My youngest (16) has always been a petrol head. Even as a small kid he was riding pillion on friend's bikes (you wouldn't get me on the bloody things-Organ Donation Machines I call them), driving tractors for local farmers and helping me strip down car engines.

All he's ever wanted to do is ride a motorbike.

When he was 13 he got caught a couple of times illegally riding scooters/mopeds. So I did a deal with him back then: If he didn't ride illegally then the day he turned 16 he could have a scooter/licence etc (they have to be 16 here to ride a 50cc by law).

Both his mom and i weren't happy about him riding but he kept his word and at the start of this month he turned 16 and I kept mine.

He got a 50cc scooter which has been his pride and joy. He was so happy. Happier than I've ever known him. In couple of weeks he's had it , he's done a good couple of hundred miles on it.

Then this afternoon I asked him to go to the supermarket for me to get a couple of things i had forgotten. Its been raining here hard for almost 48 hours and the roads are WET.

He came home shaking, almost in tears and clearly in shock. He had been turning off a main road , he looked and looked and suddenly a car appeared from seemingly nowhere. Son swerved to avoid the collision and came off his bike. Luckily neither he nor the bike were damaged but he came in saying he wants to sell the bike and never ride again. He can't get the fear, the image of what might have happened out of his mind.

Don't get me wrong, personally I'd be kinda happy if he never rode again, like I said those things scare the sweet fuck outta me.

But its heartbreaking to see him ready to give up on his dream.

So anyway, I've told him he can of course sell the bike if thats what he wants to do but before he does he IS going out on it again. And that he'll have to trust Dad on this one.

I don't expect him to change his mind but I don't want him scared of driving in general.

I've explained to him that car driving can be just as scary and that there have been times that I've had to get out of the car and vomit after a near miss at a 150.

So bike riders, what else should i be saying to him/doing?

You've done him right. He's been into this his whole life, and you've told him not to be afraid of one bump. Yeah, crashes suck, but the time you spend riding is awesome.

At least it was just a 50cc scooter and not a 600-1000cc crotch rocket (sportbike).

Just like my dad says, it's the other assholes on the road that won't see YOU that end up making you lay down your bike. Be armored up and ready to lay it down, because there's a substantial chance you could get whacked.

And please don't make him ride in the rain anymore!

You can't be confident on a motorbike until you have come off it, at least once.

Motorbikes are dangerous, I don't think you will find a rider out there who will deny that. If you ride a bike, you accept that danger.

While learning to drive, I was always told to treat everyone else on the road like an idiot. Stupid and unpredictable. This applies moreso when it comes to riding a bike, as you're protected by what little you're wearing... there's no hunks of metal to take the impact.

Both my brother and I, and a lot of our friends, have been in motorbike accidents and never came out with more than scrapes and bruised pride. That's because we weren't stupid, didn't take unnecessary risks and always picked ourselves and our bikes back up, and drove on as if nothing had happened.

. Be armored up

Yep that was always part of the original deal. He has to wear spine armour. The rest of him can be fixed..sorta.

He probably understands now why I tore into him the other day for forgetting to wear it.

The rain thing is a fault on my part but you have understand it rains 360 days a year here and I figured if he could handle a bike in the wet then he'd be safer when dry.

Roads are a bloody risk.
My father was big on motorbikes, till he got into an accident. He decided he didn't want his kids to lose a father, so he quit riding.
I lost a friend in a car accident.. I have a big mistrust of all that is automotive. But I'm just paranoid.
My friend got into an accident on just a regular bicycle.. she collided with a car and BROKE the shatterproof windscreen with her head.
Bike, car, or motocycle.. whichever you choose is risky to an extent.
I'm sure your son will get over it, but the trauma is understandable.
Better safe than sorry, and all that jazz.

