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Im Gonna Kill My Son

39 posts Started 25 Jun 2008 Last recovered post 25 Jun 2008 Wayback Machine snapshot 20 Jul 2017
#1 Stegen Thread starter

I've told my almost-4-year-old to stay off my bike. hell, just yesterday i told him 6 times, its like raising Hellen Keller. The inevitable happend, he knocked it over. I was JUST about to sell it too! Cracked the front nose, scraped the shit out of the right fairing, bent the front right brake lever and small knicks in the rear passanger peg.

Wouldnt have been so bad provided it didnt land on the curb. Wouldnt have been a big deal if i wasnt trying to sell it cuz i could just live with the damage but damn, perfect timing :fing02: If he would have done it to my MV I would have given him up for adoption!

Freaking kids

#2 SEBSPEED

Sounds like bad parenting to me. How the heck does a 4 year old knock a 500lb bike over anyway??

I know that people need to vent, but there is just so much wrong with what you just said.

#3 jeremy556

Personally, I can't stand children. But kids love motorcycles, not much you can do to curb their interest and curiosity, besides maybe getting them their own. :fing02:

#4 Rice

My boy is the same way. He crawls all over the bike every chance he gets. I understand him, coz I was the same way when I was young. Wait a minute... I am still the same way :fing02:

To the point though, he never even came close to knocking it down.

I can see at least two scenarios here:

1 - You parked the bike in the wrong (uneven) spot. He was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

2 - He knows that you are planning to sell it and is sabotaging the sale, coz he's planning to inherit it some day :beer: Smart Boy :fing02:

#5 trav72

Wow! I don't really know what to say to that post. First thing that comes to mind is .....He's 3 years old!!!!! Unfortunately, we can't pick our parents. Seems like this little boy got a bum deal.

#6 Motor_Ref
StegenI've told my almost-4-year-old to stay off my bike. hell, just yesterday i told him 6 times, its like raising Hellen Keller. The inevitable happend, he knocked it over. I was JUST about to sell it too! Cracked the front nose, scraped the shit out of the right fairing, bent the front right brake lever and small knicks in the rear passanger peg.

Wouldnt have been so bad provided it didnt land on the curb. Wouldnt have been a big deal if i wasnt trying to sell it cuz i could just live with the damage but damn, perfect timing :fing02: If he would have done it to my MV I would have given him up for adoption!

Freaking kids

I will give you $.50 for him.

#7 FlyByWire

Hey, the bike could have landed on him and killed him for you... :angry: I hope your first thoughts were about him NOT being under the bike... rather that the bikes condition.

My 18 month old says motorcycle, and runs up to mine... I never let him out of my sight when he's around it... 500lbs vs 30 is no joke.

Edited June 25, 2008 by FlyByWire
#8 marid2apterbilt
jeremy556Personally, I can't stand children. But kids love motorcycles, not much you can do to curb their interest and curiosity, besides maybe getting them their own. :angry:

+1 :fing02:

If you got kids you know you should have child proofed it or the room it is kept in..

I thought when you had kids selling the bike was mnadatory.. Hey dont blame him he is only 3. Wait till he i sold enough to cut the grass then remind him he needs to work off the damages by mowing the yard..

#9 VFR4Lee
I will give you $.50 for him.

How much for the girl? :goofy:

Gotta keep those kids away from the valuables.

Friend of mine had kids take ball peen hammer to his gas tank. Nice sound. :pissed:

I'd be Homer to his Bart Simpson. Why You Little! :angry:

Gotta keep all kids away from the valuables. :angry:

Don't kill the boy. Just make him work off the debt. Hopefully he's done well before 18. :fing02:

#10 AB-Oz

instead of thinking of punishing your 4yo son, give yourself a smack in the head for allowing it to happen and be glad you're not posting something like "my 4y.o. knocked the bike over onto himself and was badly injured/killed".

Who is smarter and should be more responsible, a 4yo or you?

#11 trav72
AB-Ozinstead of thinking of punishing your 4yo son, give yourself a smack in the head for allowing it to happen and be glad you're not posting something like "my 4y.o. knocked the bike over onto himself and was badly injured/killed".

