Kids dirt bikes

rabb11d

rabb11d

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2009
Location
Statesville,NC
I have two sons, one will be 4 in October the other just turned 2. I want to get them on dirt bikes when they are young. I thinking the older one might be ready this coming Christmas? I'm looking for advice, what age did your kids start riding? What did they start with? (I prefer honda but I'm open to others)
 
I started at about 4 years old on a Honda Z50. Within a year or two, moved up to an early 70's Yamaha GT80 (80cc 2 stroke) with crappy suspension. Then from there to a 92 Suzuki DR250 that I had from about 1996-2015.
 
Can't beat a honda fitty. My little girl got hers @ 7 and is fairly proficient on it now @ 9. I regret putting center mount training wheels on it because it took so long to get her riding without them.
 
crf 50 for sure. i have a buddy that just moved his son from a crf 50 to a ktm 50sx. he may sell the crf if you are interested
 
Infamous1 said:
Can't beat a honda fitty. My little girl got hers @ 7 and is fairly proficient on it now @ 9. I regret putting center mount training wheels on it because it took so long to get her riding without them.
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How would you have gone about it if you had it to do over?

The oldest is using a balance bike pretty well, I guess I need to get him on a real bike this summer.

89xjnc said:
crf 50 for sure. i have a buddy that just moved his son from a crf 50 to a ktm 50sx. he may sell the crf if you are interested
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I'm not really interested right now, but if he has it closer to fall maybe. Thanks though.



I'm also wondering if it would be better to wait another year when the youngest will be almost 4 and get them both one?

Thanks for all the input, I'm glad the crf50's are well liked.
 
I transitioned her to the cheapie rear training wheels and after she started leaning they would actually bend up and not be doing anything. I woukd just kick them back down when she stopped and she was good to go again.
 
My brother and I are 4 years apart. He got a Yamaha 50 when he was 5 or 6 (this was in '85 or '86). I don't remember the model but it was a 2 stroke, oil injection, cvt trans, and it would move! When he outgrew it, I got it, and was probably in that same age range. He moved up to a kawasaki kdx80. Then when he outgrew it, I got it and he got dad's kdx200.
 
Bought my son a PW50 for his 7th or 8th birthday (can't remember which). It came with the center mount training wheels. Took less than 30 minutes to realize those things sucked and were hurting more than they helped. Took them off and he did his first lap around the house while I held the rear fender. Let go for the second lap without telling him. He's been riding it ever since.
 
Mine rode a pw 50 Yamaha. Smaller than the Honda, electric only start. I started on a Honda 50, old school with dual rear springs blue seat and steel tank. Wish I still had it too.
The Honda seems to be the better bike still, I hated the electric only start on the Yamaha.
I also built rear trailing arms, he picked it up quick. All but putting the feet down. He was so young he couldn't hold the weight, but sure didn't mind pinning it in first gear.
Yamaha did have an adjustable throttle stop.


Then he found the gear shifter.....
 
hadfield4wd said:
Start the 2 year old on a strider. Can the 4 year old ride a bicycle? Get him on one right away if not. I'd not do training wheels on anything, ever.
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We just got the 2 year old a strider and the 3 year old has had one for a while. I should have bought him a regular bike and gave the younger the strider....

Sounds like a consensus on the training wheels. Guess I just need to find a good Honda this fall...

Now I just need to get me another bike. I'm thinking crf250x.?
 
I am not a fan of Honda adult bikes. Valves just seem to need more adjusting then other brands.

What kind of riding do you want to do? Personally it is KTM or Yamaha for me. I love my KTM 150XC
 
DSM Turbos said:
I am not a fan of Honda adult bikes.

