I would like some advise for my son

[PSk]

Okay my 19 year old son is a smart guy but is one of the most mechanically inebt persons I have ever met. The thread/question about the Suzuki kick stand cutout would be beyond his abilities, he would possibly have found the switch but then gone blank and moved onto who cares what that is for ...

Example: He recently replaced his leaking radiator in his small car with one from a wrecker. He went and got one, removed the old one and installed the new one ... so far perfect , and then he didn't put any water in it ... only filled the overflow bottle. I guess all the water that poured out of the old radiator must have come from the ... well heck I guess he thought that overflow bottle must have some sort of larger than it looks qualities. Anyway unfortunately he then drove it over for me to check ... and yeah she was cooked .

Also he has now got 2 vehicles within a month stuck on our front lawn ... when there is a bricked area for him to keep his driving wheels on. Obviously does not understand that concept

Now as he has stuffed his little car he's thought, lets get a motorcycle ...

Can you guys point me to a site that somebody his age would respect/read that would give him some 'how it works' background, because I personally think it is an important safety issue when riding a m/c. With a car you can get away with doing some stupid things and not understanding what does what ... but not anywhere near as much with a m/c.

Things like why you don't ride down the centre of a lane ... because of that is where the oil from leaky cars drip. Why your front brake is so important?, and why if you need to modulate your cornering speed you use the rear brake, etc. How to adjust a chain ...

Thanks and yes I obviously snck as a teacher, hander down of mechanical knowledge.
Pete

[ducman491]

Well if he is anything like my son (8 yrs) he doesn't want to hear it from you anyway. In the States he could take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. I would think there is some equivalent in Oz. If you can't find anything go to a BMW motorcycle dealer and ask to be put in contact with a member of the BMW club for info. They are probably the most safety oriented group out there. Even more than the Goldwing Club, I have never seen anyone riding a Beemer in shorts and sandals. They like myself are believers in the ATGATT. All The Gear All The Time. Good Luck. Even though I ride the thought of my son riding scares the crap out of me.

[PSk]

Originally Posted by ducman491

Well if he is anything like my son (8 yrs) he doesn't want to hear it from you anyway. In the States he could take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. I would think there is some equivalent in Oz.

He has already bought a 1980 something bike, thankfully a 250, and asked me to ride it to his house ... but he has not done the training course yet. I'm naturally worried that he will go riding before getting his license, but more importantly before the excellent 2 day course. Can't really stop him . I also do not think he has any gear yet ...

Even though I ride the thought of my son riding scares the crap out of me.

Exactly and I've tried to explain this to him, ie: killing myself is one thing, but not my son!, who simply does not have enough driving experience (only had his car license for a couple of years, not long off P's). I know and accept that I'm a useless rider, just concentrate on staying safe ... letting the faster guys leave me in their dust is no longer an issue, etc.

In the end you cannot say no to kids ... so I'm going to try and do "lets service our bikes together" sort of things ...
Pete

[viper1]

Recommendation: Bicycle!

[Ben710]

Would it be an option to get him on a motocross machine first? If you fear that he´s probably going to fall off a motorcycle, it wouldn´t hurt as much in a cross machine, but could have the same impact on him (like "oh hey, it hurts when I do this and that").

Or better, tell him if he buys a bike, he has to attend a safety course and maybe a guided track day later. The better his skills, the lower the chances of him falling off.

In regards to the mechanical side, your idea of "let´s do this together" is really good. He is going to have to make some experience the hard way. I had to at least, learning that being aware of what you´re doing will have an effect on your safety. Like that one day at the race track, when I came back to the pits and was staring at my rear wheel. It looked somewhat strange... with the big sprocket nut missing... urgh....

In the end, you can´t help your son if he´s acting crazy in traffic. I think we all have been there and acted like idiots. Maybe that´s part of the experience.

[Multitard]

I would start by not riding it over to his house. Make him keep it at yours until you've taught him enough, and seen him ride it in a safe manner.

[PSk]

Originally Posted by Multitard

I would start by not riding it over to his house. Make him keep it at yours until you've taught him enough, and seen him ride it in a safe manner.

Hmm, I think at 19 he will not take kindly to this ... maybe keeping it at my house until he has his L's (thus done the course) might be a reluctant compromise.

I might also see if my neighbour (BMW rider) and his son (Honda 600RR rider ... had a big stack on the track, but atleast he was in the right place) can spare some time to chat with him ... ie. it's not me talking this time
Pete

[Vince]

Do a seach on Netrider,its an OZ based forum that takes new riders to heart,they do learner training and fix your bike days,plus there are ride days with experianced blokes doing mentoring,I have dobbed myself into doing a 3 ferries run in 2 weeks that will be L and P plate freindly,why not come along Pete and check it out,thats The Old Rd,North side of Wisemans ect,there will be a few 250 there
Vince

[PSk]

Originally Posted by Vince

Do a seach on Netrider,its an OZ based forum that takes new riders to heart,they do learner training and fix your bike days,plus there are ride days with experianced blokes doing mentoring,I have dobbed myself into doing a 3 ferries run in 2 weeks that will be L and P plate freindly,why not come along Pete and check it out,thats The Old Rd,North side of Wisemans ect,there will be a few 250 there
Vince

Okay sent him the url, thanks. If he has his license by then I'll suggest it .

Pete

[PSk]

Hmmm, I'm not sure my GS500E will be ready for that run (new tyres, service), but I'm thinking about it. Quite a difference between the too bikes (to me anyway) and I think I've got rusty/lazy.

I guess I need to be a member?
Pete

[Vince]

I would not get to excited,have you seen the weather forcast,its ugly,getting sick of these wet weekends

[Ben710]

Now look at you two Aussies complaining about bad weather.

Feel free to take a trip to Hannover during European winter and you shall never bitch and moan again!

[Vince]

I know,I cop it on another forum when the weather gets talked about,its always doable in Sydney,even though it snowed 100ks west 2 weeks ago,its just that we have had 3 or 4 very wet weekends in a row with brilliant mid week sunshine,its always better when the suns out

[PSk]

I've got a potentially silly question to ask. I'm assuming because I believe the GS has a wet clutch that I need to run m/c oil ... is this true?.

I've been running expensive m/c oil in my little GN because of this for years ... have I been wasting money?

I would have posted this on a GS site or 2 that I found but they seem somewhat differently focused ...

Thanks
Pete

[lushbaugh-00'748]

any oil without friction modifiers will work fine as long as its in recomended weight range