Who is smarter and should be more responsible, a 4yo or you?

and if you don't feel like smacking yourself.....I'll volunteer to do it for you.

#12 thesal

at first glance i thought he was 16 or so and took without permission then threw it down the road...lol

oh well at least your lil fella is OK..stuff the VFR in this case

#13 melvis

I'm with Seb on this one. It's more like "freaking parents". You need a course in anger management - kids will do as they see their parents do. Besides, it's just a freaking motorcycle - your son however is priceless. Of course you may not think so, which could explain your post.

#14 VF1000R

This reminds me of a story my dad told me about me when I was very young (too young to remember it). I had a fascination with the furnace, probably because of the sound it made. I was always trying to get into the closet where it was no matter how much he got onto me about it. Then one day he decided to teach me a lesson. He took my hand and put it near the flame where I could feel the heat and he said "Hot!". I naturally pulled my hand back and never wanted to mess with the furnace again. Whenever I'd be getting into something I shouldn't be, he'd just say "Hot!" and I'd take off in the other direction. smile.gif

Don't be too hard on the little guy. It probably scared the crap out of him when it fell. Use it to teach him. And as others have said, just be thankful it didn't fall on him and injure or kill him. I know you're pissed but think about that outcome versus some scratched plastic.

#15 VFRDiver

Not long after I brought home my Shadow, my 4 year old girl came running up as I was getting off the bike. Her little knees made contact with the hot muffler and I damn near volunteered to lose the bike right then and there.

I cannot imagine placing more value on my bike than my child.

Also IMO there is no way a three year old is going to knock over a 500 lb bike without it being on the edge of disaster anyway.

Bad parent!!!!

#16 AvalonRacing

So I should freaked when I saw this out my office window? I should have shouted, "HEY GRANDMA! GET OUT OF HERE AND TAKE THAT LITTLE BASTARD WITH YOU!"

[image: gallery_6707_3017_11183.jpg]

WANT! I looked out my office window just in time to catch this young boy pulling his grandma in for a closer look.

#17 vanion2

Ouch! This is quickly turning into a closes thread for sure. I'm sorry for you bike but seriously...if your kid got hurt would you still feel the same way? Put that rugger on a leash? :angry:

#18 mtbiker1

Wow....maybe I'm really out there or the desert heat has gotton to me, but I totally took this poster's comments to be totally:

Tongue-in-cheek is a term used to refer to humour in which a statement, or an entire fictional work, is not meant to be taken seriously, but its lack of seriousness is subtle. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "Ironic, slyly humorous; not meant to be taken seriously".

PC police are out tonight! Time to go indoors..... :angry:

#19 meddle1999

I feel your pain... I would be very upset too. I think though what the members here are trying to say is that mabee a little more tact was called for in you r post.... It was pretty offensive.... To me anyways.... and im not even goin to touch the hellen keller reference.... that was just wrong on so many levels... But yeah kids are tough ..no question. And im not about to tell you or anyone else how to raise your kid.. Im sure your a great parent who just lost their cool.. it happens... And im sure he'll never do it again. Probably scared the hell out of him. Just be thankfull he's ok and the bike can be repaired. Hopefully you are not offended.

#20 KR in NM
RE-Agent WANT! I looked out my office window just in time to catch this young boy pulling his grandma in for a closer look.

That's awesome if that's what he's doing. Father of three, first was boy, and the first thing he climbed was my bike. smile.gif I was always around and he knew that if Dad isn't around not to go near it from an early age. That said, as soon as he could run I got him a pocket bike and it was throttle limited to 5mph and I fabbed up some training wheels. He's know six and up to about 25 taking turns in a parking lot like a madman. I've got one of those little things for myself and it's good father son times. My youngest is now three and starting to ride my bike which I've limited and put the training wheels on that one. Talk about being a proud pop seeing your two boys pretending to race each on pocketbikes. I've got video I should post. Moral of the story is dude, enjoy your kids and if they have the same interests as you embrace it as the two of you could build a relationship that only a father and son have. Cool down and re-read your post I think you'll find you sounded pretty selfish when with kids you must be selfless.

