Went on A Family Ride. Son Switched to ST1100, Didn't Want His Bike Back

Joined
Aug 24, 2012
Messages
126
Location
Moon, VA
Bike
1991 ST1100
STOC #
8654
Hi,

About ten days ago, my 29 year old daughter, my 16 year old son, and I went on a ride to Skyline Drive from the Chesapeake Bay, returning to Richmond for the night, then rode down Route 5 to Williamsburg and Jamestown, before returning to my house. My daughter rode my 1990 PC800 Pacific Coast, my son rode a 2012 Honda NC700X, and I rode my 1991 ST1100. On a previous ride, he was complaining of monkey butt, so we switched bikes, and this ride, on a fuel stop, he was again complaining of monkey butt, despite buying an Air Hawk Air Cushion. I managed to stay on mostly back roads, so it was a blast. We have Bluetooth intercoms, so we were able to talk while riding, which made it nice. On a subsequent fuel stop, I could see he preferred staying on the ST1100. The Air Hawk cushion helped, but it is not a comfortable seat. On the ST1100, I removed the Gel seat and installed the stock seat for the trip, and I didn't experience much difference in butt fatigue than the gel seat. We covered 360 miles the first day, 125 the second. We did no interstate riding, mostly 45-55 mph back roads.

I am thinking I might need to get another bike for him, but am concerned about moving him to a big bike too quickly. He has been riding minibikes and 50cc motor scooters since he was 5 years old, so he has a good bit of riding experience, but an ST1100 is a lot of bike. He seems to be a careful rider, so I am not scared he will hot dog it much and get in trouble. 4 years ago, I did have another ST1100, but sold it after buying my current ST1100. My SIL, who was a new rider, waited too long to plant his feet at a stop light, and it got so far over, he had to lay it down, so I worry that my son may do likewise, but so far, so good.

Any thoughts?
 

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
9,500
Location
Cedar City, Utah
Bike
12/04 ST 1300s
2024 Miles
000145
STOC #
5901
At 16, I would say let him get used to riding a bit more before putting him on a larger bike. There's more to riding than size of your bike, and while he might be doing pretty good, he still has a lot to learn. Don't push him too fast.

I have three sons that ride. And they all did it on their own and without my assistance. One went from my old '85 V45 Sabre to an R1! He had no business on that R1, but to give him credit, he recognized that and took a number of on track classes. he does pretty good now.

My second son was given a couple of basket case '82 V45 Sabres. After he took all the parts and made one, he starting riding (although, I found out years later, he used to take my '83 V45 Sabre out for rides around our neighborhood when he was in High School... I could have shot him! :mad: He's the son I sold my 2005 ST1300 to (with 174.3K miles on it) and has put about 11K more on it.

My fifth son, just before getting married, was given the motorcycle safety class by his future bride, and then went out and bought a bike, without telling his mom or I. A 600 Yamaha, but not the crotch rocket model. He rode that for a year and I let him use my commuter '04 ST1300 for a 2,400 mile trip the four of us took back in 2014. He did really good, but still needed more saddle time! He is still riding his 600.

All three are doing pretty good now on their bikes.
 
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
195
Location
New York
Does he slow down and stand on the pegs once in a while? Doing that every half hour Im good for 250 miles if I want.

And Im 60.

Stock seat.
 

OhioDeere

Been There, Done That, Got the Shirt.
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
658
Location
Lima, Ohio
Bike
06 ST1300
The NC700 is a good bike. The mileage you posted is not extensive by no means. It sounds like he just needs to ride more. If he's an occasional rider for short distance it would be tough on the butt for long hauls as with any of us. More seat time each ride will build him up.
 
OP
OP
drseth
Joined
Aug 24, 2012
Messages
126
Location
Moon, VA
Bike
1991 ST1100
STOC #
8654
Does he slow down and stand on the pegs once in a while? Doing that every half hour Im good for 250 miles if I want.

And Im 60.

Stock seat.
I don't think he shifts his weight enough. I rode the NC700X 2 or 3 hours that afternoon, and, while not as comfortable as the ST1100 or the PC800, I managed. And I am 58, not too far from you in age.

I think a few more trips are in the cards for us. My SIL, my daughter, and I went on a ride last fall, riding from Richmond, VA through the mountains to Snowshoe, WV, and back the next day. My SIL has a 1999 VT1100 Shadow ACE, and my daughter has a 1985 Yamaha Virago 700, and I rode the ST1100. It seems that the SIL is still not comfortable riding, especially in the mountains. I led the group, with him in the back, and often we had to wait for him to catch up with us, and I wasn't setting any speed records, myself. Maybe I should have let him lead, but it seemed they wanted me to navigate. We have been on several rides, and he has owned the bike over a year, and has ridden it maybe ten times tops, mostly on short trips.

Any suggestions on how to to get him to enjoy riding with us? The trip a couple of weeks ago, he was "too busy" to ride with us, and my daughter said he was worried that I think of him as a wuss for not riding MCs more. I have done nothing but be an encouragement to him, as far as riding is concerned. My daughter thinks he likes the idea of riding MCs, but doesn't actually enjoy riding. She has resigned herself to confine her MC trips to with me and now, my son. I ordered Chinese GoPro cameras for the family, so maybe he will get motivated to use it on his MC.

Last summer the family was on a cross country trip, stopping in Moab, UT to go buggy riding and rented dirt bikes and went trail riding. FANTASTIC!!! Everyone commented that it was the highlight of the entire trip. I carried out helmets in my truck across the USA in order to go riding in Moab, and we all wished we had done it for several days.
 