yeah i had a similar experience a few years ago

a friend an i decided to blow up a tree stump to clear it but we used the wrong fuse so the thing blew before we could get behind the bank and i got a splinter lodged in my hand

the doctor said if i didn't have my hand where it was (covering my head) the splinter could have severed my spine and killed me

that scared me bad

i didn't touch anything remotely combustible for months after that until one day i decided to make smoke bombs

i figured "hey smoke bombs are pretty safe"

after that i gradually eased back into it

i guess the moral is emotional scarring takes time to heal even if it doesn't seem that way and the best cure is gentle encouragement rather than throwing them in head first

oh and don't let him sell the bike if he is as enthusiastic as you say he will regret it

I would personaly make him get back on that bike as soon as possible, as soon as you allow yourself or someone else to be frightened once by something it can last forever as a relatively bad phobia. I know this because when I was in 6th grade I injured myself skating and now i can't nearly get up the balls to do some of the stuff I was able to do.

Just on saturday I was involved in an ATV accident that got me 8-10 staples in my head and my right eye swollen shut as well as a prescription for some vicodin. A few minutes after the accident I realized that I needed to get back on an ATV as soon as possible to keep myself from developing a fear of riding those things as well. And as soon as I get a chance I will be back on an ATV riding just like I was before this happened.

So my best advice would be to tell him to face his fears and get back on that bike, and ride as much as possible.

He's just this minute gone out the door to ride the mile into town and then later back again.

He is very scared and of course its still raining but it was his choice to go now (personally I wanted him to wait til tomorrow).

I've told him if he does ride there and back then he can sell the bike if he wants.

Well done. This may be the first and only time I compliment you.

He should get back out there. Fear should conquor no person. If he looks for the lifestyle, he should be ready for what he recieves.

If he desires to sheer away from the lifestyle, then allow it. But allow it completely. It's a difficult thing to walk away from. The rush is intense and the people are interesting.

Of course, I assume he is just riding for fun and not sitting where I may be.

Well done. This may be the first and only time I compliment you.
.

*quickly quotes post before Euda edits or deletes it *

I can sympathise with your son. Motorbike near misses are fucking scary but I also think that getting rid of the scooter would be a bad idea. If anything that near miss will have made him a safer and wiser driver. Just put him out on some very quiet roads to get his confidence up again.

EDIT: This would be a very, very good time to give your son a good lesson in speed awareness, the difference between speeding and driving too fast and when it is and isn't safe to speed. It's a fact of life that all young men speed so now would be a great time to teach him how to do it as safely as possible.

I dunno. I've seen people get FUCKED up on bikes. I saw a pocketbike get smashed to pieces once which was endlessly amusing. I'd teach the guy defensive driving and how to tuck n roll. I know a couple guys who've died on bikes but I can safely say they probably wouldn't have made it to 30 anyway.

If you're on a bike you're gonna crash and if your kid can't deal with that I'd get him a moped or something equally gay.

In the meantime i've also phoned my old man who is not only one of the wisest men i know but also was until this year an avid moped/scooter rider (90 cc thingys).

His advice was basically the same as I'd done and the same as most here had given, ie get him to ride it again asap and then he can decide.

So we'll see how son feels when he comes home and when he's slept on it. If he does want to get rid of the bike then Ill tell him that's fine but he'll have to wait a fortnight before we put it on the market, just so he's really sure as I won't be paying for another one in a hurry (all in all this bike with licence+helmet etc etc has cost me about $1200).

