Father/Son and the VMX track back

[oldmotoxer]

I have found that not only has VMX renewed my intrest in the old MX bikes I use to ride. It has also given me an intrest to persue and enjoy, but more importantly it has brought my Son who is 23 and I closer together again after he had drifted away some time back. He run off the track a few years back getting himself mixed up in the wrong sorta crowd that got him going fast, and I'm not talking about going fast on a MotoX bike. I'm sure other Fathers/Parents can relate to what I'm talking about but thankfully I was able to rescue him from that scene and now we enjoy riding the RM400 that we restored together. In his words "Its f@#&king awsome" and I have to agree So I have a lot to be thankful about when it comes to VMX and its great to be able to talk to him again on a subject that we both enjoy. Trouble is, now I have to find another VMX bike to rebuild so we both have bikes, Kids hey there always ya kids no matter how old they get 

[firko]

Good story. You're a very lucky man.

[jimson]

G'day Oldmotoxer its a great link from the past to the future I'm sure my son would hardly say BO to me if it wasn't for the bikes in the shed its brought us closer. We talk about shit all the time and although he is only 16 and there is more difficult times ahead in his youth I hope he doesn't drift away.He keeps me sane.

[fatboycrash]

My old man bought me my first bike at the tender age of 4. Honda ATC 70 or something from memory. I'm now almost 40, He's sixty something and still rides, having just returned from Philip Island. Guess who was on the back of the bike to P.I. ? His 21 year old Grandson and my Nephew. We helped get him his first bike earlier this year, a beat up KDX 200.
He's now so addicted to bikes it's scary. Nice scary. We've laughingly tried to warn him that he's gunna be like us and broke for the rest of his life "Your f^&ked now mate... ;-)" but he just smiles.
Now, My old man is a "strong headed" bloke if you know what I mean and I've inherited some of the same. We've had some monumental fall outs over the years but we've always had the joy of sharing motorbikes. It's always been a constant and has kept us together. We've had some fantastic rides together. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204016
Last weekend I watch my mate Mullets 15 year old sons face light up like a Christmas tree when we took him to the QVMX day at Caboolture. He turns 16 in June and he's pulling extra shifts now at Target to buy boots, helmet etc and I think me and Mullet may be going for a drive very shortly to have a look at a CR250 so that there are two bikes in the family. The boy is right at that age where pulling bongs seems an attractive lifestyle choice. Lets hope we can replace that with adrenaline.

It's a disease. I was very happy to read the other messages on this thread.   I hope that I get the chance to pass it on!
FBC

[Tony T]

Great story, oldmotoxer!
My Dad's been gone for 10 years now, but we used to have a ball travelling around to the races together. Something I didn't think that much about at the time, but they're memories I really treasure now. He didn't ride much, apart from on the farm and he wasn't that keen on me getting into racing (Mum took me to my first race meeting) but once we were into it, he loved it. Probably more for spending time with me than anything..............
Thanks for making me think about all that again............ 

[Rossvickicampbell]

fortunately no dramas to report from this side but the young fella has got into both the VMX and the EVO - I have lost my 73 CR 250 and "had" to buy myself something so we can both ride - good feeling isn't it???

cheers

Rossco

[Doc]

yup, it was my father who got me into bikes and saved me from God only knows what..not that I was a bad kid but his love for anything with an internal combustion engine and wheels sure set me on the straight and narrow for life. As a kid he'd take me to the ekka speedway every saturday night. Names like Ivan Mauger, Ole Olsen, Anders Michenek, Jack White, Phil Crump, Johnny Boulger, Chris Pussy, Brian Loakes, Steve Reinke, John Titman and a host of other solo stars became household names in our family. I was incidently looking at some old speedway vids on youtube the other night and some of the footage if paused and scanned would probably show me and my dad in the crowd as we alway sat in the same place we did wander around though but the first corner just past the pit gate was always a good spot for plenty of action  thanks for the memories!

