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MX, SX & Off-Road Discussions
General Moto | Off-Topic Posts
Bikes for Dad and 9 1/2 year-old son
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[QUOTE="rmc_olderthandirt, post: 1393481, member: 68872"] For your son, I would recommend going to a few dealers and having your son throw his leg over a few bikes. Check several different brands as Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki all have different breaks in their bike sizes for that range of a bike. What you want is something that he can touch both feet, even if it is only tip toe. He will grow fast so if he is tip toe now he will be flat foot before long. For a first time beginner it is important that the bike not be too tall for him. I am thinking of something like a Yamaha TT-R125 (30 inch seat height), Kawasaki KLX-110 (27 inch seat height) or Honda CRF100F (31 inch seat height) but I am not sure what the seat height for a 4'6" person would be. I wouldn't go electric start on your son's bike, the battery adds so much weight to such a small bike that it just isn't worth it. Once you find a bike or two that is the right size then start looking on Craigslist to find a used one. Kids out grow these bikes so fast that they generally spend more time with the for sale sign sitting on them then they do being ridden so a ten year old bike can still be in great shape. They also hold their resale value pretty well so can buy it, use it for a year and sell it for almost what you paid for it. For yourself, I think you are going to need to adjust your desires or increase your budget. A street legal dual sport bike that is in any decent shape is going to be more than $3K. It didn't sound like you were the type that would enjoy working on the bikes so I wouldn't recommend buying something that needed a lot of work. If you don't mind the work then something like a 20 year old Yamaha XT-250 would be good. I've seen these sell for around $1200 and they can still have a fair amount of life left in them. If you wanted something a bit newer then I would forget the dual sport and go for something like a Yamaha TTR-230 or a Honda CRF230F. What bothers me about these bikes is that they (at least the newer ones) are electric start ONLY, so a dead battery can leave you stranded. They are good bikes to learn on but in a year or two you will probably want a more powerful bike. Do you have friends to ride with? I have found that having the right circle of friends will greatly enhance your off road riding experience. By right I mean families that enjoy riding and spending time with their kids instead of sitting around drinking beer all day while their kids amuse themselves. There are a number of riding clubs in Southern California. Many are focused on racing but a few are very family oriented. The club I belong to, TWMC, is especially family friendly and you might enjoy the club outings. From October through June we meet once a month out in the desert (usually around Barstow, Ridgecrest or Lucerne Valley) for a weekend of camping, riding and activities. On Saturday we organize some races for the kids so they can get their feet wet. There are also organized family rides and occasionally some fun and games. If this sounds interesting to you shoot me a PM and I can give you more details. Rod [/QUOTE]
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Forums
MX, SX & Off-Road Discussions
General Moto | Off-Topic Posts
Bikes for Dad and 9 1/2 year-old son
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