adventurelog
This worked for a while, but Hailey
wanted more, and she wasn't letting up. Somewhere along the line I told her we would go on a “big trip” when she was older. Amid more pestering, I added another, more specific mile- stone: “Before your 10th birthday.” Honestly, I don't remember ever say- ing this. But she did and took to reminding me at random moments and odd intervals. And with her nameday fast approaching, it was time to make good on my promise. Plans for the inaugural Father- Daughter Motorcycle Adventure began taking shape. The itinerary: After
equipping ourselves and my BMW R 1200 GS Adventure for five days of riding and camping, we would spend the first night at the 49er Motorcycle Rally in Mariposa, Cali- fornia, taking advantage of the opportunity to see Yosemite. Beyond that, we would crack open a map and choose destinations on the fly. This ride was just as much for her as for me, and I wanted each of us to have a say on where we went. I knew enough about California to keep the ride interesting and figured I would highlight points of interest and see what Hailey found appealing. There was a lot preparation that needed to take place, and little time to do it, so I set to work. The first order of business was to
find a proper riding suit. Hailey had her own set of off-road riding gear, which proved adequate for short hops here and there, but it was lack- ing in the areas of abrasion resistance or weather protection and surely inadequate for a long ride. This was poised to be the most challenging element, it seemed, as manufacturers simply don't make street riding gear
66 BMW OWNERS NEWS August 2016
for kids. Luckily, I had an ace up my sleeve. Years
before, I was introduced to Michael Kaiser, owner of KinderRider, Inc. Michael had daughters of his own and had realized the potential for pint-sized riding apparel. He went on to design his own line of jackets, pants, boots and gloves, all tailored to accommodate the young, street-riding enthusiast. All equipment
is properly
armored and protected. As a bonus, the jackets and pants have expansion zips, zip- pers at the sleeves and legs that reveal lengthening areas, accommodating inevi- table growth spurts and increasing the lon-
We settled on a small, with additional OEM fitting pads to accommodate her head size and to leave room to grow. A communications system was next.
Long ago I learned the value of rider-to- passenger communication, as it adds an entirely new dimension to the joy of motor- cycling. In riding with a child, I consider this a critical element. I wanted Hailey to be free to speak to me at any moment, especially if there was a problem. To achieve this, I turned to Sena, my long time go-to for motorcycle communications. The 20S model was perfect, as the controls were easily accessible for small gloved hands. In addition, their Advanced Noise Control feature made for crystal clear communication with min- imal ambient interference. Since the Shoei helmet was designed to accommodate comm systems like the Sena, it was literally a perfect fit. The final challenge was lug-
Shawn and Hailey ready to head out.
gevity of the gear. I called Michael and ordered his entire lineup. Next up was a helmet. Hailey had an off-
road lid, but it was not designed for street riding. Usually she borrowed one of my spare Arai helmets, but they were too big and bulky for her tiny noggin. A few manu- facturers offer kids helmets, though in many cases it seems that quality is sacri- ficed for price point. This would not do. We tested—and ultimately settled on—a Shoei Hornet X2 dual-sport helmet. Shoei has the benefit of multiple shell sizes, a total of five used in creating helmets from XS to XXL. They are heavy, compared to many modern competitors, but they're safe, comfortable, and Hailey loves hers.
gage. It was hard enough to pack for one rider, let alone two. Sure, some of the equipment—tent, cooking gear, etc,--could be shared, but there was other gear that would need to be doubled up. A bigger challenge was keep- ing Hailey safe and comfortable on the back of the bike. I wanted her to have a backrest, some sort of bag that would carry the big-
ger camping gear and offer something for her to lean on. For this I chose the Bags Connection dry bag, branded specifically for use by MotoQuest Motorcycle Tours and their customers. I also used BMW's OEM tank bag for my camera and other electronics, and their aluminum side pan- niers to carry clothes and the heavy stuff like tools and spare water. These were high- lighted with a set of Parallel Pannier Case soft bags by Rugged Excursion Hardware. They are made in Southern California by passionate enthusiasts and are some of the most well-built soft bags I have seen. In addition to storage, these offered arm rests for Hailey and a “wrap'”of protection to help keep her squarely on the passenger
discovery
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134