oldryder
Well-known member
Note: Many thanks to those here on the FJR forum that provided advice to me over the last few years as I went thru this exercise. Lowering the FJR and even more importantly, getting instruction from a 3rd party, were huge factors in the overall success of the effort and those decisions were based on input from this forum.
Training a Daughter to Ride
Like many of you riders I have kids with whom I’d like to share my hobby. I also want to protect my kids from every conceivable danger like any parent would. Unfortunately, my motorcycling passion provides some conflict since motorcycling has some unavoidable risk. This apprehension was easily managed when the kids were mere passengers as I was literally in the driver’s seat and comfortable with my own ability to manage the risk of street riding. A child of mine riding solo was a whole different matter. Training an offspring to ride was something I wanted to do very, very well.
I introduced each of my kids to motorcycling shortly after they became big enough to hold on by themselves. The oldest, a son, was only moderately interested and chose not to pursue it when he got old enough to drive. About the time my older daughter was twelve I began annual cross country trips after a long hiatus. The older took to riding like a duck to water and was already insisting I teach her to ride when she finally reached 16. The younger girl enjoyed the trips but had no interest in learning to ride.
Since I’m a bike nut with a vintage hobby, our stable is pretty diverse with a variety of bikes including a GL1500, FJR, ZRX1200R, and a TL1000R. As a way to pay for my hobby there is also a changing list of vintage bikes which I buy, fix, and put back on the road for fun and profit. However, none of these was what I considered a beginner bike particularly for a 5’7” female. After a lot of googling I decided that a 250 Ninja would make a suitable beginner bike. In November of 2006 after a few months of watching Craigslist I found a reasonably nice 1997 for $1300 that required virtually no maintenance or repair. The hot rod look of the bike immediately met with my daughter’s approval. The bike was prepped for winter storage, then put away for the long months untill spring. I sold the little Ninja for what I paid for it to a young woman that was tickled to get it eighteen months later.
Christmas that year included a leather riding jacket, helmet, and gloves. In hindsight I should have included armored riding pants and boots. A few months later, as the snow gradually disappeared, we had discussions about riding and rules. Once she had her license she would only ride with me for as long as it took for me to feel comfortable with the idea of her riding solo. Equally important was my firm rule regarding full time use of a helmet, gloves, and armored jacket. As noted, I should have also insisted on riding pants and boots.
Once the snow was mostly gone, we began basic operation instruction at the local high school parking lot. This included several hour long sessions covering clutch operation, shifting, braking, turn signals, and lane placement.
We used cones for braking practice and continued until she could stop the bike almost as well as I could. Due partially to the very low torque available on the Ninja at low RPM, she struggled for several sessions with the coordination of clutch and throttle for starting and shifting. I had a rare flash of insight and had her ride in front of me with her hands on mine while I operated the bike. There was a marked improvement the next time she rode and it soon ceased to be an issue. We stayed with the parking lot exercises until she could proficiently start, shift, and brake and also remember to turn off her turn signal after a turn.
By this time the real riding weather was upon us and she was anxious to get out on the road. She had scheduled the state sponsored motorcycle safety course well in advance so she was able to get her license promptly.
That summer we rode together at every opportunity. We live in a rural area with a local “big city” of only 75,000 people, so we never had to deal with the intensity and complexity of true big city riding. Each ride was a learning experience. I would often point to an obscure hazard like an on-coming car and an intersecting road on our right and then talk about it later at a lunch or Dairy Queen stop. As expected, she dumped the bike once, turning around on a 2 lane highway. She was fine and the bike suffered only a broken front blinker and scuffed handgrip. There were a few other occasions of rookie driver mistakes where she certainly would’ve dumped a larger bike, but was able to keep the little Ninja upright. Overall it was a great summer except for me gaining some pounds I really didn’t need.
When school started my daughter fervently insisted she was ready to ride to school. After explaining that rookies riding motorcycles in an area with a very high concentration of teenage drivers was a really bad idea, she reluctantly accepted my refusal to let her ride to school. At this point she had a lot more confidence than skill.
