Parent Gossip

I am the amazing Biker Mum from Mars! Well not from Mars perhaps, but I am certainly an amazing biker and an amazing mum.  Most people would think that motorcycling and motherhood don’t really match but it’s a cheap and effective way to get around when I need to get to work and back.  The only minor drawback is that now the kids are a little older, they want to come on the back of the bike with me.
There is no minimum age for pillion passengers in the UK, so there is no law against them hopping on the back and going for a spin with me. But just because I could take them out on my bike, does this mean that I should? I take responsibility for risking my life whizzing around on my Suzuki Intruder but should I really risk my children?
If you, like me, are considering taking your child as a pillion passenger then make certain that you have all the very best protective motorcycle clothing and safety gear for them.  Helmets and leathers are obvious but make sure you get good fitting proper motorbike boots too. Children have such fragile ankle bones that they need all the protection they can get.  Good gloves, preferably with Kevlar woven into the palms are another must.
I have seen, to my horror, a small child, no more than 6 or 7 years of age, being carried as a pillion passenger on the back of a sports bike! The reckless stupidity of that was what made me look into the law on this. I wanted to report the idiot for endangering his child!
I suppose what puts a lot of people off is the cost. A good quality bike helmet will set the average biker back at least £100, and a suit of leathers can be around the £600+ mark.  My motorbike boots were £80. Now, multiply that by 2 for 2 Witchlings, then multiply it by the number of times you will have to replace each item after they inevitably grow out of it or drop it (helmet)!
Perhaps once the growth spurts slow down, and they are less likely to wriggle on the back, I’ll think again about taking the Witchlings out on my bike. But until then, they can walk!