My dad's home town happens to be equipped with a national landmark, a big mountain type thing.. a "bluff." Scott's Bluff to be exact) My daddy, siblings, and I have hiked down this mountain countless times.. It's a simple hike, one single path from the very top to the bottom.. "Stay on the path!" he'd call, "Don't go out of my sight!" I didn't understand why.. I could've taken this hike by myself anytime.. I always like to look over the edge.. Since I had new shoes, (skating shoes with excellent grip) I thought I would be okay off of the path.. It didn't look so bad off of the path.. I was annoyed with my daddy being so overprotective.. I just wanted to prove to him that I was perfectly safe.. I ran off path to the edge of the mountain side.. I looked down and became terrified.. My head felt dizzy and I fell forward and slid down a ways.. I was going to get up and hobble back up the to my dad.. But I heard a horrifying rattle to my left.. Just my luck, a rattlesnake was hissing and quite angry that I had fallen into it's territory.. I heard a firm, "Don't move an inch, slow your breathing.." Ten minutes in the same position, feeling as though I couldn't breathe felt like an eternity.. The snake finally slithered off around me and out of sight.. I turned my head to look up at my daddy, holding his arms down toward me.. I started to climb back up to the path and grabbed his hands.. He held me a few seconds and I said, "I don't think I'll come back here.." He replied with, "Respect the mountain and its boundaries it has set out for you.. I'm not trying to be overprotective, I just want you to respect this terrain.. Don't venture off and it will keep you safe.. And we will be back tomorrow.."

Just reminded me of that..

I'm glad you made him go back out there on his bike.. He got a taste of the danger, and I'm sure a new respect for the roads and the bike.. He was being careful before, sure, but I'm nearly positive that he won't leave home without his protective gear..

Tell your son to never live in fear of anything. My Dad told me that. To me, car accidents are a part of life thats unavoidable. There's nothing you can do except know how to avoid and deal with the shit. I was in a car upside down in a ditch in what the personel that arrived on the scene described as "miraculously lucky" when I was 6 and kinda desensitized me.

Why don't you sell his bike, get a dirt bike (probly 150 ccs to start) and he can ride trails with no other drivers until he gets comfortable and then can ride it road legal. Dirt bike's are fucking wicked. I watched my brother goof with it with his buddy on it and end up getting dragged for a while by it. I didn't know whether to help him or hurt him for being a fuckin showoff.

For the record, nothing can move from the cops better than a dirtbike. Nothing.

Everyone that owns a bike has had a spill and if they say they never have their a fucking lier.

I put my bike into the gardrails at 50 KPH woke up 10-15 feet in the midle of the road had road rash all down my left side and scratched up my new helmet... To tell you the truth I was more worried about the bike...

Once I pulled it out of the rails and set it right the greatest dammage was a busted headlight a dent in the tank and the handlebars were all bent... once I bent the handlebars back into shape and gave some verbal encouragment for that pig to start I headed back home.

Next day I started fixing it so i could get it on the road again... don't give fear time to set in because he'll regreet it and allways know it afterwards... you just have to pick up and move on.

As for riding in the rain... it's never fun to do but sometimes you'll get caught no matter what you do... just slow down and if you have to just stop and wait it out... a tarp goes a long way sometimes on roadtrips.

If you really want to get to him ask him to teach you how to ride... who know's you may even get a bike for yourself. :D

Anyways hope he doesn't give it up... biking isn't a form of transport... it's a lifestyle and when you give it up you may as well be dead to never know the feeling of the open road again.

Be fast, be free, but most of all just be.

Ciao and I hope this helps
Albert

I was in a fairly bad car crash a few years ago and for a good while after was afraid of being in cars or driving; but when I started driving again after I realised it wasn't so bad, and it definately reminded me to take care when on the road. To go slightly off topic, Ireland has more bike deaths than anywhere else in the world proportionally largely because it rains so often whenever the rare chance comes to take the bike out, people completly open up and end up hitting something. Also, we don't have straight roads.

It's the same with cars. Last time I smashed a car luckily it was only a test box of my friends, but it was still frightening to see how easily bumpers crumple and kits shatter.


I guess the one thing you have to tell yourself untill you beleive it is that a body can be repaired relatively cheap, but a car costs a little more. But either way, things can be fixed.
So get back out there and stop being such a pussy !

Awwww let him be jack. He just got scared and a little bruised up. Tommarow he will be back on it.

I'm hardly a parent, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I do ride motorcycles, so I've got that part covered.