#21 TWIST'DGRIP

As the father of two very curious boys ages 3 & 4 I understand the unrelenting amount of constant attention that they require. Now I've never read any of those fancy parenting books but my boys even at their young ages, know what is right and wrong when it comes to touching my bike or my wife's bike. They know not to touch it because it may be hot not to mention it has other parts which will get them quite dirty. I'm all for sharing the motorcycling experience with my children, I allow them to sit on the bike, twist the throttle, flash the lights, honk the horn all the things that would be fun for young trouble makers. With that said I am never more than an arms reach away from them, and 90% of the time I use that wonderful invention most of our bikes were blessed with...the centre stand. This all but gaurantees that even accidently bumped into by just about anyone my bike will remain upright. My wife and I like the feature of the bikes being centre standed so much that we installed rear swing arm spindles to allow her bike to be stood upright as well. This public service announcement has been brought to you by the fine people with common sense.

Edited June 25, 2008 by TWIST'DGRIP
#22 Polarbear
StegenI've told my almost-4-year-old to stay off my bike. hell, just yesterday i told him 6 times, its like raising Hellen Keller. The inevitable happend, he knocked it over. I was JUST about to sell it too! Cracked the front nose, scraped the shit out of the right fairing, bent the front right brake lever and small knicks in the rear passanger peg.

Wouldnt have been so bad provided it didnt land on the curb. Wouldnt have been a big deal if i wasnt trying to sell it cuz i could just live with the damage but damn, perfect timing :angry: If he would have done it to my MV I would have given him up for adoption!

Freaking kids

Ok guys, let's back up a bit here. I realize that the tone of his message was bad. However, this person must have been venting/joking and certainly didn't mean all the words he wrote down, because any individual with a sound mind couldn't possibly write that and mean it, right? And I'm sure he regrets writing them down already, like most people would. I too wonder how such a heavy bike can be tipped over by a small boy, but I'm not sure that this is the real point. His bike is damaged, and he is relatively angry because he was going to sell it. And his boy, that he loves dearly, was not hurt (thank god), so no big deal that plastic got cracked and all. At least, that's what I'm reading here. Wanting to read. Wishing to read...

P.P-M

#23 Badazzteacher
FlyByWireHey, the bike could have landed on him and killed him for you... :angry: I hope your first thoughts were about him NOT being under the bike... rather that the bikes condition.

My 18 month old says motorcycle, and runs up to mine... I never let him out of my sight when he's around it... 500lbs vs 30 is no joke.

:fing02: You should be happy that he is not dead or seriously injured. I am sure you are, but you just didn't mention it. Also, how does a little tyke knock over a big ole bike?

#24 timmythecop

I have three. 2,4 and 5. When the middle boy was 3 I lost track of him and he tipped over my MotoGuzzi. I didnt know it, but he was between the saddlebags and the jug and was perfectly fine.

My first thought was "I am the worst father in the world, my stationary motorbike just killed my son". I ran over and threw it on it's other side.

I'm not one for interpreting the post or telling others about thier own children.

I just love my boys.

#25 jeremy556

This thread isn't going quite the way you planned, is it?

#26 ECX585
I hope for the child's sake that this loser was just venting steam. Motorcycles, no matter how beloved, can always be replaced or repaired.
#27 Badazzteacher
If it makes you feel any better, Stegen, I spent $600 on my bike(tires, chain, oil change in forks) in the last two months and then proceeded to total it two days before my most anticipated ride of the year!

All my buds headed out and I was sitting at home like jackass popping Vicoden. I did get a sweet Father's day gift though and my wife and kids were very happy that I was alive!
#28 Mr Pheer
When my son was young, I kinda had the same problem.

He went near the bike, and I told him... stay away from the bike, it will hurt you.

Wasnt long before he tried it again. This time, three smacks on his ass and being told again very sternly, STAY AWAY FROM THE BIKE, IT WILL HURT YOU.

