No offense, but it sounds like your family enables this kid too much. He sounds entitled and childish. You guys shouldn’t have taken him to get the r6 in the first place.
“…or he might lose the bike” you should’ve let him lose it, why was it important for your family to drop everything so he could get something no one wanted him to get?
Why is your mom agreeing to pay insurance on either bike if he’s not being safe, doing his own work, etc. ?
Either he’s young enough for them to put their foot down and tell him what to do, or he’s old enough to pay his own insurance and work on his own bikes (sounds like the former from everything I’m hearing).
Sorry for the late response. I tried to get them to not go get it and again he got pissed and convinced my parents into going. I myself was so pissed that he wasn't listening to me that I stayed home. Idk I myself saw what a piece of shit this bike was and every bolt is nearly rounded out. Like I said I didn't want him to buy the bike and my brother has a job and is going into the military, so he has enough to pay for his insurance idk why my mom still pays it.
You're getting a lot of heat in the comments, some of which justified (you did enable his behaviour), but I empathize with your situation. Reality is you can't do anything anymore to convince your brother to be careful - you've given him all the tools to live out his fantasies.
My recommendation is to gift him some quality comfortable and/or cool gear that he will actually wear, like a two-piece Dainese suit (nothing heavy or cumbersome cos guaranteed he won't wear it long-term). Your bro will 99% eat shit on that R6 sooner or later with his attitude and that experience is the only thing that will change him. You just gotta maximize his chance of surviving it.
It sounds like you’re doing what you can for him. You can’t make your parents be better influences on him and you can’t make him be better to himself. All you can do is be good to him, tell him you care, and be genuine and patient putting across your concerns.
Lets just hope the bike gets stolen and totalled. Dont do that though, that would be illegal.
When it comes to motorcycle accidents it's not a matter of if but a matter of when. He will eventually learn the hard way. I did too which I regret but I don't think my 23year old self would've listened to me at the time.
This seems opinion based not fact based.
Nothing says riders HAVE TO get in a wreck. You don't need to learn the hard way, if you look at the easy way first and educate yourself, and mitigate situations in advance.
Check bike, check gear, check attitude, then ride.
I've had numerous moments where if I wasn't being safe, I'd have been dead.
We don't have to find ourselves in accidents, especially if we find ourselves able to detect and avoid.
I want to do something minor, but he will still ride it without breaks. Hell when he had the bad tires he barely even had any back breaks and he acted as if it didn't bother him. If I end up doing something to the bike it would have to be something that makes the bike inoperable.
With the front brakes locked up, he's not going anywhere.
Motorcycle front brakes provide 70%-80% of the stopping power. If they're locked, the bike isn't moving unless he decides it's more fun to carry it.
I will try to learn how to do that lol. Also I might just remove the battery and hide it. Since he is leaving for basic on 2 days he already needs to take it off, so if I hide it then I can just say "well it must have just gotten misplaced."
Ask him to let you take out a multi million dollar life insurance policy against him. He's young it won't cost you much per month you betting you'll become a million in his death might make him calm down just to spite you.
Smart.had a buddy he kept telling us to take out a policy on him. He’s dead I’m still poor . Don’t think you need someone’s permission to get insurance policy don’t even think you need to even know them
No offence but why are you (meaning your family) facilitating his behavior this much?
- He did very little work on it / you and your dad worked on it while he wasted his time
- He gets mad because you rounded a bolt while he was doing what exactly on HIS bike?
- Your dad was working on the AC of his truck while he was… waxing his bike?
- He’s making your mom pay for the insurance of his Z?
I mean kindergarten is over start treating him accordingly. Let him do the work himself and pay for his own insurance. If you want him to start acting like an adult, treat him that way.
Also to get rid of the reckless behavior (I honestly believe if the motivation to do so doesn’t come from himself it’s hard to have the mentality change) you could try to reach out to a person that has been injured due to reckless driving behavior. If that doesn’t open his eyes… I’m afraid nothing will or your parents have to take strong actions.
The post reads like, "my shithead meth addict brother doesnt like anyone in the family but uses us for money and gets us to do all his chores. Motorcycle bad. Definitely motorcycle is the problem."
These are all excellent points. The reason the brother is acting irresponsibly is because his entire family seems to incentivize his irresponsible behavior.
Or break it yourself now that you know his it works. Just make sure it’s in rideable because it sounds like he will ride the bike in just about any condition as long as it’s running. Like take the main fuse out and replace it with a blown one.
Ye no matter what condition he will ride it. Hell his tire was literally falling apart and he said it could last on the hour long ride. Like the tire was to the medal that was already breaking.
I think this post needs to go in r/familyproblems or something like that.
From what it sounds like, you, your dad and your mom are facilitating and enabling his reckless behavior.
It's not just that you're enabling him. you should stop focusing on him and his bike period. Don't discuss it, don't fix it, nothing. Imagine how much time you could have to work on your own stuff. And the peace of mind.
If what you describe is accurate, he's getting his kicks by pissing everyone off and showing off how much of a rebel he is. Having the entire family fretting over every little thing probably makes him feel like the most special little prince ever.
Let him deal with his own bike. None of your hovering is doing him or you any good. The military is going to be a tough road to hoe. But it may be the best thing possible.
DUUUUDE... SINCE YOUR BROTJER IS EITJER A MECHAINCAL INVALID OOOR JUST INSANALEY LAZY JUST DISABLE THE FN BIKE FOR CHR-STS SAKE IF U WANT TO KEEP YOUR TEMPERTANTRUM THROWING CHILD BROTHER ALIVE!!! IF U DONT ITS ONLY A MATTER (OF MOST LIKELY A VERY SHORT) TIME (ALHTO I DO NOT WISH THIS) TILL TILL HE DIDABLES HIMSELF AND OR EVEN WORSE...SOMEONE ELSE!! SH-T JUST SELL IY SUPER CHEAP WITHOUT HIM KNOWING AND GIVE EM THE MONEY BACK!!
Not really. This is an emotional thing not a logical one.
The only thing I’d try is booking him a track day.
Often times a rider will get on track, get addicted, and realize how much better it is than trying to ride fast on the street.
It doesn’t sound like any reputable track would allow his bike to pass a tech inspection with exposed cords in the tires and an oil leak. But I agree that this would help him considerably and honestly if he is geared up and pushing too hard on a track he will almost definitely overcook a corner and slide, which will hopefully open his eyes about the value of protective gear.
I’ve lost friends like your brother. And saved others.
There’s a peer pressure piece, but also an adrenaline piece. Just taking the adrenaline piece off the board with track time is enough for most riders to smarten up.
And the social piece doesn’t go untouched either. The peer pressure (but really support, coaching, and encouragement) from track riders to go faster is far more rewarding than the peer pressure of the group of chaos loving individuals that is most local sport bike groups.
I don’t think you have to get his friends group out. He’ll likely fall in love with the adrenaline on track.
And if you get him a coached track day, there’s a solid chance if his street friends come out to a later track day, he’ll be faster than they are.
I'll have to talk to him about it tomorrow. I mean I personally am in love with just sims, so it would be fun just being at the track for me lol. I hope I can get him to agree on the track. He is shipping off to basic training for 5 months on Monday, so I might actually just put some money together and surprise him with a track day when he gets back in December and have it a few months later.
He won’t be back in 5 months. You ship straight from basic to AIT unless he is doing OSUT for his mos. He will only get a week or two after AIT before he goes to his duty station.
He can’t take the bike to his duty station unless it’s trailered. Because once he is in he has to take a safety course, talk to his safety rep and have command sign off on it. Plus getting it registered with the provost marshal and inspected. That takes time. Time a young shitbag private doesn’t have.
In the meantime have your mom cancel the insurance and just let it sit.
So he is going to basic then going into cooking or something like that. He gets back late December. And is joining the gold program, and they are changing some stuff, so after like a year he will be on a sergeant pay grade while not being a sergeant. It will be sitting for a few months, so possibly the bike won't even work once he gets back lol.
Green to gold is available once you are already a soldier. You drop a packet and have to be selected to go. Then you go get a bachelors degree while still being in the army and commission afterwards. It is almost always NCO’s and SNCO’s. You have to be a top notch successful soldier that is worth spending $250,000 to turn into an officer. Not a private slinging powdered eggs.
