Off road motorcycles? Why?

[fox20thc 10]

Serious post time:

 

Why after the recent tragic loss of a 'child' riding one of these machines do parents allow their kids to have them?

 

My son asked for one, I told him I could afford neither bike, or trailer to tow it on, or car to tow it with, or field to ride it on. After a discussion he understood and changed his mind.

 

So why do parents buy them? The law states:

 

Unless the vehicle is specifically made for use on the road, you can only ride it on private land.

 

Any vehicle that is used on the road, will need the following legal documents:

 

* Driving License/Test certificate (and certificate of basic training for off-road bikes)

 

* Road Fund License/Tax disc

 

* Insurance

 

* M.O.T certificate

 

* Appropriate protective equipment

 

Not forgetting The Road Traffic Act can be applied if off-road vehicles are used in public places, used in an anti-social way or driven carelessly.

 

You can only ride on private land if you have written permission from the landowner. (be it farmer/local council ect)

 

The vehicle must be transported to the location safely and legally - On a trailer, NOT driven on the road.

 

You may be committing an offence yourself if you allow your child to use the bike anywhere other than private land.

 

So would you consider allowing your child one of these machines? And where would they ride it?

[dieselbabe 10]

Well what i have seen over the years and it is what i've see with being in a biker family since the day i was born.

Pushy parents that want to live the dream of that child being a moto x champ all becuase mummy and daddy wont buy them a bike at a young age,parents thinking it is cool for underage kids to ride these at silly young ages.

I'm not all for stoping kids to ride these bikes as i was one of them when i was younger,but i did not ride just like my friends children dont on the roads or other public places it is on private land all legal,we take the bikes by van not by road like you see SOME parents riding the bike wile the child is sat on the bike at the sametime SOMETHIMES the child and "parent" with no helmet on.

I dont understand how any parent can let a child out on one of these just with jeans and t-shirt and a very large helmet that will fit the parent too so he/she can have a go.just becuase you are not on the road but your on a field ect does not mean you can not die or be hurt just because you on softer ground then a road and belive that your child will be fine when come off the bike.Belive me when you go fast on one of these and come off it is like hitting a brick wall it is not soft one bit.

I just wish parents will think on what they are doing to the kids and just hope nothing eles happens again like the other night.

[Tradescanthia 10]

Off road motorcycling can be dangerous, but so can horse-riding [anyone ever seen a horse throw it's rider and then try to trample them under it's hooves?].

It is a rapidly growing pastime/sport and will not just go away so I think it needs to be taken seriously. Only sports with an element of danger are attractive to kids. Only by catering for this sport and providing land and organisation can a degree of safety be maintained.

Safe riders are trained riders.

[fox20thc 10]

Agreed Nimrod, but for all those young people and kids who have these bikes (and the diddy ones never seen the point of those)

 

Where can they safely and legally ride them at the moment?

[dieselbabe 10]

Off road motorcycling can be dangerous, but so can horse-riding [anyone ever seen a horse throw it's rider and then try to trample them under it's hooves?].

It is a rapidly growing pastime/sport and will not just go away so I think it needs to be taken seriously. Only sports with an element of danger are attractive to kids. Only by catering for this sport and providing land and organisation can a degree of safety be maintained.

Safe riders are trained riders.

 

 

Yes i know horserideing can be dangerous but how many kids do you see on the road that are not trained to ride and keep that animal in control,not many or i never seen this,it is always people that are in rideing school and not just joy rideing about on a horse like you see kids on bikes.

Having land is ok but also a lot of work that need to be sorted and also insurance ect,as a mate of mine was goin to do this on his land and let kids on the the field that are all ligit to ride safe and keep of the road, but at the end of the day it is not worth the hassel,Look at the moto x place in eccelsfield one child dead and the owner had to close due to not been able to again and that was a proper place to go so no were is safe at most times.Kids think they can do anything and handle a motobike ok just becuase never come off the bike.

[Tradescanthia 10]

Agreed Nimrod, but for all those young people and kids who have these bikes (and the diddy ones never seen the point of those)

 

Where can they safely and legally ride them at the moment?

 

 

At the moment no, there is'nt anywhere safe provided but thats why I pointed out the need for safety and training. Kids find this activity so exciting they will do almost anything to have a go.

