Kawasaki, Please Consider Moms and Motorcycles

I hate to ruin this for everyone but there are seats available for
small children. I wouldn't put a 1yo on the back of my bike but I
would have liked to have something to make it safer for my younger
son.

Here is a site with one seat available...
http://www.stamatakis.de/e-index.htm

Here is a seat for a child riding belt...
http://www.childridingbelt.com/enghome.htm

If it will show up, here is a pic of another type of seat. I don't
know where to get it though.

I know this is a very late comment.. but I just had to put this up
here.. When I went to check my e-mail, this was on the Yahoo!
homepage: http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=465941&cache=1

Come by and take a look!

http://planetfeedback.typepad.com/mommage/thoughts_and_insights/index.
html

Maybe wait until the little one is a little older and get a side car?

My dad was a motorcycle policeman and some of my fondest memories of
him was when he'd pop by home to check on mom and us kids and he'd put
us in the side car and go for a little ride around the
neighbourhood...

A bucket seat on the bike? I'd be too afraid to put a kid in that!
Sidecar...yes, if the little one was strapped in like a mummy and you
were not going on the highway (just local roads).

I have 1 kid, I am only 25, I still have a lot of youthful
experiences ahead of me.

Maybe you should have thought about that BEFORE you took on the
responsibility of being a parent. Having a baby means goodbye to
'youthful experiences' and hello to 'grown-up responsibility'.

Stop treating your child as an accessory and start treating it like
the dependent and fragile human being it is.

Take the money you'd spend on the bike and get your tubes tied.

You should not have children, period. I weep for the one you do have.

I have to agree with all the others. I ride a motorcycle, a Kawasaki
at that. I am a mother but under NO circumstances would I ever want to
put my child on the back of my motorcycle and ride on the streets with
him. NO way! Do you not know even with helmets and leather home many
people die because motorcycles are just not seen as easily as a car?
Why would you ever want to put your child in that type of danager?
Please, Kawasaki do NOT take this idiot seriously. A bucket! Get real
lady!

Want some excitement??? Give you kid a lighter and a can of gasoline
you freakin idiot!!!

Anyone want to take a bet on how many times CPS will be called on
this
woman while her child is in her care?

If she has this sort of approach, I cannot IMAGINE how the child is
being cared for on a day-to-day basis.

I agree with others, have you thought about the dangers of
motorcycling? No one should even ride or touch a motorcycle without
first thinking about the dangers. Almost all beginners will end up in
an accident sometime and if you had your child while you are in an
accident, who will suffer the most? Also, motorcycling is not meant to
be a sport for children. Sorry, but it's not. Buy your child a dirt
bike when he/she can compensate the sport, is old enough, and after
YOU have had ample Beginner Safety Course training first! Please, do
not expect a company to change its projects, products, and its
services to accommodate a baby. It is a liability issue for them and
motorcycling takes far more awareness, skill, and focus to do than
driving a car. Cars are larger and much more safer. If gas is an
issue, buy a small compact car that is safety tested for children.
Motorcycles may look cool and it may be cool to be on them, but please
do not mix them up with being toys, because in less than one second
they can be extremely deadly toys.

Thanks for your time,

A big Kawasaki fan.

I think you need to rethink getting a motorcycle till your little baby
is gone from the nest or would you rather have an accident while you
are riding a motorcycle with your kid seated behind you.
Accidents do happen, my dear. Even with motorcycles. Have you ever
seen a road rash happen to someone? Think about your child getting
road rash or worse being killed by an accident that happened to you
and your motorcycle while on the road.
Do you even have leather motorcycle gear for your kid? If you don't,
think about spending hundreds of dollars getting specialized gear for
your child each year as they grow. All that money could be spent on
things that would be good for your family - like food, rent, clothes
and books for your kid to read.
If you want a motorcycle, please think about waiting till your child
is older, till then, get a car.

think about your child, not yourself.

This HAS to be a joke, right?

no really, right???

Dear Christa,

We were surprised, yet please to receive your letter. We just happen
to have a prototype of a product that may fit your needs.

We call it the Tot-Wing 1500. What is does is make your Kawasaki fly.
This way, both your and your loved one can not only be safe,but also
take advantage of low friction, high mileage riding.

You may wonder what happenes if you run out of fuel. Our engineers
have solved that; there is a parachute pack that fits to the back of
your young one, and the one chute supports the entire TW1500 and its
passengers.

I am sorry to have to say this, but you should not be a parent if you
think there is a safe way to put your kid on the back of a motorcycle.
If you want to take your kid with you while riding on two wheels GET A
BICYCLE WITH THE APPROPRIATE SAFETY SEAT.

Sounds to me like your "youthful experiences" are more important that
the safety of your kid.