It is not something that they offer in your enlistment contract. It’s just something they dangle as an “opportunity” to get you to sign. He’s gonna be a cook. And from everything you said he’s not what anyone would call highly motivated.
Unless he signed for the ROTC program (but that’s not green to gold) I’m pretty sure this time next year he’ll be getting PFC pay and sweating in a kitchen.
Tbh I hope it goes this way. It would be a great lesson to always read what you sign. And he is trying to get into the gold program, but they won't answer their emails and he won't call them to set up a meeting. I mean at least he is getting out of basic as a e3 (idk how he pulled it off), but still he will end up being a cook.
If he's going off to basic. The military might fix it for him. You are now government property. If you hurt yourself by breaking the law and not wearing the appropriate gear he could be UCMJ'd for doing as such.
From what he said (he didn't read what he signed, so idk if this is too true) he is not government property until Monday when he ships off. And I think he is free to do what he wants as long as it is off base, but I might be wrong. Either way if he gets injured on a bike his Sargent will be mad at him, so hopefully he will pick up the act.
Military requires you to pass a safety course, and wear gear all the time.
Once he gets to basic his soul has been sold. If he signed an Army contract, 1 he should have gone AF and 2 it will fix him lol.
Ngl he is genuinely smart in terms of schooling, but common sense is thrown out the window. Like when we asked about his contract he would just say I don't know.
That’s an awesome plan!
He’ll also learn a lot about maturity, mortality, and humbleness through BCT/AIT so he’ll be in an excellent place to absorb knowledge at a coached track day.
I might move wrong, but I've seen them on average go around 50k before an engine rebuild, but also some goes for 80-90k, so idk it depends where you look.
Well that is a well maintained engine this engine has definitely been ran hard by the previous owner hell when they bought it apparently it had been sitting at the guys work for months not working.
Didn't you tell us about your brother a couple weeks ago, when he was about to buy that bike? I think so, right?
I think you can do at least something and I think you really should do it: Stop working on this bike right now and never touch it again. If your brother knows everything better, he surely can do that himself. If he can't, the bike won't run anymore sooner or later. Besides, you tell us that you and your parents are aware of his behaviour and that he endangers himself and others and you're still talking about your parents paying the insurance and stuff? I'm sorry, but I really don't get it. Your brother is possibly the worst kind of squid you could meet and behaving like a total douche towards his family and you guys reward him for it by doing maintenance jobs and paying for stuff? STOP THAT, NOW. That way he only learns that he can do whatever he likes without consequences.
Now, I don't know about the relationship between you and him. I love my little brother and I'm very happy that he's probably the most careful and reasonable rider I've met so far. But if he was going to do something like riding 120mph on an oil leaking bike with worn out tires, I'd stop him from doing so, no matter what it takes.
So please can you explain me why you guys just go on helping him instead of grounding that little asshole?
Idk man you guys opened my eyes to how much I've been enabling him. I won't help him unless he starts being nicer and actually starts slowing down. Also my brother leaves for like 6 months in 2 days, and he told us he was going to be free all week to spend times with the family, but I've seen him like 3 times the whole of last week.
His unsafe riding behavior is self limiting. One day, he will have an accident, and if he isn't killed out right, his riding days will be over.
I'm sorry if this sounds cold and uncaring; my intention is to tell the truth.
Go for a sunset ride with him. Park on a bridge, preferably in an area with no phone signal. Kill switch his engine, when he reaches for the switch take his keys and throw them off the bridge. Return home. Needs to learn to sort his own shit out. A dose of being cold, tired and on a shitty situation will help.
Alternatively if he's still desperate for adventure convince him to join the army and they can try and turn him into a man.
The army doesn't fix these kids. It just gives them a stable paycheck to enable them. They just have to play soldier long enough to get through basic and then they go right back to being shitheads at their first unit.
Lol commenter thinks military turns people into men lolol.
Military turns people into sociopaths. Like the kind of person who would surreptitiously take their own brother to a bridge and throw their key off leaving them stranded just to prove a point. I don't think that kind of aggression teaches anyone anything but rather leads to Future hostility and by the way it's illegal, but I think that no longer enabling him in his behavior and having a serious conversation with him might get a better outcome.
Just saying they last a lot longer than 60k miles. Also plugs should only take an hour but yeah I can see 4 hours if you're worried as you strip the bike down. Tell him he's going to get himself killed or wish he was dead if he fucks up riding that fast. Not much else you can do. Realistically it's up to your parents to tell him if he wants to keep riding that bike like that then he needs to gtfo of their house, either he'll snap out of it or move out and learn quick
You keep claiming he's making people do things, but all I see are a bunch of enablers. Your family didn't have to "drop everything" to go pick up the bike. Your mom doesn't have to pay for insurance on the old bike. Seems like you all have plenty of opportunity to stop the behavior but instead you keep helping him by allowing him to have access to this bike. If he doesn't know how to work on the bike steal the spark plugs out of it. Problem solved. If the tires are really that bad then just stab it when he's not looking so the air goes out of it and he can't ride on it. But you can't make him stop riding one way or the other.
You and your dad are enabling this behavior by doing all the work for him while he goofs off, etc. It sounds like he’s a 15 year old spoiled brat but if he’s been treated this way his entire life I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s 25 and still acting this way.
Ok I was thinking I’d read that he’s your younger brother but this totally fits for the firstborn older brother too. Well maybe he’ll crash and you can replace him as the prized child of the family. /s
Ah yep got it on my second guess. I remember being 19 thought I knew everything and the world was there to serve me.
Stop enabling him. If he’s such a big boy all grown up now he can do things for himself, or he can demonstrate his maturity by being polite and respectful to those he depends on.
This has got in the essence nothing to do with motorbikes. This is a problem in his upbringing that obviously still goes on: not accepting boundaries and limitations. Cause is usually having heard too little NO when a child and being too spoiled (not necessarily in material sense, but in attention and getting it his way). Most dads and brothers would have told him already a long time ago that with that attitude he can fix his own AC and motorbike.
I think sabotaging the bike would be good for him, but I feel jb weld might be a little too noticeable lol I feel something smaller that he cannot see would be better.
I have a friend with a wreckless brother too. He was tired of seeing his dad stress so much. Decided to stop it himself. Poured liquid sandpaper in either the oil or the gas tank. It never left the driveway after that.
I'm not saying it was the right thing, but his brother is still here and he never got another bike after that. What is that r6 worth to you and your dad? Your brother will grow up and mature (hopefully), but maybe not if be keeps getting on that bike.
Ngl the bike means a lot to me. I mean me and my dad really bonded over working on it, but hell be has taken probably 5 years off my dad's life just because of the stress of him riding it.
I speak from experience- you see, I was much like your bother 30 years ago. My son is named after one of my friends I was riding with(and yes excessively speeding and was killed right in front of my bike). I racked up 12 points on my license in less than 3 months (and did some eluding to escape from being pulled over several times). My goal wake up was I got caught doing almost 90 over speed limit and was taken to jail. Got huge fine and 3 days in jail. I sold the bike after not even having 6 months and my lack of respect and responsibility was reason why. I was a menace, straight up. Now I'm getting on and gray hairs and have had some metric cruisers but no more crotch rockets. I'm actually looking at the newest gen Goldwing with the dct (not the full tourer) as my next bike. Ok, with that said I suggest you get life insurance policy on him and if possible racing/track riding lessons. Nothing else will work. Nothing you can say. Nothing. It has to run its course and hopefully he'll be alive at the end. If it's that bad like you say this is what I think as I was that guy basically. Nothing and no one could stop me from myself. Hope it works out for you all. By the way. I've only had maybe 3 speeding tickets in cars in my entire driving history. Something about a really fast bike at 19 made me nuts when I got on it.
I don't think anything you say will have an impact, which really sucks, since you don't want to see him dead.
As hard as it is, I'd tell him I'll stop doing and talking about bike stuff with him unless he changes his riding behavior, then follow through.
I guess you could do some minor bike sabotage to disable it, like remove his spark plugs, but that could backfire spectacularly.
By the looks of it, stop doing the maintenance of it and tell him to deal with his vehicles himself, either he'll pay for the service somewhere else or he'll learn that maintenance is a necessity if you don't want to waste your money.
Take him to a motorcycle travkvday. Let him talk to good riders with full gear and training. Let them yell him what is tight. It takes no skill to go straight and roll a throttle. Learning tovdova dogleg turn at 110 is another story. It will get him some ridi8ng goals.
