Aspies For Freedom

Tigger--this one's for you!!!

(Tigger is an awesome 50 year old aspie motorcycle mama)

Well my dad rode a motorbike for most of his young adulthood.

And that was back in the bad old days when protective clothing wasn't what it was at all

He had accidents, but then every Biker does.

*Wasn't what it is nowerdays at all

I spent years on motorcycles and finally got injured enough to switch to mountainbikes.
Off road bicycles...

I was good but other motorists are a problem.
Then you only have four square inches of contact patch between you and being a projectile.

One  way to look at it is "there is no such thing as a fender bender when there are no fenders...
I shattered my knee twewnty five years ago on the way home from work.
The bikes now weigh less and have far more power.

I really discouraged my son now 28 from getting one.

I did love them to twist that throttle and go like hell on the coast highway in California was very exillerating...
When you put on safety equipment you need to see it as acknoledging the risk not strap on courage...
I am here writing this because I quit.
This is my own opinion...
Those who still ride will give their views...
Like anything accepting risk is personal.
Tim

i can ride a bike, but my mum was angry at me once because someone was watching me ride while i had forgot which side of the road i should be on lol .

I failed to mention...
Being Aspie is not a specific reason not to ride...
I was an excellent and skilled rider...
I am an excellent and skilled mountainbiker.
I drive a 6000lb suburban to haul my bicycle around.
My Thunderbire was totalled by someone who crossed the line 4 miles from my home.
It had lots of crush room...I was only emotionaly and financially injured.
Your sons skill set may be very well matched to wheels...mine is.
The masses who don't follow rules and don't understand physics of lethal vehicles are a problem...

Tim(still is temped by screaming rice rockets...)

hi pillow talker
i had a bike (250cc) but i decided to get rid of it when a combination of worsening balance and a back injury (from a fall off a horse - ironic huh) meant i kept falling over going very slow!! this to me was as tim put it (ish) unacceptable risk.
if you are in the uk anyone now getting a new licence MUST do Compusory Basic Training (CBT) with an approved instructor before they can get insurance to ride on the road so my suggestion to find out if your boy can manage the timing etc is to let him do this,it also includes road safety, also the instructor will only give approval if they think the pupil is safe cos its their name on the CBT certificate. this gives him 2 years provisional during which he can either take his test or retake the CBT at the end of 2 years. on a provisional licence he is restricted to 250cc.
hope this is some help.

I have an 18 year old daughter...she is an adult in my state.
I give her advice but I don't tell her what to do...it is her life.
Can you be fully aware enough...I know I can be...I have made choices since I left home for the military at age 17 and became combat flight crew.
I could go bomb people but I could not drink or vote.
Your son has an individual skill set...you can help him know his capabilities.
I don't like the 40 year old that my daughter hangs around with and I let her know without trying to put a leash on her...she would then not even talk to me an would jump into this guys arms more than likely.
If you make this a war of wills and he becomes fixated on that bike you will lose any ability to guide...that is my opinion.
If there is a mentor he trusts talk to them about your concerns.
Have him post on here his peers are here and can give him support in making a decision.
I think you can tell from what I posted above I don't turn a blind eye to risk.

If his timing is like mine it took longer for me on advanced trails than my peers on mountainbikes.
In cars and motorcycles I was on par with anyone in my neighborhood.
Clearly you care about his welfare so send him by the site.

Help him make his own choice...
I have faced props coming off aircraft and having co-workers killed at my powerplant.
My son dismantles bombs for the US Navy...I worry about him getting in a car to go to work.

He will have to face and choose his own destiny or be forever corraled by someone.
BTW an off road motorcycle is good place to learn if you have the capability, then learn to ride around moving objects(cars)...this where I learned.
This may give him the chance to find out on his own terms.
A motorcycle training course is also very much recommended.
I went to them whenever I changed duty stations as a requirement to ride on base.

I hope you can express your concern and not push your son away on this.
It is an important choice.
Tim

by him a scooter or some other thing to work on balance (i used a scooter)

and after 2 years of riding a scooter i managed a 2 wheeler (without trainig wheels) i was 11 when i managed a wobbly ride lol.
now i ride my gary fisher mountain bike everywhere up to 75 miles a trip

A lot of is a "muscle memory" thing, like driving a stick.  Motorbike controls are, unfortunately, rather awkward and some people never quite master it.

The real trick is getting enough experience under your belt to be a competent rider without being killed.  I usually recommend that folks start off-road and only get into traffic when and if operation of the bike becomes second nature.  Practice is, I believe, the key, especially as it's often necessary to unlearn things taught in the training courses (I've never run across a course that properly instructed students in how to take a sharp turn, for example).

Thank you! *Takes a bow*

I would agree that you should take his cycling skills into account.

If they are good, then make sure he enters a good training programme that has its own training grounds and that starts with a great deal of theory (which, IMHO, can be summed up as "believe that everyone else on the road is an idiot who will either not see you or see you and drive through you anyway" - defensive riding has kept me out of trouble for over thirty years).

Buy him a smallish-engined bike (200 - 400cc) but not too small - very little bikes can be very dangerous as you don't have the power or road holding to take evasive action.

Insist that he will be grounded if he ever rides without his protective gear; at the minimum this includes the best helmet you can afford that fits comfortably (never buy either second-hand or through the Internet); eye protection; a proper riding jacket; boots and gloves.

When each of my older kids got into bikes (and cars) my advice was the same - you cannot stand at the pearly gates asking St. Peter for a return ticket because it was the other driver's fault, so always yield right-of-way to anyone who might just take it.

Then sit at home and give yourself permission to be worried sick - just don't take your worry out on him!

My grandmother, father, brother and sons have all been motorcyclists and all Aspie. I reckon a very large number of motorcyclists I have met are on the spectrum, and I made most of my friends among the GoldWing owners.  I met my husband when we were training as motorcycle instructors. There is a wonderful world out there, and a bike is one of the more environmentally friendly ways to see it.

If I may, I'd like to throw in an observation here.

While it's good if a student is comfortable on two wheels, I've seen experienced cyclists really struggle with motorcycles.

I liken the transition to going from a really slow sports car to a really fast panel van.  Motorbikes typically have a much lower center of gravity, longer wheelbase, and shallower forks than a bicycle (particularly racing and mountain bikes).  The result is something that, to a cyclist, is irritatingly sluggish.  On top of that, the controls are familiar, but scrambled:   The rear brake is suddently the front brake and the front brake is suddenly the clutch...not a good place to be getting confused.

As a result (and somewhat counterintuitively), cyclists often need more time than average to develop good riding skills.

Just my two cents...

I wouldn't buy him a bike either. I think you have to hold your ground with your feelings on this matter but if he saves up and gets his own bike or if he gets this scooter to work - I would want to support him to make sure he is as safe as possible on the road. A boy of eighteen will be separating himself away from you anyway - as part of growing up and  away from his parents. Your son will probably come to accept your ideas on this issue, and hopefully he will take on board some of your concern and worry. This might help him to consider the dangers from other vehicles on the road.

As soon as he gets his bike he will look for a girl to ride with him, and the two of them will be able to ride off and..... I see what you're scared of, mum.

That and the more physical kind of accidents.

Have you checked about motorcycle training courses in your area? They might help your son out to learn how to ride a motorcycle.