Being a First Generation Rider

While I know that some people here on the forum here who have been riding since the dawn of internal combustion , there are some of us who have not had parents or family members who got us into riding.

Personally, I started riding at 16. My dad was never that into cars and believed that motorcycles are synonymous with killing yourself. Somehow, I unknowingly got my mom into it and she now rides with a group of women riders. Unfortunately, she prefers chromed-out Harleys, but to each their own I guess. Fortunately, I haven't really had any issues with my family about riding, aside from being accused of taking over the whole garage with 'useless projects'

This brings up the question, what are some obstacles that any other first-gen riders have had to deal with?

My own common sense was the biggest obstacle. When you start riding just south of 50 yrs old you tend to put too much rationalizing into such nonsensical and dangerous endeavors.

But I've relaxed over the last 6 yrs of riding. Ya just gotta let it flow...make it a karma thing...and all will be well....

Mine was my dad. I bought my first bike when I turned 18 and could officially tell him to get over it. Even then he wanted to kick me out of the house over buying one. Then I reminded him I had been paying him rent plus buying my own food while paying 100% of my own way through college since graduating high school two years before. In other words he had no say financially or parentally.

Once the yelling stopped and I explained needing reliable wheels for work and school and that a motorcycle was all I could afford, it sort of calmed him down. He never did get over it though. He hated motorcycles. So I still heard about it from time to time even after I moved out a couple of years later. But, once he figured out he wasn't going to win that one, at least he dropped it for the most part.

Funny, my mom was cool with it from day one. I think she just saw it as a logical extension of the bicycles and minibikes we were all mad about.

No respect! My mom was lecturing me about the dangers of motorcycles (she's a nurse) at the Philly Car Show this year (a HD display reminded her) but then someone near us farted terribly and my mom forgot what she was talking about and fortunately hasn't brought it up since. Both my parents wish I hadn't learned how to ride and change the subject whenever it comes up. They haven't seen my bike yet, but I'm sure they think I'm doing wheelies at 120 on I-95, which is hard to do on an F650GS single.

The rule in our house was no motorcycles while living under their roof. I bought mine 6 months after moving out. Not sure my Mom was real happy about it, but she never said anything. I think my Dad secretly lusted after my motorcycle.

My mom wasn't too keen on the idea, my dad loves it but never has owned a bike.

I needed a new vehicle as mine was falling apart and I have always wanted a motorcycle (Even my parents say that cool cars never got my interest but motorcycles of all types sure did.) so I bought one as my daily driver and haven't looked back.

Yeah there are downsides such as can't buy too many groceries and if you want to hang out you can't carpool as easily but over all it just makes me live more frugal so I don't go buy lots of junk food or crap that I don't need as I can't get it home.

My parents think motorcycles are extremely dangerous. They weren't very happy about it, but they knew there was nothing they could do about it. I am over 30 years old and haven't lived under their roof for many years. I think my Dad is interested in motorcycles, he just thinks they are too dangerous. I explained to my Mom that I took the Team Oregon safety course, I wear all of my safety gear and I ride safely. For the most part we just don't talk about it. I don't think Mom's ever stop worrying no matter how old we get, it is their job. I figure the less they know about it the less they will worry about it.

My dad was a sportscar nut; we grew up with Alfa Romeos as the family daily drivers. He sort of had interest in motorcycles, but never quite went there, which is good because he's not very coordinated, and as a driver is impatient and impulsive. He bought a dirtbike at a garage sale once, but I don't think it ever ran. He took a spin once on our family doctor's Ducati, and managed to miss a corner and ride it through a barbed wire fence, cutting off part of an ear in the process. So functionally I'm a first-gen rider. I got into bikes in college. My mom asked me to not get one of my own until I was fully out of the house and on my own; she thought that me having or riding bikes at the house would cause dad to get one himself. I agreed with her and held off.

Mom never was comfortable with me riding, and she did worry a lot at first, but she never tried to forbid anything, and she has resigned herself to it.

I started riding regularly in 1987, at the age of 24. In 1988, I switched to bikes full time, and haven't owned a car for regular transportation since. (Although since I moved from SoCal to NH last year, I will be getting one this year for winter usage.)

PhilB

I've gotta say, it's pretty interesting hearing some of your stories. It seems like a good amount of you had parents who were explicitly against it. Sort of makes me think of how teens with really strict parents are the ones who party the hardest in college

My dad was always against it, he told me how he shared a hospital bed with someone who got in a motorcycle crash and and blah blah blah. Nowadays he is okay with it, but that was after taking the BRC and ARC from the MSF course.
I got my mom into riding, but she kind of adopted the whole Sons of Anarchy mentality (bells on bikes, headbands, brain buckets, beer-bellied friends, the works), and her riding buddies are the most ignorant shits I've ever come across (thread for another day )

What about motorcycle storage? For me, I had to hide my bike at my mom's for about 4 months (and even kept it at my gf's house for a few weeks) before bringing it home. Can anyone else relate?