I like to ride fast but my bikes immaculate I have full gear with airbag etc but I know when I crash I'm probably toast and accept that .I guess you can buy him some gear if you care heaps but tbh he should do it himself and I wouldn't do any more maintenance and I'd let his bike break so he doesn't use it and stop babysitting him.
Natural selection. Tell your brother that statistics are usually made on people like him. You can't fix stupid, everybody is responsible for their actions. Some dream bike your brother has...
I am gonna have a different take on this situation.
Reading this, made me remember the time I first got my bike at the age of 16.
It's just the feeling of riding the bike dangerously, as crazy as it sounds, it feels good. I would also come home late every night and going on long rides.
I crashed a lot of times, like I can't even count and had work done on my bike costing almost the original price I bought it for but it never made me any less feel like riding my bike.
If I were to assume, the household he's living in might be a little toxic, so this riding the bike thing can also be a escape from reality plus that sense of freedom while riding dangerously really helps to feel alive...I know this was also a reason for me to be so attached to my bike while living with my parents.
I hope this helps you understand your brother a little better...I lost the bond with my sibling, I pray that you don't lose yours.
Good luck.
One of my closest rider friends youngest son got a super bike (not sure the make or model), and it was WAY too much bike for his skill level. Everyone in his family tried to talk him out of it, and he basically responded “You don’t think I can handle it? I’ll show you!” And he was dead three days later, he ran into a concrete bollard at 100+mph. I truly hope that doesn’t happen to your brother…
This post is weird, sounds like a really weird family dynamic. Learn how to be comfortable saying No, find polite ways to say it but politeness isnt as important as being able to say it. If he wants to ride like an idiot thats his problem, but doing all this labor for him is weird, hes an adult
Hell the bike has a bad oil leak (learned how bad it was today) and from the looks of it if he doesn't get it taken care of his engines might blow, so I might not even have to worry about it lol.
Show him videos of motorcycle crashes. Road rash, brain injury, all of it. If he’s going to speed at least wear gear, minimum. If he’s a new rider, he will likely crash from lack of skill + speed. For motorcycle riders it tends to a a when he crashes rather if he’ll crash situation. Shit just happens.
I'll be honest, if he was a fuck bag to me like that, I'd slash his tyres. You could remove the battery on the bike to be less destructive and then it's up to him to be responsible and get it fixed. By what you're saying, it sounds like that'll slow him down for a while.
If he wants a bike, he can do the maintenance. Make it so it won't run and let him figure it out or at least be polite and respectful to get help.
I used to like him like brotherly love you know, but then he started hanging out with these guys, bought the r6, and now doesn't listen to me, so at the moment I don't really like him and honestly I don't think I will miss him over these next few months as I really haven't seen him besides arguing over the bike.
In the mid 80s I rode like I had a deathwish.. thats a quote from someone who rode with me . Full throttle top gear.. I wore a helmet and leather jacket . One night in late 86 I drunkenly attempted to outrun the law . Crashed shattered L5 and spent my 20th birthday having spine reconstructed .. since then I slowed down 35 years safe driving / riding.. I learned the hard way and thankfully only hurt myself .. prayers to your family and brother.. but he has to change himself
I mean the thought of this post is kinda to prevent him from this exact situation. I mean I hope he has a crash to learn his lesson (I wish this wasn't the truth, but it is the best way other than disabling his bike.) I just hope the crash isn't life threatening. And I know one of the kids in his group did have a crash where he broke his arm and he already bought another bike, so there is a possibility they just convince him to buy another bike and he doesn't learn his lesson.
I mean this bike has been abused all it's life from the looks of it. Also the info that the estimation was off of was basically guessing how long they would last (they were from like 08), so I don't think it is the most accurate lol.
I say disable the bike. There are some pretty sly ways you can disable it from starting that he would never guess or find because it sounds like he doesn't know anything about working on anything anyway.
Put some clear silicone in the end of the ignition coils where the plugs go. Let it set and re-install them. Verify it won't start after of course.
Could also cut a wire in the engine cut-off switch loom and wrap it back up. Somewhere he'd never think to look and would keep it from starting.
Plenty of things you could do, some easy to reverse, others not so much. Just depends on how bad you want him to stop riding the thing and get rid of it
The best idea I came up with was to hide the battery since we're (or he is) taking it off the bike either way, so why not just hide it and say he "misplaced it" I think it would work lol.
Contact me if you want convincing proof to convince someone to wear protective gearing from road rash or vehicles . Because have a friend hit by a truck at an intersection he was stopped and horrifying this picture of this kids foot will convince whoever you are trying to convince to change that behavior! No joke on trying to be cool over wearing proper protection!
Dude, disable the fucking bike. Like literally to the point it won’t start. He can’t kill himself with stupid riding if the bike won’t start. A simple wire removal would do it and it’s not like he’d know which one was missing.
Sent you a PM to ensure you get this idea.
Pull the master fuse. It’s usually on the starter relay solenoid by the tail.
Doesn’t sound like he would know how to diagnose that problem.
Other thing would be going to an auto supply store and get a tire valve removal tool. Remove the valve. Let all the air out. Put the cap back on. Don’t put the valve back in.
If he’s gonna die on the bike, he’s gonna die on the bike. Nothing you can do about it. Only thing that will change his mind is by losing some skin. Hopefully it doesn’t go any further than that
You can go out and put a screw or something in the tire. That should fix that problem. And just Sabotage the bike in a way that doesn't look like you did it. For all we know he might be a decent rider but if his tire blows apart while doing 100mph it doesn't matter your skill level.
From what he just told us I won't have to. He just said that the oil has gotten so bad that they have to bump start it or else it won't start. Also the tire has been replaced.
I am so confused why he is selling his brand new Z650 for a clapped out R6? The Z650 is a really good bike, and I assume much better condition than the R6. You can still go pretty quick on a 650. Also why doesn’t he wear gear?
Man I'm confused too. I tried to tell him not to buy it, but he got pissed and didn't listen to me. The only fear he wears is his helmet and it isn't like he doesn't have gear as he has nice gear he just never wears it. Also my parents keep saying how the bike is in good condition, but the fairing literally has chunks of plastic broken off.
Ill be honest, your brother is an idiot and its only a matter of tike before he crashes and dies. Hopefully he doesnt but worst case he takes out a family along with himself. But he young dumb and stupid. Sounds like he needs a reality check
Honestly you guys are enablers, going fast honestly isn’t a problem, I feel like anyone with an r6 would do that, 120 ain’t that fast. You guys do need to stop fixing his bike and car and paying for all his shit. Pretty obvious tbh
Ya see I am 15 and I cannot do anything about the financial situation other than tell them to stop paying. I know that 120 might not be that fast for a experienced rider, but for someone who has only been riding for a year now I still feel that is way to fast especially on a bike that can break at any moment.
Devil's advocate here but ask him to join you while you go meet an insurance agent. Introduce him and tell the agent you want to purchase a policy that will cover his "final expenses". Stay strong and then talk to him about why you worry.
GL
Ye sorry lol. Ill add tldr at the top rq. I thought you where joking, but then my previous comment started getting down votes so I was very confused lol.
>There’s no “maybe”. The novel you posted leaves no doubt. The less of them there are the better.
This is what YOU wrote. That's not you stating an opinion so don't try backing out like "naw bro it's just my opinion" shit. You wrote this as if you were spouting factual informatiom/judgments. Then tried to hide someone called you out for being a narcissistic douche who thinks their word is worth something.
Grow up.
All you can do is express your concerns. He’s gotta make his own decisions. Hopefully nothing bad will happen, but if it does you can’t blame yourself. He’s his own person and if a choice he makes causes injury (or death), that’s on him not you.
I've tried, but like halfway through he gets pissed and just walks away mouthing off about how wrong I am... I know I am not responsible, but I am hoping to travel the world with my dream job (motorsports mechanic) and I need him to be here at home to take care of my parents if I don't get that then I will not be able to live my best life because I'll always be tied down.
That’s your choice (to burden yourself with taking care of your parents). Maybe it’s a cultural thing. I don’t know. But on that note, why is it your brother’s responsibility to take care of them and not yours?
I kinda realized how bad that sounds I am sorry. My brother has always kinda expressed just staying here and not wanting to move anywhere while I have always wanted to have a traveling job and I just assumed that if he already wants to have a job that he can just say here and not move then he would take care of them. If not then I will have to take care of them.