What kind of riding do you want to do? Personally it is KTM or Yamaha for me. I love my KTM 150XC
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Just goofing in the woods chasing kids around the yard. I've had a yzf426 and a kx250. Both were too much for what I needed, but I don't want to go down to something dumpy and I want electric start. I have a trx450r kick start and I'm tired of kicking it.
 
not really thread topic pure..........But dammit Honda bring back the ol' XR line up.:mad:
 
Since we're off topic, I went backwards to a CRF230 and loved it. I got it because they are cheap, it's electric start and has a lower seat height, and I'm lazy and short, so it solved both those problems (electric start is really because I'm short and kickstarting on flat or offcamber sidehills is almost impossible). The suspension sucks, and the motor doesn't have the top end of the "sportier" bikes, but its just fun to ride. I've ridden TNT and Brown Mountain with friends on KTM 200/250's, DRZ400's, and a Husky 510, and ended up waiting on them pretty much everywhere we went. It's not that I'm all that fast, but it has tractor like torque and is easy to ride.
 
My experience with my two boys. Started them both on xr50s at late three early four age. I did use training wheels. At the time I wish I hadn't but now I'm glad I did. I know some friends that refused to use training wheels and their kids got hurt and never got back on a motorcycle.
I made the mistake with the first one by trying to ride on two wheels before he could ride a bicycle. They really need to ride a bicycle first.
The way I got rid of training wheels was to just make them disappear.
Moved the oldest to a xr70 to learn a clutch. Didn't take long. Now he's crazy on a kx65.
My little one from an xr50 to a ktm50sx. I don't recommend a ktm50sx as a first bike. It is crazy fast I just dislike that it's fully automatic as opposed to the xr that the child has to select gears.
Good luck and buy them some good gear and helmet.

Oh and for me to chase them around or to get them quick if they wreck I got me a CRF 230 dual sport. It light and easy to just jump on and go. Electric start. Plus I can ride it on the street.
It is for sale if you'd be interested. I'm looking to buy a new KTM 500 exc dual sport.

Edit. Lol. I also recommend trying to buy one before july-august.. Anything after that they seem to be hard to find or if you do they are premium priced. Some people try to buy them up and gouge parents close to Christmas if you know what I mean.
 
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Cheaper E start adult bike, fairly mindless maintenance = WR250F. There are any number of other bikes that I would recommend to someone, but that would probably fit the bill for the OP pretty well. They don't normally carry the pricetag of other used bikes. Pretty sure they started putting the E Start in 2003.

Upgrading from there, any E Start KTM XC model.
 
lockedup5 said:
Moved the oldest to a xr70 to learn a clutch. Didn't take long. Now he's crazy on a kx65.
My little one from an xr50 to a ktm50sx. I don't recommend a ktm50sx as a first bike. It is crazy fast I just dislike that it's fully automatic as opposed to the xr that the child has to select gears.
Good luck and buy them some good gear and helmet.
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The Ktm 50 is a lot snappier also from what I have been told from some of the guys with kids at ncmp. Guy last time did the same upgrade you said crf50 to Ktm 50 for his son.
 
DSM Turbos said:
The Ktm 50 is a lot snappier also from what I have been told from some of the guys with kids at ncmp. Guy last time did the same upgrade you said crf50 to Ktm 50 for his son.
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I guess I painted that with a broad brush what I said about the KTM 50. My son went to a ktm50sx senior I think they call it. They also make a ktm50 junior. I have no clue what the difference is but it may make a good first bike.
Also a ktm50 senior may be a good first bike if he's like seven or eight. I definitely wouldn't put a 4 yr old on one.

Also CRF/xr bikes are like zero maintenance compared to a two stroke KTM.
 
rabb11d said:
We just got the 2 year old a strider and the 3 year old has had one for a while. I should have bought him a regular bike and gave the younger the strider....

Sounds like a consensus on the training wheels. Guess I just need to find a good Honda this fall...

Now I just need to get me another bike. I'm thinking crf250x.?
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You might want to check this out

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DSM Turbos said:
You might want to check this out

View attachment 243592
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If you ride those hard and put a good amount of hours on them you're going to have as much maintenance as a Motocross version.
They are a little revy and like pulling a higher rpm.
Bigger bore, small sprocket change, and titanium valves are all good upgrades.
Other than that I think they would suck chasing kiddos around. Hard trail riding and harescrambles are it's better suit.
 
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