The corruption of the younger generation - well, one of them at least.

[injundave]

My daughter, Danika,well step-daughter really but who cares, is 20 years old and has been with me since she was seven. She has been somewhat unwillingly learning to drive cars but just doesn't seem to be able to get into driving. Recently she saw a spread on FB, which I was looking at, about a V50 which was rescued from the road to oblivion and turned into a very pretty, light blue and black, customised machine. She commented on how much she liked it.

I have a V50 mk2 which has been off the road since 2012. I then told her that, if she was willing to work with me to learn how to maintain it, ride it and, eventually strip and customise it, I would give it to her. To my huge surprise, she agreed. I am used to meeting indifference when making such offers as I also have six sons, not one of who shares my motorcycling obsession, hence my surprise.

Over the last six weeks or so we have:
Pulled the sump, cleaned it out, changed the oil filter and oil;
Stripped the carbs, replaced seals, gaskets, fuel lines and throttle cables;
Synchronised the carbs;
Checked and reset the tappets;
Changed the oil in the gearbox;
Removed and repainted the exhaust system.

In the process she has learned to use a torque wrench and has drilled and tapped a hole to cure a problem in the twist grip.

The bike started readily after six years and, with a little tuning, now starts immediately and runs really well.
Today she and I got on it and I took her to a local park, largely unused during weekday mornings. There I got off and put her on in control for the first time. She was a little nervous to start with but very quickly picked up starting and stopping and, before long, was riding in large circles and figure-of-eights, I set up some plastic cones and had her ride straight lines and then set up a slalom which she also rode. I told her about counter steering and, having tried both, she decided that she prefers to push rather than pull. After about 40 minutes we returned home. She will be busy tomorrow but we will return to the park on Saturday and, this time, take her mother too.

When we got home she told me that riding a motorcycle is much more fun than driving a car and that she loved her first ride. Honestly, I could not have removed the grin from her face with a shovel.

In New Zealand, any motor vehicle over 40 years old has a much reduced annual road tax. My T3 dropped from $750 per year to $54 per year. I guess officialdom thinks that old stuff doesn't get used. WRONG!!! Being an impecunious student  Danika can definitely see the advantage in riding the V50, which qualifies for this reduced tax in 2020, rather than having a "new" bike. She saw a V7III Classic last week in a nearby motorcycle dealers. She quite liked it and she loves riding pillion on the T3 so I guess, in terms of MG she has been thoroughly corrupted and is starting to get there in terms of general riding as well, in the nicest possible way, of course.

Now, if I could just work out how to post photos I would put up a couple I took this morning. Added later: She just showed me how to put up pics. She is a young woman of many talents.

To say that I am proud and happy doesn't even begin to tell how I am feeling. Incidentally, in case you are wondering, despite riding on grass, she was wearing her leather jacket and gloves, her helmet and motorcycle boots. The only concession to temperature was heavy denim jeans instead of leather pants. She is far too precious to risk.

[Guzzistajohn]

Nice story, you’re a good dad!

[ohiorider]

A nice motorcycle story, and an even nicer father/daughter story!  Thank you for posting.

Bob
Hudson, Ohio - USA

[PhilB]

Excellent!

PhilB

[Rich A]

Very cool that you got her involved in the refurb, too. Neither of you will ever forget this bond!

Rich A

[oldbike54]

 Wonderful  Does she also follow the OKC Thunder? 

 Dusty

[wirespokes]

Very cool story! Thanks for sharing.

[Muzz]

Wonderful  Does she also follow the OKC Thunder? 

 Dusty

 

Such a wonderful stepdaughter probably went to school with Steven Adams.

Great story Dave.  Motorbikes don't have top be blokes only.

[not-fishing]

And you'll remember this for the rest of your life.

Now if they have Guzzi Rallies where your at, she can easily be the youngest.

Here's my son at the Utah, Not A Rally.  He liked it so much we went to the Nevada Rally a month later.

[Kiwi Dave]

Now if they have Guzzi Rallies where your at, she can easily be the youngest.

Just so happens, there is the annual Guzzi rally this weekend at Whakapapa, a ski resort in the middle of the North Island.

R U and/or your daughter attending, Smiley Dave?

[injundave]

She and I are both working on Sunday so, not this year. Maybe next in the South Island.

[lazlokovacs]

just   

[Chuck in Indiana]

Very cool..

[Mr Pootle]

You're lucky. When my daughter hit sixteen I offered to buy her a Vespa and pay for lessons. Sadly, she declined.

[pebra]

Dave, you lucky man, having such a treasure (not thinking about the bike)! Well deserved, I'm sure.
I'll bet your grin isn't any smaller than hers.

[Muzz]

Just so happens, there is the annual Guzzi rally this weekend at Whakapapa, a ski resort in the middle of the North Island.