That same summer I also did my 1st attempt at road racing at the ripe young age of 52. While that’s another story entirely, it was of great interest to my daughter. After some discussion we picked up a wrecked SV650 race bike in November and spent the winter repairing it and prepping it for the following riding season.
Our plan was to eventually have her ride the FJR on a road trip the following summer. That winter I asked for input on the FJR forum about the feasibility of a 5’7” 135 pound female handling an FJR. We received some excellent advice regarding lowering the FJR and also about the probable benefit of adding some instruction from a 3rd party. Of course there were also the responses that suggested I was out of my mind to consider letting a teenage girl loose on a 150 Hp. motorcycle
More googling revealed some excellent advanced rider training available in the Minneapolis area. We signed up together for two classes, one somewhat euphemistically named “Hedonistic Enthusiasm”, and the second a beginner class at a superbly run organization called Zalusky Advanced Riding School. Both classes were on a 0.8 mile course at local tech college which was also used for truck driving and law enforcement training. Our daughters 2nd motorcycle Christmas included a full leather riding suit suitable for use on a racetrack along with the appropriate gloves and boots.
The classes turned out to be the most fun I’ve had motorcycling in many years. The instructor to student ratio was quite high, typically four or less students per instructor. There was an etiquette about the classes such that reckless behavior was simply not an acceptable option. There was virtually no pressure to “go fast” and students were often encouraged to slow down when having difficulty with new concepts.
The classes were structured in a progressive fashion working beginners through the initial apprehension of a “racetrack” environment through turn in, braking, body positioning, and a variety of other factors associated with properly controlling a motorcycle. The 1st two sessions were so much fun we ended up attending 5 of the advanced riding school classes and 2 track days on the 2.5 mile road course at Brainerd International Raceway.
That summer we both went down twice at the smaller track with all 4 incidents the result of rider errors. The crashes were injury free and great lessons in the value of protective riding gear and reinforced our commitment to wearing such gear on the street. I am convinced track riding, even on a big track where you might be doing speeds well in excess of 100 mph, is safer than riding in traffic.
An unexpected benefit of the track time was the complete end of any desire to ride at an aggressive rate on the street. Once we experienced the thrill of aggressive cornering without the ever present threat of gravel, sand, grass clippings, cows, debris, or any of the other myriad street hazards the desirability of railing a corner on the street faded considerably.
The only real negative of the entire experience was the tendency of the instructors to provide extensive feedback to a young and attractive female student after a track session while giving her dad little more to go on than “you’re doing well” or “get your butt off the seat a little more”. It was annoying the 1st few times but was so consistent I finally accepted the fact that the instructors found her to be a lot more interesting student.
Concurrent with the track instruction was my daughter’s street riding graduation from the diminutive Ninja to a bigger bike. That spring we rode together a few times with her again piloting the Ninja while she refreshed her skills and pushed for a chance to ride a bigger bike. Her 1st step up was a vintage 1978 GS750 Suzuki, mostly because it had one of the large crash bars mounted to the frame down tubes common in that era, that would protect the bike and the riders leg in the event of a tip over.
It was actually surprising how easily the larger bike was managed with the basic operation of a motorcycle already mastered. We covered low speed and parking considerations important to riders of larger bikes and taught her tricks like using the bounce of the fork suspension to get the big bike moving backward. She enjoyed the additional power and was asking for the opportunity to ride my newer bikes by the beginning of June as the cool factor of riding the vintage Suzuki was completely lost on her.
While she had no interest whatsoever in the GL1500 she was anxious to ride the ZRX and TLR. Despite all the training there was still some trepidation about putting her on one of the newer bikes mostly because a simple tip over could easily cost $1000 to repair. She ultimately did dump the ZRX once when she was unexpectedly forced to stop by traffic on a sloped area. However, that bike has little body work and case guards so the damage was limited to her pride, scratches on the guards, and a busted blinker.
A few rides on each of the newer bikes and she quickly decided the TLR was her preferred mount. The torquey V-twin was easy to manage and the sport bike looks matched her 17 year old concept of a “cool” motorcycle perfectly. We had many rides that summer with Dad on the ZRX and daughter on the TLR.
