How good a Dad am I? Updated again.

[carlosthejack...]

I'm going to put this in New Bikers hoping that it will inspire others.

My lad's 17, coming up 18. He's working full time, but about 3 miles away, on a route that doesn't have a direct bus. And he works some evil shifts. 5am starts, and some midnight finishes. Me and the missus also work shifts, and can't always drop him off (5am, are you mad?) or pick him up, so he needs transport. He wants a bike. His mum agrees, so for his 18th we've bought him a Malaguti 125, which we picked up on Saturday. Unfortunately, I had to ride it home (it was hilarious) because the previous Wednesday, he took his CBT and failed. Miserably. Granted, he's never had any riding or driving experience before, so despite all the talking we did prior to him doing it, and a bit sat on my bike going through controls etc, Wednesday was his first ever time on powered transport. Now he's fine with balance, he's done crazy shit for years on BMX and skateboards, but as we all know, synchronising and coordinating all four limbs with brain and eyes is a different thing altogether, especially for a 6'5" ginger freak!

When I pick him up on my bike, the instructor tells me "he doesn't look like a natural biker. We'll get him through it, but it might take a few sessions". My lad's devastated. He thinks he's wasting his time, the instructors time, our money, and all the while he knows that the bike is bought and paid for. Lots of discussion of possibilities and options later, we decide to get the bike and crack on with him ourselves. I rode it home while he was still at work. When he gets home, this shiny new toy's on the drive. He gets all giddy again about his brand new, 0 mileage (well it was until I rode it home) bike. It's newer than anything me and his mum have ever owned, what a pisser.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon. We'd been out at friends Saturday night, very late finish (I was 3am) and serious red wine head Sunday morning. Luckily a cup of coffee and a 12 mile drive home in the sunshine with all the windows open blew the cobwebs away. When we get home, dirty stopout's that we are, the lad's waiting. Nervous, but wanting a go. So after a bite of lunch, we ride over to a huge patch of unused field near us.

It's pretty obvious immediately why he struggled on the CBT. He just couldn't set off without stalling. Every single time it would take him two or three goes just to struggle off in 1st gear. So I ask him how he's trying to set off. He tells me he's been told that he's got to let the clutch out to the biting point and then ease on the gas. He's just not getting it. So I say, give it a bit of gas first, before you let the clutch out, just a bit, just to have some revs for the clutch to bite onto. He objects. Obviously the instructors have been doing this years and know what they're talking about. I ask him to indulge me. I'd ridden the bike for a few miles by this time, I'd worked out how the single cylinder needed to be ridden. Go on son, just try it the way I say. Ok, he says, winds it on a little then eases out on the clutch. Off he goes. Does a little circuit. Stops. Does it again. Out of about 30 launches, he only stalls about 3 times, and they were just misjudgements. He's starting to get the hang of it, starting to look ahead at where he's going (after being repeatedly told to stop looking at his front wheel) and is happily wobbling round this little circuit using about a fifth of the field in first gear.

He's sat on my bike and mimicked gear changes, so I told him that's what we were doing next. He'd not got to his point on his CBT, so he starts to panic again. I calm him down and explain what I want him to do. Off he goes, up into second, bit quicker, bit of a longer circuit, back round to me, off the gas, into 1st and stop. He does this a few times, and only hits me twice. I explain about throttling off and using engine braking in second, before clutch in and dropping to first. So a bit more practice and that and he's nailing it every time. He's getting quicker too, so I tells him that I want him to do the full circuit of the field, up to third on the straights and down to second for the corners and carry on until I tell him to stop. Off he goes, does half a dozen circuits, perfectly, up and down the gears, getting quicker and quicker, before I brought him to a stop and got him off the bike. At this point he's grinning like a Cheshire cat (or a ginger pussy, dependent on your POV) and begging me to let him have another go. I tells him that the engine's air-cooled, it's warm and needs a breather. As does he. He uses the 5 minutes to have a smoke, and yabbers on about how great he's feeling. I'm smiling by this point too. After Wednesday his confidence was at such a low I doubted that we'd ever get him on the bike again. Now, I'm struggling to get him off it.

So by this time his pecker's up, so I gave him free rein. We're on grass, so I told him to go to town, right up the gears, as fast as he dare go, but I still want him down to second for the corners. He's nervous again, but I told him again what I wanted, and that he was good enough now to do it. Off he shoots. He is getting quicker and quicker. After about 20 minutes hooning round, I'm knackered, it's hot, and I've had enough. I beckon him over and he jumps off. He's bouncing and buzzing and grinning and laughing. How fast? I ask. I saw 35 he says (digital speedo). Nice. And on Wednesday he'd got to starting, riding in a straight line, and stopping. He's got some way to go still, but 5 more sessions? I don't think so. A couple more weeks and we'll rebook his CBT, and this time he'll piss it. "Natural biker"? What's one of them then? He looked pretty natural to me after two hours of no pressure riding, and he'll be even more natural after a few more hours of the same, even if he does look like Marco Simoncelli on a monkey bike. The look on his face and the massive self confidence boost was amazing!