And to you old farts who are first-gen riders, I salute you (not in the traditional ADV way, of course). Good for you for getting on a bike. Any of you older riders have issues coming out to your kids, and also telling them that you're into motorcycles

This topic would lend itself to a book-length story... I can't remember any of my family who rode, I had never realized that I was the first rider in the family! but I'm definitely not the last either! From being told that motorcycles are dangerous and never being around them, finally around age 10 or 12 a friend's father took a new Honda 50cc Cub on a trade for a car. My friend and I had WHEELS! Eventually he talked his dad in to getting a NEW SL 90 (a real dual sport!), I bought the "Old 50", and things were never same again. Lots of "little bikes", mini bikes, junkers, and lots of miles later, through dirt bikes, enduros, Triumph and H-D choppers, to BMW GS's, raising a family and teaching our 6 children to ride, seeing nearly all of my older mentor riding friends pass away, and seeing my oldest son and I both earn IBA Saddle Sore 1000 certificates, I can say that I have enjoyed every minute I can remember of it all...! Life on 2 wheels has been wonderful! Even the 1 year and 4 months I did my daily 80 mile round trip commute to work entirely on my BMW until I had to get the alternator some new brushes, rain, snow, sleet, or shine, 2 wheels all the way. Now my grandchildren ride a CRF 50, and it continues. There have been some fantastic posts, pics, and stories on ADVRider since I found it in 2007, I would buy the book if it is ever published! Keep on Riding, Keep on Sharing, and Keep on Encouraging Others to Ride!

I had an uncle who raced Baja, and was on pit crews for some champions who went on to race trophy trucks, but he didn't live in the same area so I never saw him ride. He still rides dirt and street at around 70 years old, but I am yet to ride with him.

My Dad always tells the story of when my Grandpa (an Iowa farmer) surprised everyone by hopping on an old bike (an Indian I think?), kick starting it, tearing off through a big irrigation ditch then a plowed field, then handing the bike back to the owner. Nobody knew he could even ride, and he never did again. My Dad said he rode like a pro, but I always suspected it was one of those deals where he was out of control, but somehow hung on. He was very stoic, so he wouldn't have admitted it if that were the case.

My brother rides quads, but doesn't care for two wheelers. He has owned a couple dirt bikes, but didn't ride them much. I think I rode them more than he did.

I was the first to own and ride bikes on the street. I started at about 20 years old, when I traded a really cool remote control car for a 70's Yamaha IT250 2-stroke. I've been hooked ever since.

Good deal!

I guess I'm a first Gen, although my dad did have two bikes, briefly. His first was a 1925 Harley that he bought from a classmate for 20 bucks in 1933, when he was 17. He hid it in his basement until his dad found out, and made him sell it. His second bike was an Indian Chief that that he bought when he was stationed in Long Beach during WW2. He was a pilot, and that became his love. We had a Cessna, then a Beechcraft when I was a kid. When I was 12, I saw a kid I knew on a minibike, and just had to have it. Dad was cool and gave me the money, but my mom was totally against it. I had to hide it behind the garage until we broke mom into the idea. That was 1968, and the rest is history...

Being bike-only for the last 25 years, there was no "coming out" process. My wife had to make her peace with it when we met. Our daughter knew it before we adopted her. They both have their own bikes now.

PhilB

I am a first gen as well. My mom is a nurse, and as such forbade me to buy a motorcycle while living at home. Dad didnt care either way. I bought one anyway and kept it at a friends house. Fast forward to today. Mom is still totally against it, even after years of safe riding. At first the bike wasnt allowed at the house. Then I would park it on the street in front of the house when visiting. Then I started parking in the driveway. Dad shows an interest, but would rather have a wife.

My wife never cared. She knows its my passion and supports that.

Amazing story. It's so cool to hear about how you were able to pass the passion on to the next generation and to have be having so much fun doing it. Keep on riding, OldMan.

Any of you guys remember what first got you into bikes? What was the first bike you ever had, would you still have kept it if you could now?

for me it was a rebel 250 , and I'm so glad for that . Starting on a 600 would have gotten me killed, and I would never had had as much fun as I did with that Rebel. Never dropped it, but damn, got really close sometimes. Really fun bike that was really forgiving for a new rider. Wish I hadn't have sold it for a vlx 600 (damn thing only had 4 gears)

it was a looong time ago that I started riding , 1969 to be exact on a Honda Super 90. My dad didn't say anything that I remember, my mom was concerned, while neither of my parents or grandparents motorcycle riders, I had an uncle that rode (my first bike ride was at age 4 or 5 on his Harley) and he had recently had a serious accident, town road crews were spreading calcium chloride for dust control on a dirt road that crossed a paved road in a curve and didn't stop the spreader as they crossed the paved road. My uncle hit the slippery snot went down, bike totaled (towns insurance bought him a nice new one) one of his knees was banged up bad, he never worked after the accident, but he did recover well enuf to ride.

I will probably be and only generation rider, my son rode a few years, he had a VFR700, even went on vacation at Deals Gap with me once. His motorsports interest has shifted to bimmers, hes got quite the collection started an older 3 series convertible, 5 series sedan, and a 7 series limo

none of my grandchildren ride and my great grandchildren aren't old enuf yet

I'm ... sort of first gen. Apparently I had an uncle on my Mum's side that rode bikes many years ago but he was killed years before I was born.
I got into motorcycles after I had left home to take up an apprenticeship. I used to get around on my push bike but on the way home from work one afternoon I rode up from the road onto the footpath (so I could walk over a crossing and avoid nasty traffic) and my front wheel dropped into a gap between the concrete and the grass, catapulting me over a low brick wall and doing some nasty damage. The local motorcycle shop was thirty years further along so I stopped there and decided I needed something that had wider wheels and didn't require pedalling. On the 23rd of March, a couple of days later, I had my loan approved, got my learner's permit (already had a full car license), bought, registered and insured my first bike (DT175 Yammie) and with some effort got it back where I was staying. The next morning I took to the highway and rode the 176Km back home through caravans, 22 wheelers and cars and ... Mum was MORTIFIED! I was informed, ad nauseum, about my Uncle Eric ... though nobody ever gave me any real details. Dad on the other hand was keen for me to take him for a ride, which had to wait until I had my full license of course.