Change of heart

Long story, but i'll try to make it short.

When I was learning to ride, my family were VERY anti-bike. Even when I told my dad I had passed, he said..."As long as you don't get a bike - They're deathtraps!" I mean, what else am I going to do after I pass????
Anyway, after a while of trying to make him change his tune, I had a bit of a long chat with him and eventually he softened to the idea.

I got my first bike (a fast Blue pointy!) but he still wasn't that keen on the idea. However more than a year has passed and, since then, he's been on the back with me (albeit only for 10 minutes!) and now, everytime he sees a motorbike, he tells me about it or if he's on holiday and sees a group of bikes, he takes pictures to let me see them.

Me and my girlfriend are very confused with this change of heart - he seems to almost love them now (although he won't go on the back again for a while). I've also recently found out that his dad had a wee bike and he says he used to go on that all the time when he was younger but this has nothing to do with his anti-bike policies.

Has anyone ever experienced this before? If so what did you make of it?

Sorry for the long-ish version.

jaffa, sounds like he is a closet biker but scared to admit it since he gave you a hard time about it initially

bet he is gaggin to get one of his own now that he see's the fun you are having

[Essex of Essex]

A mates dad wrote him out of his will when he passed his test about 8 years ago, he's now back in and Dad rides a Hornet.

[Mr Speirs]

My parents are very anti-bike. My mum answers 999 calls and is always telling me how she has sent another copper to 'scrape' another biker off the road and that is where her anti-bike feelings come from.
My dad on the other hand used to have a Honda C90 years back and because he kept falling off of it declared all bikes dangerous...nothing to do with the fact he never had any training what so ever.

My friends have all been on the fence about it until I got it now they love it and always asking when they can get on the back.

My thoughts are that biking if you know nothing about it is dangerous in that persons mind you see helicopter heroes and traffic police programs telling you how dangerous it is and how everyone comes off all the time and they draw their conclusions from that. I have found that once people are introduced to a bike by myself their eyes light up and are so interested in it. My mum secretly admitted she'd like to have a go on the back but if I tell anyone else she'll deny deny deny

Maybe your dad is very interested in your bike and is only just getting over his misconceptions about it. Id even try taking him to an off road bit of land and letting him have a go.

Sorry for the even longer reply

[Supervox]

I'm afraid it sounds to me as though he may be suffering from a disturbingly common ailment . . .


. . . Fatheritis !!


From what you've put in your post I get the impression that he probably wasn't so much 'anti-bike' but more scared of what you might do to yourself on one. Now, having seen (probably) how you ride, how you take care of your bike, your general demeanor regarding your chosen method of transport / fun - he's probably a little more relaxed as you have 'proved' yourself a bit.

I have to admit that even though it's a long way off (12 yrs+) I'm dreading the day that one or both of the twins say 'Dad, can I have a motorbike?'. Whilst I hope that I'll still be riding myself - the thought of my boys on the road scares me to death !!

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by Supervox

I'm afraid it sounds to me as though he may be suffering from a disturbingly common ailment . . .


. . . Fatheritis !!

yep you get motheritis too.

Dad was a little antil bike...as when he was young someone took him pillion over the moors and scared him Sh!tless, and hasn't been on one since
And my mothers just overbearing. But it was her, who, when I felt like giving up after failing so often wth the test, told me not toWhen i had the 125 she said she didn't want to see it near the house, but warmed slightly to it, after passing the DAS eventually, it stopped being an issue. Now she even comments on how well it looks, and even sat in my garden the other week, watching me cleaning and polshing one of them, myself covered in muck and oil!

ill jump in on this one (never get any work done...ahwell....

my step dads brother was killed on a bike by a bus when he was 19....(years ago, he was new to biking)

my uncle was killed on a major A road about 2/3 yrs ago which caused lots of media interest (he'd been riding for about 25yrs)

with this in mind I can see why both my mum and step dad were dubious about me getting a bike.....

of course they worry...but to be fair to them they show an interest now ive past test and they see how excited I am by it all...my mum loved it on the back of mine....i was going about 10 miles an hour and she's like.."thats fast" haha

anywho...this fatheritis u speak of..totally get it....I have a 4 and a 1/2 month old son and the thought of him on a bike knowing what im like sometimes ,scares the bejeezus out of me (when hes older obviously not at this age!!!)....

but when the time comes id never discorouge him.......

My old man wasn't keen on bikes, he said all the above too....

...now he owns his fifth bike, a Bandit 1250GT.

[Skip]

My Mum and Dad werent keen but said as I was approaching 30 they werent as against the idea as they would have been if I was 18 - my Dad even trailered my bike to Donington for me to do a track day last October

My old chap told me in no uncertain terms I wasn't to take my CBT, test or to buy a bike, and that I was stupid for considering it- I should do my car test instead and get a proper vehicle.
So, after I'd completely ignored what he said and had been riding for a few months, dad was spending all his time on the tinternets looking at bikes, and has been riding a VFR for the last 5 or 6 months...

He still maintains that I should've got a car, though not as assuredly. Ha!