Kids and bikes
 

I have a one year old son and my wife and I are arguing over what age to start him on a motorcycle. I'm thinking 4, she is thinking 21. I started riding when I was 12, but I'm thinking I could have started sooner.

I'm sure I'm not the only person to have thought about this. What does everybody think is the right age and why?

i started out on ATV's at about 8. its good becuz then u can learn to shift and stuff with out worrying to much about leaning or falling over. first dirtbike i rode was in my early teans. got my firt motorcycle at at 15 and had it figured out no problem... my fiance who is about 3 months into our pregnancy and weve decided that that is a similar aproach to how we will start our kid into the wide world of other forms of transportation.

if u just wanna get them right into 2 wheels get them a SMALL (like 50cc) dirtbike and let them tool around the back yard on it a little bit after they learn how to ride a bycicle with no training wheels. then motorcycling and stuff will be second nature... lus they will hav a major advantage when it comes to learning to drive a car.

being on a dirtbike or ATV teaches a lot of how to look around and watch out for other. also it can help some what with understanding how and when to shift if they ever hav a manual car.

I don't have any kids, well a step son,but we won't go there.
If I did I would get them into it as soon as they could safely ride.
I've heard any were from 2 to 5. Probable up to the wife tough.
Who knows you could have the next two wheel superstar sitting right there craping his pants.

they sell training wheel kits for 50 cc bikes and some are automatics my buddies kid was riding a 50z at 3 yrs old now at 7 he shreds on a ktm65!! my son has had a suzuki 80 quad since he was 6 he's now 8 and we are looking for a dirt bike plus if you get the kid one you have an exuse to get on to to make sure he is safe at all times of course!!!

I was 12, Honda Trail 50. Great learning bike. Bought a used SL70 at the age of 13 with money I earned from my paper route. That summer was magic for me.

i started around 5 i think thats a happy medium. but i figure if they have mastered a pedal bike they are already half way there so why not

Personally I started on a Briggs powered mini bike (dirt) at 4yrs old.. Didn't ride a bicycle till I was 7 though. Now at 30 I appreciate having my reactions so automatic and ingrained, it has saved me a couple times in panic situations.

I say start him young on a dirt bike (be sure to wear all safety gear) and yes he might break an arm now.. But that will save his life later.

My middle son started driving a golf cart at 6. My oldest was 7 when he started on the go-cart, of course it took nailing a tree at full speed to get him to pay attention to the road. I think it depends on the kid, and his maturity level. I think I would start him on 4 wheels first, to get an idea of his abilities and courage level. Definately have to have a helmet.

If you're talking about riding on the back, all my boys were on either front, or back by 1. Of course, just up and down the block.

I'm having the exact same arguement... (6 month old daughter).... I say 6 years old, and some sort of XR model... 50 or 80 cc's.... BTW my wife says never is a good age to start.

I learned when I was 10 on a Honda XL 80.... crashed that thing more than I can remember, but I learned alot about "driving", responsibility, and to fix what you broke.... I honestly believe it helped later on when I moved onto cars... unlike friends with no motor vehicle experience prior to driving at 16...whom seemed like monkeys with car keys....

J.

I got a mini-bike,(briggs motor), when I was 6 and then got my first real bike,(yz80), when I was 9. As was stated before it all depends on the kid, I know some who've started as early as 3 and are now road racing in the superlites.

I got my start at 5. My cousin who was 3 got a 50cc suzuki and couldnt ride it... so I did. Only went straight for a long time... lol, I was afriad to lean it and turn. So I would stop, put my feet down and walk it to turn it... but going straight.. man i would open it up! Come to think of it, not alot has changed... though now I can corner too.

I think there is no certain age to get started. The youngster just needs to understand what they are doing.

Good luck.

I was 10 but I could have started much sooner. My younger brother started at 9. I had my 13 year daughter start at 10 and my 3 year old thinks she owns my hawk..but I think I will start her at 5 with a 50cc and training wheels. I just hope this one on the way is a BOY and he comes out dressed in leathers with knee sliders!

