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

[injundave]

Came out nice.  Question.  Does the sun ever shine there? 

Shining right now. Most of the last pix were taken late in the day when the sun was well in the west we are in the east of the country.

[injundave]

Been following this thread with a big grin. My daughter , now 27, also learned on a v 50.  We are still working on her riding skills and this brings back many fond memories. I'm glad you both are sharing so many happy times together!  And to top it off , my daughter is currently in New Zealand visiting!
Here's a video she made early on when my wife and I were away on vacation and she was not supposed to be riding until we got home. So is youth.
Don't sweat the details, she and the dog are still doing fine! Thanks for sharing.
Best to you and Danika!    Dave

Thanks Lucian. Where in NZ is your daughter?

[lucian]

She is on a hike in Wanaka today,at Roy's peak. You live in a beautiful place, she is really enjoying it there. Congratulations to your daughter on acing her road test. You taught her well!

[twowheeladdict]

Came out nice.  Question.  Does the sun ever shine there? 

Shining right now. Most of the last pix were taken late in the day when the sun was well in the west we are in the east of the country.

I was teasing because of how pale her skin is.  Don't see much pale skin here in the southern US. 

My son has been living in New Zealand for 2 1/2 years now.  Currently relocating from Christchurch to Hamilton.  I hope to get there in the next year or two.  I just need to work it out where I can take off 4 weeks so I can visit and rent a moto and see the country. 

[injundave]

Make sure you let us know when you are coming. Always a meal, a patch of floor and a beer here.

[twowheeladdict]

Make sure you let us know when you are coming. Always a meal, a patch of floor and a beer here.

Thank you very much and will do. 

My son had a job offer in Napier, but couldn't find a house with land for rent.  He and his wife are doing the gentleman farmer thing. Not sure how they are going to move all the animals to Hamilton.  :)

[injundave]

Early on in this piece I explained about our 3-tier licensing system and explained that Danika had passed her basic handling skills test. Well, following that success we went off to the testing office last February and she got her Learner Licence. This allowed her to ride a LAMS-approved bike under certain conditions. LAMS bikes are approved based on their power to weight and generally mean anything up to 660cc without being stupidly powerful. Since then she and I have been riding at every opportunity and I have been teaching her everything I know. She is doing fine.

She had her 21st birthday a little while ago. She is not a jewellery girl and, I know, felt a little disappointment when I handed her a ring box on her birthday. Disappointment changed to delight, however, when she opened the box and found, nestled inside, the key to the V50, which is now hers. She also got a very nice leather jacket as well.

We also have on-going training available through an organisation called Ride Forever. This is also in 3 tiers: Bronze, for beginners or those with little experience; Silver, for those with a little more experience or returning to motorcycling; and Gold, for experienced riders. These can be had free under a government subsidy and are very worthwhile. I have done Gold twice and, despite having been riding for 55 years, I still managed to learn some new stuff.

Anyway last Saturday Danika went off to do her Bronze. Here she is getting ready to leave in the morning to meet the instructor and the rest of the group of six.





The course started at 9 am and lasted until 5 pm. She arrived home tired and happy, having achieved her Bronze Award and with some very good comments from her instructor, Ken. When I spoke to Ken a couple of days later he was very pleased with her performance and said that she was more than ready for her Restricted Licence test. As well as being an instructor, Ken is also an approved motorcycle tester and so an appointment was made with him to do her test.

I am happy to say that she passed her test and, upon my arrival home from work, she and I went into the garage and removed, from the back of her bike, her large yellow and black L (for Learner) plate which she had to carry while still a learner. She has to remain on her Restricted for 18 months. In that time I will have her do a Silver and then, just before she goes for her Full Licence, a Gold.

Tonight she is a very happy kid. Her mother and I are both bursting with pride and I am more than just a little happy to have corrupted her into this Guzzi passion (obsession?) which we all share on this forum.





I almost forgot to mention that the most useful item I had in teaching Danika to ride was a rider to rider intercom which I bought cheaply from China. We each have a microphone and two speakers and are able to talk to each other with clear sound reproduction at speeds up to 60 mph. Being able to follow her and give instant guidance, advice and instruction was great. She could ask questions and let me know how different techniques felt . I would strongly recommend these devices if you are teaching anyone to ride.

[Huzo]

Among the best posts I’ve read for ages.
She’ll sleep like a baby tonight, and a V50 to top off the day...

[Dave Swanson]

What a great story!  One of the best to grace WG.   I love the last picture, that says it all. 

[s1120]

Vary nice, and congratulations to her for the training she has done, and getting her license!  Since this post started my daughter has gone on her first ride with me on the back of my bike, and LOVES it!!  Is saying she wants to ride her own when shes older..  Shes only 13 now... so I have a few years to go.

[twowheeladdict]

Congrats!  Sounds like you have an awesome training program for riders there.

Do Car drivers get the same level of training so they are safer to be around?

 

[pebra]

I gladly admit my envy, Dave!
It's a consolation that you deserve it, though.
Great story.

[Diploman]

A very inspirational story, Dave - thanks for sharing with us.  WG is indeed an amazing cyber place where an astonishing variety of subjects can be discussed, all tied together by Guzzi-phile threads.  You and Danika are one of the best heart-warming stories ever!

As the owner of a 1980 V50II, I must compliment you on the beautiful, quasi-pristine stock condition of your (Danika's) bike.  Lovely.  Your care in preserving this 40-year old gem is reflected in the double (some might say redundant) crash protection:  a regular crash bar plus Milich head guards, either of which would probably be sufficient.  Got that issue covered, for sure!

