1st Bike for a 6-year old? (XR50 or JR50 or PW50)

[Biglmbass]

Hello all. I promised my 6-year old son that Santa might get him a dirt bike this Christmas if he did well in school (1st grade). So far, so good on his end. Therefore, I'm in the early stages of shopping for a beginner bike. We don't have any intentions of racing, but do intend on lots of trail riding on logging roads and wooded trails, etc. He's 42.5# and 46 3/4" tall and will be 7 years old in March 2003. He fits perfect (approximately flat footed) on both a Yamaha PW50 and a Suzuki JR50. I'm sure either bike would tickle him to no end, however I'm hoping to get something that would last him 'till he's at least 8 years old. (I realize this might be a stretch, since they grow so fast). I heard the PW50 is a great bike and I'm leaning heavily towards it simply b/c it's a shaft drive, however I've heard the JR50's are good also and that their height can be adjusted somewhat. These two models are in my mind the top picks so far just b/c they are single speeed bikes and should be easy to learn on. The Honda I'm sure would be great as well, but since this will be his first bike, I'm thinking the 3-speed and auto clucth would be difficult for him. I'm hoping you good folks could shed some light here and lend some useful advice. Since I ride a KDX200, I've also considered the new KDX50 just b/c he'd get a kick out of having a green bike like his Dad. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[jpuetz]

I would go with the XR50, it is bullet proof. If you are going to do mostly trail riding especially. It has higher clearance and more power without having to modify it. And with the 3 gears, it will be easyer to go up steeper stuff. Until he gets the hang of things, you can leave it in 1st gear without the worry of him getting out of hand and holding it wide open. It will will only go as fast as 1st gear will let it, where the PW and JR will go until the top speed. He won't outgrow the XR as fast either. (Dad can also have fun on the XR).

 

[CaptainObvious]

I got my seven year old an XR50. It's a great first bike. The JR & PW are really gutless and can't be riden on trails with any kind of hills. The XR never seems to quit. It's good to teach a new rider the importance of gear selection, IMO. Lastly, the damn things hold their value better than any other bike I've ever seen.

 

[john mcdee]

Dont buy the suzuki jr 50. I bought my lst grader a jr-50, great bike for a beginner, but no low end for getting up hills, I entered him in a motorcross race and they wont evern let them compete with the ktm-50`s, he raced against the yam-pw 50 a little better because it hsd more low end, and the honda xr-50 which blew him away. my advise would be to borrow a jr-50, pw-50, or xr-50 for a few rides then if your serious get a ktm if you can afford it. my kid is bored with his jr-50 since he`s been blown off by superior brrands, a few more inches and he can have his brothers XR-70, if you just want to trail ride get him the XR-50. look for a used bike with helment, clothes, boots and a vest if possible, they outgrow them in 2 years???

 

[Traildale1]

Do not buy the PW50. At best it's a one-season-and-sell-it bike. Many kids outgrow it less than a season. My daughter outgrew it at age 6. I got her an XR50 and she's still riding it at 8. The easiest way to ride the XR is to start it, warm it up, shift it into 2nd, and let the kid have at it. In 2nd it has managable acceleration and top end for a beginner, and still has enough grunt to climb stuff thet would stop a PW50 dead. Good thing the PW50 was short because she spent a lot of time paddling with her feet to get up every hill. She's riding 25-30 mile trail rides on the XR in northern Wisconsin, and now that she's figured out the shifting thing (she's SO proud!) she can ride fast enough that can ride my WR250F and not be concerned about poking along and overheating. I just put higher bars on the XR50 and she'll be good with that until she can handle the extra power and weight of her older sister's sidelined TTR-90. I paid $990 new for the XR and after 3 years I can easily sell it for $800. A pretty cheap ride. And, yes, I have fun on the little beast too.

 

[Jason81]

I bought my son a JR 50 and within 3 months of ridding it he broke it in half going over jumps. I rushed out and bought him a Polini X-1 Works bike and then he slowed way down. I have since bought him a XR 50 and he has not broken it yet and he is back up to speed. I guess what I am saying is that I would get a XR 50. BTW my son is 6 also.

Jason

 

[jcramin]

I purchased my 6 year old son a PW-80 for his first bike. My 11 year old also rides it since he is very short. But my kids are speed freaks like me so they like the 3 speed tranny. They both FLY on this bike on the ground and in the air. I even ride it alone or with a kid on with me and this bike has A LOT of power still.

 

[steve talley]

LOOK AT ALL THE XR50 UPGRADES!!!!AND IT ISN,T OIL INJECTED
WHEN HE GET TO THE AGE AND SIZE TO MOVE TO A LARGER SIZE BIKE . YOU CAN GET MOST OF YOUR MONEY BACK OR CAN MAKE A VERY COOL PLAY BIKE.SHOP AROUND AND DON,T BR AFRAID TO TRAVEL YOU COULD SAVE $100.S

 

[Rockey5000]

you and your caps again