I Am Thinking of Taking a Risk.

Last week I met a few younger riders. They had made a post on the local FB group asking for area bikers to ride by a girls house on her birthday. It was what she wanted for her birthday. It was a nice day so I took my Honda ST1300 and joined the ride. It was fun. These were nice 20 something riders both men and women and most were mounted on sport bikes. I learned that most were trying their hand at some form of social media content. It got me thinking that when the weather warms up, I might offer them a ride on my Norton for their content.

I know it's a risk but I also know that we need younger riders to experience what we already know. I am quite sure that they have never ridden a Norton or maybe even kick started a bike in their lives.

Good idea and motive ; guessing a significant risk is the one up three down on the wrong side…
On a negative note…are you open to litigation if the worse happens…seems it’s the society we inhabit

Yeah - the liability issue is a serious issue - most motorcycle policies these days require that health / medical insurance for the individual be the primary coverage. Noble thought but risky.
Had an ST 1300 myself for 17 years - great bike !

I already did such a thing...left my Commando with Ryan at Fortnine for a few days and this is what he did with it:

3 things on my "NO" list: my Norton, my guns and my chainsaw

Yep, the liability issue would be a show stopper not to mention missed shifts and the inevitable over revving. Come to think of it there was a lively conversation going on about recent wrecks they had been in.

Forget I ever said anything.

As for my ST1300, My dream sport touring motorcycle has always been the BMW R100RS. I have wanted one ever since I worked at a BMW dealership. But, since working at a Honda dealership and having ridden many STs I decided to upgrade my dream sport touring ride. I found a low mileage, rashed non-runner with issues that stemmed from it sitting outside for two years. I have had a blast bringing it back to life. (I am still not done but I can't resist riding it!)

Tornado said:

I already did such a thing...left my Commando with Ryan at Fortnine for a few days and this is what he did with it:

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Very cool. An interesting trip down Norton's memory lane.

Best thing someone ever did for me was let me ride their old Triumph. They took the risk in me and I got hooked on old bikes. I own several now including that Triumph and a Norton because someone wanted to share their love for their hobby with someone else. It also broke my mindset that only new bikes can be fun, my Norton is now the newest bike I own.

These old bikes will end up in scrap and more old guys will cry about these things losing value unless you build a space for the next generations to feel welcomed and encouraged to step into something new.

If somebody wanted to learn to ride a motorcycle I would take them to Winton Raceway and teach them how to do it properly. On a raceway people have to pay insurance, and there is always an ambulance on stand-by. In the worst scenario a helicopter can land on the circuit.
People do not understand when I say 'road racing is safe' and most people are afraid of crashing, so they do not think logically about it. Proactive is always better than reactive. There are only about four ways to crash a road-race motorcycle and each one of them can be done safely. When you ride the mindset should be ' if that happens, I will do this'.
Driving real cars is just like slot cars. Motorcycles are very different, however many racing car drivers do not seem to know that. They seem to believe they can be John Surtees, however John Surtees raced a motorcycle for a very long time before he ever drove a racing car. From outside the fence, both types of racing look similar. I don't know how to stop a car from understeering, but oversteering with a motorcycle is extremely important.
Public roads are too dangerous for motorcycles. However some people persist.
My mate must be nearly 70 now. He has had a 450 Shot-gun 450 since the 1970s. He now lives atop Mount Dandenong which is up in the hills near Melbourne. He was with me when I raced about 50 years ago. He has just bought a Ducati SD 900 bevel, and has been taking it out for blasts around the hills. I think that is really lovely. If I did that, I would probably crash.
I think he has paid $3000 Australian for it. To me, that is a serious motorcycle. Nobody needs to scare shit out of themselves. It would take a bloody good superbike to out corner one of those. What some people do not seem to understand is the speed down a straight piece of road is not relevant unless you have brake failure.

The UK national motorcycle museum has a "demo" ride day where public can come a ride the old classics around a parking lot course. Great idea to stoke the new generation of riders....

My wife does not want me to race again, however she does not know that for me racing my motorcycle is easier than driving my car. When I drive my car, I have to think.

Tornado said:

The UK national motorcycle museum has a "demo" ride day where public can come a ride the old classics around a parking lot course. Great idea to stoke the new generation of riders....

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Old motorcycles such as that are often the most dangerous. I love the look of Garden Gate International Nortons, and for years chased parts to build one. The steering on them must have almost zero trail. They stand up under brakes and go straight. If you look at the old movies of the IOM, you can see it. That sort of thing makes everything become situationalist rather than systematic. I think it is what has happened with modern MotoGP bikes - kids who have been brought-up riding dirt bikes seem to do better.
If you crash, the height from which you fall probably does more damage than the speed, unless you hit something. When you crash at high speed always check to ensure you have stopped sliding before you try to stand up. One day a guy stood up as I passed him. He did a somersault and broke his collarbone. It is very deceptive. Drum brakes will teach you how to crash. Never ride without a helmet. Once you are off the bike, do not try to save yourself - relax and cop it sweet - you are in the hands of God and dumb luck. Crashing is usually painless except for the last couple of feet.

