>
>Hey Ron, I caint go for this at all. Aint no way, no how, my daughter is
>going to get on the back of no bike with a rider with limited experience (if
>I can help it that is). Think back, would you let your daughter be your
>first passenger? A motorcycle is not a jet ski. When you fall off, you hit
>hard objects. The object causing the sudden stop or gravity usually wins.
>Best when it happens solo. So, now you know, "ol' Knot is a real stick in
>the mud".
>
>Wonder what Sarah's take on this is, I mean, would she be a willing
>passenger? Hello, Sarah......
>
>Knot - just an ol' fart
>
>ps (Tim, this is in no way meant to be a slam or disrespect your riding
>abilities, just ol' Knot's way of making a point - Ride Safe and when you are
>ready give her a controlled thrill and do it again and again and......Love is
>Patient.....)
I think that 2-up riding can be mastered just as fast as 1-up
riding. Meaning you are really never a master.
Sure there are those folks that are World Champs at this and that. They
can ride a Goldwing on the white rim etc.
They are the fastest roadracer in the World, they are Holywood's best stunt
men....
The point is, 2-up riding takes a different toolbox of skills to avoid
becoming a casualty. Who better to practice 2-up riding with than the
people you love the most (daughter, Girl-Friend, Wife)? I would be 10
times more alert and cautious to my surroundings. But if you don't
practice how will you get better?
The thrill in 2-up riding, isn't the easy wheelies, the casual banked turns
at high speeds or the high speed races with your 1-up buddy. The thrill is
enjoying time with a loved-one doing what you love (at least one of you,
anyway). I learned 2-up riding very early in my m/c experience and I can
say that it has made me a better rider. Now I usually ride as if there was
another life on my rear pegs, counting on me not to do something stupid and
counting on me to effectively read the other drivers on the road. I used
to try to impress the lasses with my stupid antics, but the truth is, they
get a thrill just being on a bike without having to do wheelies or going
fast.
In the dirt, 1-up ... well all bets are off. All I have to think about
then is "do I have enough disability coverage to allow my family to survive
while I'm regretting my stupidity from my wheel chair". Well not really...
I'm usually thinking "can't this pig go faster", "boy that's a big hill, I
need to be at the top, NOW", "G those guys pulling triples are crazy, but
these doubles are getting much easier", "bet this thing is too heavy for a
table top, HHHMMM lets see.... WWWEEEEEEEEE!"
I'm with Knot... My Daughter will not be riding on the back of another High
Schooler's M/C, She'll have her own! And I guarantee she'll be able to
outride most of the boys her age.
You can't effectively learn a language without speaking that language day
to day or being completely immersed in the culture. The culture at my
house is that, the rubber side stays down, and ride like they are gonna
kill you. My kids will prolly pick up m/c riding/racing pretty fast. A
sheltered child will almost always leave the shelter at the absolute worst
possible point in time or in the worst situation, so I don't intend on
sheltering them from the things that could potentially cause them harm....
Education and Exposure to situations does help prevent mishaps. Do I love
my kids any less than anyone else, do I want harm to come to them.... HELLL
NOOO!! I would be devastated if something happened, but I'd be even more
pissed at my self if it happened and I consciously sheltered them from it.
So the question still remains, how do you learn 2-up riding when all of us
Dad's are keeping all of our daughters off the back of bikes? Simple, take
your Mom out for a cruise, take your Dad out for a jaunt, take you sister
to the mall. Learn and practice with someone you aren't trying to
thrill. I used to hate taking my sister places on my bike in HS, I didn't
care for her much and her friends were worse, except for this one girl....
well anyway.... If you are older, on your own, you have your first bike
cause your parents said they were too dangerous, well good for you,
congratulations and welcome. Go find a friend to practice casual braking,
slalom, emergency braking, figure 8's, starts and stops and accelerating in
an empty parking lot.
Don't be afraid of your bike or your ability as they will get better,
however, be very afraid of the others on the road cause they will only get
worse.
LaterZ
Dash