Never happened a third time.
#29 vfrqqq
I can understand the initial frustration of the situation and perhaps you posted up right after it happened, but also your kid is a three/four-year-old and isn't even in preschool yet I imagine. I hope your post was just a heat-of-the-moment type of thing otherwise you really need to check yourself. Did you even talk to him about how what could've happened to him if the bike fell on him? How badly he could've hurt himself? Did you tell him how much he scared you and that, presumably, because you love him so much how sad it would have made you if anything like that happened to him? Did you leave out the part about making him feel guilty for damaging the bike you are trying to sell? Discipline is in order but for whom? You or your three-year-old son? :pissed:

Perhaps mixed in with your anger was a sinking feeling of fear that your son could have been potentially crushed and killed by your motorcycle or at least maimed. Well this may be a rude awakening, but in the end you can place the blame squarely on yourself. Ultimately you are your the parent of a 3 year old child and I don't care if you branded "Don't touch the bike" onto the palm of your son's hand with a hot iron, if he was that motivated and you had even the slightest idea it is still YOUR FAULT that he knocked it over. If a child wants a cookie and knows where to get the cookie and also knows to get the cookie when you're not looking he's going to get the cookie unless he can't find the cookies because you hid them.

You could have done any number of things to prevent it from happening such as move it away from the curb, put it on the center stand on a level surface away from anything that could be used to push off of, move it to a friend's house (see cookie analogy above), put a cover over it with a lock. The least of these things would have been to move it somewhere else out of sight out of mind. He's a three-year-old for God's sake!! :pissed: It doesn't matter how many times you tell him, if he knows better he'll just wait until he knows your not around or looking. It doesn't matter what excuses you come up with or how many times you told him, YOU are the parent and as such you should have prevented this from happening. And just so you know there is no coming back with, "well you guys just don't understand my son. He's, blah blah blah blah..." Bull$hit. Nobody has to know your son to understand the situation. Unless he has some sort of behavioral disorder (Oh! BTW, acting like Hellen Keller does not count as a behavioral disorder), he's operating on very basic premises of human behavior. Consider how getting caught speeding doesn't teach you to slow down, it teaches you not to get caught!! He want's something, dad doesn't want him to have it, so what does he do? He goes to get what he wants when dad doesn't know he's trying to get it and then gets what he wants. Very simple.

I'm not sure what sort of reception you thought this post would garner, but if you were looking for support or agreement with your assessment of the situation and of your son I think you came to the wrong place. I sincerely hope, at the very least for your son's sake, that you were posting in the heat-of-the-moment. Perhaps you should re-post after you have cooled off a bit. :dry:
#30 PolarBear
Yes yes, as the previous post says, reposting would be in order with a cooler head. I'm sure/hope the content will be different.
P.P-M
#31 vfrqqq

[image: View Post]mtbiker1, on Jun 24 2008, 11:32 PM, said:

Wow....maybe I'm really out there or the desert heat has gotton to me, but I totally took this poster's comments to be totally:

Tongue-in-cheek

PC police are out tonight! Time to go indoors..... :wheel:

I'm sorry, but I would venture to guess that most people are aware that their VFR has a centerstand, which ultimately makes Stegen look dim witted. How many people so far in this post are perplexed about how the bike was knocked over in the first place? How many mentions the use of a center stand? I think everyone is blasting Stegen because nobody thinks it's his son's fault! And it's not!!

I think probably the comment about putting his kid up for adoption had he knocked over the MV put me off the most, cause dude, if you're gonna let your kid within hands-reach of that bike with then you deserved to have the MV knocked over. Plus kids have jam-hands. Oh yeah, the title of the post was a bit provocative (read with stark sarcasm).

If his post was meant to be tongue-and-cheek then he needs to brush up on his satire, in a major way.
#32 shaynej
I don't know about the rest of you, but my bike, truck, pool chemicals, sharp tools, and anything else that could cause injury to not only toddlers but animals as well, is securely locked in my garage. And every child that visits my house is clearly told that they will be in "time out" if they go anywhere within a '10-foot radius' of the garage door. As much as I would like to share my toys with everyone, CHILDREN UNDER 13 NOT ADMITTED WITHOUT PARENT OR GUARDIAN...
#33 VolatileVFR
I have this crazy feeling that Stegen used this site as a bit of a vent for his loss of a beauty of a machine. Although a total of 22 posts on the forum doesn't validate much, his last phrase of "Freaking Kids" was surely said in a Bill Cosby manner of 'Kids Say the Darndest Things' style of sarcastic humor..

