Got home from my twelve hour shift today and it was such a nice day I wanted to go for a ride. After being home long to get something to eat and tell the wife I loved her, my 3 year old daughter comes up to me, shows me her new shoes and asks to go for a ride on my motorcycle. This was something we had done once before, so it wasn't a complete surprise.

After I backed the bike out of the steeped driveway I picked her up and sat her in front of me on the gas tank with her legs draped over mine and her hands on my arms. She is much taller than the average 3 year old (wears 5T in everything) so it actually felt very solid and controlled.

Anyway, we started off around our neighborhood in first gear on about a 2 mile route that we had done before. She absolutely loved it and waved at everyone who was outside enjoying the nice evening air. Again, we never got out of first gear and never above 10-11 mph. I would work the clutch where appropriate and give it just enough gas to keep it from choking out.

I loved this little bit of time with my beautiful daughter and she loved being on daddy's big "Black" motorcycle (the fastest color). However, on the way home I started feeling a little heat coming from the engine, but nothing more that I would feel while riding for real and stopping at a light. When I felt the heat I started thinking if this fun time with my daughter might actually be very harmful to my engine. I'm not quite sure how the oil pump works on the bike and didn't know if the low RPM's we kept the bike at would prohibit adequate lubrication and cooling. So as much as I loved this time with my daughter, How Smart Is This? for my bike.

 

At 10MPH you have air flow, at anything over 1000 RPM you have oil flowing, enjoy your time with your daughter. I used to live in the country and did the same thing with my daughter about the same age, we would run up to about 40 MPH. I remember one day she looked up and said "Daddy, make more wind". I knew she was hooked and she still loves "the wind", now 25 years later ....... Enjoy it while you can.

 

Not harmful at all to your cycle, but smart you ain't. Today I read about a guy just cruising through Denver on a green light (so obviously in town) and gets T-boned by a mindless teenager who roared through a RED light nine seconds after it turned red. All was documented by a city traffic camera.

If he was struck while in a car or pickup I doubt there would have been serious injuries. As it is, he having been wearing both helmet and a protected cycle jacket, is seriously injured. I doubt that there is a helmet in the world made for a 3-year old. And I just bet she wasn't wearing much other crash protection.

We adults all love to ride. Some of us are just too stupid to realize the dangers that have nothing to do with our own riding capability. And to prove that, you are concerned about harming your cycle at 11-mph! Get the kid off the cycle and keep her off. You have a right to expose yourself to the inherent danger in riding a cycle. You do not have the right to expose your daughter to the same.

 

Let me be sure I have this straight - you're plopping your 3 year old on your lap on a bike and you're worried about the bike?

 

I have lots of yard and take gkids for rides .Not on slab. 1st gear and on the grass.

 

I am a little conflicted. Not about the bike, but about riding with your little daughter. I know you didn't ask for our opinions on that facet of the story, but I'll weigh in since others have cracked the nut.
I see no real issue as long as you stay in the neighborhood, away from intersections, keep it in first, and keep it short.
But, you seem like a great guy and father, and you must ask yourself about how you would deal with a crash if some idiot teenager backs out of their driveway and hits you, or some neighborhood dog runs out and causes you to make some jerky moves that might cause you to lose control. I just bring this up not at all in a critical way, just throwing it out for thought. Anything can happen, regardless of your intentions. Be safe.

 

I would do the same as you if I had a child. BUT, wife is not a rider and would never allow me.

 

Yeah, and recently up here in Wisconsin we had some people standing in their yard talking to their neighbors, about 100 feet from the curb when a drunk woman in her car came over the curb, ran them down in the yard, I believe two of them died. What would you have us do, lock ourselves in our basement? Seriously, life happens, so savor those moments you can enjoy, mitigate the risk until it's acceptable to you and live man, live! Somebody said it best in another thread, enjoy this life, you'll be dead for a long time. I'm ready!

 

I appreciate the concern for my daughter and anticipated some of the backlash for having her on the bike. Let me assure you that I would NEVER do this if I EVER had any concerns about her safety. We live in a very quiet neighborhood that is significantly off the largest major road. We regularly take walks with her holding our hands down most of the route we took today. We actually had one lady in a Caddy who stayed behind us from one road to the next and when I stopped to look back and wave her around she had the biggest smile on her face, waved, and turned into her road. My mother-in-law (whom we are living with right now) is the most over protective person I know and she sat and watched the whole thing without a word.

So thanks for the concern, but she was never in any more danger than she would have been playing in the front yard. If I was in ya'lls shoes, not knowing the environment, I would probably be asking some of the same questions.

 

well said Frog.... enjoy the time with the daughter on the bike, be careful and she will grow up remembering the great time with dad on the motorcycle!!
The bike will be fine; nothing different than riding in a parade, thats why we have "parade"mode.