Riding Your Motorcycle With Your Kids

While it might seem like it’s too challenging to bring your kids on your motorcycle, it can be done in a safe manner. Motorcycle riding can become a family affair when you teach your children the proper safety rules and adjust your riding style to accommodate their presence.

Indian Motorcycle® of Orange County in Westminster is your California motorcycle dealer. Here are our top tips for safely riding your motorcycle when you bring your kids along for the ride.

Know Risks & Rewards

While riding motorcycles with children may be a controversial topic, the truth is that motorcycle riding, like operating any other type of vehicle, comes with its own inherent risks. Provided you take the proper precautions and remain aware of the risks, you can reap the benefits of bringing your children along for an enjoyable ride. 

Kids who have expressed interest in riding will do well to ride with their parents first to get a feel for how motorcycles operate and to learn from how their parents ride before they ever attempt riding a bike themselves. The reward is that they will become more confident and more responsible by learning from you, and you can also foster a stronger bond with your kids by sharing your favorite hobby with them.

Understand Your Child’s Limits

Very young children will not be good candidates for motorcycling, but school-age children who have demonstrated good responsibility in general should make good passengers. Riding in a sidecar is the first step for younger kids; older children will be able to sit behind you and learn to hold on and lean with you as you ride. If your child is going to ride behind you, they must be tall enough to reach the footpegs and aware of all the rules of riding.

Be Aware Of Your Own Capabilities

Are you, as a rider, confident enough in your abilities to bring a passenger along? It will be best if you’ve already ridden with multiple adult passengers before riding with children so you know how the bike’s center of gravity changes with the addition of other people. Make sure that you have the experience necessary to bring children along with you safely. Beginning riders should always ride alone until they’ve become more experienced.

Follow Local Laws

In California, there are no age restrictions placed on motorcycle passengers. However, if you’re going to bring your child along for the ride, you need to have footpegs on your bike and your child must be able to reach them. Your child must sit in a secure seat behind you. Also, wearing a helmet is mandatory; other safety gear like a riding jacket, sturdy pants, boots and gloves are highly recommended as well. Look for child-friendly riding gear made of leather or denim that fits them snugly with no loose or dangling fabric or cords that could get caught in your bike’s mechanisms.
Seeking motorcycles for sale in Orange County? Visit our Westminster dealership to check out our inventory of new and used motorcycles for sale. Indian Motorcycle® of Orange County proudly serves greater Los Angeles, CA.