New bike wanted for 6.5yo. Help!

[Mattr]

My boy is coming up seven and has been riding his jr50 for a couple of years. He is a good rider but not the fastest and still learning. The suspension on the JR is now not up to his riding. Looking to get him his next bike. He is tiny so looking at a KTM mini50, or a 3speed 50 four stroke. Most of his riding is in our paddocks with courses I set up, mercer afew times and a friends mx track. What are the thoughts/experience on this progression Cheers

[unstuck]

Mine went from PW50, to a KLX110 semi auto, to a XR150. Now he is into boy racer cars and not bikes.:facepalm:

[haydes55]

He might be small now, but he will outgrow a 50 very soon. Get him a small wheel 80/85cc. Or even the pw70.

[scott411]

He might be small now, but he will outgrow a 50 very soon. Get him a small wheel 80/85cc. Or even the pw70.

have you seen a small wheel 80/85??? he would be to small for a 65 now, a PW80 however would not be a bad bet,

[Akzle]

4 stroke??
what a pussy.

[willytheekid]

Mine went from PW50, to a KLX110 semi auto, to a XR150. Now he is into boy racer cars and not bikes.:facepalm:

:eek5:...Disown him!:oi-grr:
http://www.quickmeme.com/img/d1/d1c4e19230ea4a9ce04ff97e301da65165d8c9d4d549f763b8 aea19953158be2.jpg
:D


:love:

[BM-GS]

CRF50 and equivalents will be too small too soon, and the suspension won't be any better than the PW50 - CRF50 has just a pair of short springs in front, no damping.

CRF70 actually has damping and the bigger wheels help it track a lot better, plus half-decent tyre choice. And it's still easy to ride, bullet-proof and decent resale.

KTM50s are very high-maintenence items in comparison.

[haydes55]

have you seen a small wheel 80/85??? he would be to small for a 65 now, a PW80 however would not be a bad bet,


The first MX bike I rode was a CR85. I couldn't get on or off it because it was a bit tall for me, but once I was going I was sweet. Plus the CR85 can actually pop wheelies in the power band, scariest moment of my 9 year old life getting the wheel up a couple inches.

[Drew]

MX bikes are pretty full on. So SX50/65 are good wee bikes though.

[scott411]

The first MX bike I rode was a CR85. I couldn't get on or off it because it was a bit tall for me, but once I was going I was sweet. Plus the CR85 can actually pop wheelies in the power band, scariest moment of my 9 year old life getting the wheel up a couple inches.

if he was 9 i would agree, but at 6, it may be a struggle,

[unstuck]

Unless he has a heap of confidence and skill, I would keep him away from anything like a CR 80, or KX85. I would be sticking to 4 stroke at that age. :2thumbsup

[Mattr]

Yes, dont want to scare him off and I am of the opionionthat kids should ride a bike to its full potential instead of riding not to fall off. Just dont know how to get from a jr50 to a 65. He is tippy toeing on a ktm 50 mini so was eother that or a 50 fs. But was thinking the fourstroke was a sideways step to the JR. Unless kids go from 50 four stroke to 65's no problem when tall enough?

[scott411]

Yes, dont want to scare him off and I am of the opionionthat kids should ride a bike to its full potential instead of riding not to fall off. Just dont know how to get from a jr50 to a 65. He is tippy toeing on a ktm 50 mini so was eother that or a 50 fs. But was thinking the fourstroke was a sideways step to the JR. Unless kids go from 50 four stroke to 65's no problem when tall enough?

i have seen a number off kids do that jump, or from a 90/110 to a 65 as well,

[ktm84mxc]

Take a morning going to the local motorbike shops and trying there kids range for size and budget , you'll need to factor in a helmet,gloves and possibly boots.
All of the major brands have a good child's selection in either 2 or 4 stroke. Most are available as 2nd hand also you just gotta shop around.

[Jay GTI]

If any of the recent "what bike?" threads in this section are anything to go by, just get a KXF450 and be done with it.... :)

Is there anything in the pit-bike, mini-bike range that might bridge the gap while you're waiting for him to grow into a 65? They seem to come in odd sizes, i.e. they don't fit with the accepted norms of the big bike manufacturers and, doing a bit of reading, not all of them are cheap, nasty things from the bad parts of China.

Also, what bikes do people recommend for a 5 month old girl? Or am I being a little over-keen?

[pipe]

Son went JR50 to JR80 to KX85BW with flywheel weight.

Maybe try a JR80 next.

[husaberg]

Ktm mini adv. or snr adv if you can find one are best form learner intermediate. they are not high maintenance either
Best play and competitive in the mini Trail class of mx.
other end of the scale
You can repack the KTM50sx to make them less fierce and the 09sx on models are pretty easy to ride compared to the 2002-2008 and the height is adjustable.

[barty5]

If any of the recent "what bike?" threads in this section are anything to go by, just get a KXF450 and be done with it.... :)
like your train of thought there


Also, what bikes do people recommend for a 5 month old girl? Or am I being a little over-keen?