I seriously doubt there are very many other mothers out there that
would "love the experience" of putting their child's life at risk.

Ummm....my husband has a Harley, and even if he could have, there is
no WAY he would be putting a child on the back until that child is old
enough to grasp the concept of riding. A squirmy or fidgety kid (or
any rider, for that matter) can throw off the balance of the bike and
make it more likely to tip over. My daughter first rode with my
husband when she was almost 7, and mature enough to understand how to
hold on and grip properly going into turns, over large bumps, etc.

Even still, she doesn't get to go on super-long rides. No matter how
safe a rider YOU are, there is always some other idiot on the road not
paying attention when changing lanes on the highway, backing out of a
driveway, etc. And ANY motorcycle accident usually involves alot of
injury, even to an adult, imagine what it would do to say, a toddler,
even WITH protective helmet and gear!

For the record: my husband was just involved in a motorcycle accident
a few weeks ago, road defect caused it, and even with full leather
protective gear, helmet, riding boots and gloves, he almost lost his
right leg and has had4 surgeries so far to re-align bones and skin
grafts to replace what came off when he hit the road. This is a grown
man now lying in the hospital - what would that have done to a child?
Riding with too young of a child on a bike is NOT feasible, that's why
the bikes aren't designed that way.

wow... get a clue... there is NO way to put a child on a motorcycle
safely.

Gimme a C!
Gimme a P!
Gimme an S!

Now let's call them up!

I've been on motorcycles more than a few times (and since a good
friend of mine just got one, am going to be spending a lot more time
on one). Even just riding behind (I refuse to use the actual term)
takes coordination not to tip over or fall off.

I hope to god that this letter is a joke and that you don't intend to
put your small child on a motorcycle. My father had one before they
adopted me, and my other father made him sell it out of principal of
being a parent. If he had ever suggested taking me on it as an infant,
he would have been divorced within the week.

Um, NO. 'Cause it would NEVER happen.

Can't you just imagine? Considering babies have their needs while in
the backs of comfy mini-vancs and whatnot --you know, where you can
actually HEAR them and respond-- can't you just imagine the way a
baby is going to feel on the back of a motorcycle?

I don't have one, so forgive me if I'm wrong, but what about the
noise? Would you be able to hear your child? Comfort them if they're
crying? What about the inability to control temperature? What if it
rains?

Frankly, this reminds me of putting chihuahua's in purses and carrying
them around with you. It's a fashion thing, isn't it? Cute biker mom
and her little biker babe carrying their little leather diaper bag and
matching diapeys?

Personally, Christa, my dear, I think you should write to Graco and
Evenflo and ask them WHY in the WORLD they haven't thought of
attaching jetpacks to the backs of their stollers. And don't forget
to ask that the companies design matching space suits for baby and
momma.

(You know, I wasn't like this before I started reading this site....)

One time while riding with my husband, he came up over a hill that had
a steep, unannounced drop off the other side (back country road), and
although he kept the bike upright, the jarring landing knocked my foot
over onto the hot pipes. My brown leather boots melted right near the
sole in 2 places - and I'm an experienced rider! I can't imagine a
toddler would have even been able to manage to hold on in as I did,
you have to be able to anticipate road hazards to some degree, and I
agree that pipe burns from a bike would be awful - my boot looks awful
as a reminder!

when i was a kid, my dad had a bike. one thing was always made clear:
dont TOUCH the pipes. respect the pipes.

should have seen the look on his face when i tried to hop on the back
with flip flops on... he didnt even NEED to say how angry he was!

What's frightening is that this letter may be real. Someone actually
believes this. Yikes.

I hope this letter is some sort of sick joke. Who, in their right
mind, would even consider taking a ONE YEAR OLD out on a
motorcycle??!!

Have you actually ridden a motorcycle? Taken safety courses? I have
been riding since last fall and I can't IMAGINE being responsible for
a passenger, let alone a BABY.

Since your primary objective here seems rather prurient (looking hot
and getting some ackshone), you've shown that you're not mature enough
to be a mother. Please consider putting your child in foster care
while you continue to GROW UP.

Dear Kathleen,

Please let us know if you get any favorable responses from any of the
companies you've written about this. If you do I would like you to
write letters to various companies on my behalf to bring back the
summertime fun of Jarts. Stupid bureaucrats and their meddling ways.

Um, I've been riding motorcycles with my dad since I was five, could
HOLD ON and could find an appropriate helmet to wear (Daddy refuses to
let me ride without my jacket and everything) but...a BABY? I'm sorry,
but that is just ridiculous to want a 'baby sling' for a motorcycle.
(Sounds dangerous too...>.>)

Regards,
Cheyenne

The money you'd save in gas would go right to the highest most
outrageous motorcycle insurance you could possibly fathom. I'm
uncomfortable with this request, as it goes against parental instinct.