I (as well as almost every other rider) have dropped my bike in some fashion, and fought against the fear of not riding. I think you definitely did well in terms of asking him to go riding a few more times before making a decision. I would recommend a few things, however.

If he's not wearing proper gear (aside from the spine protector), buy him a decent seat of motorcycle leathers. As soon as you put on a set you get far more comfortable with motorcycling, it adds the feeling of protection. Naturally, don't let him become overzealous and start taking crazy risks, but it could offer him some good comfort.

Secondly, get him to take the Motorcycle Safety Course or equivalent for England (correct?). If there's anything I recommend all of the time, it's a safety course. They give so many benefits, it's unreal. Possibly including (at least in Canada) insurance benefits. It actually pays for itself in 2-4 years, depending on your rates. Not to mention a good training in evasive maneuvers, emergency braking etc.

At least you don't really have to worry about him speeding off on a 50cc bike.
I'm fairly sure if he hopped onto a 600cc sportsbike he would be far, far more shaken up and less likely to ride. Good choice on the beginner bike.
Oh, yeah. Don't let him feel ashamed of dropping it or anything, regardless of fault in the accident.


Just let him know that almost everybody drops their first bike (occasionally multiple times), and he's hardly an anomaly. If he decides (as I'm almost certain he will) to continue riding, just make sure he learns from the incident.

Treat all drivers as if they're out to kill you.

Never, ever trust the driver that isn't you. Seems a bit paranoid, but it's absolutely true. There have been times I'm cruising in a lane and someone to my right decides (without looking, because they don't see a car in their perepheral), they want my lane. If I wasn't watching, the likelihood of getting clipped (crashing and getting seriously injured) was much, much higher.

You sound like you're dealing with this very well, though. Please continue to make sure he rides with his gear. Bare minimum:
Helmet, gloves, jacket, boots.

Best of luck,
BloodiedMind

Thanks for all the input so far peoples, 'preciate it very much a lot.

I also like the suggestion of getting him to teach me how to ride (i'm licenced and insured to ride it anyway). He knows how terrified I am of those things and maybe seeing Dad overcome his fear...

When he came back this evening he was still saying he was scared , shaking and wanted to sell it but he didn't sound quite so sure .

Told him that if he wants to sell it then i'm going to wait a fortnight before advertising it etc. And then again explained to him that shakes/fear was normal...for example I confessed to him that Daddy has to hire a car next month for a long drive and as I haven't driven a car for almost 2 years when I go to pick it up I'll be nervous as fuck too. But I also know by the time i get to the other side of the country i'll be driving with a smoke in one hand, cup of coffee in the other, smsing while doing a ton ten with Alabama 3 blaring....kinda thing.

We'll see, in the end it has to be his decision but it'd kill me to see him give up on the only real dream he's ever had. Only the other day he was already talking about the next bike he wants (a 125cc) etc.

Christ I so wish I hadn't sent him to the shop today, we could have survived with unsalted pasta.

Sometimes I truly suck as parent :(

my main mode of transport is my motorcycle,ive been in accidents before. the last one was pretty serious and i will carry a limp for the rest of my life because of it,but its not going to stop me from riding,i'll admit it was a little intimidating getting back on for the first time since my accident,but there is a old saying,there are only 2 types of motorcycle riders,those who have had a accident and those that WILL have one,my wife hates that i ride and wont even ride on the back with me,but when my son is old enough,ill take him for rides and one day even teach him how so that we can ride together,but the way i look at it is im alive it didnt beat me,so im not going to give up something i love because im scared,you push through that and say to yourself,
'i am not going to let this beat me" and you go on.
and i will tell my son the same thing the first time he fall off his big wheel or bicycle when he is young so that he knows to not give in to fear when he is older
just my 2 cents

He willl regret selling it after he sees a lot more scooters or motorbikes riding around. I know I regret selling my KLR250 for sure, even if it was a pain in the ass to start.

Treat all drivers as if they're out to kill you.


