Too young too soon?

[Gosling1]

.......When your kid is brought up around motorbikes everday of his life, he would rather have one than a pushy or a soccer ball......

Agree 100% - only difference down here is that my young bloke was 8 when he got his first motorbike, and there are no 3-metre drop-offs in our back yard !

3 is pretty young to start riding, but in the right environment and with proper supervision, it should be safe. I know I had worse prangs as a kid on my pushie and skateboard than any prangs while riding a dirtbike - at least until about 18.....

[Shaman]

I agree with MadKaw... some can do it and some can't - it's just a matter of making that judgement call as a parent and following through with the appropriate supervision and ensuring the terrain is suited to the skill level of the child. I wouldn't be letting my kid burn around in a paddock with 3m drops everywhere; I'd take him to a flat bit of dirt with a few bumps here and there and no actual obstacles to minimise the risk until he knows the throttle and has some semblance of bike control.... unlike me

[BikerBoy]

"When your kid is brought up around motorbikes everday of his life, he would rather have one than a pushy or a soccer ball."


so does that mean if you like to go shooting and you had lots of guns in your house and your 3 year old was exposed to it and said
please dad please buy me a gun!!

would you buy 1 for him?.... no of coarse not..

3 and 4 and 5 and 10 year olds etc aren't old enough to make any decisions for themselves, therefore
its the job of resposible adults to make those critical decisions for them.... and buying a 3 year old
doesn't sound like a resposible decicion.... no matter how justify with lines like 'so many kids get killed on pushbikes"

Play the odds.

[MadKaw]

"When your kid is brought up around motorbikes everday of his life, he would rather have one than a pushy or a soccer ball."


so does that mean if you like to go shooting and you had lots of guns in your house and your 3 year old was exposed to it and said
please dad please buy me a gun!!

would you buy 1 for him?.... no of coarse not..

3 and 4 and 5 and 10 year olds etc aren't old enough to make any decisions for themselves, therefore
its the job of resposible adults to make those critical decisions for them.... and buying a 3 year old
doesn't sound like a resposible decicion.... no matter how justify with lines like 'so many kids get killed on pushbikes"

Play the odds.

Yep, guns and motorbikes, I can't see the difference either....

I don't need to justify anything, (although I think you are confusing facts with justification) my kid had a bike from 3 to 5, he had a great time on it and had no problems.
the proof is in the pudding.

perhaps we were just lucky, but you know, the more effort and responsability I put into things, the luckier I get....

I am really struggling with why you think riding a motorbike is so hard, even for a 3 or 4 year old. The thing was slower than his pushbike, smaller and he didn't have to peddle... the only difference was it had a throttle.

As I asked, what do your kids do.?

[Bionic]

I was 3.5 - 4 years old when I my parents bought me my first bike. But in saying that training wheels on a motorbike is just wrong in my opinion. Learn how to ride a push bike first get the gist of ballance, what brakes are used for ect, before jumping on a motorbike. Hell My first bike was an 1978 model RM50. This thing had gears and a clutch. Not like the Pewee 50's.

Putting an age limmit on learning to ride motorbikes is just silly. The parents be knowledgable enough to know when their kid is ready to start to learn how to ride a motorbike

[Shaman]

".... and buying a 3 year old
doesn't sound like a resposible decicion.... "

... depends on whether you get a good model or not

[kellz]

my partners little boy has pocket bikes and he is 7, yet he knows that is fast enough for him and refuses to get on the back of the bike with us.

so i feel that some kids are able to make decisions and know whats right and wrong.
at 3 maybe not..

he never goes out without full dirtbike riding gear on and without supervision by either me or alex.