She posted I think three versions of this letter. In one she made a
rather foul observation that made me feel a little sick. Are we sure
this isn't a troll?

Christa,

Don't be stupid.

There would be several problems with that scenario. A passenger on a
motorcycle has to lean into curves along with the driver. That would
be extremely difficult with a small child in a seat. Not to mention
that motorcycles are open, which means in the case of an accident,
there is an extremely high chance that a child will get seriously
injured or killed, much more so than in a car. There is also a chance
of the child getting hit by flying debris. If you want to even
consider this, you may have to get a sidecar. That would probably be
the only semi-safe way to transport a small child on a motorcycle.

Best bet, just buy a small, fuel efficient hybrid car.

Much to my own surprise, I'm not sure this idea should be completely
written off. While I certainly don't think it should be the only form
of transportation, and it shouldn't be done on congested roads or in
traffic, I think there are other situations where this wouldn't be as
dangerous as it seems. There are a lot of places where I live to ride
motorcycles under very safe conditions for recreational purposes. It
would be nice for parents to be able to take their children along in
the safest way possible. The fact that holsters are available leads
me to believe the industry already smiles on the idea of little
passengers on a motorcycle.

I don't think a child should be transported to daycare on a motorcycle
each day, but I do think there's a market for accommodating parents
who wish to include their children in their own fun and leisure
activities.

This response is so out of character for me, but it actually was my
first reaction when I read the letter.
Feel free to let me have it, but please be gentle... haha

Those little "harley" onesies, tee shirts, and leather jackets really
do ROCK! Levi's even makes jeans to fit babies, just like the ones
rodeo riders wear and I think they're cute too. I even have baby
pictures of my own in a saylor's outfit... but I doubt my mom would
put me on a ship off the coast of Iraq either then OR now.

If that were the case, and your foolish attempt at even SUGGESTING
making motorcycling a viable transportation option for infants and
children, there's a big problem with the military. Women who chose to
join the armed services are suffering from separation anxiety. How
about fitting infants and chidren with camo back carriers and baby
seats for hum vees? Not only cute, but it solves the problem of moms
not being with their little ones for a long period of time. "Take your
children to work day" IS for everyone, right?

Sorry Crista, you're way out in left field with this one. If you
really think this turkey will fly, then I suggest you re-think this
parenting idea and ride off into the sunset on your motorcycle. You're
priorities as a parent should be that your child always comes before
your need for happiness. Your child didn't ask to be born. You made
that choice of your own free will and your child deserves better.

Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have safe kids instead of being
seen as a MILF on a motorcycle. The thought of my kids being smeared
on the highway doesn't appeal to me.

I have to ask...

And I'm being completely serious... not mean or sarcastic...

Were you dropped on your head as a child?

Also, I'm not one to butt into people's parenting but if you think
this is a smart idea, I truly believe you should have your child
removed from your care. Risking your child's life to be a "MILF"
(taken from your other letter) is the most asinine idea I have ever
heard. That is up there with microwaving the dog dry. Or the woman
who got drunk (in our area a few months ago) with her toddler and
drove the wrong way on the highway.

I was a young mother at the age of 20 and am now 24. When I want to
be young and slightly reckless, I get a baby sitter and enjoy a few
drinks at a night club. Hubby and I are working towards are bike
endorsements next summer. When we want to ride our bikes we will GET
A BABY SITTER.

If you weren't ready to abandon your youthful foolishness then you
should not have had a child.

...that Absolut does not make a Vodka that you can enjoy as a parent
of one with your child!?!

"The only thing I have found close to this is a holster to put baby on
your back but this would be hard to do and possibly dangerous with a
child older than 1 yr." You think? Really? It might be dangerous?

I hope someone is watching your children for you in case someone needs
to make a call to the authorities if this is how you always think!

Donorcycles.....do I really need to say more? I cannot believe that
you wrote this letter to Kawasaki and Honda. Perhaps no respectable
company wants to see your young child splattered all over the highway
and then see you sue them when that happens.

:::Shudders:::

Christa,
Pardon me for a moment while I slip into my Father Mode.........
What the heck are you thinking?
A kid, as you put it, does not belong on the back of a motorcylce much
less in a child bucket.
I think you have stumbled upon a logical reason the industry has not
targetted this segment of the motorcysle market.
Do the math. Look at stopping distances, no protection etc. not to
mention the child has no say in your decision to risk life and limb
for a youthful experience.
Save your need for youthful experiences for when the child is with
family or in the hands of a capable
caregiver.
Suffice it to say look into a quality used or new small car that will
afford both you and the child some protection.
I could go on for hours on this topic but will leave it at this.
Hopefully, other well meaning folks will chime in.
BillR.