My Dad was a biker and my Mum's Dad and brother were bikers so I had words of encouragement from both parents and various field bikes growing up. Motorcycling was a foregone conclusion for me. My Dad re-married though when i was in my early 20's and his new wife hates bikes, she was always vocal about it to me. We went through a spell where she would have a dig about bikes to me anytime my Dad and I talked about them infront of her. I'd had enough of it one day when she was telling me how dangerous they are....unluckily for her she's a heavy smoker so I decided to point out her hobby is equally if not more hazardous to her health than mine and hers doesn't make her smile half as wide as mine does. She's been good as gold after that, even commenting how pretty my new fireblade Is! I was proved right aswell only a couple of years later....she had a spell in hospital with respiratory issues. She's now an ex smoker. I've told my wife motorcycling is the one thing that makes me truly happy and the pleasure it brings far out weighs any risks or consequences. She's good as gold too . In return I try and ride as safe as possible and therefore prolonging our life together and my life on 2 wheels! Happy riding everyone.
My father was a race driver and bike dealer He gave me my first two stroke offroad bike with 4 gear at the 3 years birthday At 5 was racing the first time myself At 8 won my first championship ...................... My wife drive all my bikes (99% of them )
Thanks for all the comments guys. Keep comming with your stories! I just get mad about the irrational fear of bikes. My dad had a few mates who died on bikes, and therefor it is a deathtrap for everyone. Nevermind the few buddies he still haves that ride bikes to this day. Motorbikes is my only true passion, and its sometimes hard to just talk about the common things on the phone with them. Feel like i can't mention bikes or anything related to that. Everytime i do, i get this "lesson" on whats what from them. Exhausting. My brother is taking his licence now, and my dads response to him was "I think its tragic".
If folk make the "Its dangerous" comment again. Ask them how many people were killed doing DIY last year or how many people dies whilst doing the housework and in particular the Ironing. The stats are something like 2 or 3 times the number that die riding a motorbile but I bet you don't hear the comment that we must not do the ironing, housework or DIY because its dangerous. And that is not a made up stat, it is a fact from various sources. Motorcycling is actually well down the list in terms of dangerous activities. Horse riding is much further up the list.
The logical explanation does not work with my family. The arguement that alot more people f.ex do DIY at home, housework and that the % is much lower because there is alot more people not beeing killed doing that. Saying that housework is more dangerous than motorcycling is a bit wrong. The problem is that im fine with risk and danger. I don't think i can have a hobby that is not a little dangerous. I am considering taking up climbing or parachuting, because i love that type of stuff. My parents are just "play it safe" kinda people, and they think you should rather sit at home than live your life. If i leave this world on a motorbike, or parachuting, or climbing i would not change a thing. I lived my life exactly how i wanted, and i would not have been happy doing it any other way.
Had my first bike 16, my dad an irrational hatered of bikers (never found out why) and mum thought they were to dangerous too, however both their dad's had bikes at younger age so i was allowed to get the ped My mate died on his bike at 18 (head on with drunk driver) my girlfriends mates boyfriend died on his bike at 19, head on with woman overtaking in think fog, a lad down the road lost his leg wehn he hit a car at 20, so I had loads of moaning about selling my bikes but took my advanced test at 19 and that seemed to help calm them down My wife is a nurse and has seen her fair share of smashed up bikers but has never stopped me buying a bike or anything for it, "life is to short babes, you do what ever you like with your money" she say's, nice to have an understanding wife for sure I have never had a problem with my bikes, only injured myself slightly from a few small speed spills (ice, diesel spil on my blade and twat runnnig out in front of me on my ped) and now my dad has passed away my mum thinks my bikes are awesome lol, old age seems to have mellowed her my kids love my bikes but somehow never got round to getting one? I only use my bike for track days and fun weekend rides now, stuck in a car the rest of the week, which my dad would have liked, he was car crazy..."only idiots and poor people have motorbikes he would tell me often", strange how my bikes costs the same as my car and I have an above average IQ, so he got that wrong lol Life is sweet
Back in the day, my mother always made a point that she couldn't go to sleep until she heard me come home. That standard 'I'm still suffering for you even 20 years after the agony of childbirth' bullshit that mothers love to lay on you when they realise they're no longer in control (the same bullshit that causes my MIL to still inwardly snarl whenever we share a room, to this day). However, she point blank refused to acknowledge that the fact that I did come home had anything to do with any talent I may have possessed as a rider. No. It was because I was riding a Honda, and that Honda happened to be blue, her favourite colour... Yes...I know... So spin on 26 years to when I buy my Ducati. She hated motorcycles and this particular one was a horribly dangerous thing and was likely to kill me, and she didn't even want to look at it. Spin on again until I get my FireBlade, and suddenly, it's a thing of beauty, she loves it. It's a Honda and, of course, it's blue (mostly)... The fact that it's about 110 bhp more and all of the potential for mischief that implies is irrelevant to her. It's a blue Honda and, to her, it'll always get me home. Oddly, that blue 550 that she fell in love with all those years ago had the opposite affect on a geezer I used to ride with at the time. He was a proper, Greek gypsy and refused to ride behind me where he could see the NTT 666P registration number. Oddly, it was him that led me down the path of naughtiness way more often than my demon possessed 550/4...
