My son got pulled over

[sangesf]

My point was basically this...
If you feel a child is able to ride something that could very easily get him or you into trouble, make sure it's not around anyone else.

 

[give me vtec]

I don't plan on letting him ride alone... We would ride together on "rides" to different places I have been on my bike. I was thinking of letting him ride the eho35 GEBE townie and I ride his 80cc... that way he could get used to riding an MB before he gets the two stroke w/clutch. His dad isn't really around in his life and male centered activity is pretty critical in his life right now... he is EXTREMELY intelligent and seems to be into the MB thing and working on my cars with me. I like to include him whenever I can and this seems to be a good venue.

 

[scokes]

I think you are doing the right thing. vtec. Just be careful with him. I would have killed myself on an MB when I was nine.

 

[give me vtec]

I think you are doing the right thing. vtec. Just be careful with him. I would have killed myself on an MB when I was nine.

Yeah me too... but he isn't an adrenaline junkie, his brother is. I think he just likes the build, after a while I think his enthusiasm will die down and he will move on to the next thing. He is like me... sometime he isn't after the juice, just the squeeze.

 

[SimpleSimon]

I had a scooter when I was a wee lad (literally - I was about 3 foot tall) with a gas engine on it that my Dad and I put together using an old lawnmower engine and a steel push scooter. Powered by friction drive by letting the weight of the engine hold the caster wheel on the crank against the rear wheel of the scoot.

We built it when I about 6, and at first I just rode it on our 100 yard long asphalted driveway. Pretty quick I was out on the county road it entered, and soon enough I was riding it to the nearest store (about 3.5 miles) on the back roads. It wasn't really very long before I was riding it into town (about 5 miles) on the state highway to get to the library or wherever.

We built that thing because I wore Forrest Gump style braces, and I couldn't pedal a bicycle. That, and I persuaded Dad (and more importantly, Mom) that I could be trusted on it by first coming up with the idea, second drawing out the design, and third being an active part of actually building it. The biggest drawback was that the only brake was engine compression or my foot.

I rode that thing everywhere, with an absolute guarantee of one thing from my folks - if I let ANYONE else ride it, it was gone - which included my two older brothers or my sisters. They trusted me to ride it sensibly - they didn't trust my siblings (especially my immediately older brother) to do so.

So, VTEC, two things: 1) Kudos to you for being there and sharing things with the lad; and 2) you know him, we don't, and you know his capabilities - help him grow those capabilities by experience with guidance.

A child who grows up without scars is one who never had a childhood.

 

[Mountainman]

one can get hurt or even killed give me vtec

my nephew is 9 and we are building one for him... what do you guys think? Should I connect the chain and let him ride the grubee 80cc powered cruiser... or make him wait a while?

as we know one can get hurt or killed on one of these things
kind of amazing that here in Calif they let one ride at 16
it's a good THING I think
grandpa put me on a 7 1/2 HP two wheeler at the prox age of 6 or 7
man that was fun
did crash badly one time
grandpa said that I was out for if I remember 15 to 20 minutes
if I was going to give my nephew a MB
would be sure that it's ok with his parents
remembering that if someTHING happens it will be hard to live with ourselfs...

but kids of all ages love to ride these THINGS !!!

 

[AndyT]

When I was 9 or so my dad bought my uncle's mini bike for me. It had a Clinton 2.5hp 2 stroke on it. I never wore a helmet, rode it on the street when I could, and never got caught. That was 44 years ago, and times are different. Get the kid a helmet and make him wear protective gear and go have some fun.

 

[theamusingnerd]

As long as you don't let him ride on an open road (aka only in your yard or in a field with no one else around) then it's cool..

Anyone who let's someone that's under the legal age knowingly ride on an open road with the chance that they can injure others should be smacked upside the head. I don't care how mature, they SEEM, they still aren't truly aware of how dangerous a vehicle that can move more than 15 miles and hour, can actually be. It's a recipe for disaster. My 13 yr old rides an electric bike that goes 15 mph and has no clue how dangerous it is because to him a bicycle, in ANY form, is more of a toy than anything else.. Same thing with paintball.. To him it's kind of a toy, but I explained to him how dangerous something like that is, by letting him get hit by ONE paintball from 100' away... After that. He got the point. Unfortunately with a motored bike, that lesson can't be learned without major hurt.

I ride all over town on mine, and have been since I was 13. I completely understand how dangerous a 70lb bike doing 30mph is. I have been driving golf carts since I could reach the pedals, and once again have never had an issue. I drove a car for the first time when I was 8 on a farm. What is it that magically happens on your 16th birthday?

 

[Fabian]

Why would you let your 14 year old go riding on a Moped on the Public roads without you, that's the way to DEFINITELY get him pulled over.

just my .02

I agree.

 

[Fabian]

My 13 yr old rides an electric bike that goes 15 mph and has no clue how dangerous it is because to him a bicycle, in ANY form, is more of a toy than anything [else...] Unfortunately with a motored bike, that lesson can't be learned without major hurt.

I agree.

Even a plain pedal powered bicycle in the wrong hands can be a recipe for disaster.
Unfortunately when some irresponsible person does something stupid, the legislators stand around rubbing their hands together to create legislation to "ban" that activity; lumping all responsible persons into the same boat, and in turn, completely wrecking their recreational hobby; which causes no harm to those persons or to anyone else; when used in a sensible manner.