Hi! I'm new. And since I noticed how people seemed to get a lot of help here, I figured I'd ask.
Here's the scenario. The broken family of two (mother and son) is poor, relying primarily on what she brings in and child support and what scholarships his grades can provide. I'm not sure if that would logistically work, so help on that is appreciated, too. But I want Mom to have a motorcycle. She's kind of wild, a teenage mom and thusly not really the best influence, but she really does know what's best for him, since her parents drilled her. Problem is, how can they support a motorcycle, too? And if it passed from her dad to her or something, would one last long enough (fifteen to twenty years) to still be around when the story happens?
Thanks!
Posted by wetwilly (Member # 1818) on :
motorcycles tend to cost less than cars.
Posted by I need a good user name (Member # 3812) on :
One of the most surprising tools available to a writer:
Ebay (motors in this case)
If you want to know if something's appropriate for a character's level of income, Ebay is at least a start to establish some sort of market value reference. Anyway, you'll go there and you'll discover that motorcycles aren't actually all that expensive. Either way, it's actually quite easy to rationalize a low-income, concerned mother with a motorcyle - everyone has a wild side, after all.
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
So she's just always had to work hourly jobs barely keeping up with rent and babysitting because she's a single mom and didn't finish high school? Is the child support erratic? Why is she still supporting her son through college? Is she mental? How are they getting child support and scholarships?
P.S. Insurance can be a bite, but you can get around this by making it a Virago, which I was told is uninsurable. Not that you have to explain all that.
[This message has been edited by franc li (edited September 14, 2006).]
Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :
Having gone the single mom route for 20 years, I can speak with some authority on the topic. Keep in mind standard scholarships do not bring in disposable income. They pay for a portion... a portion only, mind you, of a child's education. The money goes directly to schooling in most cases. You can alter this by having some local philanthropist offer a specialized scholarship. In my daughter's case, she won a $500 scholarship for students from her middle school. It wasn't much but every penny helped for her college.
And why is your mom poor? In my case, I lived a very comfortable middle class income until I divorced, then overnight I ended up applying for help from the state to assist me with my child care expenses.
If your mom was divorced, she could easily have bought the motorcycle when times were good... and now she's down on her luck, it's all she has left. In fact, the purchase of the motorcycle could have led to the final blow-up with the ex husband that resulted in the divorce.
Most people do not live at a single income level for their entire lives. We all have ups and downs. In other words, play with the situation, and the backstory.
[This message has been edited by Elan (edited September 14, 2006).]
Posted by I need a good user name (Member # 3812) on :
I have to admit, Elan makes a case for having this scenerio sound too stereotypical. I don't want to tell you what to do with your story so I'll let you figure out on your own how you might be able to pull things out of a rut.
Also, another way to explain the motorcycle is that maybe she's had it since her teenage years (maybe she's mechanically inclined too, to keep it running). As for insurance, well, it's possible that she might not just bother to insure it at all (oh heavens no! No one in the real world would not dare keep their vehicle uninsured, would they?! )
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
My parents (well, my father) kept a motorcycle in the garage for about thirty years overall, even keeping it through a move from North to South, till eventually some guy doing some work for them saw it and offered money for it. Whether it worked at that point, I'm not sure...but my father was a professional auto mechanic and could certainly fix it if it was fixable. (Yes, I did ride it, in my teens---took too much muscle for me to wrestle with it, and cured me of ever wanting one of my own...)
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
You can get liability-only insurance, which costs far less for motorcycles than for cars. I pay $75 a year.
That may seem strange until you think about it a moment. Exactly how much damage can you do to another car (or house, or even pedestrian) with a motorcycle? That's what liability insurance covers.
Also, my current motorcycle is over twenty years old. Runs fine, though it has a few peculiarities. Motorcycles are easier to maintain and repair than automobiles, for a number of obvious reasons. New parts for a bike tend to cost more...at least by weight. But other than that they're cheaper in about every way.
Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :
As a single mom, you have to also consider whether your chosen form of transportation will carry the children or not. I always had a yearning to own a jeep, but due to the necessities of hauling kids--and carseats--had to opt for 4-door sedans.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I should have mentioned I've probably got the muscle to handle a motorcycle now, but I still don't want to. About a year ago I saw the aftermath of a motorcycle accident that, well, wasn't pretty, and further reinforced my desire not to get on one.
I'd be concerned about getting insurance that comps you for your own medical costs. There's also paying off anything you owe on the motorcycle, as well.
Old jeeps are essentially primitive SUVs, except better in rougher terrain. My father [again] had a jeep up north. In the winter it doubled as a snowplow, which came in extremely handy in harsh winter circumstances.
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
It probably varies by state, but in Utah any secondary passenger on a motorcycle has to weigh at least 80 lbs, which would be a 10 year old. Or one of them 2 year olds on the Ricky Lake show.
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