Just curious: Am I the only one here who has to hide the GS (and all of my gear) whenever family comes in to town to visit? No one in my family knows that I ride. I raised the topic with my sister months ago (when I was thinking about getting my license) and she did NOT seem happy. My father is in bad health, and would not approve, either.
For the record, I'm 27, single, and pay my own bills.
I figure that they'll find out sooner or later, but I'd rather have it be later- like when I'm 35...
Am I completely nuts, or is/was this act of "hiding my riding" fairly common among younger riders?
It's not unheard of to hide your riding from family. It rarely lasts long though.
I wasn't hiding it from my family, I just didn't go out of my way to tell them.
It took them about 7 months to notice. I guess it all depends on how close your family is.
I was planning on keeping riding from my dad because I know he doesn't like it. I managed to hide it for maybe 12 hours, until he came to visit the day after I got it and went into the house through the garage :laugh:
I'm 29 and told my mom about a week after I bought the bike. I could have kept it from her since she lives out of state. I kind of wish I wouldnt have told her she started crying on the phone when I told her. She is convinced she will be coming to my funeral. I dont think you should have to go to the extreme of hiding your bike etc. Your grown, they will just have to accept it.
I didn't want to tell them, but my dad happened to call me when I was on my way to check out a bike for sale, and he asked me where I was going, and I wasn't going to lie. I thought they would freak, but they didn't. They weren't thrilled, but they didn't give me too much flak once I told them I'd already taken a riding course and had been researching them for over a year. I wound up buying that bike too, and my dad went to help me load it. :icon_mrgreen:
Nope... I told my parents long before I got my license that I was going to buy a motorcycle; and ever since I got my bike my dad keeps bugging me to ride it up to their place so that he can take it out for a ride (I think he misses having his motorcycle... except for the time he was riding past a golf course and got a ball in the eye - but that's another story). My mom always rode with my dad when they were younger, so she's cool with it too.
As bsj177 said "Your grown, they will just have to accept it." I didn't tell anyone, other than my wife of course and her parents as I went to their house for lunch later after picking it up. But they found out pretty quickly anyhow, mom wasn't very excited/happy about it at all, Dad just asked how big it was, 400cc. He says, well that ought to be powerful enough for you. That was about it. Every now and again one of the family will bring up the fact that they knew someone who got hurt/killed/etc and won't touch a bike anymore. Of course when I ask well, were they wearing any gear, what happened, and the answer is uhhhh I don't know, probably a helmet......
Tony
yeah, i'm in a delicate situation in that respect. i haven't told my parents yet that i ride a motorcycle, but they live on the opposite coast and haven't visited. i'm about to get married in a couple of weeks, and my fiancee told her parents that we have a bike. and i told my friends that i have a bike. so i'm sure that if i don't tell them they'll find out. i probably should tell them now to give them a bit of time to digest it before the big event, but they are paying for quite a bit of the wedding ...
if i had to do it again, i'd do what admiral crunch did, only even more so. tell your parents the minute you start thinking about it. then continue to talk them through the entire process so you know you're getting gear and taking the msf class etc. i think it's a lot harder to explain after the fact!
I asked my parents over the phone not long ago (I'm 21). My mom didn't say anything, my dad said "why didn't you ask earlier?"
I guess I'm lucky.
My parents were actually the ones who pushed me to get a motorcycle in the first place...So I guess in that case I would have to borrow someone's bike and gear so they thought I followed through with it (that is...if I didn't already have a bike and whatnot)
Dad owned a few bikes in the Philippines. He was supportive. My mom, a nurse, was not thrilled... but she knows I'm responsible etc. She was more concerned about be spending money and potentially making another project. She has seen me with my car and others and knows stuff like that can consume all of my attention for days at a time. Perhaps she was anxious I would lose a degree of focus on school.
BTW- They knew I was looking for years now. Even before I bought my car I was looking at bikes.
I'm 27 and married, btu I stay in contact with my immediate family fairly often. My brother and sister weren't very thrilled at the thought of me getting a bike, but my mother wasn't all that against it ... surprisingly! I guess since my step-father has a Honda Shadow and a Harley, she's kind-of used to them.
