Advice for son riding

[tewyatt]

Hey all, I need some advice my soon to be six year old has a razor 350 that he rides at full speed everywhere. We bought a project pw50 and fixed it up together and he was pumped the whole time. We fired it up he was all excited with his gear on and then out of no where he was petrified. Like too scared to sit on it. Had anyone run into this before? He's had no training wheels for 2 years now and even hits jumps on the razor. He won't tell me why he's afraid of it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[William1]

The noise scared him. Let him sit on it, engine off. Make 'Varoom' sounds while looking him in the eyes.. Offer to push him around a little. Let him use the brakes Keep the engine off. Once he gets used to that, start it and have you sit on it, ride it real slow. Then let him operate the throttle with you sitting on it. He may well of been simply over whelmed.

[Rider61]

Patience is everything. My son had the same initial reaction to his PW80. He came from riding a bicycle only. He would sit on it, in his riding gear, but don't start it. I could ride it, with him in front, but no solo.

Finally after about a year and a half, an older cousin visited. The cousin rode it, then my son was all over it. He has been riding with me ever since (22 now).

Good luck, it can be very frustrating. 

[Drop-Bear]

Show him that girls his age can do it.

Seriously though. Show him some pee wee video's. Stick the bike in front of the PC, or TV. Walk away

Even better, take him to a local Jnr race meet

 

Edited August 31, 2019 by Drop-Bear

[tewyatt]

6 minutes ago, Drop-Bear said:

Show him that girls his age can do it.

Seriously though. Show him some pee wee video's. Stick the bike in front of the PC, or TV. Walk away

Even better, take him to a local Jnr race meet

lol i have done the youtube thing already i have taken him to races but not a peewee race yet, good idea. My 2 year old would never let him sit in front of the tv on it because all that little dude want to do is be on bikes. But im gonna try that somehow, maybe during naptime. 

[Drop-Bear]

11 minutes ago, tewyatt said:

lol i have done the youtube thing already i have taken him to races but not a peewee race yet, good idea. My 2 year old would never let him sit in front of the tv on it because all that little dude want to do is be on bikes. But im gonna try that somehow, maybe during naptime. 

Main thing to remember. "All good things take time".

[dillyp]

You sound exactly like me. My 6 year old is terrifiedof the noise. I let him crack the throttle on my uncorked xr400 once, and it scared the bejeezus out of him. Been skiddish ever since. My 2 year old son is chomping at the bit. Wants to ride so bad he can't stand it. I haven't come up with a good solution either. He will ride a powerwheels bike around all day, but wants nothing to do with any noise.

[Drop-Bear]

2 of my 3 kids don't care at all (boy and girl). The middle child, a girl, was bike mad from birth. If a bike went past the car in the opposite direction, she'd almost break her neck to see it from the baby seat. Grin from ear to ear after she did.

Both your boys will be fine. Life is always harder from the oldest siblings. they'll come around when they're ready.

Edited September 1, 2019 by Drop-Bear

[TrailerParkMethChef]

I had the same issue with my GF’s son. He wanted to ride until it came to actually riding and he was simply terrified. I was clueless as to what to do since my niece was the exact opposite. She sat on the PW80 I got her and gripped it and ripped it right from the start. 

Only thing I could come up with was taking him to his Mom’s friend’s place where all of their kids ride. Worked like a hot damn. He watched for about five minutes before jumping on his bike and trying to chase the other kids down. Took him a while to get used to riding and he crashed a few times but he stuck with it. He races in Peewee Advanced now and loves it even though he is mid pack. 

I’d try and find people with kids that are just starting out and see if that helps. Sometimes a little friendly competition can push kids through fear barriers. 

[kdxyardsale]

Best thing to do is you ride it around the yard grinning from ear to ear. Then put him on the front, hands on the crossbar pad and you control it, graduate to both of you holding the controls, then eventually you are just sitting on the back just in case. Maybe make him wear earplugs too, that is a good practice for the future anyway. My 10yo stepdaughter took to it this way, with me on the back she was WFO straight to the fence, always worried me when she was on her own, but she figured out you have to prepare for the turn on her own. Patience of course, and you at some point you cannot force someone terrified of something to power through it, just makes them more scared.