No not over keen i got my daughter a little 50cc quad at bout 8 months lol with the idea she would grow into it used it to take her for rides round the yard once old enough she was dead keen on it.

[cheese]

I went from a JR50 to a KTM mini adventure for my son. They are heaps better and my some loves it. He will happly be on that for another year I'd say and he is 6 1/4. If you get a SX, they are very aggressive and you can adjust the clutch, but they just don't really run right afterwards as they want to rev hard.

The problem with all the other bikes (excluding the MX ones) is that they have shit suspension.

[Gravel911]

My three kids have all progressed through the following bikes LT50, OSET 12.5, OSET 16, CRF50, KTM50 mini, JR80. The youngest has really out grown the KTM50 mini (now 8) but it is a big step to a KX or KTM65. He is able to ride the JR80 but really finds it flat and heavy compared to the KTM50. A couple of his friends have stepped up to 65’s but he can still pass them on the 50 because he is so much more confident and feels much more in control. It’s not just the height but the weight that makes it a struggle to make the step up in size.
I would recommend the KTM50 mini. They are much better than they used to be as far as maintenance goes don’t get anything older than 2009 as that is when they did major improvements.

PM me if you are interested as we will be looking to sell our 2009 KTM50 Mini soon.

[Mattr]

Whats with the ktm adventure models. Are they all aircooled? Suspension got dampening? Is there a mini and a normal size like the current sx?

[husaberg]

Whats with the ktm adventure models. Are they all aircooled? Suspension got dampening? Is there a mini and a normal size like the current sx?

The Mini adv were available in JR and SNR they had drum brakes the SNR had full travel suspension the same size as a SX both had effective damping.
The pre 09 had coil springs in the clutch rather than belvel washers so they didn't need as much maintenance. They were much less fierce than the MX bikes and had smaller carbs. All the ADV had an autolube system as well.
The SNR avd was a pretty neat bike, much in demand.
I have not seen the later adv mini apart or SNR but i assume they followed to the non-primary clutch motor with the clutch based on dominator type design.

I feel the most impotant thing with the kids is that they can comfortably reach the ground to give them confidence.

[White trash]

If it's of interest I have a really tidy 2009 KTM 50 SX Mini for sale? Had new barrel and piston 3 hours ago. Crank and bottom end was checked and all within spec. I've only ever run it on Motorex fully synthetic oil, changed the transmission oil after every second ride, serviced really well. Has a full illab kit. Been extremely reliable. Easy to use with the oil pump and all. We've got the clutch set really low as Keiran was a bit scared of it to begin with and then I never ramped up the speed, have extra shims if you want to make it more aggressive. Forks serviced and oil changed when we did the motor, rear shock serviced/re-gassed etc an hour ago. Almost new Bridgestone 404s on it. Mint little starter MX bike really. Keiran's ridden it for a year and a half, mid pack club rider, doesn't jump lol.
You can have it for $2100 and I'll freight it to Auckland for nothing.

[grotto]

Yamaha PW80's are a great transition. 3 gears but no clutch to deal with, 2 stroke but no real power band. Super low (and cheap) maintenance. My son had one after his 50cc and rode it for a year or two before moving up to a DS/JR80 with a clutch,
Avoid Chinese junk, buy Japanese and you'll get your money back when you sell.

[Mattr]

Thanks for the advise, ended up squeezing him into a ktm 50sx, have lowered it and put a spacer in the carb to keep the slide from going past half way. Will see how it goes this weekend after greasing it up. Cheers.

[husaberg]

Thanks for the advise, ended up squeezing him into a ktm 50sx, have lowered it and put a spacer in the carb to keep the slide from going past half way. Will see how it goes this weekend after greasing it up. Cheers.

what year SX?

[Mattr]

it is a 2014

[husaberg]

it is a 2014

it will be great then, nice and smooth power. If it intimidates the wee one try earplugs seems silly but its been known to work noise is intimidating

[Mattr]

it will be great then, nice and smooth power. If it intimidates the wee one try earplugs seems silly but its been known to work noise is intimidating

Awesome thanks, thats really helpful advice. Cheers

[Mattr]

First ride this morning. Jumped on and took off.Came back half hour later from the paddocks. Went awesome. Man these bikes are insane.
Does anyone know the lowest clutch setting that is usable? standard is 9 clicks, I made it 6 but wonder if i can reduce some more to make it a bit easier starting off. Im stoked.

[husaberg]

First ride this morning. Jumped on and took off.Came back half hour later from the paddocks. Went awesome. Man these bikes are insane.
Does anyone know the lowest clutch setting that is usable? standard is 9 clicks, I made it 6 but wonder if i can reduce some more to make it a bit easier starting off. Im stoked.
There is plenty about looking after them on the KTM dads site, can't remember what its called KTM bible or something