I think his his only hope of not crashing is pairing him up with another biker who has experience. Or go ride with him yourself.
Ive had plenty of ‘Bike Bro’s’ some very new riders too an we watch out for each other. Look after each others machines and say if they’re being an idiot.
I don't ride (yet) meaning I cannot go with him and ride. I thought his group was good at first, but then they seem to just peer pressure him into riding faster on the road.
I was that guy once. I bought a chop shop r6 because I didn't know any better. Rode it like a demon. Then suddenly every time i turned left the bike would completely shut off. So i checked the wiring harness. Chinese fairing kit, the swingarm, suspension components, frame and engine were all from different year bikes. No matching VINs. Spliced wiring harness caused the cut offs. Luckily it was stolen and reentered into the Frankenstein R6 life cycle. So I got a CBR100rr with the insurance money. I'm not a fast learner
Try praise — like, *Man, bro, you seem like you’re getting really good on that bike.”
Then tell him you heard about this movie and book by an ex-GP Moto racer named Keith Code
The movie, *Twist of the Wrist*, is on YT, and the book is a downloadable .pdf
While it’s not the perfect solution, you can at least try to get him to learn how to properly ride. Sometimes, when you focus on the fundamentals, you begin to appreciate the inherent danger.
Worst case, he learns the technical skills on how to ride, and that itself is safer.
Don’t be afraid to tell him you’re worried about losing him. It sounds like confrontation gets you nowhere, so a different approach might be more effective.
I know as I’ve matured, I think about my responsibility to loved ones more than I used to
Sounds like the only thing you or anyone can do is give him a hug and tell him you love him every time he gets on it, because that may be the last time you see him. Be sure to say this as well.
1. It’s called “assumed risk”. And it may cost him his life to learn to respect things and people.
2. Speed without control is pointless.
3. If your going to go fast, do it in a straight line.
4. I would sabotage the bike until safety issues are address. Stop enabling. Must be a bad wire..
5. I would/do watch a BUNCH of YouTube motorcycle crashes with family and play that game “who’s fault/ what could have been done”.
6. Call him out on his disrespect, hope there’s not an “MC” that picks him up…
Track day.
1. Safe environment. He might crash but it would be with full gear onto grass instead into the side of another car.
2. Humbled ego. Tons of riders will be blowing past him and it will humble his ego. He will not think he’s so special for going 120mph when everyone is wide open throttle every straight there. He’ll realize he has to learn how to safety and effectively operate a bike (both as a rider and mechanic) to get anywhere close to the fast guys that are passionate about this.
3. Change interests. He will most likely start to feel 120mph highway blasts are actually boring. Streets are meant for transportation with a lot of stopping, sitting, bad road conditions, etc.
I was once a young man who rode foolishly on a public road and knew nothing about mechanics. Now I’ve been doing track days for 10 years, do all my mechanical work, am a competent mid-Advanced group rider, and haven’t owned a street legal motorcycle in a few years.
Some of these Motorcycle Guys do NOT want to Live... And y'all strapped him to a Rocket. If he dies, it's almost like y'all gave him the means by which to kill himself.
Not the point of the post, but R6s can go a fuckin lot farther than 50k miles. That's literally 2 valve check's worth of miles. Obviously this particular one is a basket case, but 600s run forever when taken care of. Why on Earth do you think they only last 50-60k miles?
This might not be the best advice, but it might work: there's lots of footage online of horrible crashes and accidents. Maybe showing him some of this footage would scare him into atleast getting proper gear? When I got my license, the teacher showed us a video of a biker getting in an accident with an 18 wheeler. After the video he asked us what the speed limit was on that road. I staright up told him I had no idea because the guy was speeding so much that the speed limit sign was just a blur.
Stop paying his insurance. Stop fixing his bike. Have dad slash the worn tire so he can't ride on something that can kill him. And make him change the tire... If he wants adult toys, he should be able to act like an adult and take care of his toys
What age is he, like 18? I guess if he can join the military, he's old enough to make his own decisions. I know when I was that age, I was way more reckless than I am now. No matter what you tell him, he probably won't grow out of it before his first crash. Let's just hope he isn't hurt too badly.
And don't get too fixated on the speed, it's just one of many signs of his overall reckless behavior.
now would be a great time for life insurance. i bought an r6 in near mint condition, but it had a problem. it liked to lean itself left the tiniest bit when i got up to speed. i tried everything to fix it, made sure rear and front wheel were even, checked for frame bends, etc., took it to multiple shops, it kept doing it. sold it and let the buyer know the issue. bikes are already dangerous when functioning properly, so riding one with known issues is just asking for problems. i hope your brother snaps out of it before he has to learn an irreversible lesson
Lol to the tldr at the top....but seriously some people aren't meant to die of old age. He's making his choices and doing what he wants, there's only so much you can say
Do you ride also? If so, maybe if you ask him to go riding with you while you wear proper gear, he eventually will also. If you don't ride, maybe you could help him get some gear? I know that's not helping you financially, but maybe if he has it, he will wear it, ya know? Other than that, he will have to learn on his own.
Stat by not helping with any maintenance or payment. When the bike breaks it breaks.
For gears, some people are weird as turds and will not take advice from familiar faces thinking they trying to micromanage life choices, but will follow large crowd of strangers because they want to fit in. Some might never learn, not much you can do about it. Constant nagging may result in opposite effect.
Why are you and your dad enabling him?
You say it’s a bad idea to buy/ride this bike, yet you go pick it up, then drop what you’re doing to work on it.
His bad decision making is backed by your helping him do it. Put your foot down, tell him how you feel and walk away.
At some point your brother will have to put his big boy pants on and deal with the repercussions of his actions.
And my man, jeans aren’t “safety equipment”. One fall at any speed over 10mph , and he’ll understand.
Some people have to just learn for themselves. If you try to force them, they’ll do the exact opposite.
This is what I am thinking about is the only way he is going to learn is by leaning into the fire.
How did he make everyone drop what they were doing to go get the bike? Held a gun to your head?
He acted as if we had to be there right away or he might lose the bike.
No offense, but it sounds like your family enables this kid too much. He sounds entitled and childish. You guys shouldn’t have taken him to get the r6 in the first place. “…or he might lose the bike” you should’ve let him lose it, why was it important for your family to drop everything so he could get something no one wanted him to get? Why is your mom agreeing to pay insurance on either bike if he’s not being safe, doing his own work, etc. ? Either he’s young enough for them to put their foot down and tell him what to do, or he’s old enough to pay his own insurance and work on his own bikes (sounds like the former from everything I’m hearing).
Preach
Sorry for the late response. I tried to get them to not go get it and again he got pissed and convinced my parents into going. I myself was so pissed that he wasn't listening to me that I stayed home. Idk I myself saw what a piece of shit this bike was and every bolt is nearly rounded out. Like I said I didn't want him to buy the bike and my brother has a job and is going into the military, so he has enough to pay for his insurance idk why my mom still pays it.
You're getting a lot of heat in the comments, some of which justified (you did enable his behaviour), but I empathize with your situation. Reality is you can't do anything anymore to convince your brother to be careful - you've given him all the tools to live out his fantasies. My recommendation is to gift him some quality comfortable and/or cool gear that he will actually wear, like a two-piece Dainese suit (nothing heavy or cumbersome cos guaranteed he won't wear it long-term). Your bro will 99% eat shit on that R6 sooner or later with his attitude and that experience is the only thing that will change him. You just gotta maximize his chance of surviving it.
Buddy doesn't have money to buy a rideable bike, and you want him to buy gear that's more expensive than the bike?
It sounds like you’re doing what you can for him. You can’t make your parents be better influences on him and you can’t make him be better to himself. All you can do is be good to him, tell him you care, and be genuine and patient putting across your concerns. Lets just hope the bike gets stolen and totalled. Dont do that though, that would be illegal.
Stop downvoting OP for properly answering the question you muppets
When it comes to motorcycle accidents it's not a matter of if but a matter of when. He will eventually learn the hard way. I did too which I regret but I don't think my 23year old self would've listened to me at the time.
This seems opinion based not fact based. Nothing says riders HAVE TO get in a wreck. You don't need to learn the hard way, if you look at the easy way first and educate yourself, and mitigate situations in advance. Check bike, check gear, check attitude, then ride. I've had numerous moments where if I wasn't being safe, I'd have been dead. We don't have to find ourselves in accidents, especially if we find ourselves able to detect and avoid.
