Modern Vespa

Took my son for a ride with me. We ride the Buddy since it has a top case and it's much shorter. Better for him. He's eleven. He can lean on the back rest. The Vespa no rest, he not like so much.

Neither of them want to ride the Harley though, because they say it's too loud. But it has a great sissy bar. The tall kind. My wife used to fall asleep against it. Kids? sigh...


Who rides with their young'ns?

Harv

Sad to say, my eleven-year-old has never shown any interest in riding with me. Maybe one day.

Brendan

My 11 year old rode with me at least once a week. She loved it.

I would give the others a ride around the cul-de-sac as well.

My older son only rode with me once when he wouldn't be still. He got his license and rides with me on rare occasions but mostly is a scooter commuter. My youngest used to love to ride on the back until he was about 13.

Sounds like my daughter. I hope that changes for both of us.

Harv

My son wants to stay on the slow roads, as he calls them. He says I scare him just driving my car on the roundabouts. Well... if there's no one else in em....

Harv

We ride with our boys, 12 & 14 yo. The longest ride was from San Diego to Santa Monica. My wife and I called it an adventure they called it torture. Now my 14 yo wants his own bike.

Maybe my daughter would prefer to ride with my wife... ?

Harv

My youngest son rode with me all the time until he hit about 15 then it wasn't 'cool' to ride cupcake on the back of dad's scoot.
s'OK I got over it. Now he has his own....
Older son has a 'crazy fast' sport bike, we occasionally ride out together, good times.

I've only had my grandson sitting on the scoot with me at a standstill, now that he's nearly 7 his parents got him his own FF helmet, I can't wait to take him out with me.

I've ridden with my daughter since she was 10. She's 25 and still rides with dad.

My 15 year old wouldn't be caught dead on the back of his mum's scoot.

But then again, he can't ride a ride a bike 10 feet without falling over, so it's probably a good thing.

I don't know how far that is, but so far I've already explained monkey butt to my son haha

Your fourteen year old is just about there for one. Very cool!

Harv

I never knew how great it could be to ride with your kids. Unfortunately I scared them when they were small by starting the Harley when I honestly didn't know they were in the garage with me.

Ride On!

Harv

Wow. I hope my daughter is like yours.

Harv

I don't know if I should laugh or not but I'm with ya

Harv

I ride with my 12 year old. I highly recommend two things if you want to ride with a passenger. First is the sissy bar that bolts to the rear rack. Second is the foot peg extenders.

Wow thanks for the great ideas, Sup'. Didn't even think about the extended pegs.

He sure looks happy there

Thanks again

Harv

Take my 13 year old Daughter to and from school on the 300IE..
She loves it! Surface streets only and not in the rain..
Probably going to get an EV this weekend for inclement weather...

Maniac

I've taken my son on local rides -- just errands around town, that sorta thing -- but my daughter seems to be the one who wants to get off the pillion.

My boys love to ride, the both ask to anywhere and everywhere. They prefer to have the top cases on as it gives them some added feeling of security. If I could get them better safety gear I'd take them further and faster. As it stands we stick to about 40km/h, with a 60km/h maximum.

Took my daughter to school almost every day through her time at Primary (Elementary) School.
Sadly we no longer enjoy this time together as she rides the bus to High School.
Last Time...

My daughter started riding on the back of my GTS at 8 years old. She loves it still and is now 12. It's normal at our house to ride the Vespa. But it's a treat to have my girls on the back!

They are great and well worth the $180 they cost. At 12, your kid should have his or her own 50cc scooter and be riding around the neighborhood. My girls did, and five years later, they are both very good riders, despite totalling out three scooters as part of their learning curves.

Our big kids (20 and 18 respectively) have been riding pillion with me for years.

Over the past two years our 10 year old has been riding with me, but only the three blocks to his school (and not every day).

my dad got me my first scooter - a honda c70- at 15 so I could get myself to high school. i was in the band and we practiced marching before and after school so he wanted off the transportation hook.

