first road bike. A Ninja 300. Like I said before, I'm not "the guy" that thinks it's too dangerous. Not only would that be absolutely hypocritical, but I don't have that mind-set, either. I simply don't believe riding a bike is dangerous. My struggle is this... We've established bikes aren't inherently dangerous. The difference here is he's my son and I don't want anything to happen to him, regardless of the activity. I love riding. Day or night, gray skies or blue. Heck, if there's snow on the ground but the roads are clear, I'll ride in the middle of winter. Riding has given me a lifetime of great moments, and running through some twisties is the best anti-depressant I've ever used. Coming back to what I was originally going to say... Even though I don't think riding is dangerous, something happening to him is a really, really terrible thing to consider. Think about it like flying. Someone is 75+% more likely to crash DRIVING TO THE AIRPORT than on the flight itself. Fear of flying is irrational, but a lot of people are afraid to fly. I'm not. It's just not something that frightens me. But if my son is on a flight, I worry about the flight regardless of how irrational it is. This post had a logical conclusion before I started typing, I lost it somewhere along the way. Um... Ah, yah, I remember now. Anyone else who's a parent, guardian, sibling, friend, etc., know someone who rides and worries about that person despite knowing there's really nothing to worry about? This isn't something I constantly think about, or paralyzes me, or anything of that sort. Once in awhile in pops into my head and it's annoying, since I know it's stupid to consider. But it still pops into my head. How do you cope? Oh, and thanks for the welcoming - I'm thinking it's gonna be quite enjoyable being here! - Pred ---------- Sent from my mobile phone - content is mine. Typos and other mistakes courteously supplied by autocorrect.