By mid-summer she had reached a skill and rider awareness level sufficient, in my opinion, to allow her to go solo. She rode that TLR everywhere; school, work, the gym, shopping; everywhere.
Since we planned a road trip to Yellowstone in August, some time on the FJR was also an important part of our summer riding. Over the winter I had installed lowering links which lowered the seat height by an inch and made the bike more manageable for me as well. This allowed her almost flat footed control of the bike at rest. Compared to the TLR, which is heavy and has a relatively high center of gravity, the FJR was easily mastered.
In preparation for our 2300 mile trip to Yellowstone we made a weekend trip of 400 miles each way to Grandma’s in Green Bay WI. The trip passed without incident except for the surprisingly poor fuel economy the FJR got on the outbound trip. I puzzled over this a lot and, after some discussion with the daughter, found out she had been riding the FJR the whole time IN 3RD GEAR! Apparently when someone learns to ride on a 250 that needs to be kept around 7000 rpm that person needs to be told that a 1000cc. plus bike can be run at a much more relaxed pace. The return trip featured summer Sunday afternoon “coming home from the lake cabin” traffic in Minneapolis so she also got her 1st taste of heavy urban traffic.
Our summer’s big trip to Yellowstone included daughter #1 piloting the FJR and Dad and daughter #2 on the Gold Wing. The trip passed without incident including a special moment when the girls told me the best part of their summers were our road trips. Beartooth pass and a stop in Sturgis during the annual rally were the high points of the trip for the girls.
The following school year daughter #1 was a high school senior. During that time she chose early enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps with a 5 year commitment. Now my new riding buddy will be someplace far away for most of the next 5 years. (Younger daughter likes to ride pillion but isn’t interested in riding.) We’re hoping to be able to schedule at least one or two summer road trips in the 5 years and have already decided we’re touring New Zealand after she gets out.
Overall the whole experience was very rewarding. The apprehension I had about her eventually going solo was greatly reduced by the training and the time I had to build my own confidence in her skills. Hopefully some of this could be helpful to some other Dad and maybe someday I’ll get to do it again with a grandson or daughter.
Training a Daughter to Ride
Like many of you riders I have kids with whom I’d like to share my hobby. I also want to protect my kids from every conceivable danger like any parent would. Unfortunately, my motorcycling passion provides some conflict since motorcycling has some unavoidable risk. This apprehension was easily managed when the kids were mere passengers as I was literally in the driver’s seat and comfortable with my own ability to manage the risk of street riding. A child of mine riding solo was a whole different matter. Training an offspring to ride was something I wanted to do very, very well.
I introduced each of my kids to motorcycling shortly after they became big enough to hold on by themselves. The oldest, a son, was only moderately interested and chose not to pursue it when he got old enough to drive. About the time my older daughter was twelve I began annual cross country trips after a long hiatus. The older took to riding like a duck to water and was already insisting I teach her to ride when she finally reached 16. The younger girl enjoyed the trips but had no interest in learning to ride.
Since I’m a bike nut with a vintage hobby, our stable is pretty diverse with a variety of bikes including a GL1500, FJR, ZRX1200R, and a TL1000R. As a way to pay for my hobby there is also a changing list of vintage bikes which I buy, fix, and put back on the road for fun and profit. However, none of these was what I considered a beginner bike particularly for a 5’7” female. After a lot of googling I decided that a 250 Ninja would make a suitable beginner bike. In November of 2006 after a few months of watching Craigslist I found a reasonably nice 1997 for $1300 that required virtually no maintenance or repair. The hot rod look of the bike immediately met with my daughter’s approval. The bike was prepped for winter storage, then put away for the long months untill spring. I sold the little Ninja for what I paid for it to a young woman that was tickled to get it eighteen months later.
Christmas that year included a leather riding jacket, helmet, and gloves. In hindsight I should have included armored riding pants and boots. A few months later, as the snow gradually disappeared, we had discussions about riding and rules. Once she had her license she would only ride with me for as long as it took for me to feel comfortable with the idea of her riding solo. Equally important was my firm rule regarding full time use of a helmet, gloves, and armored jacket. As noted, I should have also insisted on riding pants and boots.
