At what age is it ok??

DH is getting a motorbike. I made it clear to him yesterday that when he does get it, The boys are NOT ALLOWED AT ALL on the back not even on the driveway. DH had a bit of a laugh at me, which I think is because when his parent visit I lay down the same rule with them about being ontheir bike. For good reason too because while I was at work once, DH & FIL let Evan sit on the back of FIL's bike while he took it from the front yard to the driveway (we had parked in on the grass) and HE DROPED THE BIKE! Evan was ok & it happened because he was moving so slow. They all thought it was ok, but what if it had fell on Evan? I wasn't impressed.

Anyway DH said That when he is 6 he can get on the back. I said NO WAY! Evan will 5 in August, no way will he be ok to be on the back of a bike in another 18 months. Personally I don't think a child should be on the back of bike till at least 10, and I think even 10 is too young really but am allowing for the fact I am probably being over protective.

What do others think?

I agree atleast 10. They need to be relatively tall enough iykwim?

I was on my dads bike at 5 or so for short trips. That being said, the only bike my kids'll be getting on is a dirt bike suitable for their age.

ETA I don't think I'd let my 10yr old daughter on the back of a bike. There's too many idiots on the road.

No road bikes but my nephew rides a small dirt bike and has done since he was 5. He is still hesitant and only rides in the house paddock with supervision. Knowing how to be a passenger on a roadbike takes practice and maturity that does not exist at 6. Maybe 10 but it would depend on the child (and whether they had ridden a pushbike / motorbike before for the balance aspect).

I grew up around motorbikes and Corey has always had one too. My brother and sister and I were always on the front of dads bike with him sitting behind us for trips around our yard from when we were little kids, but out on the road we were at least 12yr old. You have to be able to reach the foot pegs. Not sure of the actual 'legal age' though.

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You have to be able to reach the foot pegs.

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thats what I was trying to say! :D

I don't even agree with kids on dirt bikes I seen my brother go through a barbed wire fence when he was little.
Growing up my little brother had a bike & we use to go to dirt bike tracks alot. But its not something I would do with my kids.

Four wheelers are a great compromise.

My sister managed to fall off a 4 wheeler too!!!! Great for flat roads but more dangerous on inclines.

There are risks in everything and you have to weigh up what ones you are prepared to take with your children. Some of the things we did as kids we don't want our own children to do and yet we survived (at times I'm not sure how though). Make the decision you (and DH) can live with.

I hope I don't have a kid who wants to buy a bike at 18! I won't be able to stop him (or her!) but I'll want to! I hate mbikes (road bikes I mean), I just know too many people who have had nasty accidents.

In answer to your question FJ, I agree that 6 is too young. I would be thinking more along the lines of teenage years, maybe 12? Is there an actual legal limit? Maybe find out what it is, and present that to DH as the age you're happy with :dunno:

I think whenever you can get a full-face road helmet (not a dirt bike one as IMO they are not really suitable for the road) to fit, and he can reach the footpegs.

I've been riding for 10 years now, and the bikes are just getting so powerful... just a small twist of the throttle and it may well be too much for a littlie to hang on tight enough.

But I'm all for starting littlies on PeeWees and the like in a safe off-road environment! All the riders of the future must start somewhere.

Four wheelers, from my experience, are even more dangerous - it is too easy to get trapped under them if they flip/tip.

My godfather was a member of a very large bike gang, I remember having short rides on his & other bikes from around 6 years old I think. He has since left the club, but has always had Harleys since I can remember. He used to ride from our place to his (about 45mins) with his 7 year old son on the back. The scariest thing was if it was getting towards evening & Ben was getting tired, he'd start to doze off - can you imagine, falling asleep on a Harley LOL! So as soon as my godfather felt his grip loosen he'd pull over & put him on in front.

ETA: just googled & it says there is no legal age, the only requirement is that they can reach the foot pegs & must wear a helmet.

My boys are 3 and 4>

DH takes the eldest on the front of his harley round the block, but Thjomas knows he has to have jeans, long sleeved shirt, boots and helmet to be allowed for his 2 minute joy ride.

the youngest is too scared of the harley but rides his pee wee 50 as it has training wheels and we can hand wind the speed down to a minimum with a screw driver. There was no way in the world they would ride a dirt bike at this age without me being able to catch up with it! the good side is it gives us all a great family time and the boys have a lot more confidence and are learning about safety and responsiblity, sharing and loooking after each other. plus my heart melts when i see my 3 year old who is small for his age in full dirt bike gear.....

But i agree they are not going on the back of a roadbike of any type until they are AT LEAST 10.

Yep, quad bikes (4 wheelers) are so easy to flip. Far more dangerous than a normal bike.

My DD has been on my DH's bike for... gee, just about as long as I can remember. I know to start with she didn't like the noise when she was very little - 1-3 maybe, but since she was 3.5-ish she used to ride around the court we live in infront of DH between him and the tank. This is the safest spot for little 'treat' rides.

Since she was about 7 or 8 she has been out with DH on the road. She wears a proper helmet, jacket, boots, gloves - the works. Yes I still worry but it's in the family blood - she was bound to want to be on the bike. She's even done the MRA Toy Run - on DH's bike from the city to Williamstown over the Bolte and Westgate Bridges - she had a ball amongst the 100's of riders.

And yes, she has been on the bike when it's gone down - fallen/hit the ground. Fortunately it was up at our local shopping centre and the bike was stationary and some loser wasn't looking. Neither DH nor DD were hurt but it did give her a fright. She still, however enjoys going on the bike, and knows the risks, as do we.

Interesting topic as dh loves bikes!!

I don't think I'd be comfortable my kids on road bikes however if it was for a just a little joyride on quiet roads I suppose that would be ok!

With dirtbikes I don't think I'll have a choice - dh wants Louis to have one asap!! I've said he should be able to ride a push bike first! hehe.
Sonya - that sounds like a great idea with the training wheels and adjusting the power...I'll have to talk to dh about that!
Although with Louis only being 16m we've got a while before we have to worry! hehehe.

DH and I have talked about this as he rides. He says 12 or 13, when they are old enough to cope with the injuries in the event of a crash (just to be on the safe side) No matter how good the rider is, its the other idiots on the road you have to watch out for. DD#1 has ridden with DH and wears full gear but its only been in the past year or two, prior to that he's refused as she was too young.

We have a quad bike that the big girls can do quite compentently. They dont go very fast though and they wear helmets and boots every time. Livvy is too young and small at 8 to go on it by herself. I personally think 6 is waaaaay too young.

Jo

I am glad every one seems to agree that 6 is too young. DH probably did mean just around the block joy rides but still NO WAY. I am the same about letting them sit in the front seat of the car while he pulls out of the driveway when moving the car to mow. yes I understand that the likely hood of an accident in our drive way is unlikely but I don't want any of the kids to think its ok EVER to sit in the front. I don't want to hear the arguments of "Daddy lets me". I can see the same thing happening if they are allowed little joy rides.