How old to start riding a dirt bike

**driftn** · 3rd March 2009, 08:03

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** · 3rd March 2009, 08:13

Originally Posted by 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.

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** · 3rd March 2009, 08:16

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** · 3rd March 2009, 08:31

Originally Posted by 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.

Can you also rig it with a remote steering wheel?

**noobi** · 3rd March 2009, 09:15

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** · 3rd March 2009, 12:08

Thanks for all the advice and information.

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

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

**zzzbang** · 4th March 2009, 18:43

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** · 4th March 2009, 18:50

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** · 4th March 2009, 19:39

hah, nice first post

**honda_power** · 4th March 2009, 19:47

Originally Posted by 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

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

**Beeza** · 15th March 2009, 19:40

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** · 15th March 2009, 20:16

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** · 15th March 2009, 21:28

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?