l.e.m. mini bikes

I'm not up on the LEM's but before Cobra they were the hot ticket on the mx race scene. I believe they still use the franco morini motor though. The basics changes that can be made there are cylinder,carb and clutch. Don't know about the spark arrestor. Most of the morini motored mini's I've seen have been terrible on the trails. They are pretty much a MX bike. The LEM LX2 has a tamer clutch from what I understand probably making it easier on the trails but it will engage the clutch before the bike is in the power band and sort of bog a bit.
There is a big discussion already taking going on here http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63246 about a few of the mini's. Popular choice for trail riding is the xr50. It has 3 speeds and torque which you need for trails. The LEM/Cobra/KTm with the morini motor do not.

The LEM's have improved quite a bit over the past two years. If your worried about him out growing it, then buy the racing model. It will have more powerful motor over the LX2 Racer.

If your looking at more trail riding, then go with the LX3 XC. It comes with a 15" front and 12" rear wheel. However, remember that these 2 stk 50's are high maintenance machines. It doesn't matter if it's a LEM, Cobra, Polini or KTM.

If the great majority of your riding is going to be trails, then go with an XR80 or TTR90. Companies like MX-Tech and BBR are making after market parts to increase suspension and performance. So you can simply put in few dollars to keep JR. on the same bike for a few years.

what do you mean by high maintenance? does that mean every time he wants to ride, i better bring my tool box, or does that mean that if i don't keep up on routine maint. the bike will not run right.

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Not necessarily bring the tool box, but you need to stay on top of the maintenance. These little 50's generate a lot of heat. Heat is a killer on stators, clutch pads/disc, and crank bearings and seals.

You'll spend more money maintaining the racing two stroke 50's than anyother bike. Plus the kids seem to outgrow them quickly.

So if your not going to race, look at getting the lx3 instead of the lx2. It's taller and has more suspension. This way your not getting a year out of the bike, buy maybe two.

Once you make the step up to the 65, the bikes last longer and you get more time out of the bike before he outgrows it for an 85.