By Lou Laguna MSTA vice-President
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been passionate about motorcycles. Despite having owned quite a few cool bikes over the years, I still get excited and stop to look every time I hear the sound of a motorcycle approaching. It doesn’t matter what type of bike it is, big or small, old or new, US built or import, I like them all. I’ve heard people say that the younger generation is less interested in motorcycles.
This may be an overgeneralization as it likely depends on many factors; but I think the MSTA membership demographics support the fact that in our little sport-touring niche, older riders comprise the vast majority of our club. This may reflect generational changes that will happen despite our best efforts to pass on the excitement we feel about motorcycling. Only time will tell. In the meantime, it will be very easy for me to share my enthusiasm for motorcycling with those of all ages. Just ask my wife who patiently waits for me when I strike up conversations with strangers of all ages that typically begin with “Nice bike. Where are you from?”
I feel confident that my passion for motorcycling will carry on for at least one more generation within my family. My son Roger, now 28 years old, loves motorcycles as well. His busy work schedule interferes with his opportunities to ride and the fact that we live ten hours apart makes getting together a rare occurrence. But this wasn’t always the case. And I’m certain that the times we shared riding together during his childhood kindled his current passion for riding.
My approach to teaching my son to ride centered around safety. As we all know, motorcycling is a dangerous activity. We can mitigate but not account for all the variables that make riding risky. We all know somebody who has been injured or killed on a motorcycle. It has always been easy for me to accept the risks that go along with riding; but when it came to my son, I had to balance my desire to pass on to him an activity I thought he would love with the reality of its potential consequences. Unfortunately, he witnessed first-hand these potential consequences.
When my son was about seven years old and had been riding pillion with me for about six months, I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident (riding solo) that resulted in numerous fractures and internal injuries. My recovery took about one year, and my son was there to witness the long healing process. I could see that his excitement about motorcycles faded after the accident, and I was okay with that. I had convinced myself that I was going to give up riding. The impact on my health, parental responsibilities, and trying to run a small business while recuperating from my injuries was so stressful that I could not imagine having to go through it a second time. I sold all three of my motorcycles and tried to focus on other things in life. As those of you who have encountered accidents and still remained passionate about riding can understand, my hiatus from riding was short lived. I regretted selling my bikes and found myself searching for another bike until I found a very nice low mileage BMW R 1100 RT.
When I started riding again, I had no plans to ride two-up. I needed time to rebuild my confidence riding solo and the thought of getting into an accident with my son, or other passenger was too painful. This worked out well because for the next few years he was preoccupied with friends and video games and showed little interest in riding.
Then, after riding solo for a couple of years and regaining my confidence, he expressed a desire to go for a short ride with me. We had a great time, and this short ride led to many more. When he was about 11, we took a week-long trip around the eastern states and when we returned, he asked for his own motorcycle. I introduced him to riding incrementally by getting him a Honda XR 100 which he rode for about two years. We were lucky to have neighbors with about five acres who allowed him to ride on their property. After he grew out of the XR 100 he got a CRF 230 which he rode until he turned 16. One thing I noticed about his riding was that even off road, he was a relaxed and safe rider. Although this made me feel more comfortable about his riding style, I was still terrified when at age 16 he asked to get his motorcycle license. At the time Pennsylvania offered a pretty good motorcycle safety course and I had been stressing safety for years, so I agreed to let him get his license.
At the time my wife had a 150cc scooter and a Honda NC700X so he was able to get some practice before getting his first street-legal bike, a Kawasaki KLR 650. He owned that bike for a couple of years and became quite proficient. He and I had some great adventure rides, together, in northern Pennsylvania.
Roger with his two bikes: Honda CRF250L and Honda CBR600RR
Then, when he was about 18, he decided that he wanted something “sportier.” Specifically, a used Honda CBR600RR! Well, he was an adult at this point and had his own money. So, instead of trying to talk him out of it, which would likely not have worked anyway, I decided to play an active role by stressing safety and training. I made a deal with him that if he first took the MSF Advanced Rider Course (I took it with him on my Honda Goldwing) and he agreed that his first several rides would be with me, riding along to “monitor” him, I would support the purchase. After buying the bike, I rode it home for him and experienced the crazy power of that little inline four and questioned my decision! But, with the exception of some unnecessary throttle blips while waiting for the lights to turn green, he rode that bike responsibly. We had some spirited rides and even did some track days together before he began riding alone.
Although I felt fairly confident that he would not become temporarily insane on that CBR, I welcomed the news when he told me a couple of years later that he wanted to get rid of the CBR and get a Honda CRF250L. He said he liked the CBR but missed dual sport riding. Plus, he had just graduated from college and was going to Colorado to spend a year working there and he wanted a bike better suited for that environment. After getting the CRF250L he rode it from Pennsylvania to Colorado and camped along the way. The photos he sent me during his trip sparked memories of my first cross country solo trip on my 1978 Suzuki GS400!
Currently, my son lives in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania where he is head of maintenance for a large summer camp. Before taking the full-time job in maintenance, he worked for this camp as a summer counselor throughout college. One of the camps activities is dirt bike riding (they have several Honda XR 80’s and 100’s) and for two summers he taught kids how to ride dirt bikes. This was the highlight of his counselor days! He has since sold the CRF250L in favor of a Yamaha TW200. The camp where he works spans almost 1000 acres with little to no asphalt for miles. He said the little TW is perfect for getting around at the camp and even driving an hour to Honesdale, Pennsylvania which is the closest town with chain stores. He is also very close to the Northeast Backcountry Discovery Route and one of the photos was taken when he and I spent a day riding some of the first section. We are planning to ride the entire route together in the future.
So, will the next generations be as enthusiastic about motorcycling as we are? Hard to say. As Bob Dylan said, The Times They Are A-Changin’. For my family, at least one more is on the horizon.