GatorVFR Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 So my eighteen year old son has been bitten by the motorcycle riding bug. I've taken him out for rides on my bike and let him ride it around the local high school parking lot to get him acquainted with some of the basics; however, the VFR is really just too big for him. A couple of months back I hinted I might be willing to purchase a bike for him and his younger brother to learn on. He took that to heart and started looking for a bike on Craig's List, Ebay, local shops, etc. We pretty much narrowed the field down to a Ninja 250 or CBR250. There are a lot of them for sale out there but I wasn't getting a good feeling for any of them...too expensive, too many miles, too many mechanical issues, no title, scams, etc. I finally came across a 2012 CBR250R up in Austin, TX listed on EBay. Now I'm usually not one to buy something like that without putting my hands on it but there were only two days left to bid on it and the owner seemed pretty legit after speaking with him. Well, I was the lucky winner at $2,075. Not bad for a CBR250R with only 1,322 miles on it! The owner's wife wanted him to sell it after a relative of theirs was seriously injured in a bicycle accident a few years back. The bike just sat in his garage for a few years. He would take it out and ride around the block a couple of times a year but that was it. So my son and I drove up to Austin, inspected the bike, made the purchase, and headed back home. The bike had to be jumped, other than that, she ran great. I was a little concerned about riding a 250cc down I-35 on a cold, windy day for an hour-and-a-half, but she kept up with the 70-80 mph traffic just fine. My son is thrilled of course! We've ridden the bikes around our local area together so he can build up some skills and confidence. He's all geared up and is taking the MSF Basic Course in a couple of weeks so he can get his motorcycle endorsement. It's a great beginner's bike for sure and a lot of fun to ride. I was a little apprehensive about buying the bike and letting him ride, but hey, I started riding at 14 or 15 years old and decided I shouldn't deprive him of the experience. He's a very responsible young man so I'm confident he will extend that to his motorcycle riding too. I'll try to post a picture of him with the CBR latter on down the road as we enjoy this adventure together. Cheers...Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdot Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Wonderful story. Thank you for sharing and pass my congratulations on to the the next generation rider. :) ..blackdot/Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rush2112 Posted January 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 8, 2016 Great story! I'm glad you can share riding with your children... I wish you all many rides of happy, safe rides! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted January 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 8, 2016 Congrats! It definitely has some 7th gen DNA in it - sort of like a younger brother. Good times ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer LangoPTC Posted January 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 8, 2016 Nothing but fond memories of that bike (esp the 70 mpg part). Please pass along my congratulations! cbr250.net is a good forum (nowhere near as good as VFRD of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted January 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 8, 2016 Best way to start out riding and congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ultimatevfr Posted January 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 8, 2016 When my son said he wanted a vfr for his graduation present from college , figured I had dodged the bullet by telling him he had to sell his mom on the idea. Took him four weeks( guess they do teach them something after all), looked at 250s , but finally decided just to go ahead and start him out on a 5 gen. 6800 miles and two trips up and down the BRP -it has worked out perfectly. Hard to put in words the enjoyment I get in watching grow into a really good rider, and sharing it with him. I hope you two have as much as we do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted January 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 8, 2016 Nice story, best of luck with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Great story. I loved reading this. I must mention that jump starting it and riding back on stator power is going to strain the charging system to its absolute limit. It is a good bet that the owner has done this previously as well. Please test the charging system thoroughly. You may even want to inspect the stator and high power connections for burnt wiring and melted connectors. I say this as I do not want your son to be stranded unexpectedly. Charging system deaths are many times set into motion by the weakening of components due to riding with a dead battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Nice. I wish my dad had bought me a bike. Also wish we could ride together! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted January 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 8, 2016 I was banned from a mc when I was 18, my parents paid for my car drivers license classes and testing though :-) Clever move, learning to read the road from the safety of a car first, and 2 year's later got my MC license. Bought my parents a present to thank them from -probably- saving my life..... ATGATT was definitely not en vogue back then...