[Burky]

"Parents Supervision" is the point here. My son started at 3, but was riding and doing wheelies on his pushy. He knows the rules for riding the mini bike, and they are:
Yard needs to be totaly clear.
Riding gear, helmet (AS Approved), gloves, jeans, jacket and boots. I don't give a crap how hot it is!
Dad does a test ride first to check that all is working the way it should(Need to have some fun ).
10min revision with dad 2-5m away.
If that is all good he can have fun, and I'm 10m at most from him at all times. The good thing is the concentration on his face is amazing. He understands the hand signals incase he can't hear over the noise.
If he wasn't ready to ride, no bike! as simple as that. He wanted to get a dirt bike but too much Krusty Deamons on TV put an end to that real quick.
As a parent I will take whatever precautions to insure that his riding is as safe as possible, he has allways been around bikes and if learns the correct message on safety, Good.
He will often mention "Look at that stupid in shorts, no gloves ect" He knows what he has to do and how to do it, and I'm never far away!

[Neka79]

i started at 5 or 6...not abt age..abt supervision...

[tyreshredder]

"Parents Supervision" is the point here. My son started at 3, but was riding and doing wheelies on his pushy. He knows the rules for riding the mini bike, and they are:
Yard needs to be totaly clear.
Riding gear, helmet (AS Approved), gloves, jeans, jacket and boots. I don't give a crap how hot it is!
Dad does a test ride first to check that all is working the way it should(Need to have some fun ).
10min revision with dad 2-5m away.
If that is all good he can have fun, and I'm 10m at most from him at all times. The good thing is the concentration on his face is amazing. He understands the hand signals incase he can't hear over the noise.
If he wasn't ready to ride, no bike! as simple as that. He wanted to get a dirt bike but too much Krusty Deamons on TV put an end to that real quick.
As a parent I will take whatever precautions to insure that his riding is as safe as possible, he has allways been around bikes and if learns the correct message on safety, Good.
He will often mention "Look at that stupid in shorts, no gloves ect" He knows what he has to do and how to do it, and I'm never far away!

Haha mini-burky sounds like a right little stunta on his pushy! I really like the way you're teaching your son about proper gear and total concentration. Personally i think that in your case and others like wattie and madkaws son, maybe it's better to start teaching kids and allowing them to ride motorbikes at quite early ages because you can affect their attitude to riding, rather than starting at 17 or 18 when we think we all know better (soon find out how wrong that is ). Now that you've set your kids into the attitude that proper riding gear is a must, they won't think twice about wearing it they get their bike license, and they'll also understand why it's worn.

[Stereo]

I never got a motorcycle when I was little and I am still emotionaly scarred!!

[photomike666]

When it comes to risk, there are many dangerous sports - footy anyone?

I grew up on a horse stables and saw a fair few nasty accidents, those damn critters have a mind of their own!

Like I said before you wouldn't let a 3yo ride a pushy next to a 3m drop off, and motorbike is no different. Parental supervision and minimising risks by choosing good location is key.

Outside of parental supervision kids do craz stuff - cross roads without looking, climb to the very top of very tall trees (we had a forest at the end of my road as a kid), you were all young and know the score. Probably still wouldn't tell ya parents some of what you got up to. Part of being a good parent is understanding there are dangers in the world and teaching your child how to deal with them in a supervised environment. Wrap them in cotton wool for 18 years and they will fall flat on their face in the real world.

My kids are 10 & 12, both have been riding pushies since they were 2. They both race BMX and understand the dangers, neither has ever broken a bone. Even when we go to the track for a play they wear long sleve tops, long pants, pads, gloves and full face MX helmets. Other kids the same age are there in shorts and thongs, often with no hat and no parents there. I always go to the track with my kids, and only in part because I enjoy riding too.

[Burky]

I never got a motorcycle when I was little and I am still emotionaly scarred!!

So what are you saying........Need a hug time

[Shaman]

I never got a motorcycle when I was little and I am still emotionaly scarred!!

So what are you saying........Need a hug time

HTFU!

(Hug The Farker Undyingly)

[aus636]

I think at the end of the day if the parents had there time over again they would have done things differently and that this has been a very costly mistake. My condolences to the family.