Brother Scaring Me

Let me start out by saying that this is just a vent.

My brother, older by five years, is very competitive by nature, something that I never picked up. He and I were in business for ten years and I was happy, for a time, taking the back seat while he got the spotlight. That ended about five years ago and now we are just social friends.

Well, I got my VLX about two years ago, and that ignited something in him that he needed a bike also. In trying to keep him on the same path as me, start small, learn it well and then move up, I coached him into buying a smaller bike to learn on, a Suzuki 800 Intruder. Now, I figured that my brother, being an airplane pilot, would understand the need to learn about a machine that has a high capacity of unforgiveness for mistakes or lack of knowledge/experience.

Well, not so. He has ridden for the past two years, putting about three or four thousand miles on the Suzuki, without feeling like he should take and pass the BRC safety course and get his state required motorcycle endorsement. He is not a natural rider. He has NO mechanical inclinations. When we were kids, he backed the riding lawnmower off the yard/riverbank into the river because he couldn't find the clutch or brake. I had to pull it out of the river with my pickup truck. He was 21 years old at the time. The last time that we rode together, he almost fell over at a stop light because he lost his balance taking off. Then he did fall over pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant that was our destination. In his defense, the parking lot was tight packed gravel, but it was his fault for the drop. That was over six months ago, and I will not ride with him because he scares the crap outta me, and he is unsafe.

Well, fast forward to today. He asks me to meet him after work. Wants to show me his "new wheels". I pray that he bought a new truck and just wants to show it off. Nope, its a 1600 cc something, custom out the wazoo. K&N filter, Cobra Slash Cuts, no baffles and all kinds of mechanical mods. This thing is so far beyond his mechanical ability to even understand that its almost funny, were it not my brother. This bike was built up by a Southwest Airlines pilot who is also an air marshall. He adds horsepower to his toys in his spare time. I figure that this thing is double to 2 1/2 times the horsepower of his Intruder. I have over 23,000 miles on my VLX, my first bike ever, and wouldn't try to tame this bike that he bought. He has less than 4,000 miles on his Suzuki and has problems that most rookies deal with.

I am in fear that he will kill or maim himself on this machine and don't know what to do about it. Oh, to top it off, he is going to North Carolina in May to ride the Dragon, good god, I hope that he doesn't go.

Guys and Gals, I don't know what I am asking for here, just that I wanted to write this out and quantify it. Please give me your thoughts.

Eric

can ya take out an extra insurance policy on him?



just chitten ya bro. always trying to look for the silver lining. only can't seem to find it anymore......................................

With luck this bike will make him consider taking the course. I think taking it every 15-20 years as a refresher is a good idea. Bikes keep improving and your skills should improve with them. My last time was about 9 years ago.

That is a scary situation to have a Brother in. If his ego is bigger than his perception of his own skills he is an acident waiting to happen.

Might need to slap some sense into him. Suggest to him or his wife that some additional insurance should be considered so she and his family does not suffer from his own conception of being bulletproof.

JMHO

Tell him exactly how you feel.

jedishon wrote:With luck this bike will make him consider taking the course. I think taking it every 15-20 years as a refresher is a good idea. Bikes keep improving and your skills should improve with them. My last time was about 9 years ago.

So after taking it 4-5 times has it made you a better rider....?

Eric, at 50 years old your brother is old enough to make his own choice of bike and be prepared of the consequences that could come. In some cases and depending on his size a larger bike is easier to ride. You never know, this might be just what he needs. It sounds as if he will not listen to you anyway so don't let it distract you and your riding. I agree with Fred you should suggest to his wife maybe some extra insurance. Bottom line Eric, you will drive yourself crazy worrying about things you can't control.

Hey Eric, maybe your brother should read this thread. It might make him realize that you do truely care. I don't think it would hurt.

Fred wrote:

jedishon wrote:With luck this bike will make him consider taking the course. I think taking it every 15-20 years as a refresher is a good idea. Bikes keep improving and your skills should improve with them. My last time was about 9 years ago.

So after taking it 4-5 times has it made you a better rider....?

You're on a roll tonight......

Not much to add to what the others have said except...You say he has no mechanical inclinations, try pulling a spark plug boot off one of the plugs.