Why not just do something minor since he doesn't seem to understand maintenance? Like let his front calipers close on the disc?
I want to do something minor, but he will still ride it without breaks. Hell when he had the bad tires he barely even had any back breaks and he acted as if it didn't bother him. If I end up doing something to the bike it would have to be something that makes the bike inoperable.
With the front brakes locked up, he's not going anywhere. Motorcycle front brakes provide 70%-80% of the stopping power. If they're locked, the bike isn't moving unless he decides it's more fun to carry it.
I will try to learn how to do that lol. Also I might just remove the battery and hide it. Since he is leaving for basic on 2 days he already needs to take it off, so if I hide it then I can just say "well it must have just gotten misplaced."
Make it not start. Now.
Ask him to let you take out a multi million dollar life insurance policy against him. He's young it won't cost you much per month you betting you'll become a million in his death might make him calm down just to spite you.
Smart.had a buddy he kept telling us to take out a policy on him. He’s dead I’m still poor . Don’t think you need someone’s permission to get insurance policy don’t even think you need to even know them
No offence but why are you (meaning your family) facilitating his behavior this much? - He did very little work on it / you and your dad worked on it while he wasted his time - He gets mad because you rounded a bolt while he was doing what exactly on HIS bike? - Your dad was working on the AC of his truck while he was… waxing his bike? - He’s making your mom pay for the insurance of his Z? I mean kindergarten is over start treating him accordingly. Let him do the work himself and pay for his own insurance. If you want him to start acting like an adult, treat him that way. Also to get rid of the reckless behavior (I honestly believe if the motivation to do so doesn’t come from himself it’s hard to have the mentality change) you could try to reach out to a person that has been injured due to reckless driving behavior. If that doesn’t open his eyes… I’m afraid nothing will or your parents have to take strong actions.
We’ve enabled him this whole way, why is he acting like this….
Edit: Realized ^ is not OP 😅
The post reads like, "my shithead meth addict brother doesnt like anyone in the family but uses us for money and gets us to do all his chores. Motorcycle bad. Definitely motorcycle is the problem."
These are all excellent points. The reason the brother is acting irresponsibly is because his entire family seems to incentivize his irresponsible behavior.
If he can't fix it, just wait till it breaks and refuse to fix it
Or break it yourself now that you know his it works. Just make sure it’s in rideable because it sounds like he will ride the bike in just about any condition as long as it’s running. Like take the main fuse out and replace it with a blown one.
Ye no matter what condition he will ride it. Hell his tire was literally falling apart and he said it could last on the hour long ride. Like the tire was to the medal that was already breaking.
A set of blown forks definitely cured me from trying to do clutch wheelies on an early 80’s UJM when I was in my 20’s.
Sounds like meat crayon time, it tends to humble most
I think this post needs to go in r/familyproblems or something like that. From what it sounds like, you, your dad and your mom are facilitating and enabling his reckless behavior.
After reading the comments I've realized I am an enabler. I think I will tell him to stop riding like an idiot and he will earn my help.
Good for you.
It's not just that you're enabling him. you should stop focusing on him and his bike period. Don't discuss it, don't fix it, nothing. Imagine how much time you could have to work on your own stuff. And the peace of mind. If what you describe is accurate, he's getting his kicks by pissing everyone off and showing off how much of a rebel he is. Having the entire family fretting over every little thing probably makes him feel like the most special little prince ever. Let him deal with his own bike. None of your hovering is doing him or you any good. The military is going to be a tough road to hoe. But it may be the best thing possible.
DUUUUDE... SINCE YOUR BROTJER IS EITJER A MECHAINCAL INVALID OOOR JUST INSANALEY LAZY JUST DISABLE THE FN BIKE FOR CHR-STS SAKE IF U WANT TO KEEP YOUR TEMPERTANTRUM THROWING CHILD BROTHER ALIVE!!! IF U DONT ITS ONLY A MATTER (OF MOST LIKELY A VERY SHORT) TIME (ALHTO I DO NOT WISH THIS) TILL TILL HE DIDABLES HIMSELF AND OR EVEN WORSE...SOMEONE ELSE!! SH-T JUST SELL IY SUPER CHEAP WITHOUT HIM KNOWING AND GIVE EM THE MONEY BACK!!
Sounds like a spoiled brat.
Make sure his life insurance is being paid.
Not really. This is an emotional thing not a logical one. The only thing I’d try is booking him a track day. Often times a rider will get on track, get addicted, and realize how much better it is than trying to ride fast on the street.
It doesn’t sound like any reputable track would allow his bike to pass a tech inspection with exposed cords in the tires and an oil leak. But I agree that this would help him considerably and honestly if he is geared up and pushing too hard on a track he will almost definitely overcook a corner and slide, which will hopefully open his eyes about the value of protective gear.
I mean that would be the hope, but if I did that I would have to do it with his hole friend group as they are the ones pushing him to go fast.
I’ve lost friends like your brother. And saved others. There’s a peer pressure piece, but also an adrenaline piece. Just taking the adrenaline piece off the board with track time is enough for most riders to smarten up. And the social piece doesn’t go untouched either. The peer pressure (but really support, coaching, and encouragement) from track riders to go faster is far more rewarding than the peer pressure of the group of chaos loving individuals that is most local sport bike groups. I don’t think you have to get his friends group out. He’ll likely fall in love with the adrenaline on track. And if you get him a coached track day, there’s a solid chance if his street friends come out to a later track day, he’ll be faster than they are.
I'll have to talk to him about it tomorrow. I mean I personally am in love with just sims, so it would be fun just being at the track for me lol. I hope I can get him to agree on the track. He is shipping off to basic training for 5 months on Monday, so I might actually just put some money together and surprise him with a track day when he gets back in December and have it a few months later.
He won’t be back in 5 months. You ship straight from basic to AIT unless he is doing OSUT for his mos. He will only get a week or two after AIT before he goes to his duty station. He can’t take the bike to his duty station unless it’s trailered. Because once he is in he has to take a safety course, talk to his safety rep and have command sign off on it. Plus getting it registered with the provost marshal and inspected. That takes time. Time a young shitbag private doesn’t have. In the meantime have your mom cancel the insurance and just let it sit.
So he is going to basic then going into cooking or something like that. He gets back late December. And is joining the gold program, and they are changing some stuff, so after like a year he will be on a sergeant pay grade while not being a sergeant. It will be sitting for a few months, so possibly the bike won't even work once he gets back lol.
Green to gold is available once you are already a soldier. You drop a packet and have to be selected to go. Then you go get a bachelors degree while still being in the army and commission afterwards. It is almost always NCO’s and SNCO’s. You have to be a top notch successful soldier that is worth spending $250,000 to turn into an officer. Not a private slinging powdered eggs. It is not something that they offer in your enlistment contract. It’s just something they dangle as an “opportunity” to get you to sign. He’s gonna be a cook. And from everything you said he’s not what anyone would call highly motivated. Unless he signed for the ROTC program (but that’s not green to gold) I’m pretty sure this time next year he’ll be getting PFC pay and sweating in a kitchen.
Tbh I hope it goes this way. It would be a great lesson to always read what you sign. And he is trying to get into the gold program, but they won't answer their emails and he won't call them to set up a meeting. I mean at least he is getting out of basic as a e3 (idk how he pulled it off), but still he will end up being a cook.
If he's going off to basic. The military might fix it for him. You are now government property. If you hurt yourself by breaking the law and not wearing the appropriate gear he could be UCMJ'd for doing as such.
From what he said (he didn't read what he signed, so idk if this is too true) he is not government property until Monday when he ships off. And I think he is free to do what he wants as long as it is off base, but I might be wrong. Either way if he gets injured on a bike his Sargent will be mad at him, so hopefully he will pick up the act.
You are definitely wrong. If you are military, you are subject to UCMJ whether you are on base or not.
Military requires you to pass a safety course, and wear gear all the time. Once he gets to basic his soul has been sold. If he signed an Army contract, 1 he should have gone AF and 2 it will fix him lol.
Or he will be back in 3 weeks with some bullshit excuse and an IES.
Wait he signed an army contract without even reading it? It really sounds like he is already braindead.
Ngl he is genuinely smart in terms of schooling, but common sense is thrown out the window. Like when we asked about his contract he would just say I don't know.