I wish. Sadly, in Washington State you have to be 16 years old and have a drivers license. I have already promised him that once he gets his license and passes his MST, I will buy him a Ruckus or something equally small and able to be customized. If we can build a garage in the next 4 years, I have a late 60's Honda Trail 90 that used to belong to my Dad that is going to be a project bike for Hubby, myself, and The Child. That way The Child and I can both learn some basic motorcycle repair and, hopefully, The Child will learn an appreciation of the work/blood/sweat/tears it takes to keep a vehicle running, and will respect his vehicles more.

I think kids who start riding end up being much better drivers when they do get in a car. They are more aware of traffic, and have a better sense of what to watch out for in other drivers.

Agreed, my son is a much better driver for riding a scooter to school for most of a year before he got his car license. In Texas you can get a restricted motorcycle license at 15 - under 250cc, no passengers no riding between midnight and 5 am unless to/from work or school.

He learned to pay a whole lot more attention to vehicles around him by riding a 125cc Buddy. He still prefers to take a scoot most of the time. Right now he's a bit limited because I have his favorite scoot, our Sports City in Canada for the cannonball. Plus he has to take his brother to school for another week. Then he can either ride the BV or the Buddy if he chooses as his school/work commuter until we get back.

My 10 y/o loves the Vespa and we routinely go on local errands. Beyond that(+35mph) I get too nervous. I told him I will buy him one as a high school graduation present. He can't wait.

You folks are awesome. I can't keep up!

Yeah, my kids ought to get to ride minibikes soon. We have land in another county and my wife's folks own another forty acres not far from there.

When I was a kid and wanted a bike my German mother, who never rode herself, uttered the most profound statement regarding riding and it's been how I've taught several people to ride.

Vat yoo neeeed to dooo, (transliterating her instructions to me from our native German to English) ees get von uf dose motehcycles fore de voods. De kind mit de plate und lights and everytink. Dat vey, ven yoo crash, und yoo vill, nottink will run yoo over. Den vonce yoo ken ride vitout so much crashing, yoo can use de roads. Leyrn de first before attempting de second.

I learned to ride through mud. I learned to ride wet grass. Tall grass. Up and down ravines and through small streams. I pitched myself into low branches. Tried to force my way through bushes when I miscalculated turns.
I cam home covered in drying mud with a steaming bike more times than I can remember. I rode into snow drifts that stopped me so hard the bike stopped dead and I didn't. I developed riding instincts by listening to the insight of a woman who never rode herself. And she was right.

In this respect, I intend to emulate my mom.

Harv

I take my 5 year old son to kindergarden. He loves it. He is in charge of turning on and of the vespa.

They'd ride on the Hardly if you have a proper exhaust.


Sorry it's Hardly season in HD big time HD country, 300 miles from Milwaukee, and every other asshat that goes by has to wake the dead to feel cool. It's gonna be a long summer...

I've taken our son (almost 4 now) in a loop around the neighborhood a few times. He has a full-face Bilt helmet, from our local shop. I have him stand on the floor boards in front of me - both hands on the head set (NOT the grips/handlebars) and both feet on the floorboards (as opposed to the center tunnel). I then scoot forward a little on the seat so my knees are on either side of him, and I gently "squeeze" as if to hold on to him between my legs.

We typically only go 10-15mph - no faster than I take him on my bicycle in his buddy seat. I swear, the kid abso-freakin-lutely LOVES it! We've only done this 3-4 times in the past 6 months, but he asks at least once a week.

"Dad? Do you think someday, not today, but someday...we could ride on the scooter together?"

[eyes start tearing up]

How the hell do you say no to that?!

I'm not a fan of waking the dead. Or the living.

Things which don't seem loud or scary to us may very well be that way to children. In so many words, they think my bike looks sinister. They don't want anything to do with it. Always had stock exhaust.

It isn't the bikes, it's how the bikes might be set up. A way to disrespect the most people possible, anonymously. Ticking people off who can't do anything about it directly. It's like they got away with something.

Harv

That, my friend, is an awesome thing. I got a little misty just reading it.

They're so amazing, aren't they?

H