[WTAW 10]

I think that there are a few reasons why usually sane parents allow their children to ride these dangerous machines:

1. They don't really care what the child is getting upto and with a bike they can do it further away.

2. They have run out of other expensive gifts to get their child so 'give in' and buy a bike just to keep the child quiet.

3. They have no brains!

I would never allow my child to ride bike, I am even worried about them wanting one when they are supposedly old enough to have one i.e 17 or 18. I do agree that if they are genuinely interested in motor x then if the parents can afford it, it should be encouraged sensibly and following the law.

[Agent Orange 11]

I almost knocked 3 kids over the other day as they casually cut across two lanes of a very busy main road. All three were on, what I would guess, illegal bikes and neither of them seemed to have any sense of the danger they were putting themselves and others in.

 

As someone said earlier, these people should have somewhere to go to ride legally. How do propose these kids get to these so called sites? Their parents probably won't take them as that will mean buying an expensive trailor so they will probably just end up riding around the streets and parks like they do now.

[Joelc 10]

You see, theres two sides to the coin. Theres so many people who's kids ride Moto-X and that kind of stuff at a weekend, heck I can introduce you ta at least 5 of them, but all of their kids (ageing from 5 - 19) never, ever ride these bikes on the road and stick to the proper outings. These people who have had the proper guidance are sensible enough to know the law.

 

Its those whos parents buy them one for xmas and just let them out on it. There are quite a few round here. Its ok for them to be on the road if A) the driver is 16 and its under 50cc, and they have a CBT, and the bike has indicators, a registration, and some other bits. JUst most of them dont unfortunatly.

 

I blame the parents for letting them have these things.

 

Joel

[Tradescanthia 10]

Here where I live we have a sizeable country park so you can imagine how many off-road motorcycles we see. As has been stated in previous posts the parents of the kids who ride illegally in the park are to blame, some even ride illegally as well, so they set a fine example to their children.

No laws or legislation or policing will stop this dangerous practice, we see the police mounting operations most weekends to try to catch the offenders. They even use the helicopter to locate the riders and direct officers on the ground to them. Fines have been issued, warnings have been given, bikes have even been confiscated but the problem carries on.

I have no idea how to address this problem, only to penalise the parents of any child caught riding illegally. Perhaps then they will take an interest in what their kids are up to.

 

Please send all suggestions to South Yorks Police as they seem to be running out of ideas and manpower.

[AstroKath 10]

I almost knocked 3 kids over the other day as they casually cut across two lanes of a very busy main road. All three were on, what I would guess, illegal bikes and neither of them seemed to have any sense of the danger they were putting themselves and others in.

 

I came close to hitting a kid on one last week, in Heeley. He was driving it without any lights on in the dark (roughly 6.30pm), and I was just about to turn right onto a side street in front of him. Luckily, I had my window open and heard him coming. If I hadn't, well... I don't want to think about that in light of recent events.

[kirky 10]

Serious post time:

 

Why after the recent tragic loss of a 'child' riding one of these machines do parents allow their kids to have them?

 

My son asked for one, I told him I could afford neither bike, or trailer to tow it on, or car to tow it with, or field to ride it on. After a discussion he understood and changed his mind.

 

So why do parents buy them? The law states:

 

Unless the vehicle is specifically made for use on the road, you can only ride it on private land.

 

Any vehicle that is used on the road, will need the following legal documents:

 

* Driving License/Test certificate (and certificate of basic training for off-road bikes)

 

* Road Fund License/Tax disc

 

* Insurance

 

* M.O.T certificate

 

* Appropriate protective equipment

 

Not forgetting The Road Traffic Act can be applied if off-road vehicles are used in public places, used in an anti-social way or driven carelessly.

 

You can only ride on private land if you have written permission from the landowner. (be it farmer/local council ect)

 

The vehicle must be transported to the location safely and legally - On a trailer, NOT driven on the road.

 

You may be committing an offence yourself if you allow your child to use the bike anywhere other than private land.

 

So would you consider allowing your child one of these machines? And where would they ride it?

 

i got my son one for his birthday last year,he only rides it when supervised by me and me only,we were on the manor fields on saturday,the police drove past and when they saw he was being supervised the drove on,technically i suppose they could have stopprd us as its not private land but i think they just used a bit of common sense,if someone makes a complaint then thats a different story,so until someone does complain i'll keep taking him on there.

 

i don't want to comment on the young lad that died for obvious reason but i think you'll find the circunstances are totally different.