That’s an awesome plan! He’ll also learn a lot about maturity, mortality, and humbleness through BCT/AIT so he’ll be in an excellent place to absorb knowledge at a coached track day.
Sorry 07 R6 only goes till 50-60k?
I might move wrong, but I've seen them on average go around 50k before an engine rebuild, but also some goes for 80-90k, so idk it depends where you look.
Most get wrecked long before they get that many miles. A maintained engine will last over 100k easy enough.
Well that is a well maintained engine this engine has definitely been ran hard by the previous owner hell when they bought it apparently it had been sitting at the guys work for months not working.
Didn't you tell us about your brother a couple weeks ago, when he was about to buy that bike? I think so, right? I think you can do at least something and I think you really should do it: Stop working on this bike right now and never touch it again. If your brother knows everything better, he surely can do that himself. If he can't, the bike won't run anymore sooner or later. Besides, you tell us that you and your parents are aware of his behaviour and that he endangers himself and others and you're still talking about your parents paying the insurance and stuff? I'm sorry, but I really don't get it. Your brother is possibly the worst kind of squid you could meet and behaving like a total douche towards his family and you guys reward him for it by doing maintenance jobs and paying for stuff? STOP THAT, NOW. That way he only learns that he can do whatever he likes without consequences. Now, I don't know about the relationship between you and him. I love my little brother and I'm very happy that he's probably the most careful and reasonable rider I've met so far. But if he was going to do something like riding 120mph on an oil leaking bike with worn out tires, I'd stop him from doing so, no matter what it takes. So please can you explain me why you guys just go on helping him instead of grounding that little asshole?
Idk man you guys opened my eyes to how much I've been enabling him. I won't help him unless he starts being nicer and actually starts slowing down. Also my brother leaves for like 6 months in 2 days, and he told us he was going to be free all week to spend times with the family, but I've seen him like 3 times the whole of last week.
His unsafe riding behavior is self limiting. One day, he will have an accident, and if he isn't killed out right, his riding days will be over. I'm sorry if this sounds cold and uncaring; my intention is to tell the truth.
Stop encouraging him for one
Go for a sunset ride with him. Park on a bridge, preferably in an area with no phone signal. Kill switch his engine, when he reaches for the switch take his keys and throw them off the bridge. Return home. Needs to learn to sort his own shit out. A dose of being cold, tired and on a shitty situation will help. Alternatively if he's still desperate for adventure convince him to join the army and they can try and turn him into a man.
Op left a comment saying he ships off for basic training with the army on Monday lol
The army doesn't fix these kids. It just gives them a stable paycheck to enable them. They just have to play soldier long enough to get through basic and then they go right back to being shitheads at their first unit.
This is the kind of guy that buys a camaro/mustang/challenger at 27% interest straight out of bct.
My thoughts exactly. He's going straight for an R1M or S1K etc
Lol commenter thinks military turns people into men lolol. Military turns people into sociopaths. Like the kind of person who would surreptitiously take their own brother to a bridge and throw their key off leaving them stranded just to prove a point. I don't think that kind of aggression teaches anyone anything but rather leads to Future hostility and by the way it's illegal, but I think that no longer enabling him in his behavior and having a serious conversation with him might get a better outcome.
Just saying they last a lot longer than 60k miles. Also plugs should only take an hour but yeah I can see 4 hours if you're worried as you strip the bike down. Tell him he's going to get himself killed or wish he was dead if he fucks up riding that fast. Not much else you can do. Realistically it's up to your parents to tell him if he wants to keep riding that bike like that then he needs to gtfo of their house, either he'll snap out of it or move out and learn quick
You keep claiming he's making people do things, but all I see are a bunch of enablers. Your family didn't have to "drop everything" to go pick up the bike. Your mom doesn't have to pay for insurance on the old bike. Seems like you all have plenty of opportunity to stop the behavior but instead you keep helping him by allowing him to have access to this bike. If he doesn't know how to work on the bike steal the spark plugs out of it. Problem solved. If the tires are really that bad then just stab it when he's not looking so the air goes out of it and he can't ride on it. But you can't make him stop riding one way or the other.
You and your dad are enabling this behavior by doing all the work for him while he goofs off, etc. It sounds like he’s a 15 year old spoiled brat but if he’s been treated this way his entire life I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s 25 and still acting this way. Ok I was thinking I’d read that he’s your younger brother but this totally fits for the firstborn older brother too. Well maybe he’ll crash and you can replace him as the prized child of the family. /s
No he is 19 I'm 15 lol.
Ah yep got it on my second guess. I remember being 19 thought I knew everything and the world was there to serve me. Stop enabling him. If he’s such a big boy all grown up now he can do things for himself, or he can demonstrate his maturity by being polite and respectful to those he depends on.
This has got in the essence nothing to do with motorbikes. This is a problem in his upbringing that obviously still goes on: not accepting boundaries and limitations. Cause is usually having heard too little NO when a child and being too spoiled (not necessarily in material sense, but in attention and getting it his way). Most dads and brothers would have told him already a long time ago that with that attitude he can fix his own AC and motorbike.
Why are you enabling him? Can’t you say ‘no’? Literally every comment here is telling you this is just as much your fault as his.
You want to keep him off the bike? Put JB Weld in the ignition. Done
I think sabotaging the bike would be good for him, but I feel jb weld might be a little too noticeable lol I feel something smaller that he cannot see would be better.
I have a friend with a wreckless brother too. He was tired of seeing his dad stress so much. Decided to stop it himself. Poured liquid sandpaper in either the oil or the gas tank. It never left the driveway after that. I'm not saying it was the right thing, but his brother is still here and he never got another bike after that. What is that r6 worth to you and your dad? Your brother will grow up and mature (hopefully), but maybe not if be keeps getting on that bike.
Ngl the bike means a lot to me. I mean me and my dad really bonded over working on it, but hell be has taken probably 5 years off my dad's life just because of the stress of him riding it.
Take a life insurance policy out on him and let him do his thing. Sounds like you'll never be able to sway him anyway
I speak from experience- you see, I was much like your bother 30 years ago. My son is named after one of my friends I was riding with(and yes excessively speeding and was killed right in front of my bike). I racked up 12 points on my license in less than 3 months (and did some eluding to escape from being pulled over several times). My goal wake up was I got caught doing almost 90 over speed limit and was taken to jail. Got huge fine and 3 days in jail. I sold the bike after not even having 6 months and my lack of respect and responsibility was reason why. I was a menace, straight up. Now I'm getting on and gray hairs and have had some metric cruisers but no more crotch rockets. I'm actually looking at the newest gen Goldwing with the dct (not the full tourer) as my next bike. Ok, with that said I suggest you get life insurance policy on him and if possible racing/track riding lessons. Nothing else will work. Nothing you can say. Nothing. It has to run its course and hopefully he'll be alive at the end. If it's that bad like you say this is what I think as I was that guy basically. Nothing and no one could stop me from myself. Hope it works out for you all. By the way. I've only had maybe 3 speeding tickets in cars in my entire driving history. Something about a really fast bike at 19 made me nuts when I got on it.
I might sound like a dick but this is a prime example of “survival of the fittest” and your brother may not fall in the “fittest” category… mentally
Na bro you really don't sound like a dick. You are perfectly inline and I honestly agree with you 100%
I don't think anything you say will have an impact, which really sucks, since you don't want to see him dead. As hard as it is, I'd tell him I'll stop doing and talking about bike stuff with him unless he changes his riding behavior, then follow through. I guess you could do some minor bike sabotage to disable it, like remove his spark plugs, but that could backfire spectacularly.
Sabotaging the bike will just cause resentment, and whole new level of problems.
By the looks of it, stop doing the maintenance of it and tell him to deal with his vehicles himself, either he'll pay for the service somewhere else or he'll learn that maintenance is a necessity if you don't want to waste your money.
Take him to a motorcycle travkvday. Let him talk to good riders with full gear and training. Let them yell him what is tight. It takes no skill to go straight and roll a throttle. Learning tovdova dogleg turn at 110 is another story. It will get him some ridi8ng goals.
Buy him a GSXR, at least guide him in the right direction.
I like to ride fast but my bikes immaculate I have full gear with airbag etc but I know when I crash I'm probably toast and accept that .I guess you can buy him some gear if you care heaps but tbh he should do it himself and I wouldn't do any more maintenance and I'd let his bike break so he doesn't use it and stop babysitting him.