Once the snow was mostly gone, we began basic operation instruction at the local high school parking lot. This included several hour long sessions covering clutch operation, shifting, braking, turn signals, and lane placement.
We used cones for braking practice and continued until she could stop the bike almost as well as I could. Due partially to the very low torque available on the Ninja at low RPM, she struggled for several sessions with the coordination of clutch and throttle for starting and shifting. I had a rare flash of insight and had her ride in front of me with her hands on mine while I operated the bike. There was a marked improvement the next time she rode and it soon ceased to be an issue. We stayed with the parking lot exercises until she could proficiently start, shift, and brake and also remember to turn off her turn signal after a turn.
By this time the real riding weather was upon us and she was anxious to get out on the road. She had scheduled the state sponsored motorcycle safety course well in advance so she was able to get her license promptly.
That summer we rode together at every opportunity. We live in a rural area with a local “big city” of only 75,000 people, so we never had to deal with the intensity and complexity of true big city riding. Each ride was a learning experience. I would often point to an obscure hazard like an on-coming car and an intersecting road on our right and then talk about it later at a lunch or Dairy Queen stop. As expected, she dumped the bike once, turning around on a 2 lane highway. She was fine and the bike suffered only a broken front blinker and scuffed handgrip. There were a few other occasions of rookie driver mistakes where she certainly would’ve dumped a larger bike, but was able to keep the little Ninja upright. Overall it was a great summer except for me gaining some pounds I really didn’t need.
When school started my daughter fervently insisted she was ready to ride to school. After explaining that rookies riding motorcycles in an area with a very high concentration of teenage drivers was a really bad idea, she reluctantly accepted my refusal to let her ride to school. At this point she had a lot more confidence than skill.
That same summer I also did my 1st attempt at road racing at the ripe young age of 52. While that’s another story entirely, it was of great interest to my daughter. After some discussion we picked up a wrecked SV650 race bike in November and spent the winter repairing it and prepping it for the following riding season.
Our plan was to eventually have her ride the FJR on a road trip the following summer. That winter I asked for input on the FJR forum about the feasibility of a 5’7” 135 pound female handling an FJR. We received some excellent advice regarding lowering the FJR and also about the probable benefit of adding some instruction from a 3rd party. Of course there were also the responses that suggested I was out of my mind to consider letting a teenage girl loose on a 150 Hp. motorcycle
More googling revealed some excellent advanced rider training available in the Minneapolis area. We signed up together for two classes, one somewhat euphemistically named “Hedonistic Enthusiasm”, and the second a beginner class at a superbly run organization called Zalusky Advanced Riding School. Both classes were on a 0.8 mile course at local tech college which was also used for truck driving and law enforcement training. Our daughters 2nd motorcycle Christmas included a full leather riding suit suitable for use on a racetrack along with the appropriate gloves and boots.
The classes turned out to be the most fun I’ve had motorcycling in many years. The instructor to student ratio was quite high, typically four or less students per instructor. There was an etiquette about the classes such that reckless behavior was simply not an acceptable option. There was virtually no pressure to “go fast” and students were often encouraged to slow down when having difficulty with new concepts.
The classes were structured in a progressive fashion working beginners through the initial apprehension of a “racetrack” environment through turn in, braking, body positioning, and a variety of other factors associated with properly controlling a motorcycle. The 1st two sessions were so much fun we ended up attending 5 of the advanced riding school classes and 2 track days on the 2.5 mile road course at Brainerd International Raceway.
That summer we both went down twice at the smaller track with all 4 incidents the result of rider errors. The crashes were injury free and great lessons in the value of protective riding gear and reinforced our commitment to wearing such gear on the street. I am convinced track riding, even on a big track where you might be doing speeds well in excess of 100 mph, is safer than riding in traffic.