Joined
Feb 3, 2017
Messages
833
Location
Schroon Lake, NY
Bike
2010 ST-1300
The best thing for a sore butt is lots of miles and athletic underwear. Cotton doesn't work well. Riding should be a personal decision and if he doesn't really want to make sure he knows that's ok with you. Young kid s probably have a lot of other things they would rather be doing than riding with dad. I see a lot of kids taking the MSF course because dad wanted them to and the results are usually worse than the 19 year old who wants to be there and his/her parents don't know yet.
 

Mark

Gotta make tracks
Moderator
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Messages
6,133
Age
70
Location
Apache Junction AZ
Bike
KTM 525exc
STOC #
3768
Our youngest son, Jack, started riding the st1100 to school at 15.5yrs on his permit.
We didn't let Jack ride the '05 ST1300 for a while as I had pulled the front wheel up without intending to and didn't want him to try it!

If your son is big enough to handle the bike for multiple miles then he's ready.
Just ride with him...
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2010
Messages
765
Location
Versailles, KY
Bike
2018 GL1800 Airbag
STOC #
8693
Maybe the long trips are a bit much for him. Start doing a few short ride to eat trips with plenty of stops. Most people don't start riding with long trips.
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2015
Messages
1,957
Location
near Harrow, Ontario, Canada
Bike
'83 BMW R100RS
STOC #
8870
The thing that occurs to me is that while he may have adequate smaller bike experience, he is still a new on-road vehicle operator (car or bike). While he may have the mechanics of riding a big bike down pat - he is still learning about the road and traffic etc.

I stick with the smaller bike for a while yet.
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
8,115
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
Any suggestions on how to to get him to enjoy riding with us? The trip a couple of weeks ago, he was "too busy" to ride with us, and my daughter said he was worried that I think of him as a wuss for not riding MCs more. I have done nothing but be an encouragement to him, as far as riding is concerned. My daughter thinks he likes the idea of riding MCs, but doesn't actually enjoy riding. She has resigned herself to confine her MC trips to with me and now, my son. I ordered Chinese GoPro cameras for the family, so maybe he will get motivated to use it on his MC.
I think you need to let him find his own way. Don't push. My first bike was a Triumph Tiger in '69. I put around 7k miles on it over a couple of years and gradually did less and less. I simply did not like the bugs in the teeth and lack of protection from the wind and dirt. Stayed away from riding for almost 30 years, and bought a Guzzi T3. Same deal - no windshield, no fairing. Bottom line was, I liked the idea of riding, but did not like the discomfort. An SP 1000 was better - fairing but otherwise not more comfy than the T3. Then I tried an ST 1100 at a Guzzi National Rally - the owner insisted on it. Two miles down the road and I was hooked. Two months later I owned a 1300 and am riding every week in season. And love it. The bike is great - but everyone here knows it. Its a bit much for me at speeds under 1 mph, and yes, I have dropped it. But, with care, planning and looking ahead I can manage it.

As far as what bike, its up to the individual. I learned on my roommate's Suzi X6(?), got my MC endorsement, flew to London and picked up the Triumph and drove it out of London in rush hour traffic. That was my baptism. Then around Europe and Finland for the summer. Later the Guzzi's and then ST. Never owned a small bike, never had a mishap. Admittedly I've been very lucky, and careful. How do you tell what bike is appropriate for someone else? I couldn't say. My college roommate has encouraged his son in whatever he (son) wanted to do and says you have to let kids make their own mistakes and learn from them. Son wanted to do wing-suit flying, and now owns a sky diving company. That has to be a very difficult thing to do when your kid is into dangerous things.
 
Joined
May 5, 2015
Messages
60
Location
Canada
Bike
2005 ST1300
It may be as simple as a change of underpants. A pair of "LD Comfort" riding underpants might solve the problem. They are highly recommended by the IBA and I have a pair on order myself. At $49 they are the cheapest solution to monkey butt you will find. The NC700x is a fine bike and he is young, there's no reason he needs to switch to a big touring rig his first year on a bike.
 

MajorTom

QuickBlue
Joined
Apr 1, 2010
Messages
646
Location
Devon, Alberta
STOC #
8781
There's nothing really magical about a large displacement motorcycle for long distance riding and you can find lots of examples of people who travel the world on smaller bikes. I love my ST1300 for the power, comfort and protection it provides, but I often rode my first bike, a Yamaha 350 two-stroke, 600 km to visit my folks and I rode my Yamaha TX500 across the country when I was not a lot older than your son.

From your post it seems the issue your son has is the seat on the Honda, not the engine displacement of the motorcycle, so rather than replace the bike you might take a look at a replacement, or rebuild, of the seat. I've been very pleased with my ST seat since I had it rebuilt by Laam Custom Motorcycle Seats. Others on here have replaced their seats with aftermarket seats from Sargent, Corbin, etc. or had rebuilds done by Russell. If the biggest problem is the seat then I suggest that's the place to start.
 
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
4,954
Age
62
Location
New Jersey
Bike
st1300 '04
STOC #
7163
Either LD comfort underwear or bicycle shorts would help. Plain cotton = moisture + sewn seams = chafing. Standing on the pegs every once in awhile helps with blood flow and some dry air.
As for riding more, If he had a blast on the dirt bikes...go ride dirt bikes :) Great way imop to get used to bikes in general.
 
Top Bottom