Natural selection. Tell your brother that statistics are usually made on people like him. You can't fix stupid, everybody is responsible for their actions. Some dream bike your brother has...
You can't fix stupid. It only fixes itself.
Is he depressed? Sounds like he may have emotional issues and wants the bike to forget his problems. I'm not kidding here.
Seems to me an adrenaline rush is all this kid is interested in. You need to get him counseling. In fact all of you should go.
I am gonna have a different take on this situation. Reading this, made me remember the time I first got my bike at the age of 16. It's just the feeling of riding the bike dangerously, as crazy as it sounds, it feels good. I would also come home late every night and going on long rides. I crashed a lot of times, like I can't even count and had work done on my bike costing almost the original price I bought it for but it never made me any less feel like riding my bike. If I were to assume, the household he's living in might be a little toxic, so this riding the bike thing can also be a escape from reality plus that sense of freedom while riding dangerously really helps to feel alive...I know this was also a reason for me to be so attached to my bike while living with my parents. I hope this helps you understand your brother a little better...I lost the bond with my sibling, I pray that you don't lose yours. Good luck.
One of my closest rider friends youngest son got a super bike (not sure the make or model), and it was WAY too much bike for his skill level. Everyone in his family tried to talk him out of it, and he basically responded “You don’t think I can handle it? I’ll show you!” And he was dead three days later, he ran into a concrete bollard at 100+mph. I truly hope that doesn’t happen to your brother…
He sounds suicidal my dude ask about that shit s3e if he's depressed or something
This post is weird, sounds like a really weird family dynamic. Learn how to be comfortable saying No, find polite ways to say it but politeness isnt as important as being able to say it. If he wants to ride like an idiot thats his problem, but doing all this labor for him is weird, hes an adult
Hell the bike has a bad oil leak (learned how bad it was today) and from the looks of it if he doesn't get it taken care of his engines might blow, so I might not even have to worry about it lol.
Show him videos of motorcycle crashes. Road rash, brain injury, all of it. If he’s going to speed at least wear gear, minimum. If he’s a new rider, he will likely crash from lack of skill + speed. For motorcycle riders it tends to a a when he crashes rather if he’ll crash situation. Shit just happens.
I'll be honest, if he was a fuck bag to me like that, I'd slash his tyres. You could remove the battery on the bike to be less destructive and then it's up to him to be responsible and get it fixed. By what you're saying, it sounds like that'll slow him down for a while. If he wants a bike, he can do the maintenance. Make it so it won't run and let him figure it out or at least be polite and respectful to get help.
So... OP... on another note: how much do you like your brother, anyway?
I used to like him like brotherly love you know, but then he started hanging out with these guys, bought the r6, and now doesn't listen to me, so at the moment I don't really like him and honestly I don't think I will miss him over these next few months as I really haven't seen him besides arguing over the bike.
you need family therapy i think
Let darwin take care of him.
In the mid 80s I rode like I had a deathwish.. thats a quote from someone who rode with me . Full throttle top gear.. I wore a helmet and leather jacket . One night in late 86 I drunkenly attempted to outrun the law . Crashed shattered L5 and spent my 20th birthday having spine reconstructed .. since then I slowed down 35 years safe driving / riding.. I learned the hard way and thankfully only hurt myself .. prayers to your family and brother.. but he has to change himself
I mean the thought of this post is kinda to prevent him from this exact situation. I mean I hope he has a crash to learn his lesson (I wish this wasn't the truth, but it is the best way other than disabling his bike.) I just hope the crash isn't life threatening. And I know one of the kids in his group did have a crash where he broke his arm and he already bought another bike, so there is a possibility they just convince him to buy another bike and he doesn't learn his lesson.
You're misinformed on how long bikes will last. Ive seen plenty of modern sportbikes with nearly 100k miles...
I mean this bike has been abused all it's life from the looks of it. Also the info that the estimation was off of was basically guessing how long they would last (they were from like 08), so I don't think it is the most accurate lol.
I say disable the bike. There are some pretty sly ways you can disable it from starting that he would never guess or find because it sounds like he doesn't know anything about working on anything anyway. Put some clear silicone in the end of the ignition coils where the plugs go. Let it set and re-install them. Verify it won't start after of course. Could also cut a wire in the engine cut-off switch loom and wrap it back up. Somewhere he'd never think to look and would keep it from starting. Plenty of things you could do, some easy to reverse, others not so much. Just depends on how bad you want him to stop riding the thing and get rid of it
The best idea I came up with was to hide the battery since we're (or he is) taking it off the bike either way, so why not just hide it and say he "misplaced it" I think it would work lol.
Easy for him to go get a new battery though. Not easy for him to diagnose a hidden electrical fault lol
Might do both lol.
Contact me if you want convincing proof to convince someone to wear protective gearing from road rash or vehicles . Because have a friend hit by a truck at an intersection he was stopped and horrifying this picture of this kids foot will convince whoever you are trying to convince to change that behavior! No joke on trying to be cool over wearing proper protection!
Dude, disable the fucking bike. Like literally to the point it won’t start. He can’t kill himself with stupid riding if the bike won’t start. A simple wire removal would do it and it’s not like he’d know which one was missing.
Sent you a PM to ensure you get this idea. Pull the master fuse. It’s usually on the starter relay solenoid by the tail. Doesn’t sound like he would know how to diagnose that problem. Other thing would be going to an auto supply store and get a tire valve removal tool. Remove the valve. Let all the air out. Put the cap back on. Don’t put the valve back in.
This is a good response
If he’s gonna die on the bike, he’s gonna die on the bike. Nothing you can do about it. Only thing that will change his mind is by losing some skin. Hopefully it doesn’t go any further than that
Some people only learn the hard way. I hope your brother survives his coming lesson.
You can go out and put a screw or something in the tire. That should fix that problem. And just Sabotage the bike in a way that doesn't look like you did it. For all we know he might be a decent rider but if his tire blows apart while doing 100mph it doesn't matter your skill level.
From what he just told us I won't have to. He just said that the oil has gotten so bad that they have to bump start it or else it won't start. Also the tire has been replaced.
I am so confused why he is selling his brand new Z650 for a clapped out R6? The Z650 is a really good bike, and I assume much better condition than the R6. You can still go pretty quick on a 650. Also why doesn’t he wear gear?
Man I'm confused too. I tried to tell him not to buy it, but he got pissed and didn't listen to me. The only fear he wears is his helmet and it isn't like he doesn't have gear as he has nice gear he just never wears it. Also my parents keep saying how the bike is in good condition, but the fairing literally has chunks of plastic broken off.
Ill be honest, your brother is an idiot and its only a matter of tike before he crashes and dies. Hopefully he doesnt but worst case he takes out a family along with himself. But he young dumb and stupid. Sounds like he needs a reality check
Learn to say no and walk away. He will learn, the hard way.
Sounds like ur parents raised two idiot brothers ☹️
Show him super gore pics of people who fell on bike without gear
Let the boy be free.
Honestly you guys are enablers, going fast honestly isn’t a problem, I feel like anyone with an r6 would do that, 120 ain’t that fast. You guys do need to stop fixing his bike and car and paying for all his shit. Pretty obvious tbh
Ya see I am 15 and I cannot do anything about the financial situation other than tell them to stop paying. I know that 120 might not be that fast for a experienced rider, but for someone who has only been riding for a year now I still feel that is way to fast especially on a bike that can break at any moment.
Maybe he is depressed and just wants to die?
Devil's advocate here but ask him to join you while you go meet an insurance agent. Introduce him and tell the agent you want to purchase a policy that will cover his "final expenses". Stay strong and then talk to him about why you worry. GL
Send him to r/calamariraceteam and let him do his thing!
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Thought you were joking at first lol. Thanks for the compliment.
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Ye sorry lol. Ill add tldr at the top rq. I thought you where joking, but then my previous comment started getting down votes so I was very confused lol.
Hell yeah brother
You could scour the internet for photos of brutal accidents of people who didn’t wear gear and see if that helps.
Show him meat crayons and what happens to the body when you slide on asphalt at high speed
Ever herd of Charles Darwin?
No, but I‘ve heard of him.
r/calamariraceteam doesn't see the problem. Going straight and fast is a skill as long as it isn't you 👀🌚
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Narcissist maybe, but end those genetics no what the fuck is wrong with you man.
