How old to start riding a dirt bike

[Baldyman]

Hi all,

I have an almost 5 year old boy (late March) and a 6 year old girl. Both are very competent bicycle riders (Can get around the local BMX track and have been doing so for a while now) Therefore very confident on two wheels.
What is a good safe age to start riding a dirt bike?
What is a recommended first bike?
Are they places to let them have a go on a bike before I buy one in and around auckland or franklin?

Any advice and help would be appreciated.

cheers

[B0000M]

before they can walk is the ultimate age. yours sound like they're past that stage.

for kids of that age, the pw50 / qr50 / jr50 sort of bikes are quite appropriate.

theres always the suzuki LT50, but the last thing we need in 5-10 years time is more quads out on the trails, so id definately push for the 2 wheel option.

as they progress with confidence / skill, bikes like the ktm50s and the huskyboy 50s pack a bit more punch while still remaining auto clutch auto trans.

[TimeOut]

My son started on a PW50 around 5 no problems at all

[FROSTY]

Mate in all honesty there is no exact answer to your question.
Ive seen 10 year olds that couldnt handle 2 wheels and Ive seen 4 year olds just duck to water it.
every kid is different.
That said if you wanna have a go with your kids gimme a yeodle --come try my girls 50 ive got a lil park nexxt door and if its all looking good try the KB kids day park just down the road

[theblacksmith]

A friend I ride with has a 5yr old that attacks jumps to the full capability of the bike which is a Suzuki JR70(semi auto 3 spd) Make sure they have the protective gear on always.Start off on a nice flat open paddock with them.Thundercross Valley bike Park in Naike has a fairly flat paddock track specially for kids.You can also park your vehicle in this paddock.Contact- James Fowlie on 09 233 3117 or mob 027 417 2327 email fowlie@xtra.co.nz

[Starky307]

Get a JR50/70 depending on their physical size and then hit the local rugby park or cricket ground, they are so quiet that you will not bother anyone as long as they aren't ripping up the grass.

[DELLORTO]

definatly a good age to start if they ride bmx bikes then dont bother with jr50,pw50 ect bikes......if i was you id get them a husky 50 or polini 50 or even a ktm 50.....good bikes and nice and light

[Ktmboy]

First things first.

Yes the pee wee 50 range is ideal. The misconception is that a big flat paddock is the way to teach them first up.

What generally happens is they grab a handful and just keep going and going and ...kaboom!!!

Put them on a little track that way they can see where they should be heading and they aim to stay on said track. At least mark a track out with cones etc if you have some.
Frosty's idea is perfect.

Number one thing you should teach they repetitively is where the brake is. Stand in front and make them come toward you and then stop.

[LittleJohn]

We have 2 kids, one is 5 other is 3. Both started riding when they had just turned 3 on LT50 quads. Our boy (5 year old) is just about to start on a JR50 which we just got.

Both kids are confident on the bikes and our boy also races them at North Harbour Mini Motocross.

As for a bike it depends on the size of the kids, ours are small so have the JR. But you don't want to get a bike that is to big when they first learn, but they may out grow there first reasonable soon.

[BM-GS]

Much like LittleJohn, 2 boys started on LT50s, then big bro got a CRF50 after trying Botany Honda's demo at a Power ride in Woodhill (now moved to Maramarua).

Concur that a track is better than a paddock as the first thing they learn is to go - stopping comes a while after and it's best if they're good with that before they hit top speed or a fence. Most trail rides have a kids loop or easier, Woodhill/Kimmies/Thunder have tracks for that purpose.

With 2 you'll have ready-made competition to hone passing skills on... Also 2 directions to look, 2 schedules to keep and the rest. Take 1 adult per kid unless they're equal in ability. Both mine are happy to go out into odd bits of Woodhill, but the sand is a bugger for #1 son (6) on 2 wheels, where #2 (3yr+8mo) on the quad is fine.

Enjoy!

[telliman]

First things first.

Yes the pee wee 50 range is ideal. The misconception is that a big flat paddock is the way to teach them first up.

What generally happens is they grab a handful and just keep going and going and ...kaboom!!!

Put them on a little track that way they can see where they should be heading and they aim to stay on said track. At least mark a track out with cones etc if you have some.
Frosty's idea is perfect.

Number one thing you should teach they repetitively is where the brake is. Stand in front and make them come toward you and then stop.



haha, thats wat my little fella did on the weekend on his quad, gave it a handfull and just looked at his hand for 50 mtrs, just missed the goal post, classic,last time he was coming towards me so was able to grab his arm off the throttle as he came past, this time he was heading away so could only sit and watch! kids and bikes,nearly as bad as us.

[Oper8r]

I have a 3 yr old, he will get a PW50 or similar when he can control is bicycle down hill and brake to a controlled stop. I don't agree with trainer wheels on a motorbike, in fact i think the fact they can fall off and the bike stops is one really good thing (vs a quad, which will go until they hit something). Thats my 2 cents

[tonyg26]

just buy them a cr500 thell grow into it

[LittleJohn]

I have a 3 yr old, he will get a PW50 or similar when he can control is bicycle down hill and brake to a controlled stop. I don't agree with trainer wheels on a motorbike, in fact i think the fact they can fall off and the bike stops is one really good thing (vs a quad, which will go until they hit something). Thats my 2 cents


The quads have a tether strap so when they come off the bike cuts out and stops....

Do think that quads are only good for the first few years, once they get to around 5 they normally want to go to 2 wheels anyway.