I agree totally.


My suggestion as a dirtbiker is to sell the streetbike and buy a dirtbike. :D You get to jump in the air, go fast, AND run around in the woods!

But I also know by the time i get to the other side of the country i'll be driving with a smoke in one hand, cup of coffee in the other, smsing while doing a ton ten with Alabama 3 blaring....kinda thing.

I really hope you're joking. If more drivers payed attention to the road maybe motorcycles wouldn't be "Death Traps"

Anyway, I'd say a safety course. A 50cc bike was my first vehicle but I had no idea how to handle it...I rode it like i would a bicycle, braking suddenly rather than progressively, no idea of counter steering, etc etc..

The same sort of thing happened to me as well, I had always wanted a dirtbike as a kid, and when I got a yamaha pw-80 at 9 years old I was thrilled, riding constantly until I got had my first bad fall sliding on pearock. I was terrified to get back on for months, eventually my dad was able to persuade me to get back on it, and I am grateful that he did.

Tl/dr

You did good :o



And fuck I can understand his fear, I'm scared as shit of motorbikes.

I'm going for my motorbike liscence next week or the week after (NZ), and when I get it I will be buying a 250cc straight away. Reading some of this stuff makes me quite more nervous about riding, but it's sure as hell not gonna stop me.

Is this the basic handling test or?

I agree totally.


My suggestion as a dirtbiker is to sell the streetbike and buy a dirtbike. :D You get to jump in the air, go fast, AND run around in the woods!

I second this to a lesser extent. If it is practical, I recommend spending a few weekends riding offroad on something massive (500cc or above) before upgrading to the 125cc road bike. That way he can scare himself a few times without getting hurt too badly.

I second this to a lesser extent. If it is practical, I recommend spending a few weekends riding offroad on something massive (500cc or above) before upgrading to the 125cc road bike. That way he can scare himself a few times without getting hurt too badly.

They live in an English city. Where is he going to ride?

The UK has ridiculous laws, tony blair will probably swoop down and arrest him for riding a 500cc bike off road.

This might be irrelevant but a couple years ago, there was a news article about a guy who was rock climbing. Something bad happened, rock fell, crushed his arm, and he couldn't move for five days. Problem was, he didn't tell anyone where he was going so no one knew where he was. He was running out of water and couldn't contact anyone. He was going to die if he didn't do anything. So he did what he had to do to survive. He took out a pocket-knife and cut off his own arm.

Guess what? After getting his prosthetic arm, he went back to climbing. But of course he admitted that he made stupid mistakes such as not telling anyone where he was.

I guess the moral of the story is that even though something tragic happens, you don't let that get in the way of something you love.

Hell, I think that's crazy.

But I'm probably in no position to give advice (hell what do I know) but it's good that your son has realized how fragile life is, and how you're giving him the choice to do what he wants. My parents would freak out and ban me from doing anything like that if that happened to me.

I think you've handled this about as well as anyone could have. With luck he'll deal with his fear quickly and just be aware that he's mortal.

I really hope you're joking. If more drivers payed attention to the road maybe motorcycles wouldn't be "Death Traps"

Anyway, I'd say a safety course. A 50cc bike was my first vehicle but I had no idea how to handle it...I rode it like i would a bicycle, braking suddenly rather than progressively, no idea of counter steering, etc etc..

I'm exaggerating a bit but the principle is true,and any car driver knows its true. We get very blase.

I did actually find myself texting while doing 150 once. That was a bit of a wake up call.

If he does decide to sell it, how much for? I may be interested...

Also, because of this thread last night I actually had a dream that I had a moped, I think it'd be cool owning one, quick transport and everything. Yea.

Sometimes I truly suck as parent :(

If I was a little more sensible, empathetic and sentimental I'd say something reassuring here and call attention to your good decisions and what shines through as good parenting skill. Instead though, I'll just call you a Saxon bastard.