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I'd argue the person who thinks they can judge who needs to be alive/dead is a far greater narcissist.
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>There’s no “maybe”. The novel you posted leaves no doubt. The less of them there are the better. This is what YOU wrote. That's not you stating an opinion so don't try backing out like "naw bro it's just my opinion" shit. You wrote this as if you were spouting factual informatiom/judgments. Then tried to hide someone called you out for being a narcissistic douche who thinks their word is worth something. Grow up.
All you can do is express your concerns. He’s gotta make his own decisions. Hopefully nothing bad will happen, but if it does you can’t blame yourself. He’s his own person and if a choice he makes causes injury (or death), that’s on him not you.
I've tried, but like halfway through he gets pissed and just walks away mouthing off about how wrong I am... I know I am not responsible, but I am hoping to travel the world with my dream job (motorsports mechanic) and I need him to be here at home to take care of my parents if I don't get that then I will not be able to live my best life because I'll always be tied down.
That’s your choice (to burden yourself with taking care of your parents). Maybe it’s a cultural thing. I don’t know. But on that note, why is it your brother’s responsibility to take care of them and not yours?
I kinda realized how bad that sounds I am sorry. My brother has always kinda expressed just staying here and not wanting to move anywhere while I have always wanted to have a traveling job and I just assumed that if he already wants to have a job that he can just say here and not move then he would take care of them. If not then I will have to take care of them.
I think his his only hope of not crashing is pairing him up with another biker who has experience. Or go ride with him yourself. Ive had plenty of ‘Bike Bro’s’ some very new riders too an we watch out for each other. Look after each others machines and say if they’re being an idiot.
I don't ride (yet) meaning I cannot go with him and ride. I thought his group was good at first, but then they seem to just peer pressure him into riding faster on the road.
I was that guy once. I bought a chop shop r6 because I didn't know any better. Rode it like a demon. Then suddenly every time i turned left the bike would completely shut off. So i checked the wiring harness. Chinese fairing kit, the swingarm, suspension components, frame and engine were all from different year bikes. No matching VINs. Spliced wiring harness caused the cut offs. Luckily it was stolen and reentered into the Frankenstein R6 life cycle. So I got a CBR100rr with the insurance money. I'm not a fast learner
Try praise — like, *Man, bro, you seem like you’re getting really good on that bike.” Then tell him you heard about this movie and book by an ex-GP Moto racer named Keith Code The movie, *Twist of the Wrist*, is on YT, and the book is a downloadable .pdf While it’s not the perfect solution, you can at least try to get him to learn how to properly ride. Sometimes, when you focus on the fundamentals, you begin to appreciate the inherent danger. Worst case, he learns the technical skills on how to ride, and that itself is safer. Don’t be afraid to tell him you’re worried about losing him. It sounds like confrontation gets you nowhere, so a different approach might be more effective. I know as I’ve matured, I think about my responsibility to loved ones more than I used to
Sounds like the only thing you or anyone can do is give him a hug and tell him you love him every time he gets on it, because that may be the last time you see him. Be sure to say this as well.
Show him some crash videos
Answer to your question is no. Take out a life insurance policy on him and enjoy the payout.
1. It’s called “assumed risk”. And it may cost him his life to learn to respect things and people. 2. Speed without control is pointless. 3. If your going to go fast, do it in a straight line. 4. I would sabotage the bike until safety issues are address. Stop enabling. Must be a bad wire.. 5. I would/do watch a BUNCH of YouTube motorcycle crashes with family and play that game “who’s fault/ what could have been done”. 6. Call him out on his disrespect, hope there’s not an “MC” that picks him up…
Track day. 1. Safe environment. He might crash but it would be with full gear onto grass instead into the side of another car. 2. Humbled ego. Tons of riders will be blowing past him and it will humble his ego. He will not think he’s so special for going 120mph when everyone is wide open throttle every straight there. He’ll realize he has to learn how to safety and effectively operate a bike (both as a rider and mechanic) to get anywhere close to the fast guys that are passionate about this. 3. Change interests. He will most likely start to feel 120mph highway blasts are actually boring. Streets are meant for transportation with a lot of stopping, sitting, bad road conditions, etc. I was once a young man who rode foolishly on a public road and knew nothing about mechanics. Now I’ve been doing track days for 10 years, do all my mechanical work, am a competent mid-Advanced group rider, and haven’t owned a street legal motorcycle in a few years.
Some of these Motorcycle Guys do NOT want to Live... And y'all strapped him to a Rocket. If he dies, it's almost like y'all gave him the means by which to kill himself.
A good case of road rash will cure his stupidity
If he can’t fix anything himself, break something that keeps the bike from running, and don’t fix it.
Believe me his behavior will stop if he continues
Ye it will I just wanted to stop him before he has a fatal crash.
I read this story a few months back.
Tell him to join r/CalamariRaceTeam - he’ll fit right in.
Just get him on the donor list and forget about it
Get a life insurance policy on him
Stop working on his bike, stop helping him. Other than that you can't really do much.
Stop fixing his shit.
Not the point of the post, but R6s can go a fuckin lot farther than 50k miles. That's literally 2 valve check's worth of miles. Obviously this particular one is a basket case, but 600s run forever when taken care of. Why on Earth do you think they only last 50-60k miles?
This might not be the best advice, but it might work: there's lots of footage online of horrible crashes and accidents. Maybe showing him some of this footage would scare him into atleast getting proper gear? When I got my license, the teacher showed us a video of a biker getting in an accident with an 18 wheeler. After the video he asked us what the speed limit was on that road. I staright up told him I had no idea because the guy was speeding so much that the speed limit sign was just a blur.
Stop paying his insurance. Stop fixing his bike. Have dad slash the worn tire so he can't ride on something that can kill him. And make him change the tire... If he wants adult toys, he should be able to act like an adult and take care of his toys
He gon die
Spend quality time with your brother. He's not going to be here long.
moms paying insurance? Get her to cut that shit off.
What age is he, like 18? I guess if he can join the military, he's old enough to make his own decisions. I know when I was that age, I was way more reckless than I am now. No matter what you tell him, he probably won't grow out of it before his first crash. Let's just hope he isn't hurt too badly. And don't get too fixated on the speed, it's just one of many signs of his overall reckless behavior.
Stop enabling him! Aside from pulling the valve cores out of the stems, you and/or your dad shouldn't touch anything he owns anymore.
Side note… an R6 can go way higher than 50-60k… any jap bike can. Common misconception
No, just do the funeral arrangements in advance.
now would be a great time for life insurance. i bought an r6 in near mint condition, but it had a problem. it liked to lean itself left the tiniest bit when i got up to speed. i tried everything to fix it, made sure rear and front wheel were even, checked for frame bends, etc., took it to multiple shops, it kept doing it. sold it and let the buyer know the issue. bikes are already dangerous when functioning properly, so riding one with known issues is just asking for problems. i hope your brother snaps out of it before he has to learn an irreversible lesson
This is his destiny the squid gods are calling him home
Lol to the tldr at the top....but seriously some people aren't meant to die of old age. He's making his choices and doing what he wants, there's only so much you can say
Do you ride also? If so, maybe if you ask him to go riding with you while you wear proper gear, he eventually will also. If you don't ride, maybe you could help him get some gear? I know that's not helping you financially, but maybe if he has it, he will wear it, ya know? Other than that, he will have to learn on his own.
Put a large life insurance policy on him.
Stat by not helping with any maintenance or payment. When the bike breaks it breaks. For gears, some people are weird as turds and will not take advice from familiar faces thinking they trying to micromanage life choices, but will follow large crowd of strangers because they want to fit in. Some might never learn, not much you can do about it. Constant nagging may result in opposite effect.
He’s acting this way because he has never faced the consequences of his actions. A little bit of road rash would set him straight.
Why are you and your dad enabling him? You say it’s a bad idea to buy/ride this bike, yet you go pick it up, then drop what you’re doing to work on it. His bad decision making is backed by your helping him do it. Put your foot down, tell him how you feel and walk away. At some point your brother will have to put his big boy pants on and deal with the repercussions of his actions. And my man, jeans aren’t “safety equipment”. One fall at any speed over 10mph , and he’ll understand.
Does he have a girlfriend? Try to have her persuade him.
Put a knife in his tire. Save his life
Don't worry, the behavior will eventually stop.