My son started riding two-up with me on my 4 wheeler when he was still in diapers. I would set him between my legs and he would hang on to the front edge of the seat and off we would go into the woods. When he was 2& 1/2 a friend sold me a battery-operated 4 wheeler. We kept it at the nursery which is all gravel. His abilities were amazing - I couldn't believe how much he had picked up from riding with me. By the time he was four I located a late eighties Suzuki 50cc 4 wheeler and away we went. I still have the bike. He rode that bike until he broke the frame and I moved him to an 80cc Yamaha which was a mistake because he out grew it in about a year and a half. He grew so fast during those years that he could handle my 350 Yamaha with no problems. He couldn't drift it because he didn't weigh enough but he was fine down the trail, through the woods, and across the creek. He just turned seventeen and drives his CBR f4 like a racer - he's smooth, tosses it around, and is the ultimate squid. He always wears his helmet but the only time he wears gear is when it's cold and when he rides with me. He'll be lucky or he'll pay with his body but I do believe that he is good enough to drive out of most situations. I wish he would wear more gear and take better care of his equipment but that's just another version of the same shit that his Mother rashes him about (grades and girls). His affinity for motor vehicles extends to other types as well. When he was nine he moved 55 truck loads of soil (that's 650 tons) into one of my jobs with Bobcat all by himself. The other contractors couldn't believe him. The only incident that occurred during the entire job was when he buried one of the Mexicans ass-deep for being a smartass! If I had a ton of money he would fly next. I took flying lessons when I was a kid and flew until my step-Dad lost his medical clearance. I think he would probably gravitate towards crop-dusting or flying cargo. Be prepared for what you wish for because now as he gets older, I go from proud to holding my breath in a heartbeat. But I remember being there a few times with my parents. Like the time in Canada when the old man crawled in the back and went to sleep. We clicked off 350 miles in 3 & 1/2 hours before he woke up. First thing he said, "How the hell did we get here!" :oops:

I honestly hadn't thought about starting on 4-wheelers, not a bad idea though. The wife might like it a little better too. She wants him to race karts because that's what her brother did, and now he's racing Hooters Cup. I think bikes are much cooler though, and in a controlled enviroment not any less safe I don't think.

Thanks everybody for all the great feedback!

I started when I was about 10 riding my friends 50cc, and moved up from
there. I going to start my son around 4 or 5 I think this is a good age.
Their are plenty of great 50cc bikes that you can get the training wheels
that go under the bike for balance. When he feels he is ready I'll take them
off. My wife wishes she started much sooner than she did.

The earlier you can get the kid to start forming those reflexes the better, I think. If he'll end up on a bike eventually, start early.

This is what my 7 year old has taped to his door. What do you think he wants for Christmas? LOL

My son started on a XR50 at age 4 with training wheels ( wife had a fit ) At 5 training wheels were removed ( wife had 2nd fit ) At 6 he was going to local mx track with me ( wife hates it but he loves it ),we go early when its not crowded because most dangerous part is some of the adult riders dont give a sh*t if its a kid or not ( unsafe passing , Jumping & and roosting em ) Some kids tend to change direction without too much warning . He does really well he has actually passed and lapped a few kids that race on much quicker bikes( KTM 50s) . He is 8 yrs old now I am just trying to decide if I want to start modding the heck out of his XR50 or find a Old CR60 and restore it for him . Since Honda doesnt make a competition 60 anymore and a 80 is way too much !

my son bought all 3 of my grandsons one gift for all of them at christmas; a razor electric dirtbike. same size and tires as most 50cc bikes. it's strong enough to haul a kid and his mother around so she can help the little guy. it's cheap. if it gets crashed it won't flood or leak gas. of course, no gears and a handbrake for the rear but they learn the basics of handling and it can be ridden in more places than a gas powered bike.

Like I said above, Chas went through such an incredible growth spurt when he was 8/9 that he hardly got any use out of the new bike at all and it was too small again. I would explore buying him the bigger bike and putting a Governor on it to hold him back a bit. Your local shop might have some options for detuning the bike temporarily. If it were 4 wheelers and I had to make the purchase again, I would have taken him from the 50cc to a 120cc machine. It would have been serviceable through his early teens.

They grow like weeds dont they ! Outgrowing everything ( clothes , shoes & BIKES ) It is so tempting to dump some money into the lil XR50 , the sky & the credit card is the limit ( taller suspension, manual clutch & bigbore kit are plentiful ) I am also thinking I might need to leave the XR stock for my 4yr old girl to learn on . I guess I have decision to make ... Should probably leave the XR alone get him a used modded KLX or DRZ 110 ,not a Honda but they make great playbikes for kids and adults . Plus they also have plenty of aftermarket hop up parts available .

