You can have it all. I did. And enjoy the kid. It will be grown and gone before you can say Harlery-Davidson. Ask me how I know!

 

Hang in there you can do it.....
I am managing a 21/2 year old with special needs a 4 year old . My wife is home with the kids and I am the only one working. I have a Yukon XL (02) and a Crew Cab Chevy (03) and my Harley Payment. I work my full time Public Safety Officer Job Firefighter and Police Officer job. I am gone for my 24hr shifts and work off duty every time I turn around. I spend as much time with my wife and kids as I can when I am off. I dont go to my off duty work till after about 430pm so I am home all day with them when I get off. When I am off and I get the kids down after about 830 pm I can sneak out and ride. I got to sneak away for almost 3 days to the ROT rally in Austin. It was the first time I had been away from the house in almost 3 years. You can do, you can make it work.

Good Luck

Jeff

 

Congrats! Sounds like you're just one step ahead of your friends! Kids are tons of fun and no need to give up your bike. You might not ride quite as much, but grandparents can free up some time for road trips and stuff. I saw the most charming family "out there" last summer. Mom had the oldest kid on the back of her bike. Dad had the middle one behind him and the littlest one was in his sidecar. It looked like good family bonding to me! My own kids have always had their own ATV's, dirt bikes, etc. and I think every house on my road has kids and motorcycles, whether they be motocross, enduroor Harley. It's a family affair. . .I'm already eyeballing a 50cc KTM for my future grandchildren. I'd love to have a fleet in the garage one day for the troops my kids better get busy making, damnit! lol I didn't have kids for nothing!

 

I have a three year old, and another that hit the planet only 7 months ago. Wife has no problem with me riding as long as I use common sense and don't buzz around town like a guy without concern. She's an awesome woman and one I truly adore. Show your wife this post, cause there's room in every Dad's life for some Harley time. Just make sure she gets her time out at the Spa or wherever she likes to get away to while you're home parenting.Ain't marriage grand?

 

Well I will add to this I had a 2001 shadow aero wife loves to ride, the shadow was not very comfy for long rides and not as much power 2 up and a friend loaned me his 98 rk and that was all it took for her to start looking for one and 6 months after our son was born she called me at a side job and said I needed to meet her at the baby sitters with the bike we are going for a ride don't ask questions just get there so I show up and she says head to san antonio and we go to a hd dealer and they had the bike washed and ready for me to take it for a ride and we rode back to the baby sitters with it that night. And he is 18 months old now and loves to ride (I have 4 1/2 acres and a go-cart track around the property and that is where I take him for his rides) he grabs my finger and drags me to the door and straight out to the pole barn right to the bike and climbs up on it and tries to turn on the ignition for a ride. He even helps me clean it. Love them and take care of them he is our first and yes your life will change a lot I do not have as much experience as a lot of the people on this forum about kids but they are worth it every second even the worry and doubts about being a good parent. As far as the riding buddies they are just givin ya a hard time and if they don't have kids maybe they are a little jealous but you can still go out and ride a bit to relieve stress but you won't for the first few months you will not have time and my job gave me 2 weeks off paid and we needed that, big adjustment and the shadow just sat in the pole barn but got started about once every 2 weeks or so. So enjoy what you have and what you will have no matter what.

 

Hey man, every kid is a miracle, you might suffer a little financially but that is the price you pay to get the greatest enjoyment in life. They are also a PIA sometimes but when they get older you will realize that you created a little you. I make good $ now but when I first had my 4 kids I got extra jobs at low wages and grabbed as much OT as possible. I am not going to kid you, its not easy but life is not easy. When you have kids and raise them properly, you will realize on your death bed that you accomplished something while here on earth. Okay, enough of the mushy stuff, your real mission is to add to the next Harley generation so we can continue getting parts in our old age, so have at it.

 

When our son was little,we did what we had to to survive,I worked extra jobs to keep my Harleys.As soon as he was able to hang on he was riding with me.We did get stopped a few times because his feet were not on pegs.No matter we still rode.Good Luck!

 

I bought my bike and I have two kids they were 5 years oldand 10 months at the time. My wife was not so happy, but I have never been happier. I need my time and when I am out on a ride thats when I get it. It makes me much more tollerable to live with. The main set back with having kids will be the amount of *** you will get from you old lady every kid puts it thats much further out of reach, again thats where the bike comes in. Dont ever sell it!

 

Congrats on the baby. Enjoy life. There is no either/or when it comes to kids and bikes. It cut into my riding time a bit, but it never stopped me. Enjoy that baby too... In reality the time we have with them is a blink of an eye...

 

I'm 45 and have a 9 year daughter and 5 month old son and I can't wait to take him for his first ride. I especially can't wait to my daughter on her first cross country trip. What a joy to see the sites we all see when when ride andthe thought of sharing that with my children is the best. I plan to make my daughter keep a motorcycle road journal when we travel. I want her to record at least two or three pages a night outlining the things wesee anddo. I plan to the same with my son one day. I want them both to be able to look back at the pics and journals when I'm gone, share them with their kidsand remember fondlyall our adventures. Mostly I want them to rememberhow much I loved them and wanted to spend time with them.