at what age?

[larrycivic]

i was dropping my son off at kindergarden when i saw a guy pull up on his R1 and drop his kid off.  now the school only goes up to 4th grade...so i am thinking at best the kid could have been 9-10?  

so my question is at what age would you let your kid ride on the back of the bike?  

the kid was holding on pretty tight, and he didn't even fit on the backseat...he was on the front seat with his pops.  

brings me to another story.  i was going to a restraunt downtown when i heard a Harley.  turned around and this guy has his son sitting on the gas tank riding him through downtown.  

 

[Devil Dog]

Touchy subject...... IMO, I ride my 10 y/o on the bike. Last week we rode 250 miles. He is very educated on riding and being a passenger. He rides himself, dirtbikes. Now, my 7 y/o girl only gets little rides on my street. The whole riding on the tank or in front of the driver is bullshid IMO. I get strange looks from some people when I pull up to red lights, I guess they do not approve of my son on the back. My son wears a proper helmet. He has a Shoei, small helmet. Joe Rocket jacket and boots/gloves. The boots are Timberland but they suit our needs for protection.

 

[NightCrawler]

Heck, I'm curious to know at what age is it legal. I wonder if there is a height issue associated with that as well.

 

[RamminBusa]

I started with my son at 7 but I had one of the high speed jackets with the handles when I was in Germany and kept very local. Of Course an approved helmet, gloves and everything else I would wear he did also. Hes 11 now and rides with me even on the long hauls (350+). He loves it.

 

[Devil Dog]

I just googled the minimum age for passengers..... I came up on a FAQ section:

Is there a minimum age or size for children who are passengers on a motorcycle?

There is no minimum age, but a child has to ride behind the driver (cannot sit in front of the driver), and has to wear a helmet. The child has to be able to reach the foot pegs - the foot pegs can legally be raised.


I'm sure this varies from state to state!

Wisconsin Linky



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[DAB]

As long as they wear protective gear and have been instructed on how to behave as a passenger.

Recently I saw a kid riding on the back of his father's Hardley, in T-shirt and shorts, holding on with one hand while he talked on a cellphone with the other!

 

[theemrrdkill]

started my kids round 5 or 6 .. it matter'd when they could " reach" the pegs ..

 

[shenoyp]

...if yuour kid can reach the peg, then you can take him on the bike

 

[slpstream]

I started my son at 5 used 2 belts around our waists until he figured out that he needed to hold on, he's 8 now and bugs me to give em rides, he likes the busa much more than the harleys Go figure.

 

[greeneinc]

I had my nephew on the back seat at age 5 and he was very educated about motorcycles at that age. Growing up in a house with three adults all riding bike made him interested fast. He is now 7 and rides dirtbikes, Honda 50CC.

 

[Gunnybusa]

Here is what the california vehicle code says.
27800. It is unlawful for a driver of a motorcycle or a motorized bicycle to carry any other person thereon, except on a seat securely fastened to the machine at the rear of the driver and provided with footrests, or in a sidecar attached to a motorcycle and designed for the purpose of carrying a passenger. Every passenger on a motorcycle or a motorized bicycle shall keep his feet on the footrests while such vehicle is in motion.

I take my 6 year old to school, its less than a mile. My 10 year old has made longer trips with me. Both always wear all their PPE.

 

[Devil Dog]

Here is what the california vehicle code says.
27800.   It is unlawful for a driver of a motorcycle or a motorized bicycle to carry any other person thereon, except on a seat securely fastened to the machine at the rear of the driver and provided with footrests, or in a sidecar attached to a motorcycle and designed for the purpose of carrying a passenger. Every passenger on a motorcycle or a motorized bicycle shall keep his feet on the footrests while such vehicle is in motion.

I take my 6 year old to school, its less than a mile. My 10 year old has made longer trips with me. Both always wear all their PPE.

PPE= Personal Protective Equipment

For all you civilian types.

 

[larrycivic]

i am suprised to find that alot of people ride their kids on the back. i thought that at road speeds that kids would not do good. i do take my son on my atv, but i never open it up.

i am just too much of a chicken to put my 5 year old on the back a road bike.

is there a good way to educate him about bikes? is he at the age of maybe a 50cc with training wheels? i would love to get him into motorcycles.

 

[Gunnybusa]

Thank you DD somtimes I forget where I am.

 

[Gunnybusa]

larrycivic try MSF DirtBike School for your son. Toll free 877.288.7093



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[larrycivic]

hey thanks. i will have to wait a year they take 6 years and up.

 

[Gunnybusa]

Civic have you taken the MSF ERC? You are can ride with a passanger on the course, you both might get something out of it.

 

[omslaw]

I take my 8 year-old Son on rides. He loves it; he's a good rider, holds on and leans with me. (that took him some getting used to).

While back, I asked a local LEO what the 'rules' were for a passenger and he said the same that others have...MUST wear a helmet if under age 18 (KS has no helmet law) and MUST be able to reach the footpegs.

 

[Toyz]

I have an 11 yr old boy I'll pick up from school time to time it's just down the street. Other than that my kids don't ride with me...my choice. I don't trust anyone around me in their cars and I'd never forgive myself if an idiot pulled out infront of me with one of them on the back. You can be as carefull as you want, all it takes is one moron on the phone not paying attention.

 

[Lota Fun R]

When they can reach the pegs is what I was told. I used to ride my step son around all the time, he was the coolest kid at school because he got to ride on my motorcycle.

I'll probably take some #### for this but he sometimes would fall asleep on the longer rides (1 hour), I could have pulled over and woke him up but he would just went back to sleep, I guess he was comfortable on the back.

One time, I'm cruzzin down the fwy and people are getting all excited because he was asleep, again, I pulled off the hwy because I thought there was something wrong, nope, he was just sleepin.

He wouldn't fall to one side or the other, just lay forward on me with his hands resting on my legs, since I wasn't leaning off the bike he would just rest there, never did it seem like he was going to fall off, ever. Seemed ok to me, not what I would preffer but it wasn't a problem. I was extra carefull when I knew he had fallin asleep though.

OK, fire away.