Kids riding pillion

I've got a 7 year old that has gotten tall enough to reach the foot pegs on the passenger seat of my FJR. We've been telling him for years that once he can do that, he can ride with me, so he's raring to go. Does anyone have any gear recommendations or advice for kids riding in the back? The bike has a trunk, so I'm not worried about him going off the back, but I'd like to find something that will give him some better handholds than my riding jacket so that he doesn't go off the sides...Who's done this and can offer some guidance?

CM

SigepKat,

HJC and GMAX both make helmets in youth sizes. My Mini-Me opted for the ADV styles helmet from GMAX, for the fit and because it looks like a helmet from "halo". Gloves have been a challenge, and until they get big enough for adult small, it's usually an off-road glove.

The owner of High-Five cycles, is very good about finding actual street apparel in youth sizes. I'd also check Moto Liberty, as they will have European sizes that run "small".

High Five Cycles:

Address: 9311 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy, Dallas, TX 75243 Phone: (972) 619-2080

Moto Liberty:

Address: 2821 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy #110, Dallas, TX 75234 Phone: (972) 243-5995

I always liked the kids hanging onto me so that I always knew he or she was there!

garfey said:

I always liked the kids hanging onto me so that I always knew he or she was there!

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Ditto - especially when my son got so comfortable with riding that he would fall asleep on the back!

Another thing to add: I use a SENA intercom so we can talk without yelling. Helps keep tabs on their well being and remind them of pillion courtesies (squeeze the legs when we are coming to stop so we don't helmet bang, don't wiggle when stopped - it makes us fall!, don't lean on the turns, stay aligned with my body, etc).

Mine was too small (and I was too cheap) to use real kids road moto gear. So, I used off-road pants with knee pads purchased thru Cyclegear. Worked great. Was able to get a road jacket that fit, but they don't have a lot of choices, so ours was not vented! Oh, and heavy hiking boots from Academy.

They also make a velcro/lasso that you can wear that has handles that align with your waist that will help with the hand holds as well.

Aggiengr said:

Ditto - especially when my son got so comfortable with riding that he would fall asleep on the back!
*snip*
They also make a velcro/lasso that you can wear that has handles that align with your waist that will help with the hand holds as well.

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We never rode far enough for the kids to fall asleep but I had a lady friend with whom we put many miles behind us. I could always tell when she fell asleep when her helmet CLUNKED into mine.

I've seen the Strap-With-Handholds thingies. They seem like a good idea though a belt would probably work as well.

Pro Tip: Don't EVER do a wheelie with a kid on the pillion, even accidentally (RD400F, from a stoplight, downtown Va. Beach, just let clutch out too quickly). Son wanted to do it again!

My oldest daughter and my son both ride with me. Each started when they were tall enough to reach the foot pegs. I also always have a top case on the bike. Side to side stability has never really been an issue. That is the whole point of the feet reaching the pegs. So mine rarely hold on to me. There are grab rails on the bike for the passenger, but they don't generally use them unless we are hitting some big bumps on dirt roads. Even there, a bump big enough to launch them up out of the seat launches them right into my butt because I am usually standing and will shift my weight back before a bit hit. Essentially, I almost sit them back down with my rear In the event of a panic stop, they can't hold themselves anyway. I just brace and expect that they will be whacking into the back of me.

I recently added a SENA S20 setup. We love it. Being able to actually talk to the kids helps a LOT. It even helps with the falling asleep issue, although that has not been a big issue for us very often.

For gear, they have used their dirt bike helmets and also a small Shoei street helmet. Sarah is finally outgrowing that Shoei. For jackets, they have used both a dirt bike pressure suit (mesh and covered with armor all over) and/or a small street jacket with armor. Rain gear has been more of a problem, but we've tried Frogg Toggs. The street jacket has a thermal liner as well for cold days. We have a mesh street jacket for when it gets hot. They used to wear dirt bike pants with knee armor, but that has no leg/hip protection. Before a recent long trip with Sarah, my wife found a set of football pants with all the knee, thigh, hip and even tail bone armor that fit Sarah. She wears those under her dirt bike pants and they work great. They fit Daniel as well. Both of them wear their dirt bike boots instead of any kind of hiking boot. I like that it gives them extra protection all the way up to the knees. Gloves have been a problem until they got large enough to fit small street gloves. I don't understand why dirt bike gloves all suck and offer almost no protection.