Only because the rest of the forum seems to be showing and telling you Steger how to act in this situation, I will not really give you my opinion. But, I would definitely hope you value the fact that your young 'you' is put nice and safely in bed t'night rather than you spending the night in the hospital wondering what "could have been done" to prevent this from happening.

Good Luck on the sale and /or clean up of the Viffer.. And may this only be a lesson learned of posting with a an attitude and a 3 yr. old in the same sentence...

:fing02:
#34 VolatileVFR

[image: View Post]vfrqqq, on Jun 24 2008, 11:33 PM, said:

I'm sorry, but I would venture to guess that most people are aware that their VFR has a centerstand, which ultimately makes Stegen look dim witted. How many people so far in this post are perplexed about how the bike was knocked over in the first place? How many mentions the use of a center stand? I think everyone is blasting Stegen because nobody thinks it's his son's fault! And it's not!!

I think probably the comment about putting his kid up for adoption had he knocked over the MV put me off the most, cause dude, if you're gonna let your kid within hands-reach of that bike with then you deserved to have the MV knocked over. Plus kids have jam-hands. Oh yeah, the title of the post was a bit provocative (read with stark sarcasm).

If his post was meant to be tongue-and-cheek then he needs to brush up on his satire, in a major way.


#1: He mentioned a curb being the falling point
#2: There is NO way a 3 yr. old could make a bike fall OVER the kick stand
#3: If it was on a center stand, then I still highly doubt the possibility of a 3 yr. old knocking it over even if he is trying to sit on it... Unless:
#4: Sounds like poor angling of the bike to me....

Conclusion: Most roads especially in neighborhoods are built to channel water and fluids to the gutter, or towards the curb. Since Lil' man cannot push over the bike OVER the kick stand, being towards the 'driver' side, the Viffer was parked with the passenger side to the curb (i know I know.. the passenger sits on the back.. hehe). Now the question of side vs. center stand. Judging by a normal 30 lb 3 yr old, the Viffer must have been on side stand with the gradation of the road decreasing the vertical angle from center of the bike. Therefore, a 30 lb. boy trying to get on a 500 lb bike 'could' knock it over....

BUT...

In order for this to happen, it would HAVE to fall over WHILE he is trying to get on or WHILE he is ON the bike... SCARY!!! Are you sure this did not happen via a local trouble-maker? ""Ewwwww.. A bike, guys.. Let's knock it over and run....""

Just my thoughts... If son did it, even more that being glad he is ok, you are VERY lucky he is ok... that is an easy broken leg with hiim on it, and an easy broken 'everything' with him under it...
#35 VFR Capt.Bob
I had a similar episode with my babied 98 VFR. My 8 yr old wanted his bike down from the hook it was hanging from and my front fender seemed like a convienent step for him to use to get it down. Two prominent cracks at the top mounting bolts gave him away. It was a lose it or love him moment. I just smiled and told him to never do that again. I highly recommend this method. Bikes don't have feelings. Glad your boy didn't get hurt. You are probably his hero so that's what you get for trying to sell your vfr.
#36 Yosh70
Wow, what to add that hasn't been said already.....I guess 1st off, where the hell were you or the Mom? A 3 yr old running around outside with no parental supervision?
And a bike (that obviously wasn't on level ground) that you KNOW he loves to climb all over....and yet you were doing, what?
#37 sirimiri
Lock! Please! :unsure:
#38 turtlecreek

[image: View Post]jeremy556, on Jun 24 2008, 11:00 PM, said:

This thread isn't going quite the way you planned, is it?


LOL :biggrin:
#39 HispanicSlammer

Quote

Im Gonna Kill My Son

I got this image in my head that there was a twinkie near the kickstand and a trap loop around it tied to the handlebars? Now I know you didn't set up a trap on purpose, but man I dont know how a 4 year old can knock over a VFR on the sidestand unless he is baby Huey? That kid will do the job on his own at this rate! I am sure he wont be touching the bike again after that, thank your lucky stars! No lawn darts laying around or loaded cross bows in your garage are there?

I think I will save you the embarrasment of more of this thread is closed.
End of thread · 39 posts recovered Wayback Machine snapshot 20 Jul 2017