[dkupf]

Oldmotoxer,I'm the bloke who dropped the Rm motor off at Yeppoon m/x Track for you last year. If you want to  sit around talking about VMX. I'm  bouncing off the walls sitting in Rocky with a broken leg now days.I've lost your phone number Darcy

[oldfart]

Darcy
          I'm in the same boat with a busted LH foot ( 90lb rock breaker ) driving me nuts
The old boy had a Norton Villiers that was parked up in the garage ( required new corks on the clutch plate)
At the tender age of 14- No problem here borrow  the corks for the old Girls bottle of wine and set about
bring the bike back to life ( ended up getting the cobler to make the corks stick )  as UHU glue just wouldn't cut the mustard .
Took the rare stand off  ... they hang under the belly and weigh  about 20 lb mabe more -cut and shut the exhaust system ( to  make lots of noise ) you get the drift if she sounds good then is gunna go fast ( remember I'm 14 )
Across the road was a farm ( 100 acres of the best Mx land you could dream of ) spent all weekend blasting around on the  Villiers having a ball .... ok she's no Mx bike but it was faster than me mates Vespa . Yep thats right a vespa   ... The plug would blow out as the thread was rotted and we would wind cotton aroud the thead to hold it in , the secrete was not to rev it too hard .
The pour old Villiers was once again retired when I bought My Yamaha DT 250 ( aged 15 and a Half )
The  old boy  took  both of them to the dump In 1982 and was followed into the gates by a bloke that said  he would take them both off his hands before he reached the Tip Site ... he asked the old man How  much he wanted for em  FREE BRO my son dosn't want em anymore   :'(
At this stage I was Living in Australia ... and It would of been Unfair of me to ask him to hold on to them any longer.



 

[oldmotoxer]

Thanks for the replies you blokes, its great to hear your reflections of your relationship with your Fathers/Sons. My Son is wrapped in the 79 RM400, trouble is he rides it better than the old man  must be the age/youth thing......naahhhh I'm still as good as I never was  .

[oldmotoxer]

Oldmotoxer,I'm the bloke who dropped the Rm motor off at Yeppoon m/x Track for you last year. If you want to  sit around talking about VMX. I'm  bouncing off the walls sitting in Rocky with a broken leg now days.I've lost your phone number Darcy

Sorry to hear about the leg Darcy, I've sent you an Email with my phone number mate, give me a call and I'll come round and have a beer with ya and talk bike stuff any time mate

[oldfart]

http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/Engineering/Villiers/Villiers12.htm

[maicomc490t]

Tick all the boxes here ladies and gents!

My dear departed Dad and I shared nothing really which was a bloody shame (a generation thing I have been told) but for my kids the bikes have made a HUGE difference!

My little guy (6' 1" and growing, lol) back in the nineties was pestering me to get him a bike as he grew up with them from when he was an egg (alas Ducati's - the dirt had been shelved years before) Anyway, when he turned ten in 2000 I agreed he WOULD get a bike and the journey from that day to this has been UNREAL. We are mates in the true sense of the world and I have seen a little boy who was not overly confident in what he did master something to the point it really gives me the shits, lol. It's cost this fireman a shit load but I would not resent one cent of what it has cost - to me it's bought us memories that you couldn't buy.

We talk about anything and everything on the way to bike events, and importantly because bike people are a good bunch he is getting values reinforced  every time he goes racing. Another spin off is he is pretty handy with the tools and learning more all the time.

Better still I also got back into dirt in a BIG way and so much so I have a 74 SS Ducati parked, with zero interest in it or the colour co-ordinated people that ride the new breed of Dukes. My daughter has also learned to ride very well and i feel nothing but positive vibes have come from the experience, with hopefully many more years to follow.

One observation I made over the weekend at Buladellah was just how many families where there and good on the organising committee for encouraging that.

If your young kid wants to ride do it as a family - it's GOLD.................

See you at the back of the pack 

[ricakk]

father and sons are a great thing but you should try vmx with your 19 year old daughter ! we have always been close but the bikes have bought us even closer. race days are always fun because when she brings the boyfriend of the moment i get a big strong pitbitch  its hard these days to find things in common with your teenage daughters im a very lucky dad , we ride vmx, road and trail together and i think she luvs it even more than me. even after this weekend at bulahdelah she had a big get off on her rm125 with another female rider today shes battered and bruised she cant wait for race day at clarence.

[oldskool]

im like ricakk i go out with my 2 eldest which are girls we don't race as none of us are up to that standard although my 14 year old daughter is getting better every time we go out.both the girls have older bikes the 14 year old rides a 88 xr 100 and she loves the older bikes the 18 year old rides a 89 rm 80.i've only been home about an hour from out riding with the 14 yo we love our weekends so we can go out riding listen to heavy metal and have a ball its definately bought me and my 2 eldest daughters closer together.probably out with the 18 yo tomorrow as she was at her friends today i went to pick her up and told her that we'd been out riding and first thing she said was can we go tomorrow.its a hard life but wouldn't give it up for quids cheers gary