Do you let other riders ride your motorbike?
There was a long discussion about this on an enduro forum, with a huge variety of answers.
On one side, there were riders who said 'No one touches my motorbike!'
This included sexual partners, friends and their dog.
The other extreme?
Riders who would let anyone ride their motorbike...
aliens, primates, even random guys they met on the trail.
And of course there was a pile of different opinions between these extremes.
Some riders have no issues with their friends riding their motorbike.
Other riders said they would let a stranger ride their motorbike if they understood the rules....
you break it, you fix it!
This is where it gets interesting.
In one situation, a rider lets a friend ride his RR480 but tells him not to do any wheelies.
The friend does a wheelie, crashes, and causes $1000 in damages.
But he has no money so he just says "Bad luck" to the owner.
Don't assume a friend will automatically pay for any damages.
A very good friend asked me if she could borrow my DR650.
I said "No problem. But you will need to pay for the insurance excess if you crash".
She looked offended and declined my offer.
It's always a good idea to ensure anyone riding your motorbike understands the principle....
you break it, you fix it!
Some people assume a friendship means you will take care of their mistakes.
The situation becomes more interesting if a friend borrows your motorbike.
What happens if it is returned with a seized engine?
Was it due to riding on the 'rev limiter' all day?
Or was there already a problem with the engine?
Who pays for the repairs?
Both of you?
Hopefully this never happens.
But I think it's a good idea to discuss these scenarios.
It would be a shame to wreck a friendship because you both had very different ideas.
If you borrow someone's motorbike and want to ride it aggressively, maybe check with the owner first!
I can remember a guy asking to ride a friend's KTM 300
then we could hear him riding full throttle into the distance for about 10 minutes.
The owner was into slow technical riding and I could see the pain on his face...
his beloved baby was being thrashed.
A lot of owners wouldn't care.
Some do.
Just ask if you want to be a 'boy racer' on someone else's machine.
I think this is just good riding etiquette.
It reminds me of an old story.
This guys comes up to me and starts asking questions about my DR650.
After a few minutes he suddenly gets on the DR.
I immediately say "Get off my motorbike".
He looked puzzled and asked why.
I said "You don't get on my motorbike without asking first".
He laughed and dismounted.
But he leaves the DR650 in a slightly different position and it falls over.
He isn't worried at all and thought it was amusing.
What a dickhead.
There are plenty of them around!
Me? I always let friends ride my motorbikes.
A stranger? No.
I want to ride with them for at least 30 minutes and see what sort of rider they are.
Then maybe we will swap motorbikes.
What do you think about letting others ride your motorbike?
Do you ever lend your motorbike to friends?
Let us know in the comments!
And now I'll leave
you with a few minutes of enduro FM.