my gf is very supportive. comes to every meeting and sleeps in my luxurious van all weekend and doesn’t moan. She spent 2 months in hospital by my side and then a further 3 months helping me in my elec wheelchair from my big crash. She dreads the races before they start but is fine once a few laps tick by and she’s apparently the loudest cheerer on pit wall :w00t:
dad and mum spent months in hospital with me too so i’ve put everyone through the mill but they support me going back to racing. They are obviously terribly worried but know me, and thus know i’ll do it with or without their support. Their support makes things easier and in turn safer.
since ye old smash up i’ve had loads of support from all corners of my life for which i am very grateful.
i had a moped when i was 16 which i crashed numerous times, waited til i got through uni, soon as i had conformation of new job i was down bank to geta loan to do my das and buy a bike
mum told me shes glad i have it here and not back home, or id be the death of her…
when i was home a few mths before christmas, if i was like 10 mins late she’d be worried sick. she used to tell me about seeing other bikes on road, and dodging traffic, but they all ride like pansies over there!
My mum knows she can voice her feelings, but at end of day theres no stopping me…
Mum and my gran also tell me every time i speak to them they pray everyday…
My mum hated the idea, my Dad was at the time a Police motorbike instructor, and was fine with it, but did tell me lots of gory stories about big offs he had witnessed…still didn’t put me off though. My wife hates bikes and has stated that none of our kids will be allowed near one:(
I’m quite surprised by the support of my parents.My Dad was a fireman (sorry firefighter, :D) for 30 odd years, so he was used to scraping people of tarmac from RTA’s, and he was chuffed once i got my liecnse, he said that i was a Real biker now.
My mum said she would rather me motorbike then cycle on roads.
They understand that its the other road users that are more of a threat, and therefore trust me (however they hav’nt seen me ride )
Me being a courier has proberly put more stress and worrie on them, however they know me well enough to not tell me what to do, i will only do the complete opposite :w00t:.
So much ponsing about. Both my parents were anti bike. I just went and bought one. (The cheeky bit was asking the old man if he would sub me so I didn’t have to take the finance. Won’t print the response.) Mum rushed out and bought me a Kangol helmet. (?)
Move on a few years and I broke the subject to the now other. “Just take out decent life insurance so I’m a rich widow”. Or words to that effect.
A year of griping about the slidy plastic tyres on the Kawasaki I’d got her round to buying a BMW. We looked at a couple of decent 2nd hand ones and bought new at her suggestion. “It’s much more sensible”.
Moral. Bite the frigging bullet. You never know how it will turn out. (Bottom line. Are they likely to disembowel you?)
Oldguy.
(Ah. There was a moment a couple of years ago when I turned up with the well sorted street moto. "Youve done some ******* daft things in the last 30 years, but this is…) We’re still married.
My parents thought they’d got out of me having a bike when they said I could have one as long as I had protective kit and bought/looked after the bike myself. Think they were a bit shocked when I saved enough to get my first bike at 17 hahahahahahaha
They weren’t surprised when I got another when I could afford it after uni, but then my (now ex)hubby wasn’t too keen on me riding (after he encouraged me to get my first bike!!!) - after all I was supposed to be indoors taking care of his every whim
Once he was out of the picture I got another bike, a cruiser, told my parents - but by then they had kind of gotten used to the idea and then snuck out and got a sportier bike which took them a little more convincing about
Told my parents/family etc straight away when I said I was planning to get a bike etc. All I would hear is “be careful” or “oh there so dangerous”. They didnt stop me and even if they tried I still would of got one.
My dad and uncle were quite supportive as they loaned me the money for my 1st bike hehe and after the few offs I had on the bike my dad would always twist the arm of his mechanic mate to give my bike a good looking over to see if everything was ok.
My Dad doesn’t really like the fact I’m riding…
Bike crashes are a kind of family tradition
My Grandpa almost killed himself trying to escape coppers
My Dad dropped his bike too…
so far my little incident with a bus is the least serious one
My Girlfriend didn’t like it too, then she said that if I’d die she wants to be with me.
Now she loves it
My parents were cool about it. My Dad has ridden for ever (61 years old, treated himself to a new CBF1000 last October) and my Mum took my brother home from the hospital (when he was born) in a side car!
My Dad was glad when I wanted a bike - we never really had anything in common before (altogether now… aaaarrr!)
My mum and dad were into bikes, dad a member of the 59 club… they both met at the Ace.
Mark used to pick me up from school on his bike so it was only the matter of time when I reached 16 that I got one too… Mark bought my first bike as my parents said they didn’t want anything to do with me riding (they meant helping to pay for one) I still get told to becareful and wrap up warm from my mum.
It’s in the genes, because when I had my kids, Paul, the eldest wanted a bike… we said as soon as he could ride without stabilisers we’d get him one. The same day we took his stabilisers off his pushbike he rode off across the park… the little bugger was only 3! That Christmas we bought him his first bike, a QR50. He had to wait until he was 6 before he could start riding Schoolboy MotoX and was a natural.