I think quality of gear is relative in most cases. When my Dad used to take me on trips with his XS1100 I held on to his jeans beltloops wearing a helmet and bomber jacket.

That being said, I think there are alot of good deals at cycle gear. They have kids sizes that don't cost an arm and a leg. Some may scoff and claim low quality, but it all depends on budget. If a person wants to drop $1k on kids gear that they will outgrown in a matter of months then by all means go for it. But in my opinion, a good healmet they are proud to wear and a good jacket and boots is all they need.

I also agree with the Sena comment. Now that I took the plunge and bought one, I love it. It's a whole new experience being able to talk to buddies i'm riding with. That being said, some of my fondest memories of riding with my Dad as a kid was having my thoughts to myself. I would venture to say, riding for miles on end with nothing but wind noise in my helmet really tought me to think about things. I wouldn't go back and change it for the world.

The communicator gives you the option to talk. It does not force you to talk My son can be a REAL chatterbox, going on about nothing at times... I have on occasion simply turned off my communicator when he was riding with me My daughter is not quite so stream of consciousness as he is. So we tend to have quick chats and then long silences to contemplate our chats. The cool thing was that during our week long trek through Utah and Colorado on many miles of dirt roads through the mountains, we had quite a few really cool "Father/Daughter" type chats that I totally DID NOT plan. They just popped up in the context of what was happening in the moment and I would have completely missed them had we not had the communicators.

Tourmeister said:

The cool thing was that during our week long trek through Utah and Colorado on many miles of dirt roads through the mountains, we had quite a few really cool "Father/Daughter" type chats that I totally DID NOT plan. They just popped up in the context of what was happening in the moment and I would have completely missed them had we not had the communicators.

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This is awesome! Much respect to you Scott!

My daughter started at 8, (10 now) and it was(is) hard to get gear. Went with an HJC youth helmet. All of the HJC-Y's have interchangeable cheek pads, so you can really dial it in.
For a coat, we had to do a women's XS First Gear street jacket, but the sleeves are too long. We are about to go up a size and I will bring the next one to a woman I met that works on leathers to shorten and relocate the elbow pads.
We could only find moto-cross pants, but she hates them. So, she wears old-school jeans from a western store. If only I could find the "tough-skin" jeans I grew up in I know denim is not any better than sweat pants, but it is what it is. We do not venture onto highways or the slab...
For gloves, I bought some cycling gloves in women's small. Not armored, but full fingered and guaranteed not to fall off. Women's small and XS gloves finger's were too long.
Almost forgot about boots... She has worn western style boots, but I preferred her Doc Marten full leather type boot that cannot fall off. We are almost to the point where we can start looking at small women's boots. That is a tough one knowing they will not fit at the end of next season.
I try to stop every 30-40 min to get her moving, or she will fall asleep. She likes to sing in her helmet (says it sounds like a concert hall in there), so when the singing stops, I start looking for a place to take a break.
We will take our first moto-camping trip this next spring.

I wonder if we could start a regional/local "clothes closet" for trading/paying-forward kids gear?

Awesome stuff guys. Jakob has gotten a few rides in but just around the neighborhood. We haven't ventured out further than that though. It's a country road between his after school care and home, and I've contemplated picking him up and having mom follow us home, though she says she'll be freaked out the entire time.

Good tip on the football pads for the lower body, will have to look at that. I'm lucky on the helmet side as he has a HUGE dome and wears an adult small, so he can actually wear his mom's helmet.

I don't look down on the cheap gear at Cycle Gear. I mean, I do, but I bought some for my wife and will buy some for the kid but not for me. It's not that I don't trust the gear because I'm sure it'll hold up, but I don't trust it for long term and high wear usage. Considering my wife has worn her jacket exactly one time, I'm glad we didn't spring for more expensive stuff. As fast as son outgrows stuff, the same applies. For me wearing my stuff every day for commuting and long distance touring, I'll spend some more and leave the cheap stuff for those who don't ride much.