As soon as he can ballance and ride a bike without training wheels. I waited way too long.. He was 10, out gre (ability and sixe) the CRF 80 in a year. 3 years later his skill (and size) have again outgrown the KX100 he has now. Next up KTM 200 EXC :p Buy used for the first bike. The little bikes are pretty strudy, if they run, ther are fine for a used purchase. They outgrow them so fast, it's hardly worth the cost of new.

I require all students to operate a bicycle without training wheels or assistance before they can take a class with me. This will determine how much muscle delvelopement they have. Most major maufactures have some type of limiting device(throttle) on it so parents can set the speed they deem fit for their youngster. I also recommend they lean how to operate a motorcycle first rather than a quad. People think having four wheels are more safe than two. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Bikes teach one to find balance. Quads promote a false sense of balance. Plus they are harder to operate, take more body energy to control it and are heaver than a dirtbike for young riders.

Hmm, in my teens I had a Honda MTX that I distinctly remember being a 110cc bike, however I can only find 50,80,125 and 200cc variants online. It looked like the 200cc one seen here: http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/hon...200_r_1987.php same paint and everything. Must have been a 125 though. Great bike, loved it, and because we were living in Africa at the time, I could get a license at 13yrs old to ride it on the roads.

I agree with motojoe. I, personally, have heard of way more people getting hurt on 4-wheelers than on dirtbikes. Kinda reminds me of someone asking me the other day what I thought of trikes. If the person can ride on two wheels, they should be on two wheels. It is way safer. Trikes are for riding in a straight line - pretty much unable to make evasive manuevers. Back to 4-wheelers - just get the kid on a bike he can grow into a bit.

What is the best place to buy protective clothing like helmets and stuff for kids?

+1 about the safety of the quads. growing up on farmland in upstate NY I had a few friends with quads. and they were always the one's getting hurt. never the dirtbikers. the things would end up tumbling and then hitting the rider. anyway, I got very early prep training for riding but didn't actually get to ride until I was 13. my uncle taught me to pedal before I could walk, or steer. this eventually led to an illfated trip down the cellar stairs on a hotwheels. he used to give me rides around the lawn when I was 3 on his 1972 suzuki TS 175 enduro. when I was 13, I found that same bike in my other uncle's garage, and talked him into giving it to me. my folks never wanted me to ride cause they saw both my uncles have pretty bad crashes at one time or another. they said if it was free, I could have it. so my first bike was a 1972 TS 175. the thing was a tank in the woods. eventually, I lost 2nd gear. had to learn to shift straight from 1st to 3rd. I scraped together enough money to buy a kx80 when I was 15. I was already too big for an 80, but it was all I could afford. after that, didn't ride again until junoir year of college. got a 1982 gs450L and didn't tell the folks for months. I'm almost 30 now, and I ride the most dangerous bike I've ever owned and the parents are just now coming to terms with my riding. If I ever have kids, I'm gonna wait for them to display an interest. you know how alot of kids hate what their parents are into? I don't want to take the chance. but once they do display an interest, well, time to make the next GP legend.

Mine's 8 months, and I'm just waiting...to give you an idea, here's a site that shows kids from 2 years (with training wheels) riding. and the 4 and 5 year olds are really pretty coordinated.

http://www.osetbikes.com/

this is what I'm looking into in about 2 years. Electric so they can ride in the yard everyday, and parent controllable for top speed. I wish I had started younger, and started in dirt, but unfortunately it wasn't really an option where I grew up.

theres just as many accidents on dirt bikes and fourwheelers. ones not inherently safer then the other. same with 3 wheelers. if you know what yur doing or dont know what yur doing they are all just as safe/dangerous as each other.

we ride fourwheelers so our kid will ride a fourwheeler but at some point they will learn to ride dirtbikes and drive cars and motorcycles. they are all different yet all similar.

point is whare yur gear and start them as young as you can talk yur wife into starting them. if you hafta use an ATV at first because yur wife 'thinks' its safer cuz it has 4 wheels then do it. i will use ATV's first so they dont hafta worry about ballance as much while they are learning to shift and accelerate and brake.

at some point its very likely they will break a bone, i have, i bet most of you have. ride hard and have fun.