I've found that everyone was much more willing to accept the idea once I showed them everything I wear and explained the courses that I've taken. They seem a little more excepting of the idea knowing that I'm not out to race around in shorts, flip-flops, and my ball cap turned backwards.
My wife on the other hand is still trying to get used to the idea .... :laugh:
As for me ... I'd tell 'em. :thumb:
I was tempted not to tell my old man that I was sitting my test but i gave in and did. I figer honisty is the best policy! :thumb:
everyone in my family rides . mom,aunts, grandparents :P meeeeee
yo i stated to ride my dads bike when i was 18, he really didnt notice until one day he realiced that his bike was low on gas and he got a lil suspicius. so i told him.. well some time later he signed me up for the msf sold my car, bought my gs and havent look since that.
The only reason I was able to get a bike was because my dad has one, and my mother rides with him.
My dad has a Harley and has been riding on and off for the last 30 or so years. When he got his current bike about 15 years ago, he didn't tell his parents. They found out when my little brother mumbled something about it (he was about 3 or 4 at the time) and they went nuts, even though he was in his mid 30s.
When I decided to get a bike a couple years ago, my dad was supportive to an extent, but everyone else was quick to remind me about the time my dad took a spill on his bike a week before he married my mother (and was only wearing shorts, boots and a helmet...not too bright). I take that opportunity to remind them that I'm not my father, and will be wearing all the protective gear I can and will be on constant alert as to what drivers are doing around me.
After I finally picked up my bike, but couldn't even ride it yet, I debated telling my grandparents, but ended up doing the honest thing and telling them up front. It turned out a lot better than I thought it would, and I'm really glad that everyone knows about it. They're as supportive as I could expect them to be (some more that I expected) and it really helps me, knowing that they'll be there for me if something happens.
Good luck in whichever route you wanna take.
My family knew long before i got my bike. Mom wasn't thrilled but accepted it, Sister was about ready to break my legs, and this is the conversation that me and my dad had.
Dad: Where you goin?
Me: To get my learners permit.
Dad: You already have a license.
Me: No, a motorcycle learners permit.
Dad: Well, what are you doin that for?
Me: So i don't get a ticket for riding without a licence.
Dad: Your gunna ride that ugly ass dirtbike on the road?
Me: No, I'm going to get a street bike.
Dad: You already have a bike.
Me: Not a street bike.
Dad: I don't know if that's a good idea.
Me: Dad, how long have you known me... If the idea is in my head do you think its gunna go away?
Dad: :pause: :chuckle: Wanna go look at bikes this weekend?
Now everyone in my family loves my bike, including my extended family. I'm kinda suprised by the fact that out of my 50 or so extended family none of them have motorcycles... which is probably why they call me the harley man :icon_rolleyes:
There's a reason honesty is touted as the best route.
I've been honest about my intentions to buy a motorcycle from the start. I didn't tell them about the RD200 I bought when I got to college, but that was a terrible impulse buy which I'll be fessing up to in several weeks. Dad's been privvy to my hunt for a street bike, helped me take the GS home, bought it a new battery and a service manual. Last week he mentioned something about wanting to take it around the block.
Not everybodies parents are as nice about it, but then again, I feel very lucky for having awesome parents. Never get rash or angry when discussing it. Always stay calm, take the high road at every opportunity and know your shaZam! about safety gear, and if they aren't down with it... shame, that.
Hello. My name is David, and I'm an alco... errr... I also hide my bike from my family.
It's been pretty easy for me to do since I'm at college, away from home. My mom is STRICTLY against me riding a motorcycle. But since stubborness ran in my family, I secretly bought a gs500. Now I have no idea how I'm going to break the news to her when I have to go back home during the summer.
I kid you not, my mom will DIE if she found out I got a bike. Only after she kills me first :laugh:
Something came to mind when I was debating telling my parents. If (god forbid) I were in an accident and my parents had to come identify my body, I wouldn't want them to say "nope - not him" because they thought I didn't ride. The same rationale was behind my telling them when I get my tattoo (months after but still). I'd rather them be aware, regardless of how they react, then be caught by surprise in an already horrible situation.
Morbid - but that was why I told them :)
oh - and savor - you can do what I did and run in to them at home depot when you're carrying your jacket. my mom was like "nice jacket - but it's 80 degrees out" ... yeah - she really didn't like finding out there ...
