Daughter wants to ride, where to start? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Daughter wants to ride, where to start?

If she wants to ride on the street then an M1 exit course is the way to go. I took mine at Durham College back in 1997 (age 16) and went from having never ridden a motorcycle ever to being able to start riding on the road. That didn't mean that I just hopped on my bike and rode wherever I wanted to though. I still spent the next few weeks going for rides with my Dad where he led the way and I followed, sticking to deserted back roads and quiet neighbourhoods etc until my skills and confidence increased and then we graduated to busier and more interesting roads and longer rides. By the next summer I had upgraded from my 400cc Maxim to an 1100cc Virago and we went on a 28 day tour of the east coast!

If she wants to ride on the street then an M1 exit is pretty much mandatory for most insurance companies. It literally cut my insurance in half back in the day.
 
I don't disagree the M1 exit course is worth it, I also won't disagree that dirt time could be beneficial. I grew up riding in the dirt back when my tip toes could barely reach the ground on a Honda Trail 70..and I don't doubt it made me a lot more confident rider, especially on things like gravel that some asphalt-only riders won't even consider touching.

IMHO it comes down to how much time and money does the OP's daughter want to spend before moving to the street. All of these different options/courses could easily consume a lot of the riding season.
 
Fear of consuming your riding season by riding motorcycles :/ how does that work?
 
Fear of consuming your riding season by riding motorcycles :/ how does that work?

You missed my point. Her goal is to street ride.

If she spends a few months riding dirt and then waits until July or August to do the M1X course and get the licence all sorted out etc, it could easily be late summer before she even gets a street bike on the road. Half the season is gone by then.
 
You missed my point. Her goal is to street ride.

If she spends a few months riding dirt and then waits until July or August to do the M1X course and get the licence all sorted out etc, it could easily be late summer before she even gets a street bike on the road. Half the season is gone by then.

According to the OP, the goal is for her to learn to ride BEFORE getting on the street.

"I wanted an easier 'landing' should things go awry, and since some of those are private lessons I can do it with her. As I don't think I'd ever want to do an M1x again, this is a better option! I can bundle learning to ride and a dad / daughter get away into one. Gopher and motopark have gotten back to me, waiting on trail tours.
"

The old saying about the journey being better than the destination applies here. The idea is that she and her father spend a summer plonking along in the trails together with her learning the important nuances of motorcycle control with the option that she can get her license at the end of the summer.

In the future they'll both likely remember the summer of 2019 and, "Oh yeah...I got my MC license that year too."
 
Re-read the entirety of my response (post 22) above. I don’t disagree it’s beneficial. .

What I’m saying is...how she feels about the whole process, and how much time she’s willing or wanting to spend on it matters as well, and is not our decision.
 
.... I grew up riding in the dirt back when my tip toes could barely reach the ground on a Honda Trail 70...
Which means you and I both had about 5 or 6 years of off road riding experience and numerous crashes before our 16th. birthday. Don't cheat her of that learning opportunity, it's probably the only reason you can now reasonably operate an 800 pound motorcycle, survive riding street and not be terrified of gravel under your tires.
 
I think the OP is looking at the best foundation to expose his daughter for experience and safely.

Falling off and control. Trail and dirt are great places to get that experience.

Dealing with public roads is a different animal.

This is why I’d recommend getting that experience in a cage while learning two wheels in dirt.





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Which means you and I both had about 5 or 6 years of off road riding experience and numerous crashes before our 16th. birthday. Don't cheat her of that learning opportunity, it's probably the only reason you can now reasonably operate an 800 pound motorcycle, survive riding street and not be terrified of gravel under your tires.

Some of you guys are clearly reading what you want to hear into my responses....instead of actually interpreting them for the points they’re trying to get across.
 
Blame it on snow fever, a severe winter sucks the life right out of my riding season,
come on spring :wav:
 
Clinton Smout is the man.He gave my daughter a quick little intro to 2 wheel stuff a few years ago with one of his bikes after a trial she was spectating at.She rides as many events as she can with my TY175 now.
[video=youtube;QX_3mNnhePw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_3mNnhePw[/video]

ceman and wingboy are spot on. I took my daughter to the SMART course. Clinton is a real decent guy.
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I would add to all the great advise here is as parents we know our kids. Riding a motorcycle takes many skills not least of all disipline and maturity. Riding as a passenger is also a completely different experience than riding solo. I think as parents we have to know our children. Do they have the necessary coordination and discipline to be safe. Is it the right time. When they become adults we can only guide them. Yes everyone can learn but not everyone should be on two wheels. You know your child.
 
My kid started dirt at 14 at Motopark and had no use for cars until he was 23 or so and needed his G for a job.

I don't think car first is any particular gain ...I like this

Quote Originally Posted by blackcamaro View Post
Trail tours is a perfect place to start. Gopher would be good as well and their beginner program is run in a grass field and trails. It is not a mx course. Really nice family that owns/runs that facility. But anyways based on your location Trail tours is the easy choice.

I'd go one step further with the whole dirt thing. I would have her get a small dual sport like a CRF250L and spent much of her first year trail riding with a little street sprinkled in just to get used to it. Would learn a ton about riding in a short amount of time. Depending what bike you ride now you might need to pick up a off road bike for yourself to go riding with her, you would likely have a blast as well.
 
any of the courses 'should' be fun and educational and its never a bad investment. And whatever gives her skill building before being out on the road is a win.
I think your first oh crap panic moment should be a mud bog, steep rocky hill or the runout off paved track corner three, not a minivan with no tail lights stopping to look at a unicorn.

She may decide its not her thing and she doesnt have 5-7k worth of CB125, lid, jacket, boots to sell off at .30cents on the dollar. Or love it and has some stories of summer fun.

Keep all receipts for training and take them off your taxes in that spot called tuition expenses. Its education. I've done it.
 
I would start by moving out of the GTA and getting away from the absurdly bad drivers and road conditions therein. Let her gain her motorcycle legs in safer environment. :/
 
I would start by moving out of the GTA and getting away from the absurdly bad drivers and road conditions therein. Let her gain her motorcycle legs in safer environment. :/

This! But i don't want my child riding even way out here in Mennonite country.it's a little like skydiving.If you had a malfunction in one of your first 50 jumps,you would probably die without an automatic opening device.Once you become more aware of what is going on around you,you can react to an emergency situation.
In your first year or so of riding,if a cage makes a left in front of you,you probably would hit it.Takes time to become aware of your surroundings ALL THE TIME!
 
This! But i don't want my child riding even way out here in Mennonite country.it's a little like skydiving.If you had a malfunction in one of your first 50 jumps,you would probably die without an automatic opening device.Once you become more aware of what is going on around you,you can react to an emergency situation.
In your first year or so of riding,if a cage makes a left in front of you,you probably would hit it.Takes time to become aware of your surroundings ALL THE TIME!

mmm skydiving. Only jumped once, but what a rush. (solo with a static line)
m
 

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