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rice Posted January 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 8, 2016 Good deal. Congrats! Just make sure that he is mature enough to ride a bike. I most certainly was not at his age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeper Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I decided to get my fifteen year old daughter a grom to ride to school. It has done more to prepare her for defensive driving than driving the car could ever. She wants something more like a cbr250 but that may be awhile. One suggestion, if you don't have bluetooth coms, get them. It is so helpful to be able to coach in real time. We talk about everything that is going on while its happening. I ask her questions like, do you see your shadow in front of you?, and she tells me why I asked the question. Like a lot of us, my folks were dead set against motorcycles. I'd give anything to have enjoyed this with my dad. Enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ultimatevfr Posted January 9, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 9, 2016 I decided to get my fifteen year old daughter a grom to ride to school. It has done more to prepare her for defensive driving than driving the car could ever. She wants something more like a cbr250 but that may be awhile. One suggestion, if you don't have bluetooth coms, get them. It is so helpful to be able to coach in real time. We talk about everything that is going on while its happening. I ask her questions like, do you see your shadow in front of you?, and she tells me why I asked the question. Like a lot of us, my folks were dead set against motorcycles. I'd give anything to have enjoyed this with my dad. Enjoy it. Agree 100% on the coms, bought a set of Sena 20s before we even found his bike. Best money spent so far.( besides the riding gear) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorVFR Posted January 9, 2016 Author Share Posted January 9, 2016 Thanks for all the kind and encouraging words...and tips. We've been going over the bikewith a fine tooth comb to make sure it is safe and to make sure he is acquainted with all of the different workings of the bike. My son is a quick study and likes to tinker with stuff so it'll be up to him to maintain the bike. Sweeper/Ultimatevfr--my son bought me (us) a Bluetooth intercom set for my Christmas present. That scamp thinks of everything as we hadn't even purchase a bike at that point! I had been looking at the Sena 10 for months so the wife and I could communicate while riding two-up but the device he bought works just fine. You can see it on Amazon. The name is "Buyee Bt Interphone Bluetooth Motorbike Motorcycle Helmet Intercom Headset 800m Rider to Pillion". For $50 it seems of good quality and works great. We use it every time we ride, and yes, it has been a great teaching tool. Below is a picture of my son on my brother's Ninja about three years ago. I'm really looking forward to riding with him on some longer trips. Who knows, maybe we'll get to experience "The Dragon" together some time down the road! Cheers...Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJS Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 I started my daughter on a dirt bike when she was 9. After a couple of years, we started racing off road races together. Best bonding experience we could of had together. Long weekends and out of state trips, she was a captive audience the whole time. We talked about everything. Didn't take her too long to be able to beat me. My only chance to beat her was if she crashed and it took her a while to get the bike back on the trail. Now, she's 24 and still waaay faster on a dirtbike than I am. 2 years ago I bought my 1st street bike. (I wish I would have discovered just how much fun they were 40 years ago.) Anyway, last year I bought her an 04 VFR and we've done 3 trips in excess of 1500 miles. We took the MSF classes together. Intercom's for both of us and we still talk about everything! Oh, and she's a better and safer street rider than I am as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted January 11, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 11, 2016 This is awesome. Congrats. Nothing like hitting the road with someone you love to share thoughts and create memories. Ride safe. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Doc4216 Posted January 11, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 11, 2016 Love all these stories of parents and your kids riding. Keep up the great parenting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskan Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 You are a Dream Dad! The family that rides together . . . well, rides together. My brother (11 years older than me) got me into motorcycling with a Honda S90 when I was 16 years old. We have been riding together ever since. I turn 62 next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorVFR Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 So my son took the MSF course last weekend and got his motorcycle endorsement on his license yesterday. Of course he was itching to go for a ride so we went out for a short loop before sunset. Wasn't too pleasurable for me as I had been sick with a cold all week and the temps were in the mid- to upper 40s. Still, a bad day on the Viffer is better than a good day in a cage. Today I woke up feeling much better so we took a longer ride up to Gruene, Tx. We had a great time and the weather was much better...sunny and 60 degrees; not too bad for mid-January! Below are some photos we took down by the Guadalupe River in Gruene. Cheers...Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeper Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Very cool! My 15yr old asked if I would consider getting her a CBR250 or 300 for her 16th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RollinAgain Posted January 24, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2016 I didn't know Nike made riding boots Be smart and get your kid some proper riding boots. I saw a dude wearing tennis shoes wreck a bike in a parking lot while trying to show off and his tennis shoes landed about 100 feet away from where his bike came to rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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