Children on bikes

How old should a child be before riding on the back?

  • Birth is too late, let's get them on in the womb!

    Votes: 3 11.1%

  • 5 or more years old

    Votes: 3 11.1%

  • Over 10 at least

    Votes: 5 18.5%

  • Completely depends on the individual child's maturity

    Votes: 12 44.4%

  • Never old enough because the mother would kill us!

    Votes: 4 14.8%
  • Total voters
    27
Blavenia

Blavenia

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Hey all.

I'm sure we all have our opinions, and every kid is different, but how old would you generally say a child has to be before putting them on the BACK of your bike?

I have stuck my daughter in between me and the tank since she was 3, but I saw an article about certain states requiring a passenger to be at least 16 years old to be on the back of the bike.

That's ridiculous!

Still, at what age would many of you consider your children to be old enough to understand and ride on the back, not just crawling around at 5mph with them in front of you?

Brian

This is her on the bike! :wilynily:
 
I don't have kids so it doesn't affect me but here in the UK there's no age restriction on carrying pillion passengers. As long as they can safely reach the footpegs they can go on the back.
 
Different Times

I was quite young when I first went on the back of a older cousins bike. It had a back rest but I don't think my feet could reach the pegs. That was back before drivers lost ther minds though. They do sell a device that straps around your waist and your child's waist that has grab handles so you can take a little one on the bike. I'll add the link if I can find it.
 
I took my son around the block in front of me a couple of times. When I tried to buy him a helmet to take him to daycare, my wife freaked, even though it's just a 5 minute ride. I'm not sure how to handle her. In my view, I'd surely drive a lot safer than when I ride alone, with extra margins ..
 
javahaxxor said:
I took my son around the block in front of me a couple of times. When I tried to buy him a helmet to take him to daycare, my wife freaked, even though it's just a 5 minute ride. I'm not sure how to handle her. In my view, I'd surely drive a lot safer than when I ride alone, with extra margins ..
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The problem isn't how you ride but how the other idiots on the road ride/drive!
 
I believe that a child should atleast be 14 before getting on the back off my bike. But i think that she will have to be 16 or 18 before her mother will let her get on my bike.

If she then allows it, might have to take her with me when her mother is working and have her promise not to tel her mom :)
 
Personally I agree to take a child on the back of my bike only as from 16. And this for several reasons: they can understand the risks and in most cases have already the right height to wear proper gear, and most important they can follow your instructions...

so that option is not on the poll list, so I selected minimum 10years
 
My daughter's been riding with me since last year at the age of 14, she's a much better pillion than my 46yr old mate!!

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Old enough and tall enough to reach the pegs and smart enough to always hold on. It's totally a judgement call and needs to be made after some short/safe rides.

Here in NH, you will get a ticket if the child is between yourself and the tank. NH will only allow a rider in the pillion position and they *must* wear a helmet until they are 18 yrs old.

Myself, I don't take a rider any longer. No more pegs or seat for them to use. ;)
 
Personally I wouldn't take either one of my kids (6 & 8) on the back of my motorcycle. They are too young to understand the dangers and follow instructions properly at this stage. Also there isn't a lot of gear out there that's going to properly protect them in the event of an accident. Plus their bodies aren't fully developed and more prone to injury in the event of an accident. Like others have said, I think 14-16 is a good and appropriate age to start riding pillion.
 
all of my kids were 9 when I let them ride on the back . my son really shows no intrest in it but both of my daughters ... lets just say I need to sneak out to get a solo ride in any more .
my 15 yo daughter is bike shopping right now lol
 
snofrog said:
all of my kids were 9 when I let them ride on the back . my son really shows no intrest in it but both of my daughters ... lets just say I need to sneak out to get a solo ride in any more .
my 15 yo daughter is bike shopping right now lol
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I know I'll be in the same boat in 10 years with mine! We'll be at the NJMP AMA races on the 4th and 5th!

Let's just say at 6 she likes to go fast, and that's about 14 MPH around the parking lot.

I still get in trouble with mom!
 
Blavenia said:
I know I'll be in the same boat in 10 years with mine! We'll be at the NJMP AMA races on the 4th and 5th!

Let's just say at 6 she likes to go fast, and that's about 14 MPH around the parking lot.

I still get in trouble with mom!
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haha my youngest allways told every one after a ride how fast we were tearing up the roads, leaning so far over she thought her elbows were going to rub the road .
in reality it was all in town and never went over 25 mph
 
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