Iv'e been a bikey all my short little life (hence the nick, Americans excused its a British thing!) and Iv'e had more than my fair share of hairy experiences. The best thing I ever did was taking an advanced driving course which was run by the local bike bobbies.

Its all about defensive riding and taking control of the road, but most importantly being visible. My sexy skintight leathers may look cool but now I always wear a high-vis jacket when riding.

I just wish someone would invent a lid that didn't fuck up my hair!

ent a lid that didn't fuck up my hair!

HA HAHA !!!

Son just came back from the barbers and has spent half an hour sitting here with a roll of sticky tape getting all those short hairs out of his lid!!

Told him he should have just got an 'apenny all off like his ol'man.

Iv'e been a bikey all my short little life (hence the nick, Americans excused its a British thing!)

I hope you ride a cafe racer with that name:D

Iv'e been a bikey all my short little life (hence the nick, Americans excused its a British thing!) !

For the americans among us (off wiki)

Rockers, wearing leather jackets and riding heavy motorcycles, poured scorn on the mods, who wore suits and rode scooters. The rockers considered mods to be weedy, effeminate snobs. Mods saw rockers as out of touch, oafish and grubby. Mods were usually city dwellers, whereas rockers tended to be more rural. Mods sometimes held down office jobs, whereas rockers were often manual workers (although there were many exceptions in both groups). Musically, there was not much common ground; with the rockers clinging to 1950s rock and roll, mostly by white American artists such as Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran. Mods generally favoured 1960s rhythm and blues, soul and ska by black American and Jamaican musicians, although many of them also liked British R&B/beat groups such as The Who, The Small Faces and The Yardbirds. Fights occurred where territories overlapped or rival factions happened upon each other. Mods sometimes sewed fish hooks into the backs of their lapels to shred the fingers of assailants. Weapons were often in evidence; coshes and flick knives being favoured.

I hope you ride a cafe racer with that name:D


My choices are limited due to being a perfectly formed short-arsed girl. I'm fine until I stop then I fall over!

So its low-riders only for me :P

ARRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I give up!!!

*tears out remaining hair and bangs head on desk*

Son just came back from somewhere on his scooter (so I assume he's feeling a little happier riding again).

I happened to be standing outside and saw the speed he came up our WET road with. Remember this is Norfolk where car drivers assume that things like indicators are at best optional extras.

Me: "You Idiot! You just came up the road here far too fucking fast. If a car had come round the corner there would have been no way in hell either you or he could have stopped in time"

Him:"Dad, that wasn't fast. It just looked fast cos its a bike. You're used to cars"

Me: "I was born at night, true, but it wasn't last night! I've seen Grandad ride up this road on his 90 and he was way slower than you"

Him: "But Daaaad, Grandad's OLD!!!"

Me:" And how do you think he got that old?"


KIDS!

^ lol..

Where's Gus when you need him? He's got some stories whilst on his bike.. Someone actually tried to run him down once!

I don't really have anything to add to this, but I was in a bit of a similar situation:

I really like classic cars. I had a 1969 MG Midget. If anyone is familiar with this car, they'll tell you that it's an absolute deathtrap. No crumple zones, very low, very small, no space between you and the door, and only the smallest of gaps between you and the passenger seat. The steering column is solid and sticks into your chest even before you've crashed.

I was in a pretty bad car crash a few months ago, in a modern car (Skoda Fabia) with some mates. The car was completely written off but thankfully we were all okay. Since then every time I drove the MG I thought 'what would have happened if I was in this car'; well obviously, I would have died, or at least have lost both my legs.

So I sold the car. I bought a '72 Avenger GT which is much bigger and one of the safest cars of its day, which gives me much more confidence that if some idiot ignores the indicators, tries to overtake and completely rips one side of the car off, I'll be okay(ish). Obviously when I'm older and I have a family and whatnot, I'll get a modern safetybox Volvo to cart them around in. I did kinda want to ride a motorbike at one point, but after seeing a motorbike accident in person when I was 16, I don't think I'd even get on one now...

