Child on Motorcycle or Tractor which is more dangerous

[firefighter jim]

Originally Posted by JoelD

I passed a guy today at a stop light, he's driving a harley, smoking a cigarette with a little girl on the back, she was between 8 and 10 years old.

Always shocked when I see little children on the back of motorcycles.

I just shake my head.

Joel

Ditto. Wake up people. Motorcycling is dangerous. You want to take the risk of riding motorcyles (and I do on occasion), fine. However, leave the children at home.

[ol'George]

I started my boys (twins) on mini Enduro's (60 CC) when they were 5 yrs old,
Trail riding in the woods,back in the early '70's
As they progressed in age the motorcycles got larger, they also drove anything we had on the farm as far as tractors and equipment.
They are now 42.
When the boys got their drivers license they had no problems as they had many miles and years of experience being aware of their surroundings,
Also my grand daughters started riding trail motorcycles about the same age.
The oldest is now 16.
It is my opinion that the early start taught them the seriousness of their actions.
A person just can't put children on anything even a tricycle, and walk away.
Instruction and endless conversation/supervision I think is the key.
A family that plays/works/prays etc. together will most always turn out well.
My wife & I still remember the times we had our little boys sitting behind us on our trail motorcycles and would come to a road stretch and the little fellers would fall asleep momentarily, but it never was a problem ,
Looking back, would I do it again? A big yes.
my wife is now too old to ride her own motorcycle, but myself, my sons/Gran daughters go camping/trail riding several times a year. We like to ride 50-60 miles a day on the trails in the woods.
We are blessed with a trail system in this state of Michigan that is the envy of others. I myself worked hard back in the late '60's early 70's to help it become a reality.
It is something I look back on and and feel good about, and that many others are enjoying what a a small few helped to establish.

[Bedlam]

Redneck they are well dressed in that photo. Must have been going to a big affair.

[deepNdirt]

I've been riding motorcycles almost 40 years, dirtbikes as a youngster, been cloth line a couple times, been shot in the leg once, crashed & burn several times, People that don't ride cycles do not like people who do ride them, its a known fact! I know the risk I take when I get on mine 50%/50% and if I were to ride a child then I am responsible for their life and again 50%/50%
not good ods if you ask me, and this is something I could not live with if something were to happen and the child were to be killed. but others have their own opinions on this and thats cool

[farmboy12]

I would have to say that the motorcycle is more dangerous. I know most people on here are older than me and have even more experience, but that's what I think. I've been riding dirt bikes for I guess 3 or 4 years now, but I've been a passenger all my life. But, these are just 100 & 125cc trail bikes. We (me, my dad, my grandfather) do sometimes take my niece on a ride, or they'll take my cousins. Both on tractors or trail bikes. I don't think anyone under 10 should ride passenger on a street bike. I think if you are safe and have been operating the same machine for a while, then yes, go ahead and take the kids on a trail bike.

Tractors, they can be dangerous if in the wrong hands. But I grew up riding them and was driving by myself at 6 or so. That was with 25hp or so tractorsm now because of that early experience, I can be trusted on almost everything, I've even driven my neighbors Harleys and his rollback, and I have a truck of my own now. I think starting them early and safely is the way to do things,


Kyle

[JoelD]

Totally agree on starting early and instruction. The mini-boss drove her first mini-bike with training wheels at 18 months or so. That was in my driveway, with restrictor plate in the exhaust and throttle adjusted low.

To me, taking a young child out on a street bike is an entirely different proposition, much less control of your circumstances.

One thing to fall off of a mini-bike at 1-2 mph versus laying a bike down at 60 mph.

One thing about threads like this is they make you think and provide many different points of view.

Joel

[George2615]

I too have been riding motorcycles for about 40 years. When my kids were small they wanted to ride with me. I told them when they were tall enough to reach the footpegs they could go. I don't remember how old they were but once they were tall enough for their feet to reach the footpegs they rode with me many times.

As far as tractors go I didn't own one when the kids were small but I worked on a farm when I was young and the farmers kids drove the tractors when they were big enough to reach all the pedals and controls. I'd say they were about 8-10.

[dave1949]

Originally Posted by Redneck in training

My parents couldn't afford a car when I was growing up but had a 175 cc motorcycle. All of us (we are three brothers) were riding on the bike since very early age. Here is a picture (from India I visited recently) of five people on a bike. The woman has a baby you don't see on her lap. I have seen children sitting on the fuel tank and sleeping while riding. Needles to say that people drive slow in India.

What, no goat across the handle bars? You brought back some old memories.
Dave.

[Transit]

Motor cycles are inherently dangerous, especially if you don't use your head. The other 50% of the time you need to be careful of the idiots with the four wheels. Last summer one of my co-workers was tooling down a country road and some dumb a $$ chick and her friend zip from one mini-mall crossing the road to the other, probably looking for shoes. No time to stop or go around, he hit the car broad side, broke his pelvis, was in a coma for almost a month. Just getting back on his feet now. Has almost 3 pounds of steel in him. Sorry I did not see you.

[The Haymaker]

My reply to the original poster is "Mind your own business". I won't even bother going into rant mode.

4 wheeler

Streetbike

Wagon

Submarine!

Pitbike

Melons! (I've even turned him into a womanizer!)

Snowblower at 7 months

Want my address for the DHS? I've got even more to show them.