9yr old moving on from PW50, what next?

[wanaride]

My 9yr old son is getting too big for our PW50 and I'm looking at options for his next bike.
1) physical size (both height and weight are important)
- about 4'6", 75lbs
2) How physical / aggressive?
- not aggressive at all
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
- woods and trails with me and his youngest brother
4) Do you have any riding experience?
- he's been riding the PW50 for about a year.
5) Do you think you will race ?
- not now, probably not ever.
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
- I'll be doing most of the work myself.
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
- Nope.
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
- All 4 Jap brands are pretty close to my home, KTM's are too expensive for a kid's play bike.
9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike?
- definitely looking for a new bike.

Options seem to be:
PW80 or TTR-90E
KLX110 or DR-Z110 (same bike I think)
CRF70

Prices range from $1299 to $1699. Any recommendations? Is one of these bikes a lot better than the others in terms of reliability and 'fun factor'?

Many thanks for your help!

 

[gnarlykaw]

My 9 year old has a Suzuki DS80 and it has been the best bike. My oldest (who will be 14 next week) started out on it at age 9 but was a slight larger than your kid. Nick (my 9 year old) started out on it at age 6 1/2 but he also was bigger. The bike is very dependable and will do what you want it to do. We have had no problems with it.
Good luck!

 

[Patman]

All of the bikes you listed will be too small. Get him on something like the DS80/CRF80 which should fit him fine today and he'll be a lot happier by this time next year when he's got a more capible bike. These are easy going bikes with low maintenance needs and pretty much proven to be tolorant of kids abuse as well as adults.

 

[wanaride]

Thanks for the recommendations guys, but isn't there something to be said about getting a bike that fits the kid NOW, not just down the road? I'm all for maximizing value and getting something that will last him a while, but if I remember right, the CRF70 fit him pretty well when we visited a dealer this weekend, but the CRF80 was a little on the big side. He needs to build his confidence up, and putting him on a bike where his toes barely touch the ground doesn't seem like a good plan. I'll check out the CRF80 specs to be sure though. I didn't see a DS80 on the Suzuki website earlier today, I'll have to look again.

 

[gwcrim]

I started my boy on a PW80 when he was 4-1/2. Yes, he's big for his age but he was still only barely able to tippy toe on it at first. But kids learn FAST! In a years time he was able to ride on some pretty difficult terrain. By the third year, he was abusing that little bike to the point of replacement.

So I got him a KX85 at age 7-1/2. I lowered the suspension and cut the seat foam so that he could just tippy toe. Now a year later, he's riding that bike like he was born on it. As he grows, I can raise the suspension and put new seat foam back on. He'll be on the KX for another two years at least.

The key to it is being patient and giving lots of encouragement at first when they're a bit unsure. But once they figure it out.... ZOOM!

 

[kdxrider220]

My 9yr old son is getting too big for our PW50 and I'm looking at options for his next bike.
1) physical size (both height and weight are important)
- about 4'6", 75lbs
2) How physical / aggressive?
- not aggressive at all
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
- woods and trails with me and his youngest brother
4) Do you have any riding experience?
- he's been riding the PW50 for about a year.
5) Do you think you will race ?
- not now, probably not ever.
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
- I'll be doing most of the work myself.
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
- Nope.
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
- All 4 Jap brands are pretty close to my home, KTM's are too expensive for a kid's play bike.
9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike?
- definitely looking for a new bike.

Options seem to be:
PW80 or TTR-90E
KLX110 or DR-Z110 (same bike I think)
CRF70

Prices range from $1299 to $1699. Any recommendations? Is one of these bikes a lot better than the others in terms of reliability and 'fun factor'?

Many thanks for your help!

(I think the klx might be a little powerful compared to the pw50 but the crf 70 or 80 would be fine) kdxrider220

 

[wanaride]

I tend to agree with you; while the seat height for the 110 is comparable, it does have a bigger engine than the other kid bikes. Of course, the Kawasaki and Suzuki 110s (same bike?) both have a throttle adjustment screw, so that helps.

I'm leaning towards the CRF70 because it doesn't have a clutch (CRF80 does), has a reasonable seat height, and is bulletproof. (Also has a keyed ignition!) I know he will need to learn the clutch eventually, but this kid needs all the confidence he can get. Not worrying about a clutch now will help him.

 

[FruDaddy]

In the woods, he'll need to be able to at least touch the ground. Don't worry too much about the power. My son moved from a PW50 to a KX65 a little over a year ago. He is now 4'2" and about 50 lbs. He can barely touch the ground now, and it took several months for him to get comfortable on it. Mostly due the the bikes height. The KX is not a recommendation, as you said it is for trails, but don't fear a clutch, kids learn quickly.

 

[tnrider]

My son moved from the xr70 (crf70) to the ttr125le - however, he can't yet handle the clutch or seat height on trails - track is not an issue. he still rides the 70 on the tougher more technical trails. the xr70 is a great learning technique bike as the kids only need ride and not worry about the clutch. i say pickup a used xr70 and then resell when he outgrows - or buy new and resell as they hold reasonable value - or keep it like i did and use it to ride out to the mailbox or to the neighbors... no one minds you riding the cute "mini-bike" into their yard, but they are not happy to see the crf450 on the front lawn.

 

[gwcrim]

I'm leaning towards the CRF70 because it doesn't have a clutch....

Don't underestimate kids. I started riding around age 8-9 and my first bike had a clutch. My boy learned the clutch on the KX85 on maybe 5 tries at age 8. Kids are a lot more adept at things than parents sometimes want to believe.

A new bike with a clutch will be motivation enough for him to learn. And he will.

 

[Patman]

The nice thing about the XR80/100 is that they don't need a lot of clutch work. Pretty much once it's released they will lug down low and not stall. It took about 20 minutes for my son to pretty much learn to deal with the clutch. It's still a learning process because he doesn't get to ride as much as we'd both like but once they pick it up it's a skill they can work on while riding. Not to mention that it's a big confidence builder when they get the hand of a "big bike".