I never recommend being a motorcyclist to anyone because I think it's definitely something you need to decide on your own. As for family views, well my younger brother got an off-road bike when I was about 15 and he would have been about 13 for a couple of hundred quid from his mate. He let me use it a few times over the fens and while it could only do about 28 mph that was enough fun at the time. Being one of the youngest in my year at school by the time I reached 16 my cousin (who was in my class) already had a Kawasaki AR50 which he was about to sell to start learning to drive. I applied for my provisional and bought the AR50 off him, at the time my parents were ok with it, especially living in a village it gave me a way to more easily get to the nearest town to get a better part time job. I did come off it once around a round about the day before I was due to go on holiday, tail between my legs I managed to get it to where Dad worked, I think he was just happy that it was only the bike that was damaged (even though I did have a few scrapes from not wearing my proper gear). I ended up fixing the bike and doing nearly 5k on it before selling it to do my car test. Queue a 6 year break from bikes. At about 22, I'd moved out and I was commuting a 400 mile a week journey to work in the car which was getting worse and worse for traffic. For some reason or other, Dad had spoken to an auto-electrician friend that was selling a Honda CG125 for no money at all and asked if I'd be interested in it, after having a think I decided that it would lower my stress levels and be more economical to use a bike for the commute to work. I decided to give it a go, did my CBT, got myself some gear and did the deal on the bike. Well that was it really, parents knew I was using it to commute 80 miles a day and obviously gave me some talks about being careful but nothing which was trying to sway the choice to ride one way or another. After just less than a year the CG was getting tired, I'd bent the push-rod once and had it repaired by the same auto-electrician, travelled nearly 6k and decided to do my full licence and move on to something which could more safely over-take lorries (flat out the CG was only just getting over 60). I did my DAS and put the CG up for sale, I'd suggested to my instructor that I'd look for a GS500 similar to what I'd done my training on, but he recommended going for a 600 as I'd soon get tired of a 500. I bought a 1995 Suzuki Bandit and found out whilst selling the CG that it had a Chinese copy engine in it, which probably explained why it couldn't reach 70 and why the pushrod bent. Regardless it sold. My brother then decided he wanted to ride too, since he started a job at the same company and was doing the same journey from 10 miles closer. He had also owned a 50 at 16, an MT50 or something similar from Yamaha/Suzuki. He went straight for his DAS without messing around with a 125. He passed and bought a Bandit also. Not sure how our parents felt with us both riding together the same journey etc but they weren't vocally disapproving and typically always just let us make our own choices. He got bored of the Bandit and bought an R1, I got bored of not having a fairing so bought a CBR600FS. I now have the Blade, he doesn't work with me but we still go out when we can for a blast. I met my wife while I had the Bandit and I also had a special edition car, she wasn't a fan of the bike but she was even less of a fan of the problems and repairs from the car. She ended up suggesting replacing the Bandit and the car with a more sensible 'family' car and a more interesting/newer bike. The 2002 CBR600FS. My wife still worries that I'm riding it, especially with the responsibility of our two children but she knows I ride with this in mind and that whilst I'm mainly doing it to commute that it's also one of my main interests. Both my girls like sitting on it but they're both to small to pillion at the moment and I don't think my wife ever would. This story ended up being much longer than I expected
Well, I'm really lucky, as most of you are out there to own bikes, the wife encouraged me to get the blade, so happy days, riding motorbikes or pillion is not for her, its not me is scared of it is all the other knobs on the road and believe me in Suffolk there are plenty of them . Trade off is she has a horse, which in my opinion are far more dangerous as they have minds of their own, think breath etc. and you can be the best 'jockey' on the planet but if the horse is going to f**k off they are going and there is not alot you can do about it (luckily that has not happened to her). Longish story short, she is OK with me riding bikes.
My dad said he'd disown me if I ever bought a bike. Took him about 20 minuets to ask if it was fun when I came home with my first one. My wife made me get extra life insurance when I started to ride again. She hates it, but understands that I'd not be happy without it. H
when I was very young my dad got hit of his bike was in a choma for some time. So when I got a bike thing's got frosty. and hard at times but . They have to respect my choice its my life my rules. Can't let others stop you doing the things you love .just tell them your sorry but this is just how it is. On the flip side I don't want my son to ride bikes . And am happy he is a car nut . Part and parcel of being a parent woirring
my mum, dad and girlfriend at the time were not keen on me riding bikes when I started but understood it was something I had a deep passion for. Unfortunately I used to ride like an idiot, had a number of accidents (all my fault) and it became unfair of me to prioritise my own fun over their peace of mind. I had a 12 year hiatus and have now come back to biking having made some agreements with the family around not riding like an idiot and trying to minimise risk as I have a young family. So now I don't commute, ride on ice or in her words 'ride like a twat' and I have a blade and a VFR in the garage, so I'm a happy man.
When I get the 'its so dangerous' comment, I usually point out that more pedestrians are killed or injured than motorcyclists, so I urge them to stop walking and for the love of God not to attempt to cross the road! Luckily my folks were pretty cool about me being on 2-wheels. I had to promise my Mam that I'd do a training course but that was about it.
Not even game to tell my aged mother I've just upped from a CBR250R to a Real Bike, i.e. 2011 Blade!!
Funny ! My mum thinks my bike looks 'Snazzy" ! and is quick to notice any changes of jacket or lid (crash hat !) Always very impressed when my old mum notices these things.