R U and/or your daughter attending, Smiley Dave?

I was all geared up to go when my gearbox shat itself.  Frankenbox is going back together now but even if I had had it back together in time I would not be game to ride it for that distance. Cobbled together from my box that keeps blowing 5th and a box Pete sent over from Oz that has been run without oil.  We shall see.....

The Tattley Rappet is great fun.  Peeed off that I ended up missing it this year.

[Dharma Bum]

My daughter has become my constant riding partner, keeps me on my toes!

[Muzz]

Now if they have Guzzi Rallies where your at, she can easily be the youngest.

Sorry Not Fishing.  The youngest would be the daughter of the owner of Scooterazzi in Wellington. She has been coming to the rally on the back of Mark's bike since she was about 5 or so.  Last year she had exams and couldn't come, so Mark that time was accompanied by his wife. (Much to his daughter's chagrin I believe. ) She would still be younger than Dave's daughter.

[injundave]

Dave, you lucky man, having such a treasure (not thinking about the bike)! Well deserved, I'm sure.
I'll bet your grin isn't any smaller than hers.

You got that right. Nearly a whole day later I am still grinning like some stupid grinning thing that does nothing but grin.

[toolittletime]

Great story Injundave........So rt of like me teaching my daughter how to do an oil change when she was that age. She now owns and maintains her Triumph Bonneville.  You will cherish these memories even more as she ages.

I do have one question though......What is a "road tax"?  Is this something you have to pay every year.......My God...with 4 bikes I would go broke.

Tim

[Kiwi_Roy]

I think the cost of running a motorbike in Godzone is dirt cheap, especially if you consider that if you screw up and crash ending in Hospital is all included as my Canadian riding buddy found out.

[injundave]

I do have one question though......What is a "road tax"?  Is this something you have to pay every year.......My God...with 4 bikes I would go broke.

Tim

Yeah it is. Each year we pay a fee to keep vehicles registered for use on the road. Motorcycles, because they are so "dangerous", pay much more than other vehicles. The fee is graduated on the cubic capacity of the bike but even a 250 is more expensive than a car. The exorbitant fees are, supposedly, to offset the cost of treating injuries sustained by riders and are payable per vehicle. It would be much fairer if there was a cost per driver/rider, based on driving history but that would be much too hard for the bureaucrats to comprehend and they would not have so much of our money to play with.

[vintagehoarder]

Fantastic!

[Tkelly]

Get her a copy of Proficient Motorcycling,the best explanations of how to safely ride twisty roads.

[drdwb]

Great story. When our oldest daughter turned 18, working at home during summer break, she tells me that she would be willing to ride my wife�s 1982 Yamaha XJ 650 , if I paid for her motorcycle classes, and the insurance. My counter offer was. I�ll help you get the bike running with your help and help you do the maintenance.But you will pay your own insurance,and classes. My reasoning was if I covered it all I would be responsible if something went wrong, in my eyes she had to put something into it. She did the classes, got her license and we rode back roads for a couple months but she didn�t feel comfortable over 45 mph, one day she says dad it scares me and I don�t think I want to ride now. I told her it�s good to be afraid every time you get on,cus shit happens. So she quit. She still has her license.but no longer rides, I�m waiting.

[injundave]

We went out again this afternoon. We went to the same park and this time, took Megan along as official photographer. Lots of figures-of-eight, straight lines and weaving and added in braking. For your entertainment some photos.



I must say she did really well again and already seems addicted. To finish off we went for a quick ride home, the long way. Great fun and a very happy girl again.

[Muzz]

She looks right at home there Dave, and the bike seems to fit her like a glove.

[pebra]

Most useful training!
She'll be a good rider.

[injundave]

Hi all and a very happy new year to you all.

Last Thursday, a stinking hot day of 34 degrees C (95F) I took my daughter for the first part of her motorcycle licence test, called Basic Handling Skills. As her V50 is still being worked on, she rode a small Yamaha belonging to the tester. It was quite a nice, easily ridden bike except for one thing - the clutch was diabolical in its fiendishness. No matter how hard she tried to control it all the way out, the bike stalled about 60% of the time. Even the tester admitted the clutch was bad.

However, after an hour or so she passed her test with four faults. (She was allowed 15 faults so she did really well.) Proud dad? You bet! Happy kid? Even more so.  After this she goes to see the Driver Testing people and does a theory test. Its about the road rules with a slant towards motorcycles. When she passes she will get a Learner Licence and I will enrol her in some beginner's training. The next stage after that is a riding test and a Restricted Licence, followed after a time by another riding test and a Full Licence. It takes time to get through the stages but, by the time she does, she should be a pretty good rider.

Here are some pix for your enjoyment.

Dave

[oldbike54]

 

 Dusty