I have a buddy belt, and we tried it years ago with my wife but she hated it. The handle loops were too big and allowed too much movement so she never felt very secure with them.

My kids have grown so much that they both now use the helmet that I bought my wife 4 years ago. I also keep MX helmets around in same sizes if we do some neighborhood running. I will pick up the kids from school (I'm the COOL dad!) with those helmets.

Aggiengr said:

I will pick up the kids from school (I'm the COOL dad!) with those helmets.

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1. No way I'm navigating that insanity on my motorcycle. I'm more comfortable commuting across Dallas to work than I am fighting the crazy moms who have kids to pick up at multiple schools and get them to various sporting events.

2. It's a half a block away (can see it from the end of my driveway), not worth it. I'll never be the Cool dad.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/131305946172?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true
http://www.cycleworld.com/2011/10/05/2wheelride-passenger-safety-handles-product-review
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/oxford-rider-grips
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q4IXTMI/?tag=twowhetex-20

When My grandson is old enough to ride, he will be holding on to one of these

E.Marquez said:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/131305946172?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true
http://www.cycleworld.com/2011/10/05/2wheelride-passenger-safety-handles-product-review
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/oxford-rider-grips
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q4IXTMI/?tag=twowhetex-20

When My grandson is old enough to ride, he will be holding on to one of these

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The last one looks good. The others look similar to the one I have. The problem is that the handle has too much slack and therefore moves too much. When you hit the brakes the handles move forward and when you hit the gas they pull back with the passengers movements. In addition to the passenger not feeling comfortable, it's pretty jarring on the driver because you get hit at the end of the movement. Hard to explain, but the grip n ride above looks pretty good as it doesn't seem to suffer those issues.

I'm in the same boat. My daughter turns seven in a month or so and is finally tall enough to reach the pegs (I replaced the rear pegs with Ilium Works adjustable platforms to accelerate the process). I've been searching for gear and found nothing around here that works. I'm considering sellers in Europe or Australia as they have what appear to be several good choices. They offer real gear (e.g. 600D cordura with waterproof membrane and padding). The beating the british pound has taken lately has also helped. My biggest concern is getting the fit right as it isn't exactly a quick exchange process.

MotorCycle World (BabyBiker1990 on ebay) offers some good adjustable one-piece suits, but they have a non-removable lining given the UK doesn't get so hot. They offer jackets and pants that have removable liners and at least one option wtih zip open vents. The recently altered their website and seem to use their Ebay store as their only customer ordering portal.

The shipping is reasonable from the UK (they have other color choices). Some of their jackets and pants are made with expansion zippers at the shoulder and knee to last longer for growing kids.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Baby-Biker-...m3f631cdf22:m:myZn849UkJ9BbhrcKLWvi4w&vxp=mtr

These are out of Australia (the shipping may be a deal killer) but the gear is less expensive
[ame="http://www.ebay.com/itm/400570467396?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT"]NEW "KIDS" COUGAR CORDURA FULL ARMOUR JACKET SIZE small | eBay[/ame] They offer matching pants.

I'm also looking at Modeka, Germot, and Roleff out of Germany. I haven't tried any of them yet, but they look promising. Moto-thek-shop offers those. They are on ebay, but their direct site is more easily translated.

The last kid stuff I bought came from a friend in Germany. Europe has lots of gear for kids. Exchanging outgrown for a bigger size and a little wealth is so common there are actually shops that provide such services over there.

I pick up my youngest from school whenever I get the opportunity. There is always a traffic problem, so I split traffic on school grounds to get to a parking space. Most everyone else creating the glut of cars is there to pick up their children curbside, where I am a "park and walk up" due to helping him lace up the chin strap, wait while he puts on his other riding gear. Traffic is a breeze when we leave, but with the mini-me on the bike, I'm like a mother goose, honking and squawking if anyone gets too close.