Pray tell......How do the words "classic" and Hllman Avenger work in the same sentence?

You sold an MG! and bought a Hillman Avenger!.......Sorry but that just does not compute.......are you insane?

Yes that was on my mind too.

Just a note about that whole "speed" thing.

It's quite likely he was going a bit fast on the bike anyways, but you do have to consider bikes are harder to judge speed with (especially directly in front/behind.).

That's why drivers seem to pull out infront of you a lot more on a motorcycle than a car, there's no points to judge speed/placement off of. I'd love to find the article on it, but I honestly can't, but that essentially sums it up.

So he could have really been doing the speed limit or a bit over and you could have just misjudged it. My father gets on my case all the time for 'speeding off" when in reality I'm just accelerating to 50-60 kp/h and short-shifting to reasonable sound levels. It just -looks- fast because I'm on a sportsbike (Even though it's 1987, still looks fairly nippy).

So give him a bit of doubt, get him some proper gear if he decides to ride (maybe it'll encourage him) and get him to a proper motorcycle course.

I can't say about scooters, but most motorcycles made now have incredible brakes (Sportsbikes especially). Even though most cards have 4 brakes, the two that bikes have often are enough to haul their speeds down quite quickly, so he likely will be able to stop in time under most circumstances.

On my bike ('87), I can stop far, far quicker than most modern cars (supercars excluded). I can only imagine the potency of current bikes.

Good job making him get back on the bike.

Getting back on anything after a crash is tough; I'm starting downhill racing on my mountianbike this summer, and the few crashes I've had at DH speeds, even with protection always scare me because as bad as a 20-30 km/h crash can be, I know that top speed on the local race course is 60-70 kph and if I want to do well I have to ride it that fast.

I can't say about scooters, but most motorcycles made now have incredible brakes (Sportsbikes especially). Even though most cards have 4 brakes, the two that bikes have often are enough to haul their speeds down quite quickly, so he likely will be able to stop in time under most circumstances.

QFT.

Quadruple or quarter everything on a sportbike. Accel/decel - 4x. Turning/vision - 1/4.

But they're still sooo fun, and look sweet.

Well last night he came in upset because the scooter is having problems. SO I assume he now doesn't want to get rid of it!

And this morning Daddy will get his tools out and see if he can find the problem, among other things Daddy is a trained mechanic, although I have absolutley no idea about 2 strokes :( .

He says the bike won't accelerate properly and won't go faster than about 20mph.

He says the bike won't accelerate properly and won't go faster than about 20mph.

*sigh* I miss scooters:)

oh and IIRC that's generally just due to carbon buildup clogging up the exhaust. Very common with two strokes, they need to be periodically cleaned.

*sigh* I miss scooters:)

oh and IIRC that's generally just due to carbon buildup clogging up the engine.

Thank you. My plan of attack had indeed been clean/check sparkplug-decoke lump-check/weld up exhaust- checktransmission.

I'll try a 'chemical' decoke of the engine first...really don't have time at the moment to take it part. (chemical decoke = pour the gunk through the sparkplug hole and wait a couple of ciggies then blow it out on the starter then pour the rest of the decoke gunk into the fuel tank). The exhaust then spits black for a bit etc.

Just saw your edit...carbon clogging the exhaust? How does one go about cleaning that?

Just saw your edit...carbon clogging the exhaust? How does one go about cleaning that?


Two strokes usually have a baffle to reduce noise in the end of the pipe held in by a couple of screws. They need decoking every 1000 miles or so.
Pull it out and leave it to soak in caustic soda for a couple or three hours.

I would do that first before pouring gunk into the engine.

If that dosen't sort it clean out the jets in the the carb and check the air filter.

OH! Also before you do anything. check with the boy as to what he's been putting in the tank!