[mfordy]

My boys started at 5 and 7 respectively on a QR50. 4 months later, both were on PW80's. They started on a paddock which had a few bumps and dips which initially they avoided but after only a few short weeks, they were lining them up and clearing!..:eek5:
Really concentrated on getting the boys standing up and shifting body weight early on so now its second nature.
The oldest boy (now 9) has just moved onto a KX65 and while he still hasn't mastered changing gears, he loves the power band and corners with the best of them.
Checkout my listing if you're interested in a PW80 but won't be available until after Honda Kids Camp at Raglan (12~15th Mar)
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1939450
PS Hay OldGuy, the KX is awesome. Thanks

Just noticed Baldyman that you live in Waiuku too. If you want somewhere safe for your kids to try riding, PM me.

[driftn]

I got my 6 year old boy (and me) an lt50 for xmas, great fun. I think its a good way to lear throttle and break control and you can also limit the amount of throttle they are using. As for the teather strap its more for an adult walking behing so if they get out of control or to fast just yank the cord and the quad dies. Its only been 2 and a bit months and he wants a 2 wheeler. Looking back I should have just got him one of them from the start as they are pretty cheap brand new. Oh well we live and learn and thats my 10 cents worth hope it helps with your decision.

[LittleJohn]

I got my 6 year old boy (and me) an lt50 for xmas, great fun. I think its a good way to lear throttle and break control and you can also limit the amount of throttle they are using. As for the teather strap its more for an adult walking behing so if they get out of control or to fast just yank the cord and the quad dies. Its only been 2 and a bit months and he wants a 2 wheeler. Looking back I should have just got him one of them from the start as they are pretty cheap brand new. Oh well we live and learn and thats my 10 cents worth hope it helps with your decision.

When they're learning the teather strap can be used by an adult walking behind but as they get more advanced you can attach to the kid incase they come off. Our boy races his & part of MNZ rules is the the tether strap be attached to the rider the entire time. We attach ours to our kids chest protectors. Our boy has come off many times & instant kill of the engine.

[cheese]

I had (can get some more) remotes and relays that I can hook up so you can watch your kid and push a button and it will kill the bike.

[oldskool]

I had (can get some more) remotes and relays that I can hook up so you can watch your kid and push a button and it will kill the bike.
Can you also rig it with a remote steering wheel? :laugh:

[noobi]

Wow there are some dirt bikers in Waiuku....lol
one thing that does wonders to ones ability to control the bike, is doing figure 8s, its really easy, just two cones or anything as markers( a 180 turn to the left on the first marker and a 180 turn around the other to the right on the other ), and to teach brake control move the markers further apart so they should be going faster before the turn. Then try to get them to stand and corner, yes it does take a while to get used to this. It is very important to learn how well a bike turns before you get into a situation where you need to turn further that your used too imho
Then when they've mastered this, you could make small course with a different degree of turns and straights etc. I think it helps to build confidence if mum or dad is there helping them and telling them they've done well also, So when you go to a ride their already semi-pro

[Baldyman]

Thanks for all the advice and information.

Also thanks to FROSTY and mfordy for your kind offers. I might be in contact soon.:niceone:



Now...all that is left is to convince the wife that this is a good idea.:rolleyes:

[zzzbang]

hmm, got my PW50 when i was 4 years old, loved it and been riding ever since. if your toes can touch the floor your old enough!

[MR360]

I started riding at 5 on a early PW50 in one of my grandparents paddocks (My father in all his wisdom decided after 5 years of having me around to give up on my uni fund and invest in a motorbike), I have fond memories of my little bike. In my opinion its a good idea to build up riding confidence and skill at an early age. I'm now 18 an enjoy every minute I spend on a motorbike and because of that invaluable early age experience on a motorbike I can ride at a comfortable pace with the minimal risk of injury.

Also hello KB, I believe this is my first post :)

[zzzbang]

hah, nice first post :sunny:

[honda_power]

definatly a good age to start if they ride bmx bikes then dont bother with jr50,pw50 ect bikes......if i was you id get them a husky 50 or polini 50 or even a ktm 50.....good bikes and nice and light

no no no. kids that have never ridden before will get slaughtered. Plus the maintanace is crazy on those little bikes

[Beeza]

Saw my first foot-up trials today and thought that THIS is the perfect way for a youngster to learn competitive riding as most of the action is barely above walking speed, so you aren't going to bleed or break bones if you get it wrong. Trials bikes are very, very light and -- if you get a good simple oldie of about 25 -30 years old, it's pretty cheap. Plenty of change out of about $800 or so for a tidy old 2-stroke foot-up trials Kawa, Honda or Yammy, and a bit more for an old Montesa or some other euro tackle.

[B0000M]

trouble with this is trials isnt seen as cool by a lot of kids, also id prefer to slip over on a corner than fall off trying to do foot up onto a rock or whatever the obstacle

[Beeza]

Mate, if you're only a kid with NO experience, wouldn't riding a bike in a REAL foot-up trials competition just look like the very coolest adventure in the whole wide world?

[B0000M]

a few years ago when i was a kid, and all the kids i know now-

FAST = COOL

[Beeza]

"Competitive" is even way way WAYYYYYY cooler. And experiencing no serious crash agonies is cooler still. Especially when you're only a wee kid.

[Latte]

Jumps and going flat out was where it was at when I was a kid, still is :D

My fav early experience on a dirt bike was being doubled by a friend of my Dad's who was an Auckland MX champ at the time, jumping over ditches and mounds of dirt at a construction site (what is now constellation Drive) and being scared silly :D

[kezzafish]

"Competitive" is even way way WAYYYYYY cooler. And experiencing no serious crash agonies is cooler still. Especially when you're only a wee kid.

gotta say that the fear factor of ripping my head off on a tree or plummetting down a cliff keeps me interested so trials isn't really gonna do it for me. In saying that... many many awesome enduro riders started out in trials there's huge skills which pay off later. push him till he crys then sit back and watch the money come in in ten years time, lol