'Are you awake?!' I asked her.
'Yeah,' she replied. Was she groggy, or was it my imagination?
I slowed down anyway. A moment later my wife signalled me from behind to pull over.
'I think you and she had better wait at this McDonald's. She can barely hold her head up.'
My wife and son continued their ride home, where they retrieved my car and came back to pick my very sleepy daughter up. I then rode my bike home.
Lessons Learned:
- Safety gear can only take you so far. You must also exercise caution.
- Be willing to change your plans in order to be safe.
- Fatigue . . . in a rider or pillion . . . can be dangerous.
- Ice cream after a busy day makes my daughter sleepy! We will avoid sugary sweets on family motorcycle trips from now on.
Excellent post! So glad to see your daughter in full gear. It sure bugs me to see children riding with only a helmet on for safety. Kudos to you and your wife!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement. We sometimes feel like we're the only ones putting proper gear on our kids. I've written on this topic before (See Family Motorcycle Gear). I'd love to see more kid-sized protective clothing available in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are all grown and riding on their own now, but we went through all that. Attention span dictates no matter their size.
ReplyDeleteIs that pole behind your daughter on your bike or behind her? Tongue in cheek: You could lash your passenger to the pole to avoid falling off during sleep!
Thanks for the encouragement. We sometimes feel like we're the only ones putting proper gear on our kids. I've written on this topic before (See Family Motorcycle Gear). I'd love to see more kid-sized protective clothing available in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteHa! Never noticed the coincidental alignment of that pole in the picture. It does look like my daughter is leaning up against it.
ReplyDeleteI've seen straps which essentially strap the child passenger to the adult rider. I've never been quite convinced that it would be a safe way to go.
The belts actually work quite well. A lot of tourers use them. They are more of a "just in case" safety item. If your child is asleep behind you on a motorcycle, atv, horse, etc. It is time to stop as you did. But what if it was just you and your daughter? No one to tell you she was sleepy? When my son was smaller we had one. But they are a pain to use. Lots of straps. So they don't work well for a casual ride. Better for longer trips. http://www.childridingbelt.com/engprod.htm
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I forgot to mention why we quit using our belt. My smart mouthed son told me that my motorcycle wasn't fast. I asked him if he wanted to see? He said yes. He was quite securely snugged in with the belt. Sissy bar behind him and me squishing him against it. Helmet, boots, jacket and gloves. A lonely country road with little traffic. I started from a near stop and ran up through the gears to about 75. He had only been up to 50mph at mild acceleration. That was well over 5 years ago. He has never rode with me on my bike since. He has had his own bike. But old dad's motorcycle is faster than he thought. LOL. This is even funnier to me, because I used to ride behind my dad, just a helmet for safety gear. No sissy bar. He would tap my hands and say hold tight! Then we would fly. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteHelmetorheels -- thanks for the encouragement. We sometimes feel like we're the only ones putting proper gear on our kids. I've written on this topic before (See Family Motorcycle Gear). I'd love to see more kid-sized protective clothing available in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThe belts actually work quite well. A lot of tourers use them. They are more of a "just in case" safety item. If your child is asleep behind you on a motorcycle, atv, horse, etc. It is time to stop as you did. But what if it was just you and your daughter? No one to tell you she was sleepy? When my son was smaller we had one. But they are a pain to use. Lots of straps. So they don't work well for a casual ride. Better for longer trips. http://www.childridingbelt.com/engprod.htm
ReplyDelete