All:

My father rode when he was young, Vespas and up through 350cc Yamahas and
Kawasakis. Not much power but did ride them all over Europe from
Switzerland up to Scandinavia and over to England - he could pull the
engine out, plop it on the kitchen table and fix any damn thing. Still
can, I would bet, he keeps a 1963 Citroen 2CV running like a dream.

My first motorcycle memories are when I was seven or eight, sitting on the
back of his bike holding the six-pack between us on the way home from the
pub. Perfectly acceptable in 1970s England of course.

My father stopped riding in the late 70s and hasn't ridden since. A few
years back he took the MSF course and passed with flying colors. But no
actual street riding other than a few miles on my 2002 Honda Shadow
VT750DC a year or two ago.

Now he's been given permission (by my mother) to get another bike, at age
sixty-two. Of course I'm concerned. So far:

1. I've given him my Shadow which he has yet to ride since I dropped it
off two weeks ago.

2. I've given him my Aerostich Darien Jacket which I no longer use.

3. I've taken him out to buy a full-face Shoei, Sidi boots and leather
gloves.

4. I've told him point-blank that he's in one of the highest accident
categories and that he ought to be careful, very careful. Ironically this
is the same speech he gave me when I started riding eight years ago, but
now I feel justified in giving it back. He's told me he's a little scared
and will take it slow, slow, slow.

5. This weekend I'm riding up to see him and I plan to get him on the bike
in a nearby parking lot to run back through as much of the MSA curriculum
as either of us can recall.

Can anyone offer any other advice I can pass on to make sure my father
does the best he can to reduce the risks involved?

Many thanks,
Justin

2007 Suzuki SV650
1969 Triumph TR25W

In article <g8ihiu$2u2$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu>, "Justin" <no@spam.com>
wrote:

> Can anyone offer any other advice I can pass on to make sure my father
> does the best he can to reduce the risks involved?

In addition to the practicing you're doing from memory, invite him to
take the MSF class, "as a refresher."

Hey, if your buddy who hasn't flown in twenty years just bought a Cessna
and wanted to go barnstorming in it, you'd have him take an FAA
refresher course and get recertified, right? Same thing. :-)

--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com>
faq: http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/faq.shtml

Timberwoof wrote:
> In article <g8ihiu$2u2$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu>, "Justin" <no@spam.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Can anyone offer any other advice I can pass on to make sure my father
>> does the best he can to reduce the risks involved?
>
> In addition to the practicing you're doing from memory, invite him to
> take the MSF class, "as a refresher."
>
> Hey, if your buddy who hasn't flown in twenty years just bought a Cessna
> and wanted to go barnstorming in it, you'd have him take an FAA
> refresher course and get recertified, right? Same thing. :-)


I flew for a living for a few years between my first career and third (and
current) career. Then I had about 15 years off due to a suspicious EKG. To
make a long story short, I went through a complete cardiac workup in preparation
for some surgery and came away with a clean report on my hear... which got me a
new medical to fly again.

I went to my usual airport and plopped down my credit card to rent an airplane
and hire an instructor. Some of the radio stuff had changed over the years
(GPS) but flying was still flying. Two flights later I had a current bienial
flight review. I flew down to the coast not long after that and stumbled into a
thunderstorm. All of the sudden I was using everything I'd ever learned to keep
myself right side up. But the old skills were still there and so I survived. I
then spent about 90 minutes in their sim getting an instrument competency check.
Now I was legal to fly instruments again.

There was still some anxiety involved. The best way to deal with it was just go
out and face your fears. The more you face them and they don't get realized,
the less fear there is.

Getting back to your father's situation, I also strongly recommend he take
another MSF course. He will do great (which ought to build his confidence) and
then he needs to go for a ride.

I am a brand new biker (been licensed for a week) but I've flown since 1978
(except 1992-2005). I understand your father's reluctance but I also believe he
can overcome it.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

"Justin" <no@spam.com> wrote in message
news:g8ihiu$2u2$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
> All:
>
> My father rode when he was young, Vespas and up through 350cc Yamahas and
> Kawasakis. Not much power but did ride them all over Europe from
> Switzerland up to Scandinavia and over to England - he could pull the
> engine out, plop it on the kitchen table and fix any damn thing. Still
> can, I would bet, he keeps a 1963 Citroen 2CV running like a dream.
>
> My first motorcycle memories are when I was seven or eight, sitting on the
> back of his bike holding the six-pack between us on the way home from the
> pub. Perfectly acceptable in 1970s England of course.
>
> My father stopped riding in the late 70s and hasn't ridden since. A few
> years back he took the MSF course and passed with flying colors. But no
> actual street riding other than a few miles on my 2002 Honda Shadow
> VT750DC a year or two ago.
>
> Now he's been given permission (by my mother) to get another bike, at age
> sixty-two. Of course I'm concerned. So far:
>
> 1. I've given him my Shadow which he has yet to ride since I dropped it
> off two weeks ago.
>
> 2. I've given him my Aerostich Darien Jacket which I no longer use.
>
> 3. I've taken him out to buy a full-face Shoei, Sidi boots and leather
> gloves.
>
> 4. I've told him point-blank that he's in one of the highest accident
> categories and that he ought to be careful, very careful. Ironically this
> is the same speech he gave me when I started riding eight years ago, but
> now I feel justified in giving it back. He's told me he's a little scared
> and will take it slow, slow, slow.
>
> 5. This weekend I'm riding up to see him and I plan to get him on the bike
> in a nearby parking lot to run back through as much of the MSA curriculum
> as either of us can recall.
>
> Can anyone offer any other advice I can pass on to make sure my father
> does the best he can to reduce the risks involved?
>
> Many thanks,
> Justin
>
> 2007 Suzuki SV650
> 1969 Triumph TR25W
>

Born May 1946. Never owned a bike before. 6 hours training on a BMW 600GS in
April 2007. Started riding on a naked Honda 1000cc in May 2007. About 100
km, twice a week, in dense traffic, without noticeable problems. Dropped the
damn thing a few times while standing still, just like every starter. Hope
to ride 10 of 15 more years.

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:49:18 +0000 (UTC), "Justin" <no@spam.com>
wrote:

>My father stopped riding in the late 70s and hasn't ridden since.
>
>Now he's been given permission (by my mother) to get another bike, at age
>sixty-two. Of course I'm concerned. So far:...
>
>1. I've given him my Shadow which he has yet to ride since I dropped it
>off two weeks ago....
>
>... He's told me he's a little scared
>and will take it slow, slow, slow.
>

It sounds like he may not really _want_ to ride. If he's not eager to
ride, I wouldn't push him into it.

--
Turby the Turbosurfer