Happy riding to you and Danika!

[Muzz]

A most excellent story Dave, and well done Danika.

I can still remember how chuffed I was when I first got my full plates and could carry a pillion.

[wirespokes]

Damn! She's HOT!

Great story, Dave.

[balvenie]

Good onya, Dave and Danika

[injundave]

And now, to enjoy the fruits of all that hard work. The Hawke's Bay Classic Motorcycle Club, of which I am a member, had it's classic only run this afternoon. Both our Guzzis qualify under the rules as classics. So........





Waiting for the run to start.





My riding buddy, Michael in the shot, fiddling with the visor on his helmet, with his new-to-him 1971 Norton Commando.





Similar shot. My bike is in the background.

The weather was cool and dry and a great time was had on a run of about 85km (55 miles). Unfortunately Danika was not feeling all that great and headed back home before the run finished but it was good to have her along.

[injundave]

Congrats!  Sounds like you have an awesome training program for riders there.

Do Car drivers get the same level of training so they are safer to be around?

 

The bike training programme has only recently started to ramp up. Most car drivers could use something similar but don't have it yet.

"Damn! She's HOT! "  Wary father wants to know if you are referring to the girl, the bike, or both. Think carefully.....

[twowheeladdict]

The bike training programme has only recently started to ramp up. Most car drivers could use something similar but don't have it yet.

"Damn! She's HOT! "  Wary father wants to know if you are referring to the girl, the bike, or both. Think carefully.....

Wait a minute now.  Wirespokes made the HOT comment, not me.   

I will say that any girl on a motorcycle is already much more interesting than if they were in a sedan.   

[drdwb]

"Damn! She's HOT! "  Wary father wants to know if you are referring to the girl, the bike, or both. Think carefully.....

I have often used the phrase “ Since you are dating my daughter,you should know I’m not worried about going back to jail.” When meeting potential suitors, which I think I heard here on the forum first. Seems to work better than showing them my collection of guns.  I wish we had the system of  licensing you have, here in the states. For both cars and bikes. It would probably reduce the # of accidents and our insurance rates. 
Great on going story, thank you.

[injundave]

Two weeks ago we were out riding together when her bike dropped onto one cylinder and the throttle felt strange. It turned out that the dual twist-grip was able to close a fraction too far and one nipple on the end of the cable had come out of the correct location, meaning only one carb was opening. Danika watched me fix it at the roadside and, a few days later when it happened again, she was able to fix it herself.

Last weekend we took the twist-grip housing apart and were able to see that a small adjustment would prevent the problem. The next thing was that the bike was revving too fast at idle. I realised that the twist-grip rubber was making contact with the bar-end mirror housing and was being held open. We loosened the pinch screws on the housing and moved the grip inwards about 1/16", fixing this problem. She made the comment that, if she had a tool kit, she could have fixed it herself at the roadside. Now comes the point of this part of the story.

Yesterday we went shopping and came back with six combination spanners, a combination screw driver, two pliers (long nose and stubby), a spark plug spanner, a torch (flashlight), a set of allen keys and some zip ties. The only thing we could not find was a tool roll.

A visit to a fabric shop led to the purchase of a length of light, water resistant canvas. Megan made a pattern from my old roll and set about her sewing machine and the final result was.......









Now we have a blue guzzi with colour co-ordinated accessories!

If you are having trouble finding a suitable tool roll, they are easy and cheap to make yourself or, for the sewing machine challenged, PM me.

[Bulldog9]

Corruption is part of the code.... My 3 year old grandson is keeping the hope alive! For now its just sitting on it, but he has the start of the bug.

[malik]

Next, Dave, you'll have her changing a tube on the side of the road. Well done & keep it up.

[Double E]

Latest present to my god-daughter (who rides with her boyfriend) was a leather tool role.  Let the corruption continue. Many safe miles ahead.

[injundave]

Latest present to my god-daughter (who rides with her boyfriend) was a leather tool role.  Let the corruption continue. Many safe miles ahead.

Thanks, you and yours too.

Next, Dave, you'll have her changing a tube on the side of the road. Well done & keep it up.

That's the plan. Changing a tube is the next thing I want to teach her. Come to think of it, I have an old tube, an old tyre and a spare V50 front wheel. Perfect!

[injundave]

Corruption is part of the code.... My 3 year old grandson is keeping the hope alive! For now its just sitting on it, but he has the start of the bug.

Excellent. Nice machine and real cute kid.

[injundave]

So, here I am again.This morning, in light rain and overcast, Danika rode from here to Napier (about 12 miles away) and met up with Ken, previously mentioned as a motorcycle tutor and licence tester. She spent an hour with him riding some of the faster roads around and came home with the paperwork to get her full motorcycle licence. She has gone from total novice to full licence in a little over 18 months.

Once again she is very happy and neither of us can stop grinning. It was nice to hear that Ken commented that her road positioning and cornering is better than most.

Now I have to get her up to speed with driving a car. She has much more confidence about doing so now that she understands how clutches and gears work. Yes, she will be learning to drive stick shift. Here we go again.

[oldbike54]

 
 
 Dusty

[John Ulrich]

Great reading about her finding a passion that can last a lifetime!!!

[greer]

I have so enjoyed this thread as I sit here with my morning coffee, thank you!

Sarah