Wilsons Sandbox

"Weaver, Mark" wrote:

> i think it's insane to allow people to ride big bikes without doing their > time on small bikes. we as cyclists know this, and i doubt many of us would > buy a harley or a supersport bike as a first bike for someone we loved. i > know i'm starting my son out on a 250 dualsport. at least when he does > something stupid, he won't be going 130 mph. i would fully support a law > similar to what many euro countries have, where you can only ride up to a > certain horsepower for a period of time.

We have a law in parts of Oz where you are limited to a 250cc or under for a year. A full motorcycle licence is actually a different class of licence. Course, all my friends went out and bought KR1s's - two stroke 250 race rep bikes that weighed 120kilos (about 270 pounds). The best thing to do, and they'll never do it cos its far too obvious, is limit a power-to-weight ratio that you can ride for the first year, and class bikes accordingly. Heard about a riding school in Washington that starts you on dirt bikes, in the dirt, before you ever get to the street. This is a great idea. Rich