It was then that all the worries started… Jeez I’ve spent hours in A&E since Funnily though motox was more relaxing than knowing he is out riding on the road now, especially as he had a nasty accident last year.
At the end of the day what would you rather have… A kid that was a little chav scumbag getting into trouble and causing agro or a kid that had an interest, one that you can help guide them with and protect and encourage them as much as possible?
Bikes… I’d encourage all of mine as long as they had the savvie to go with it :D:D:D
my mum and my aunt(well uncle! shes gay ya see!) were 59 club members…
the last few lines are all so very true;) motorbikes saved me from being a right tearaway, i was into allsorts, before bikes saved me from completly ruining my life, IE prison and so forth.
Hmmm…Seem to recall promising my mum a few years ago that i’d never get a bike. Told her I wasn’t interested. Which was true…a few years ago.
Fortunately for me, I live 500miles away from my parents now, so keeping little things like that quiet isn’t that difficult. If she knew i was riding, she would worry about it constantly. She worries enough that I cycle to work.
I’d tell my dad, as he used to ride a bike when he was young, before he and my mum could afford a car it was their (she used to pillion) only mode of transport. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t/couldn’t keep it from my mum, hence neither of them will know for now.
My current, and fairly recent, gf was ok about it at first. But after a brief ride through town to Waterloo where we never exceeded 30mph she now thinks it’s the most terrifying thing ever “when going so fast” :unsure: and doesn’t want me to ride now. This from the girl who called me all sorts for refusing to go on a roller-coaster…
Come to think of it, she hasn’t answered my calls or texts for a week now… :pinch:
na iam ok there as all my family have bikes and been riding since i was 8 how ever my dads mum was like that she said he couldnt have a bike cos he would kill himself in a few weeks. 30+ years later still riding loool.
after all its not the machine thats deadly its the twat on it:P
I’ve yet to get my bike, but saving up (slowly). Kinda difficult when you’re a student and already paying for a car though
I was originally planning on getting a new car before I go to uni, as I’ve had the one I’ve got almost 2 years now and wanted something a little faster etc. than my 1.2litre '96 Vauxhall Corsa… but the mother moaned about it costing too much for uni and I’ve already got a car etc. etc.
One day I told her I’d been thinking about it and she was right, so I’m not getting a new car… I gave her a few seconds to gloat… Then told her I’m getting a bike instead.
She wasn’t exactly excited about the idea but other than trying to tell me how expensive it’ll be with a car and a bike or how pointless both are she’s been quite supportive of the idea.
My dad is much more encouraging as he’s been riding a looong time now, currently rides a Kawasaki ZZR1400. Lives almost 300 miles away though so it’s pretty rare I get to go out on the back. The sooner I get my own bike though the better, I’d love to get a CBR125 but I’m more likely going to be getting something in the region of a 1991 CG125… Well we all start somewhere and we dream on a budget :hehe:
I first started muttering about bikes when I was 17/18. I talked to my uncle who rides, and he gave me some advise, basically get used to the roads and get some experience in the car first, and look again when your 21.
By then I wasn’t interested any more. It took commie ken and the tube before I considered again. Went and did a CBT and then a year later did the DAS. Parents weren’t bothered to much. Just be careful they said.
When I went to visit them last summer, one of my mums friends started having a go, saying “if you were my son I wouldn’t let you ride that hideous machine, and your mum should stop you riding it”. My reply “what is she going to do stop my pocket money?”
I started campaigning when I was 13, got my way at 16. Parents were not keen at all. 2 years later they ‘forced’ my brother onto a bike.
My wife (r.i.p.) didn’t mind at the beginning, but soon wouldn’t get on, she had back problems and these worsened. This curtailed my riding, but some days she’d kick me out the house telling me to go for a ride coz, I’m a much better person after I’ve been on the bike.
G/f didn’t want to get on it when I bought the current bike. After a few weeks she ventured on, and after a few rides fell in love with it. Problem was she daren’t tell her family. Her sons are OK about it, I don’t think the elder lad has seen the bike, the younger (17) was quite keen to sit on it as long as the engine was switched off!! It was her sister that she really wanted to keep it from, after a few weeks I couldn’t stand the pussy footing around and told the sister.
A week or so later we pitched up, on the bike, for her birthday – no moaning, just a ‘you won’t catch me on the back of that thing’. She’s been quiet ever since.
Last week was telling my dad that I’ve done 15 000 miles in the year that I’ve had the bike, “Good buy that” he says. I’ve been at this for 32 years, he gave up telling me to get rid of the bike a long time ago.
It’s part of a parent’s job description to worry about their kids/ young adults. I think most moms never stop worrying whatever your age.
I have concealed the fact I smoked, not riding a bike.
