Modern Vespa

So aside from short, 30 minute trips around the town we live in, my 8-year old daughter has never been on long trips. This was also her first group ride.

We rode 30 minutes to our meeting area in Portland. Then we rode again past our home near Oregon City. We were part of a larger, 25 scooter group. It took us around 1.5 hours to make it down where we lived. We crossed a river on a ferry and she was just beside herself.

I asked her if she wanted to leave the ride early, and she said "NO!" So we wound our way back up to Portland with the rest of the group where she snacked on corndogs and french fries.

Our overall trip was around 75 miles and it took us around 4 hours. We had an absolute blast! I was surprised she was able to hold out for that long.

All right! Sounds like a great day.

I remember taking my daughter out riding....good times, though it didn't "stick" with her. But hey, good times while they lasted!

Our daughter's first lengthy motorcycle trip with us was at age 8 - a camping trip from the Black Hills to Yellowstone and the Tetons. She did great with that, and we bought her first motorcycle after that trip...



When she was 10, we took a month long motorcycle trip - the highlight for her was several days at DisneyWorld; for her Mother and me, it was riding through the great twisty roads in NC and TN. There were other memorable trips after that.

I thought she might have the same two-wheel passion as her parents, but after we got her a scooter at age 14, she rode it to school once, a couple kids made fun (probably jealous), and she stopped wanting to ride.

She rode on the back of my Vespa last year for about 10 minutes and that was enough for her (at age 48).

Encourage your daughter, BrookR1. Let her pick out where you want to ride together. There were a couple Dad-daughter motorcycle trips for us when she was 10 to 14 that I treasure the memories.

Captain Jim,

That is awesome! Those memories must be some of the best you have!
So far, Charlotte likes going on trips with me. She isn't showing too much interest in owning or riding on her own. That may change.

Sorry your daughter didn't stick with it, but as long as she's happy in life, that's what really matters.

Captain Jim, was that photo around 1980?

The motorcycle on the left looks like a Yamaha XJ 750 but what is the daughter's bike?

thats awesome! hey i have the same back seat rest as you, assuming its the seat and rack combo...

have yet to use it , waiting for the wife to come on a ride with me once weather gets good....just curious if she liked the seat back rest

Hummus,

The backrest and rack combo work great. My wife and kid actually insisted on it. I originally purchased just a grab rail to keep a sportier look, but the family overruled me. The entire trip lasted about 4 hours. My kid never complained about comfort.

BrookR1 & Captain Jim,

Thanks for sharing. Jim, I would blow up and frame that photo.

Bob Copeland
Minnesota

Two years ago I picked up my kid in Brooklyn, NY for a five day ride around New England.

My daughter, Kylie. 26 years old at the time.

We had the best time.

It was the most time I had ever spent with just her.

I loved every minute

We rode from NYC to Hunter, NY., then Manchester, VT., Thornton, NH., to Portland, ME. All on my Yamaha Xmax.

She said that she would like to do it again soon.

Maybe in Bermuda, where she was born.

It is a tiny place, but we can find some roads, riding from end to end.

Bill

To answer a few questions about that photo I posted...

It was taken in 1981. My wife's bike was a Yamaha Midnight Maxim, mine was a Harley Sturgis (first model to use a belt drive), and our daughter's bike was a Yamaha DT80 as I recall. The kid was a good rider. After we got that for her, a neighbor boy got a small bike, but his Dad didn't know anything about riding. I taught both of them - my favorite exercise for them was: slow race - see who could take the longest to cover a distance without putting a foot down. It was really good to teach them control and balance. We lived out of town in the Black Hills at that time, our property fronted National Forest land, so there was plenty of room for them to ride, without getting on any public road.

As far as enlarging that image: we owned a photography studio at the time, so yes, there was a 20x24 of that image on our wall back then.

In South Dakota back then, a kid could get a school permit at age 14 and a motorcycle license. The school permit allowed them to drive without an adult in the car as long as it was daylight hours or going to/from a school function. Our daughter strongly objected to my insistence of her wearing a helmet, gloves, boots, and long pants when riding a motorcycle or a scooter... seems that girls back in the 80s needed to have "big hair," and that wasn't conducive with wearing a helmet. We got her a car for her 15th birthday, and she completely lost interest in riding, even though her Mother and I still ride all these years later.

Of course, the Grandparents on both sides were horrified that we got her a motorcycle at age 8. She was a conscientious rider, and I think being an only child helped with her mature attitude.

I didn't mean to take away from the OP's post - it made me think of some of the great rides with our daughter when she was younger. Perhaps I'm just feeling nostalgic because we haven't seen our kid in a year (yesterday). She and her husband are coming to visit over Easter (all 4 of us have been vaccinated) and I am so excited to see them!

Enjoy these special moments, BrookR1... seems like just a couple years ago our daughter was the same age as your young lady... and we celebrated her 49th birthday apart (first time ever) just a few weeks ago. It happens fast.

Captain Jim...that's a great story. Part of the reason I purchased a Vespa was to spend more time riding with my daughter. I also have a Ducati Multistrada, and she likes riding on back of that, but it's just not as easy or relaxing, although she loves going fast.

I also have a 5-year old son who will soon be old enough to ride, but honestly, I don't think he will be ready for a while. He just gets too distracted and too overloaded. He's not on the spectrum, but I've often wondered if he's borderline.

We didn't take long trips with our daughter until she was tall enough to reach the passenger pegs, and intentionally had a backrest or a trunk with an integrated backrest for her to lean against. Back then, people seemed surprised that my wife rode her own bike (she had a Goldwing Aspencade and a Harley bagger over the years), because with 3 of us, there was always going to be two bikes. We often camped back then, so one bike was loaded with camping gear, the other one got the kid on the back.

Our daughter is a one and only. Observing other families, there is a big difference between 5 year old boys and 5 year old girls. Not being sexist, just seeing (generally speaking) the "activity difference" between them. He may surprise you when it gets to be his turn to be able to ride behind Dad. Just don't leave the keys out for either bike in the meantime.

I bought a Ural that be able to take our daughter out for rides. She was a hit with her school and the local police chief when she showed up to her first day of kindergarten in the sidecar. Took many trips with her and her mom. Her mom has her own bike, refuses to be a passenger. She got a bike before I did. When E was tall enough and we were comfortable with her I sold the Ural and got an RT, which was recently sold for the Vespa.
Bike trips are not E's biggest thrill anymore. She enjoyed being able to read while in the sidecar.

My daughter checking out the camera I mounted on the back of my Vespa during one of the club rides.

These are all great pics!
My wife was toying with the idea of letting me get a sidecar or a trailer with a seat so we could take the whole family. I'm not terribly keen on the idea, but I wouldn't mind getting another scooter so we could ride two up on two scooters. That would be fun!