Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.·HOWTO· Teaching your child to ride involved. After all, those who learn to ride at a young age usually continue to ride into adulthood. And those children and adults will all buy Cycle News, and I'll have a job well into the 21st century. There, I was sold on the idea. My wife wasn't. So we (Kyle and me; I now hac! him right where I wanted him) went ahead and did exactly what'was necessary. We ignored her and went about planning that first ride. Kyle liked the idea of being taught by a professional, and I, apparently, wasn't the professional he had in mind. "Jeremy," he said when asked who it was he wanted to teach him. "Jeremy McGraff." Ah, there's nothing like a determined 4-year-oJd who still has a hard time With correct pronunciation. He'd been to road races and he'd even been to speedway - had beer spilled on him, the whole nine yards - but his heart was with supercross. And when he thinks of superCIoss... well, he thinks of McGralf. I wanted to work the Yamaha angle on this thing. Thus, McGrath was out. And after a brief conversation with Yamaha, Bob Hannah was in. Out with Kyle's hero, in with one of mine. Hey, I'm the dad here, right? We were all set. We had the bike, we had the gear and we had Hannah for a By Paul Carruthers Photos by Kinney Jones Ithough it was bound to happen given his immediate surroundings, the final decision was still met with apprehension. Our 4-year-old son Kyle wanted to ride a motorcycle. Actually, he was 3 years old the first time he walked up and posed the question: "Dad, can I have a motorcycle for Christmas?" Naturally, 1 ignored him. And it worked. For a few weeks. Then Kyle attended the AMA Superbike National at the Pomona Fairplex, where his eye was caught by Yamaha's display tent and the.shiny new Yamaha PW50 that sat under it. He looked at it, he sat on it...he wanted it. Apparently, he hadn't forgotten. "Dad, can I have a motorcycle for Christmas?" I thought of a quick stall tactic. I told him he could have a motorcycle when he could ride his bicycle without training wheels. A week later his training wheels were off. I stalled some more. "Look, son," I said in that serious parenting voice. "Say we were to get you that motorcycle. It would stay in the garage until we had a free day or weekend to take you somewhere to ride it. You don't just jump on a dirt bike and ride down the street." I/Fine," he said. Can you get me a street bike then?" At that point I realized there was no getting out of this motorcycle thing. Despite the natural fear parents have when their children want to try something that's perceived as being somewhat dangerous, I would be downright lying if I said that I wasn't pleased he'd at least taken a little interest in motorcycling. I've ridden motorcycles since I was 9, I grew up at race tracks around the world, and I make my living doing the same thing now. To say I didn't want my son to ever ride a motorcycle would be foolish. But rd also be lying if I didn't own If up to the fact that I thought he might be . a li ttle young. Still, he wouldn't go away. By this point I was at least lukewarm on the subject, and I told him r d start thinking about the possibility of getting him a motorcycle for his fifth Christmas. I started to ask around at Yamaha, checking into prices of PW50s. I started looking around the neighborhood for (Above) Professor-for-a· day Bob Hannah meets student-for-a-day Kyle Carruthers. (Left) Hannah teaches the basics: stand up through the bumps, young man. day at Perris Raceway in Southern California. "Bob Hannah? Did he ever race?" After a quick history lesson, Kyle was set straight on a few things. Namely, motorcycle racing didn't start and end with Jeremy McGrath. A hel/)ing hanlJ places I could sneak him to for casual rides. I started checking catalogs to see what riding gear was available for kids. Did they make helmets that small? Somewhat hopeful that r d be thwart.ed, I soon noticed that there were indeed some vacant Jots around that would be perfect. And there were plenty of options as far as the necessary safety gear. I also knew that getting the motorcycle wouldn't be a big deal. I also figured tha t if this was a big . deal for his' mother and me, then there were other parents out there with the same concerns when facing a similar proposition. The journalist in me thought ·that I could help put those fears to rest if we could somehow come out of this with a story that featured a positive ending. I also believe that for our sport to grow, we have to get more children W hen you're fi;nally ready to teach your child how to ride-motorcycles, it's not a bad idea to contact the Specialty Vehicle Institute of Am~rica (SVIA) to ask for advice. .They will gladly give it to you in the form of a booklet they provide called "Parents, Youngsters and Off-Highway Motorcycles." We called the SVIA and the booklet arrived a few days later, full of useful information to _ aid the teaching parent. After you get through the normal warnings, including one that stands out clearly, "Do not permit youngsters to ride an off-highway motorcycle if you doubt they will operate the motorcycle safely," the book can be helpful. Part one of the book helps you determine if your child is really ready to ride an off-road motorcycle; part two outlines issues such as protective gear and clothing, the basics of riding mounting and dismounting,.and mastering the controls; part three gives you hints on choosing the proper area to start riding in, and helps to get you started correctly; the final part of the booklet is a checklist that parents can go through to actually help them decide if their child has the physical development, visual perception and motor skills needed to ride a motorcycle. Naturally, the booklet stresses "Safety First" as it should, while also pointing out that it is also up to the parent to set a good example about motorcycle safety. When your child first learns to ride, the key is parental supervision. You don't hand over the motorcycle to your youngster and go read a book. Those first rides are hands on, and each and every ride after that requires the parent or guardian. to pay attention throughout the ride. To order the booklet or to find out more about the SVlA and its rider-education programs, write to them at Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, 2 Jenner St., Suite 150, Irvine, CA 92718, or call 714/727-3727.

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