Starting bike

[spartaneddy]

Well my 12 yr old kid (turning 13 in march) really wants a dirt bike , we live in auckland and im just trying to work out where to go? and what bike to get him.

we live in central auckland oh... and i have about a 2k budget.


all help is much appreciated.:rolleyes:

[wbks]

Ardmore mx track is good. Designed to be an easy to ride tracks for 85/80's which is about what your kid should be riding. There are big wheel and small wheel versions. The bigwheel is essentially bigger wheels (lol) and bigger ride height suspension. Same engine and everything.

You could probably find one of these that would be the right size for a 12 year old or if he find the engine a little too peppy you could try any engine size crf-f bikes. Of course learning to ride an 85 properly will make your son a better rider learning to use clutch, gear selection throttle control, as well as the bike being lighter and from what I remember more fun. Try to test ride a new 85 (kx85's are known for being easy to rideeven fore beginers compared to the other 85's) and a new small fourstroke and pick from there I would suggest.

Even if you buy an older (which you will need in that budget) bike the same characteristics are there. Bikes like these are good: cr80/85/ kx80/85/ yz 80/85 and 85sx ( sx85 may be a bit out of the budget).
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Dirt-bikes/auction-194481415.htm is a good one and under your budget. let us know how you go

[motorbyclist]

how tall/big is he? that will dictate which general size bike you're after... at that age i got my first bike - a 1985(?) honda XL125 - and i've still got it going strong. it's 3/4 size so still good for teaching adults to ride

then there's your kx80 and yz80 two strokes. a fair bit nippier but have typical two-stroke problems and typical two-stroke power bands. these are also small and should fit a 12 year old


as for riding there is almost weekly family rides within a few hours of auckland plus the woodhill bike park up in woodhill forest (along muriwai beach)

the honda kids club could be worth looking into - google it

maybe have a look at frosty's kids days?

[wbks]

two strokes dont really have problems so much as shorter maintanance intervals which i forgot to remember. They will need after a certain amount of hours (say 40-50 if you arent wanting to do it to the overboard manufacturers recomendations) a top end rebuild for not too many $$$. Thats about it. woodhill is def a good one. plenty of trail rides in rural areas which are good to learn to ride on with no pressure or bigger faster riders wrecking your focus as they rip past you

[spartaneddy]

Thank you very much for all the help =]

that Kx80 is perfect but it closes soon and sadly i wont be able to get it!!

so ill just have to keep looking .

[spartaneddy]

And what kit would he need? like protection? besides helmet obvs lol.

[wbks]

Well good things are a decent set of boots. Any decent set of pants and a jersey will be good along with some gloves for obvious reasons. A kidney belt could be a good idea. They're suposed to stop kidney jar and in theory prevent any possible damage but I've never seen proof but it feels a lot more comfortable to ride with. Not absolutely neccicary though. So boots a good helmet gloves jersey/shirt +body armour to stop sharp stuff and helps stop roost. But make sure to get decent boots (oneal ones are cheap and work well) not workboots or anything. I've seen a few people that have landed hard or awkwardly and had serious permanent injuries to their ankles because they werent wearing proper mx boots. Alpinestars are flashy and well known but many have defects like fast wearing soles and falling apart and dont provide as much protection as a good set of oxtars if you are spending a good amount of money on boots. And one more thing : Neck brace. There are a few makes out there and generally they take pressure off the neck from a faceplant (which is how necks are generally broken in mx) and direct it on the shoulders which unfortunately results in broken colar bones in some cases but if you ask me if something is strong enough to brake those it would do more than that to your neck and I'd rather take broken colar bones then a snapped neck... But not everyone (maybe 1/4 of riders have them) has them. If you can afford it then go for it. Depending on if you buy second hand a full set of gear will cost under 5-600 for used gear or easily a grand for new stuff. I would buy everything but the helmet second hand to save money. But just for the boots incase you didn't know: Generally top of the line models are different from simple leather/plastic boots like oneals in that they have things to stop over extention either way or rapid extention either way which is what sprains ankles.

[motorbyclist]

two strokes dont really have problems so much as shorter maintanance intervals which i forgot to remember.

yeah but they can develop problems if the owner doesn't understand them - many people either don't rev them and gunk the whole thing up, or generally don't ensure they're running as they should until they've gone and seized or fouled plugs


Well good things are a decent set of boots. Any decent set of pants and a jersey will be good along with some gloves for obvious reasons. .....(maybe 1/4 of riders have them) has them.....boots like oneals...

learning how to crash is as important as learning how to ride.

there is the counter argument in that a newbie isn't going to be roosted so doesn't need a roost protector, and will benefit from getting bruised a few times; one learns to avoid a crash rather than getting a false sense of safety

likewise one learns not to roost other riders while on gravel roads:angry2:
I've tried roost protectors and armour and found they got hot and restrictive - also remember a roost protector is not intended to protect you in a crash; that is what armour is for - and without armour i've bounced off countless trees and even hit a 4wd going flat tack down the beach and walked away - yet my mate fell off at low speed and snapped his collar bone while wearing his armour. It just seems overhyped.

jersy/pants are there as normal clothes get too hot and tear easily.... i think a lot of riders forget this too and wear them as a part of some 'uniform'.... i dislike how half of it seems like a fashion parade at most events.


i doubt even 10% of riders i've seen have neck braces btw


i'm not saying gear is for wimps - i think gear is a very good investment, but i also think in learners it can lead to more reckless riding later on, and i get annoyed at the false trust invested in it

i've had the same pair of $400 oneal boots for four years now and they are yet to show any signs of damage - likewise my feet/ankles have been injury free since i upgraded from gumboots:D
I also used the same pair of oneal pants for 3 years and got a new pair of oneals as a christmas pressie for a mate and myself. both the new pairs are falling to bits so go figure

[spartaneddy]

thanks for all the info.

[spartaneddy]

bump........

[Mully]

Ring/PM Frosty (Millar's car centre in Henderson). He has several lying around which I'm sure he'll let your boy sit on to figure out size required.

He may even sell you one if you ask nicely.

[wbks]

Mate I wasn't saying you will wear out your body and crash and die a horrible death without the right gear but it's always best to buy the best if you can. Re: riding jersey/pants... My shift and fly jerseys are all very breathable and are easy to wash dirt off. Wear a tshirt- better venting but you will loose skin if you crash... Wear a normal long sleve- You will get a tad too hot /*understatement

[spartaneddy]

lol.........

[motorbyclist]

whatever you do, i strongly discourage buying a shirt with black on it... both my mx jersy/shirt thingys have black backs (slow learner) and there's nothing worse than sitting in the one clearing of a forest with a burning sun searing your back while you attempt to kickstart a now flooded bike:no:

[spartaneddy]

bump........

[spartaneddy]

bump..................

[Crisis management]

Just a suggestion...or two!
Get to some family trail rides, as they commonly have demo bikes available and people there are actually qualified to answer these types of questions. Failing that, post this question in the off road section of KB.
Google "silver bullet" it is a list of motorcycle events in NZ and my source of "where do we ride today" and get to a selection of rides so you know / understand what you're getting into.
I don't know all the local venues for "public" riding, ie; not an organised ride but there is Woodhill (The sandpit) near Muriwai, sand based trail riding open to the public from wednesday to sunday.
Others, Ardmore. Kimmys farm, Thunder Park I haven't been to so can't comment.

To repeat myself...get to a family trail ride with demo bikes so all of you can appreciate the scope of "buying a bke for the kids".

[Anarkist]

Woodhill Forest
Suzuki RM80