I did that. Made me feel pretty awesome.

As for the bike, it's hilarious. Crap on A roads and dual carriageways, but round urban streets it's a hoot! Light, flickable, throaty. Ok, it pulls like a small kitten on a polished floor, but it's proper fun!

Moral of the story is, if you're nervous about your abilities, don't be. You will get there, and you will have more fun than you ever thought possible without a member of the opposite sex or masturbation. They're both over fairly quickly. A motorcycle just needs a fill up now and again but will go forever!

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DonnyBrago: "I think you may be confusing rain and napalm..." Paulington: "It's not what you ride, it's how you ride it."
Current rides: '05 VFR800 VTEC, '57 Mondeo 1.8 TDCi #58LEGEND

[Hetzer]

You're a fcuking star mate, and a hero to your boy right now. Well done mate.
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"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

[BigGeeking]

A1 mate good write up
lucky lad
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Bendy "Flip front. I can filter down the M4 while shoving a Twix in my face."
honda CG 125 2001 SOLD-- current Bandit 400--SOLD. current SV650s 2000
MOD 1 ON 20/7/2011**passed** MOD 2 ON 17/10/2011***passed***,,

[pinkyfloyd]

What they said. Hopefully he'll keep going from strength to strength. You passed your test very recently so theres no reason why you cant get him through his. You can teach him everything you were taught for the DAS course you done. Get him through his license independantly and save yourself a few bob. Has the bonus of quality time and a great laugh doing it.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[Dub-bitz]

That could have been written for me... Can you come up here and be my surrogate dad for a day and get me to the same standard???
I had a young lad with me on my CBT and he just made me look like i had webbed hands....

[carlosthejack...]

[VTRkemshell10...]

[Timbo Foggins]

Good job

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[TheSmiler]

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CB125>CG125>GN125>ER5>K100RS>R1100RS>K100RS
A2 completed 23/07/15 Ready for the Golden Crisp Packet

[crackfinder]

I'm a dad too and reading this made me smile and laugh out loud, it is an excellent read, loved the humour and I can almost feel your pride from here... well done
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Yamaha FZS600 Fazer (gone but not forgotten). Current - Kawasaki ZX6R A1P

[Dub-bitz]

[Quornholio]

I remember my first CBT... I was just as bad, but thankfully the instructor afforded me a lot of time, and I got through it in the end

[Dub-bitz]

[Mehty]

Good job! Hope your son enjoys his bike! The instructors must have been doing something wrong? :/

If only all parents had the patience and the willingness to help, even after 35 hours of driving lessons, speaking with my instructor, being fully insured.. My parents wouldn't let my drive their car.. let alone buy me a bike.

[carlosthejack...]

[Dan87]

Absolutely spot on mate!

My little 'un is only three (albeit it going on 20), but reading that did make me smile. On a totally different scale altogether but nothing like teaching your kids to do something, and see their HUGE grin after

Top man!

[Mehty]

[P.addy]

Nice one.

I had never sat on a bike before my CBT... but I had watched my brother in law ride it home from peterborough so I wasn't going to not bother with the CBT.

Booked it for 2 days later, wobbled like jelly till midday.

Was crap at corners, stalling, target fixation... but it came with time.

Tell the ginger freak... (genuinely lol'd) that its all nerves, he'll soon be whizzing round and learning the rules of the road, its a big learning curve, but much more fun than this car business

[Muscle Bike Rider]

Nice one mate... taught my son how to ride a geared bike after he done his cbt on a twist n go, and gave him my varadero 125, its a great feeling. Brill write up, just shows how some patience and common sense prevails.
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Previously Known As A5tra_G
Old Bikes :2010 Kawasaki ER6 F & 2000 Honda VTR Firestorm
Current Bike : XJR1300

[SweenyT]

[binaryferret]

Awesome You can feel the pride emanating from this post
Good read.
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CBT: 07/2011 | Theory: 08/2012 | Current Bike: Yamaha YBR 125 Custom 2009

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

I'm gonna slap myself on the back(props to the mum).

Noticed that being more me and less Dad, has allowed me to have a good friend.
And as Fegal Sharkey once squarked..'A good heart these days is hard to find.'..etc etc.
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The Harry Turner Project

[Frost]

OH MY GOD!



SERIOUSLY?!



YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING?!



YOUR SON'S A GINGER?!

Fuck that, i used to think you were cool...

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

He has a point.
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[L-Jam]

Made me smile, and i'm not even a homo!
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Journalist, student, egotist.
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