looking to buy...KTM 50 Junior - Reviews??

[chrome_71]

Hi, I am considering buying my 7 yr old son a used bike. He has been riding a 50cc quad for the last 3 years and now wants to move to a bike (thanks alot Walton Trans Can!).

I am not fluent in "bike-ese", so I would love to get some advice from the users on this board.

The bike I am considering right now is a used KTM 50 Junior that a friend (who is a former racer and now a race-dad) has for sale. He says that his son found it very easy to get used to and that other than changing oil every second ride and cleaning the air filter there is not much maintenance to the bike. Does that sound about right? What else should I be asking him about the bike?

He has offered to let my son test it out at our home, so I am comfortable that I will be able to assess my sons ability on the bike before I buy. What should I look for during my sons first ride to assure it is the right machine for him?

Thanks for any and all help.

 

[helio lucas]

i will advice you to buy this book: http://www.eric-gorr.com/minimx.html

it has a lot of tips such as where to look when buying a used bike, what bike to choose for your son, some model specific tips and weak points, maintenence, "how´s to" and lot of other things... :cool:

 

[chrome_71]

Thanks for the reply. I am looking into purchasing the book now.

Any other specific info on the KTM 50 Junior would be welcome as well.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

What else is there to choose from? Yamaha pw-50, cobra's? The KTM is what I see at the track. The pw is a great starter bike, it gets outgrown quickly, and is a turd. I do not see as many cobras as I used to? Get ALL the gear, and have fun! Never forget the fun factor. Way too many mini dads go WAYYYYY overboard, really sad to view, and seemingly hard to admit it when you are one of THEM! Be very leary of track talk, guy talk usually is wrong, at the track. It sure seems you are heading in the correct direction. And keep Eric's website and books handy.

 

[XRpredator]

I know my brother was ALWAYS working on the clutch of his boy's KTM50, but if it makes a difference it was a pro Sr. He couldnt' wait til they got off autos!

As said before, get the books, educate yourself, and have fun. My brother went from needing "Auto Mechanics For Dummies" to doing a pretty good job of working on the kid's bike, even though I gotta call him "mini-dad" every once in a while.

 

[Ol'89r]

My grandson rode one when he was in the mini class. Great bikes. Parts are a little pricey but if properly maintained they hold up very well. Good frames and better suspension than most of the other mini offerings. The only one he couldn't break in half.

Do a little research on the history of the bike. The problem with buying a used one is, how many times has it been rebuilt? Many of them that have been raced and then handed down are pretty worn out. After multiple rebuilds the cases become worn where the main bearings fit and the bearings can spin in the cases. Once this happens you have to replace the engine cases.

Maintainance mainly involves changing the oil, cleaning the filter and replacing the rings and piston at regular intervals.

 

[chrome_71]

Awesome info guys! Thanks for the posts.

As for the history of the bike, while I do need to ask all the right questions, I am pretty comfortable that the current owner is being straight since we work side-by-side. But as said, he is a long time MX-er and I am not. His son has moved up to the 65 so he has a 50 Junior and a 50 senior for sale at $1000 and $1800 respectively (the senior is a couple years newer). Does that sound about right?

Thanks again for all the great responses!