[Motox367]

Do you ride? If so just a matter of time and he will jump on it. Take him with you when you go to tracks or whatever.  If he had a freind his age that rode i bet he'd jump on in no time

[tewyatt]

I do. I have since I was 3 so it's difficult for me to fathom the idea of being scared and not wanting to lol photo of young me on the pw

Do you ride? If so just a matter of time and he will jump on it. Take him with you when you go to tracks or whatever.  If he had a freind his age that rode i bet he'd jump on in no time

[sirthumpalot]

Be patient. My son is now 13.  Every kid personality is different, but it might be best to just put it away, don't say anything about it and just pick up a new hobby for a while.  Maybe fishing.  One day it will catch his attention again and he will want to ride it.  Again every kid is different, but here's what happened with my kid.  I took him riding and fishing, and when I could see it was no longer fun, we would head home and do something else.  Sometimes he would last a couple hours, sometimes 30 minutes, but I never kept him out past when it was fun.  Now he is 13 and will fish all day and is bugging me daily about going riding.  My wife loves the beach, she would take him and make him stay until she was ready to leave.  At first it was a good time, but she would stay past when it was fun for him.  To this day he hates the beach and will not go willingly, unless it's to go fishing.  So the moral of the story is, if you really want him to enjoy something, don't push him.  That's my personal advice anyway.  

[LSHD]

I think earplugs are a good idea and may be all he needs. I always wear them, and if I forget to put them in it always shocks me a little when I start the bike. 

Edited September 2, 2019 by LSHD

[N.dica]

3 minutes ago, LSHD said:

I think earplugs is a good idea and may be all he needs. I always wear them, and if I forget to put them in it always shocks me a little when I start the bike. 

 Even for adults- If i ride without them, my right ear feels like it was kicked with a boot after a few hours.

[LSHD]

2 hours ago, N.dica said:

 Even for adults- If i ride without them, my right ear feels like it was kicked with a boot after a few hours.

This is so true. Ears, eyes, teeth protection are all standard for my rides. Any orange squeeze insertable earplugs work fine for me and are also very comfortable for all day wearing, and riding with earplugs makes the ride more enjoyable and less tiring. The only mouthpiece I have found that is comfortable to me is the SISU Next Gen. $15-$20 depending on the color, which is why I am currently wearing purple. You just pop it into a glass of hot water and mold to your upper teeth. Remold the ends after getting the center teeth perfect first. Just dip the ends separately into the hot water and keep adjusting to fit just right. You get a perfect fit all the way across. ?

Edited September 1, 2019 by LSHD

[tewyatt]

I wear ear protection all the time. The navy did a number on my hearing so I like to protect what I have left.

[tewyatt]

Success!!!!!! Thank you all for the advice!! Thankfully his razor crapped the bed and he really wanted to ride and just decided today was the day. Proudest dad moment yet!

[NORTY]

Great news! 

Now, that that obstacle has been overcome, let's move on to things you'll want him to do.

From the day he was born, he's been learning at a rate we only wish we could equal. He learns by watching YOU. So, knowing this, set a good example. Whenever you ride, even if it across the street, wear all of your gear. Every time. He will notice this, believe me. (I've been coaching motorcyclists for a lot of years.)

This will become "automatic" every time he rides. Whether he's 6, or 66, he'll know "dad did it this way."  This is the most wonderful time a parent and son (or daughter) can have. I know you may not realize it yet, but you DO have a new riding buddy. Take him on a short ride, LET HIM SET THE PACE. Then return to your home/camp/truck. Make it no more than 10 mins in duration. Build time (and range) on his schedule, not yours. Soon, he'll pick up the pace. He may become "over" confident, so have him geared up head to toe. Maybe have a simple first aid kit along too. Be prepared to take care of bumps/bruises. (Make sure he's not allergic to bee stings.) If he is, then get the proper medicine for such an event, prior to it's need. 

Above all, ride safe. 

 

[Beta300REcat]

On 8/31/2019 at 4:51 PM, Drop-Bear said:

Show him that girls his age can do it.

He's probably still too young to be interested in girls. ?