Mom had a little suzuki GT185 when she was in college. It was my uncle's idea, he raced motocross and still rides and services bikes. My dad rode that bike some, and dirt bikes on the farm.
Even so, they were a little unnerved by the whole deal. I was living in Minneapolis (not the burbs) at the time, lots of traffic and crazy cagers. My mom doesn't even DRIVE there.
That being said, my bro and I took the safety course a year ago and I'm MTGMTT (most of the gear most of the time), and all of it on the highway. They are ok with it now, and my brother finally picked up a bike this spring. Its a calculated risk thing.
Now, my GF, on the other hand, hates the bike and wants nothing to do with it, doesn't want to hear about, and claims to have nightmares about me dying on it. good times.
This is actually a pretty comforting topic for me. As I too hide the fact that I got a bike from my parents. My father has been very sick for years and I really dont want to give my mother any other things to worry herself with. It's tough sometimes to deceive them and it makes me feel a bit shameful. The one time i'd talked to her about it was when i was much younger and it nearly had her crying. And that was just talking about it. I plan to tell her someday but i'd like it to be on my own terms and when i'm a much more confident rider. Its nice to see others that have these types of issues. BTW, I'm 31yrs old and my parents are very involved and important in my life.
I only "avoid" the topic with my Grandparents... They're old... They don't like it... So, I just don't talk about it. Kinda like my tattoos and smoking... :dunno_white:
The rest of my family is different. My sister has her own bike and my brother wants one (but his wife won't let him)... My mom doesn't like it, but I actually enjoy rubbing it in her face. :laugh: (And if you knew her, you wouldn't think less of me for doing so).
Hiding your bike and gear isn't lying about it, it's just avoiding it. I don't think there's anything wrong with "avoiding" the topic... Rather that saying, "I was out riding my motorcycle yesterday." You could say, "I was out on the road yesterday." :dunno_white: Creative truth telling. O0
But, flat-out lying about it isn't good. :nono: If my grandparents asked me about it, I'd tell 'em... But, there's no point in forcing it on them.
Quote from: nautiquelfe on April 25, 2006, 11:36:04 AM
This is actually a pretty comforting topic for me. As I too hide the fact that I got a bike from my parents. My father has been very sick for years and I really dont want to give my mother any other things to worry herself with. It's tough sometimes to deceive them and it makes me feel a bit shameful. The one time i'd talked to her about it was when i was much younger and it nearly had her crying. And that was just talking about it. I plan to tell her someday but i'd like it to be on my own terms and when i'm a much more confident rider. Its nice to see others that have these types of issues. BTW, I'm 31yrs old and my parents are very involved and important in my life.
My mom also cried with this topic... multiple times. I just don't know how to bring it up. Went through different scenarios and all seem bad. Could be that I'm a pessimist :)
Might as well as sell the bike before summer begins instead of going through all the drama of being caught red handed or trying to convince my mom.
I've never tried to hide it either. Of course I really couldn't because around last June-July while I was still living with my parents, I came up here to visit my brother for the weekend and when I returned home I was driving his truck with my bike in the back :laugh:. I think my parents saw it coming since my brother bought one a few months earlier and I had told them I was going to look at some bikes, and had already been looking at them. They didn't really want me to get one, and my dad was kind of mad, but I guess they are ok with it. They still worry sometimes, especially after my brother's accident. She was seriously wanting me to sell it after that.
I'm totally in the same boat! im tryin to save up the money for one now and with a grandma as a very nosy financial advisor.. shes startin to think im really putting money away for a good cause for once in my life.... but lil does she know ive been spending it on gear and for the bike! i guess i dont blame them.. im the only child, and i am a single mom of a 1 yr old boy! but hell.. this bike will be perfect for him to learn on one day along with pimpin out the hummer i have! HAHA live life to its fullest right! ill just choose to be smart on the road and not ride the yellow lines in between cars so i can live to pass it on to him!
My Wife told my Mom on me when I got the GS in '02 :dunno_white:. I got away with my folks not knowing that I had a street bike for four years while I was in the army (many moons ago).
Speaking of... The other day I was helping my friend move some stuff he has at his parent's house...
When we pulled up he said, "By the way... My parents don't know I'm getting a motorcycle... And there's no reason to bring it up." :laugh: Made me think of this thread.