Two strokes usually have a baffle to reduce noise in the end of the pipe held in by a couple of screws. They need decoking every 1000 miles or so.
Pull it out and leave it to soak in caustic soda for a couple or three hours.

I would do that first before pouring gunk into the engine.

If that dosen't sort it clean out the jets in the the carb and check the air filter.

OH! Also before you do anything. check with the boy as to what he's been putting in the tank!

Oh ok....thanks...*goes off to consult Mr.Haynes*

(thank god I kept my tools....if i can find where the kids have put them...)

I'm sorry but i would laugh so hard if he got run over when you told him to go out one more time. I am a horrible person :).

What's wrong with the Hillman Avenger GT?

Just because you're an old fart from Norfolk who probably drove one when they were new :D

It might not have the 60s cutesy-pie looks of the MG but it DOES look a lot better than 95% of the modern euroboxes that people drive these days. Besides, I happen to quite like late 60s/early 70s American styling.

Also it's faster than the MG, has better handling, is much MUCH safer, has five seats and a big boot, and gets the same MPG. And it can cruise on the motorway happily. If I had enough money to own and run two cars, then I'd have kept the MG too, but as it is, there's no way I can do that right now.

For those interested in such things, once i actually looked at the bike I found the problem straight away. When he came off the scooter the other day he managed to dent the end of the exhaust pipe (only a 3cm thing anyway) so badly that it was pinching off/sealing the pipe. A quick application of a pair of plumbing pliers and some brute force sorted the problem.

Anyway many many thanks to all who replied, this was one of those threads that make S&A a pleasure.

I'll leave this open for [i]a bit[i/] longer if anyone wants to add anything.

I went through three exhausts in a year on my first scooter.

Once my exhaust pipe fell straight off while i was riding. I must've at least reached 27mph:o that was a glorious day!

You can blame it on rains.....Tell him it's the rain's fault, and he probably will never ride in the rain again.

Is this the basic handling test or?

Sure is. And as soon as I get the certificate for that I'm gonna go to the scratch test thing, and those are a peice of piss.

The car probably didnt see him, install a LED light or something onto the front and back.

50cc scooters are more dangerous than any 250cc motorcycle. Small hard rubber wheels, bugger all braking capacity for a 2-wheels, smaller so even less likely to be seen, quieter so you have absolutel fuck all chance of being heard, and mostly you don't have the power to get yourself out of a situation. Throttle has saved me more times than the brake!

Tell him to get a 250cc and get involved with some local riders. Most clubs have a culture of safe riding and they will teach him things like counter-steering, emergency braking etc.

UHm here in Blair's Paradise he'd have to be 18 to ride a 250cc and have a full bike licence I think. They keep on tightening the law about who can ride what when.

In the UK you can drive a 50cc when you are 16, then up to a 125cc when you hit 17 and until you pass your test. You are then restricted for two years. You are entitled to ride a motorcycle up to 25kW (33 bhp) and a power to weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kw/kg. If you have a more powerful bike during this two year period, you need to fit a restrictor until your 2 year restricted period ends.

Thank you.

Did you sex him afterwards?

Because this has nothing to do with S&A

I agree that it has gone off topic abit, which is why it'll get closed (which I have already said if you'd bothered to read it).

But it certainly did belong here. We take 'Affection' to cover all parenting issues and inter-family relationships (and even this week 'pets').

If you can't read or get with the program then go elsewhere.

I agree that it has gone off topic abit, which is why it'll get closed (which I have already said if you'd bothered to read it).

But it certainly did belong here. We take 'Affection' to cover all parenting issues and inter-family relationships (and even this week 'pets').

If you can't read or get with the program then go elsewhere.

No, I read you were going to close it.

I wasn't aware the A in S&A went into family issues.

No, I read you were going to close it.

I wasn't aware the A in S&A went into family issues.

yep and even love towards pets, or problems with school friends/teachers or work mates.

Anything that involves a relationship.

Used to also kinda inculde mental issues but now we have a forum for that.