Skitspuce

Member
May 21, 2003
63
0
I've posted about this before but I'm having a difficult time with this decision and need some advice. My boy is about to turn 6, but he's a big 6...4'2", 67 lbs and has way outgrown his JR50. I'm the only one working around here, and I can't do this bike-every-year thing, especially with my girl requesting a quad now. ( I REALLY tried to get her on the bike, sorry guys :ugg: ) So, here are my concerns:

-I sat him on a KX65, and he can get 1 foot down, but the other one is still up on the peg...I'm afraid he won't be able to start/stop by himself. (It was still stock height, I realize you can lower 'em a bit)

-I don't think he'll have a problem with the clutch, he's coordinated and seems to get the concept and mechanics pretty well.

-Will something like a KTM SR50 be dull and/or too small in a year?

-If he races the 65 (not till next year) can a 7 year old pick up, and kick over a bike that size?

I'm sorry for the long post, but my time is almost up and I need some experienced opinions. I really don't want to buy him something that could hurt him or scare him off bikes, but I don't want to get him something he'll be bored with by the end of summer.

Thanks for any advice.
 

theroyz71

~SPONSOR~
Nov 25, 2003
215
0
I would probably go with the 65 but what about a klx/drz110 with some kx60 legs under it. They race in the 65 class in many places. They also have a smoother power delivery and 3 speed tranny with auto clutch. Lots of upgrades available too.
 
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woodsy

~SPONSOR~
Mi. Trail Riders
Jan 16, 2002
2,933
1
Get him a bike that is not goign to hurt him - the 65 is WAY to much motor for a 6 year old!! THEY FLAT OUT FLY!!! I would look for a bike that is a manual shift, nothing over tip toe in height and newer in design (dont care about color - they are ALL great!!). Just having a clutch and tranny to learn on will be plenty for a good while!! I have a XR100 and a DR100 in the garage - they are a BLAST to play on and I am a grown man (that is my opinion - not necessarily shared by my wife of 25 years :) )
 

Skitspuce

Member
May 21, 2003
63
0
I wasn't aware that the 110s raced mx at all...might be a cool woods/mx bike. I realized he'd get smoked by 9 year olds on Sx 65s, but he just wants to be out there. Two Brothers has some pretty cool mods for 'em, too...but do I really want to spend a grand on a 1500 dollar bike?? Decisions, decisions....thanks for your help guys, I'll have to check out the racing classes at Cooperland (hour from the house) and see whats up.
 

joereitman

Member
Jul 2, 2003
540
0
My son (turns 7 mid-April) has been riding the KTM 65 for several months now. I keep him in 2nd for now, with the stock pipe on it. He roosts that bad boy out of every corner, and screams it down the straights at about 13k. :lol: He LOVES it, won't even look at his old pw80. :D

He can stop and take off and hold it up himself by sliding way off the the side. He can't kickstart it himself, which suits me fine. This way I know he is not sneaking rides. :lol:
 

_j0kA_

Member
Jan 29, 2002
378
0
i dont know what to say as ive never bought a bike for a kid your size/exp/etc.. but, im close to 195-200lbs with my gear on and the kx65 is a stupidly fast machine.. definately look into it before letting your kid on one, they could be scary!
 

Radiator Ron

Member
Dec 8, 2003
73
0
If he can get 1 foot down i would'nt worry about bike size. The perfomance of the bike should be considered for him though. A jr50 - 65 is a big leap that,s why an in between bike is so much better for the kids. My boy is 9 on his 4th bike and has been racing 5yrs. Stepping kids on bikes is critical through this age, and very expensive. Also consider his talent, and be honost with it, how good of a rider is he? If hes clumbsy/ out of control on the 50 a 65 may be too much. If your not going to race maybe consider a 4stroke. Also note that installing lowering links for the 65 speeds up rebound makes the bike want to nose down. I,d leave it alone.
 

Skitspuce

Member
May 21, 2003
63
0
He is suprisingly good on the 50...started doing intentional powerslides when the grass was wet, and trying his best to jump it (which is just a pathetic sight on a JR --*CLANK*). I had to make him back off for fear he'd break the thing in half. I am worried a little about the power, but I've tried to explain the idea of a powerband to him, and he seems to be a little frightened of it, which may not be a bad thing. It looks like its going to be a few more months anyway, my wife wants to take the kids to see her family in NC over spring break, so $900 in airplane tickets is putting a dent in the dirtbike fund. Sometimes I wonder about her priorities :laugh: .
 

tnrider

Sponsoring Member
Jun 8, 2003
576
0
Skitspuce said:
my wife wants to take the kids to see her family in NC over spring break, so $900 in airplane tickets is putting a dent in the dirtbike fund. Sometimes I wonder about her priorities :laugh: .