An unexpected benefit of the track time was the complete end of any desire to ride at an aggressive rate on the street. Once we experienced the thrill of aggressive cornering without the ever present threat of gravel, sand, grass clippings, cows, debris, or any of the other myriad street hazards the desirability of railing a corner on the street faded considerably.
The only real negative of the entire experience was the tendency of the instructors to provide extensive feedback to a young and attractive female student after a track session while giving her dad little more to go on than “you’re doing well” or “get your butt off the seat a little more”. It was annoying the 1st few times but was so consistent I finally accepted the fact that the instructors found her to be a lot more interesting student.
Concurrent with the track instruction was my daughter’s street riding graduation from the diminutive Ninja to a bigger bike. That spring we rode together a few times with her again piloting the Ninja while she refreshed her skills and pushed for a chance to ride a bigger bike. Her 1st step up was a vintage 1978 GS750 Suzuki, mostly because it had one of the large crash bars mounted to the frame down tubes common in that era, that would protect the bike and the riders leg in the event of a tip over.
It was actually surprising how easily the larger bike was managed with the basic operation of a motorcycle already mastered. We covered low speed and parking considerations important to riders of larger bikes and taught her tricks like using the bounce of the fork suspension to get the big bike moving backward. She enjoyed the additional power and was asking for the opportunity to ride my newer bikes by the beginning of June as the cool factor of riding the vintage Suzuki was completely lost on her.
While she had no interest whatsoever in the GL1500 she was anxious to ride the ZRX and TLR. Despite all the training there was still some trepidation about putting her on one of the newer bikes mostly because a simple tip over could easily cost $1000 to repair. She ultimately did dump the ZRX once when she was unexpectedly forced to stop by traffic on a sloped area. However, that bike has little body work and case guards so the damage was limited to her pride, scratches on the guards, and a busted blinker.
A few rides on each of the newer bikes and she quickly decided the TLR was her preferred mount. The torquey V-twin was easy to manage and the sport bike looks matched her 17 year old concept of a “cool” motorcycle perfectly. We had many rides that summer with Dad on the ZRX and daughter on the TLR.
By mid-summer she had reached a skill and rider awareness level sufficient, in my opinion, to allow her to go solo. She rode that TLR everywhere; school, work, the gym, shopping; everywhere.
Since we planned a road trip to Yellowstone in August, some time on the FJR was also an important part of our summer riding. Over the winter I had installed lowering links which lowered the seat height by an inch and made the bike more manageable for me as well. This allowed her almost flat footed control of the bike at rest. Compared to the TLR, which is heavy and has a relatively high center of gravity, the FJR was easily mastered.
In preparation for our 2300 mile trip to Yellowstone we made a weekend trip of 400 miles each way to Grandma’s in Green Bay WI. The trip passed without incident except for the surprisingly poor fuel economy the FJR got on the outbound trip. I puzzled over this a lot and, after some discussion with the daughter, found out she had been riding the FJR the whole time IN 3RD GEAR! Apparently when someone learns to ride on a 250 that needs to be kept around 7000 rpm that person needs to be told that a 1000cc. plus bike can be run at a much more relaxed pace. The return trip featured summer Sunday afternoon “coming home from the lake cabin” traffic in Minneapolis so she also got her 1st taste of heavy urban traffic.
Our summer’s big trip to Yellowstone included daughter #1 piloting the FJR and Dad and daughter #2 on the Gold Wing. The trip passed without incident including a special moment when the girls told me the best part of their summers were our road trips. Beartooth pass and a stop in Sturgis during the annual rally were the high points of the trip for the girls.
The following school year daughter #1 was a high school senior. During that time she chose early enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps with a 5 year commitment. Now my new riding buddy will be someplace far away for most of the next 5 years. (Younger daughter likes to ride pillion but isn’t interested in riding.) We’re hoping to be able to schedule at least one or two summer road trips in the 5 years and have already decided we’re touring New Zealand after she gets out.
Overall the whole experience was very rewarding. The apprehension I had about her eventually going solo was greatly reduced by the training and the time I had to build my own confidence in her skills. Hopefully some of this could be helpful to some other Dad and maybe someday I’ll get to do it again with a grandson or daughter.
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