Motorcycles have always been a part of my life and always will. I’ve had licence since I was 18 (so yes, 24 years at time of writing!) and have had plenty of bikes and experiences (good and bad) leading to the rider I am today.

I’m posting this following some reflection on recent comments from ex-partner and mother of my child. When we met back in Brixton, 2005, I had a Suzuki Bandit 600 which I used daily to commute around London. One of our holidays together was touring on the Triumph Sprint down to Barcelona and across to Italy via Monaco covering 2,500 miles, we took a SV1000 across to France another weekend. When we visited my parents she even rode pillion on the Honda CBF600 when pregnant with my daughter, a round trip from London to Shropshire up and down the M6 and M25.

It therefore wouldn’t be a surprise that, when she was old enough, you would expect my daughter and I to go out on a bike at some point.

Guessed where this is going? when my daughter mentioned the possibility of being picked up from her new school on the bike emails from her mother started flooding in.

• “Needless to say I will object to you taking [our daughter] anywhere on the back of a motorbike for all the very obvious reasons.“
• “I’ve done some reading up on children riding on the back of motorbikes.  Apart from the risk from other road users on a busy dual carriage way, there is the danger of … falling asleep especially after a long day and week at school plus once the novelty of being on a motorbike has worn off.“

I hadn’t heard about children falling asleep on bikes, and actually quite surprised by the mention of it (I mean how could you?!) so I checked myself.

Turns out it does actually appear in RoSPA advice, though to me in the context of long distance touring, quote: “The rider must be aware of the danger of the child falling asleep, and that children need extra stops to go to the toilet and eat regularly”.

I don’t think this would be relevant in our case for the short 15 mile / 40 minute trip between school and home, one mile of which is a dual carriageway with a speed limit in excess of 40 mph. But all good advice albeit mostly relevant to riding with pillions of all ages.

Something to note for the future. Though to be honest although legally big enough she’s still young and not that keen despite initially thinking it would be “cool”. I think she prefers the comfort of the car!

Below taken from RoSPA FAQs here

Can I carry a child as a pillion passenger on a motorcycle?

You can carry a child as a passenger on a motorcycle, providing legal requirements are met. The motorcycle must have a pillion seat and footrests that the passenger can reach with their feet. The child must be able to sit astride the machine safely and hold onto the rider, the pillion hand-holds or bar.

The child must wear a suitable, well-fitting helmet and preferably protective clothing (gloves, boots, jacket and trousers in a suitable material). Preferably child and rider should wear some high visibility clothing. Protective clothing can be expensive, so RoSPA recommends sourcing second-hand equipment (but helmets should always be purchased brand new).

The child must be able to understand how to react to the motorbike’s movement, especially acceleration, braking and cornering. They must pay attention to what is going on, and as children’s attention spans can be short, they should only be carried on short journeys. The rider must be aware of the danger of the child falling asleep, and that children need extra stops to go to the toilet and eat regularly.

Parents need to be confident that the child is mature enough to understand what is required of them and to remain alert and play their part in ensuring safety.

The rider should be trained and experienced with sufficient skill and ability to carry a pillion safely and deal with the following:

• Altered handling of the motorcycle and changes in centre of gravity
• A pillion tends to shunt forward under heavy braking; the helmet can clash with that of the rider, so the rider should be prepared for this
• Extra weight, particularly on a smaller motorcycle, requires more throttle and clutch control and earlier and harder braking
• Riding downhill requires an increase in braking distance, as does riding in the wet
• More care is required in cornering – increased weight can affect clearances
• Allow more time and space for overtaking – extra weight will affect speed and manoeuvrability.

Riders should consider taking advanced or refresher training before carrying a pillion for the first time.

Helpful Link: 
http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/adviceandinformation/motorcycling/