I suggest you drive, trailer the bikes, and show the family how well the kids ride... :) that should save about $700 in travel funds toward the next bike.
 

1350CFM

Member
Feb 25, 2004
65
0
My son is small for his age, He started on a P'Dub 50 when he was 5. Moved up to a PW80 at 7. A PW80 is a REALLY HEAVY bike at about 150lbs wet. Also it's quite WIDE. My son had a hard time keeping his feet on the pegs because of the wide seat. This Winter I picked up a KTM Sr. Adventure 50. He rode it today for the first time and LOVES IT! It's easily as fast as his 80 except for mabey top end. The suspention is AWSOME compared to his PW80. He would constantly bottom out the Yammy. The KTM is also about 45lbs lighter than the P'Dub-Ya. All around we are very happy with the Orange bike. Sure he's going to outgrow it this Fall, But I also have a little girl who will be riding soon. My only problem is that he will lose some of his shifting skills with the auto clutch KTM. But he will GAIN so much more in riding skills with a bike that is the right size and light enough for him to handle. If your smart about how much you pay it'll only cost you a hundred or so every couple years. I paid $700 for a 2 year old PW50. My son rode it for 3 seasons and I sold it for $600 and didn't even have to wash it for the new owner. I then paid $700 for a PW80 and he rode that for 2 seasons...Have a buyer who's gonna give me $700 for it. So if ya look at it this way....He's been riding for going on 5 years for a whoppin' $100.00! So my advise would be to figure out which bike fits his riding style(trails? Jumps? MX? back yard cruiser?) and the most important thing would be find a bike that FITS HIM! Putting him on a bike thats TOOO BIG so you can save a few bucks is NOT COOL! Also be prepared to spend close to the same on gear as you do the bike.
 

j_freak

Member
Feb 7, 2004
169
0
The kid is 7 and wants to start racing??? I'm sorry but that is way to early for a kid to be racing. Especially on modern minibikes, which have way too much power for a kid that age. I realize that a lot of people here won't agree with me, but I've seen a lot of kids that age getting injured riding LAWN MOWERS and and go-carts (my little brother nearly lost his eye when he ran through an electric fence on a go cart). I'm sixteen and my first "dirtbike" was one of those little 3hp tecumsehs with a centrifigual clutch that I got when I was around 8. Featuring a quality pullstarter that took about 20 pulls to get it started, and a top speed of approximately 12 mph, it was a pain in the butt to ride. Although I have zero experience with modern minibikes, I am sure that they are much easier to ride. But, I can almost guarantee that they are a lot faster and a lot more dangerous (it's rather hard to hurt oneself on a bike that can't make it up medium sized hills, and can't go faster than your average glacier (hmm, now that I think about it, that description matches my current piece of crap too: a 1975 Honda MR175 Elsinore))

My point is that a kid that young is going to get hurt on a racetrack. Mild trail rides and maybe a track in the backyard would be great, but save the racing until he's a teen.
 

joereitman

Member
Jul 2, 2003
540
0
It is ok for young kids to race, but only after LOTS of quality training. Personally, I have not encouraged my almost 7 year old to race. He will not be allowed to race until he has excellent bike handling skills and he demonstrates ability to automatically take evasive maneuvers. I also worry about those fragile bones at the young age when they are growing so fast. But if the child is mature with good skills and wears ALL the protective gear I think racing can really help a child's confidence and self esteem.
 

Skitspuce

Member
May 21, 2003
63
0
Just to clarify...he won't be racing till NEXT season ('05), and will spend all summer with me learning to ride well. We have some land nearby with wide open space as well as some lightly wooded trails and I will have him out there once or twice a week to ride till he's exausted - he doesn't ever want to stop until its so dark he can't see the front wheel.

He rode probably 10-20 hrs/week all last year and part of the year before, and has suprised both me and some of my buddies with his ability to control his bike. I let him free-ride a lot, just to get the feel of it, but I also made him practice braking and throttle control (much to his annoyance). I haven't pushed him at all into racing, we've been to the MX track 1 time, at his request, and I'm planning on taking him to an enduro here in OK this weekend just to show him another side of the sport.

Sorry to rant, but I wanted to make sure that no one was getting the impression that I was like some crazed soccer-dad, forcing him into something...BTW, I've decided to get him a Pro Sr. 50, instead of the 65. I really appreciate all the guidance y'all have given me....I haven't had a bike with knobbies since the days of JT.
 

windsor427

Member
Apr 10, 2004
20
0
I totally agre with 1350CFM. My son is 6 riding a 2001 KTM SR Adventure for 3 or 4 months, and is picking up skills because the bike is not too heavy or too big, and I think it will last at least 1 more year. I paid $1000 for it and don't think I will lose a whole lot on resale. Son is 48" and 57lbs and is only outgrowing the HP. He wants a Pro Senioralready.
 
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