Starting Kids in Off-Road Motorbicycling

[ajturbo]

luke is hooning around on the scooter... must post a photo...but we are still after a really really cheep trail type bike, that we can pull down fix up and just tey and killl it ......
luke is 12

[jrandom]

Me too. So 3 or 4 was too young? Obviously it depends on the kid...

Hmmm, yes. Under-5s (hell, under-10s, even) are just such delicate wee things. I know how much hitting something, even just at 50kph, hurts. And I'm not exactly fragile. I just can't bear the thought of my wee sprogs bouncing off hard objects and crunching up their bony bits and pieces, snapping their scrawny little necks around... shudder.

So they can damn well wait to get on a motorbicycle until they're big enough that they're not going to come apart when they fall off. 5 is just a random number. If I still feel too worried when they're 5 (and I probably will) they can wait some more. It's MY money buying the bikes...

[TonyB]

I just can't bear the thought of my wee sprogs bouncing off hard objects and crunching up their bony bits and pieces, snapping their scrawny little necks around... shudder...

Well thats a releif, I thought I was worrying too much. Nice to see I have some company. I know from personal experience that one small mistake when you're young can affect you for the rest of your life. Tends to make me over cautious.

"I promised Nemo I'd never let anything happen to him"
"If you never let anything happen to him, then nothing would ever happen to him.......not much fun for little Harpo, is it?"

[Dutchee]

In answer to the question about what ages family day trailrides start - it depends on how old the youngest person is on the day. I know we get at least one 3yo (on a quad) at the waitemata motorcycle club family days.

There is no age limit, kids are whatever age they are - be it 3 or 73. It's up to the parents as to when they think the kid's ready. The most common phrase I've heard is when you can ride a bicycle without training wheels we'll get you a bike, which makes sense to me.

You could always head up to a family day to check it out & generally have a look around as they have short loops for the little ones & learners (so you can see something, unlike trailrides where you'd see about nothing). That way you'd get to see what's what & also for the little one to even show an interest (plenty of kids see other little ones having fun & then get keen to get their own bike).

[NordieBoy]

luke is hooning around on the scooter... must post a photo...but we are still after a really really cheep trail type bike, that we can pull down fix up and just tey and killl it ......
luke is 12

Should have seen the Yammy QT50 scooter on TradeMe, it was done up with knobblies as an off roader.

[Midnight 82]

I learnt to ride on a RV90 on the farm many moons ago. Also a gemini 50 Cool

[BNZ]

[QUOTE=BM-GS]Cheers all, for the guidance. Will investigate a quad, as that takes the balance part out of the equation (until he starts tipping it over!).
[QUOTE]


Hmmm, we will come away from a 2 wheeler crash a lot better then a 3/4 wheeler! I think 3 and 4 wheelers should be left for the farm and for more experienced riders as the arent as forgiving when the shit hits the fan. I have a CRF50 as a bit of a toy, and there is an adjustment on the handle bar to limit the throttle for kids...

[sAsLEX]

I just can't bear the thought of my wee sprogs bouncing off hard objects and crunching up their bony bits and pieces, snapping their scrawny little necks around... shudder.

kids bounce better than adults though, and heal much faster, and learn quicker

so its best to get them on earlyish I reckon

[130wide]

My sons being riding by himself since he was 16 months, these pic are him at 20 months and 26 months. He can't use the brake (hands still to small) so he's learnt very good throttle control espeicaly after hitting a fence.
No pressure from us, if we go for a ride we ask him if he wants to come or if he wants to ride he will asks us, which is about 2-3 times a week, bugger that......

[Timber020]

If you going to get your kids into off road riding its all good so long as they do other activities such as BMX riding and swimming etc as kids bodies as they grow will adapt to activities that they do. Doing other activitys will help prepare and strengthen backs and knees for the hammering they are likely to get.
Limit the bikes, that way as they learn you can increase the hp and keep the speed safe. Things such as the attack position are really important for the survivability of the back and kidneys as well as giving the rider better control.

The pegs and bar position on mini bikes are put in a middle ground for all kids between 4 and 8, yet there is a big size difference. Look at cutting and repositioning the pegs (only by a few inches) and frustratingly the brake and gearshift (although on most minibikes the gearshift isnt operated much)to be in the best position for your kid at the size they are, you can do quite a bit with the bars and seat to. Doesnt always look pretty but a bike should fit the rider, the rider shouldnt try to fit the bike.