I can't think that any young motorcycle rider would want to own a Commando - ride one once, sure. But no ABS, no traction control, no automatic everythings? Heck if a young person new to motorcycles told me they were thinking about buying a Norton Commando, I'd probably say, "Don't give that another thought!"

Re racing vs road... a friend's son is a former MotoGP world champion and he (son) won't ride on the street and keeps telling his dad to quit riding motorcycles because it's too dangerous.

I suggest a good motorcycle for a kid to learn on might be a VFR400 Honda. The one I rode did everything perfectly, however I did not know it was speed-limited to 180 KPH. It wanted to go faster but couldn't. It just accelerated up to that speed and stopped accelerating.

MexicoMike said:

I can't think that any young motorcycle rider would want to own a Commando - ride one once, sure. But no ABS, no traction control, no automatic everythings? Heck if a young person new to motorcycles told me they were thinking about buying a Norton Commando, I'd probably say, "Don't give that another thought!"

Re racing vs road... a friend's son is a former MotoGP world champion and he (son) won't ride on the street and keeps telling his dad to quit riding motorcycles because it's too dangerous.

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Depends on what you call young. I work with people who are today between 25 and 79 and own vintage British bikes. My grandson talked me out a BSA B50MX when he was 17 and when he was 18 he was the youngest rider on the oldest bike and won one heat - his second race day ever. There are members here in their 40s and 50s. My stepson has a 74 850 Interstate, a 72 Kawasaki H2, a chopped Harley, and a bunch of dirt bikes - he is in his fifties. My youngest grandson talked me out of a BSA B25 which he is slowly getting on the road. I have a customer who got divorced at 40, bought a untouched 69 B25 that I made run for him, learned to ride and then upgraded to a T100R I built for him (little guy) - he's 46 now.

acotrel said:

I suggest a good motorcycle for a kid to learn on might be a VFR400 Honda. The one I rode did everything perfectly, however I did not know it was speed-limited to 180 KPH. It wanted to go faster but couldn't. It just accelerated up to that speed and stopped accelerating.

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My Buell M2 Cyclone was just like that. It couldn't break 100mph. It would get to 98, try and fail to go any faster. It was a brutal, throbbing, Sportster in a nice space frame but fast it was not.

About three years ago, I had a friend's s15yr old son regularly come to my garage to help me on mechanical things and learn mechanics. He was very interested in cars and not motorcycles so much. I should at first note that both his mom and dad were OK if he rode motorcycles. He was skeptical but I encouraged him to ride my 62 Trail 55 Honda. He was hooked and started riding larger motorcycles around the property, first a 225 and then a XR250. When he turned 16 his grandfather gave him the finances to buy a first street bike, a Honda 600 hornet. Even with his learners permit we rode quite frequently and by the time he was 17 I would let him ride basically any of my bikes. He became a good rider and mechanic and my contemporary friends would ask if he wanted to join us for rides. It was fun riding with someone over 50yrs younger than we otherwise were.

I personally am not that worried about liability, probably because I have practiced law for the last 44 yrs. Anyone can sue anyone for anything, I think life is too short to worry much about it.

Cheers and keep riding.

maaseyracer said:

Best thing someone ever did for me was let me ride their old Triumph. They took the risk in me and I got hooked on old bikes. I own several now including that Triumph and a Norton because someone wanted to share their love for their hobby with someone else. It also broke my mindset that only new bikes can be fun, my Norton is now the newest bike I own.

These old bikes will end up in scrap and more old guys will cry about these things losing value unless you build a space for the next generations to feel welcomed and encouraged to step into something new.

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I just do not want Norton's or any other bikes to end up as scrap.

MexicoMike said:

I can't think that any young motorcycle rider would want to own a Commando - ride one once, sure. But no ABS, no traction control, no automatic everythings? Heck if a young person new to motorcycles told me they were thinking about buying a Norton Commando, I'd probably say, "Don't give that another thought!"

Re racing vs road... a friend's son is a former MotoGP world champion and he (son) won't ride on the street and keeps telling his dad to quit riding motorcycles because it's too dangerous.

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Your friend's son knows what he is talking about. I did not road race until I finished my first diploma at age 29. When I think of what I did on public roads, I have a very bad sinking feeling. By the time I was about 25, I had known 25 guys who had been killed on the roads. From age 29, until 83, there have been about 5 motorcyclists killed on race tracks in Australia. It is a very rare occurrence.
I have only ever had one crash where I seriously believe I could have been killed. I wore a flat on the top of my helmet and got a dislocated collar bone.

My son is a car guy at heart. He has ridden my Norton(s) and still tells stories about his frighting experience onboard my Honda VTR1000 but his heart is cautions and fears Dallas traffic as well he should. We wants me to leave him my Norton in the will but I think it will just be a burden to him.