I have an older 1981 yamaha pw50 wich my 4 yearold rides but he is out riding it and i want to buy him a new one. I'm wondering what to buy him? I'm thinking of getting a ktm 50cc, something with some really good power. Is this bike any good or what are the little guys racing with? any suggestions on any bike would be good thanks. (wich bike is beter?)
Looking for new 50cc?
- Thread starter Rus01
- Start date
It has been my observation that all the racing orientated 50's, KTM 50 included, are a bit maintenance intensive. If you don't mind that, any of them are MUCH more bike than the pw50. Might be too much for a 4 year old, I know it would have been for mine.
I bought an '02 Husky Boy 50 in '04 when my boy was 5, almost 6. That has worked out great. He was a bit intimidated at first, but got the hang of it pretty quick. He is now 8 and almost too big for it, but he can absolutely dominate the bike and work on his riding, not handling the bike.
I did pay too much for it and broke it trying to ride it myself. Once I got all the worn out stuff replaced and refrained from riding it, it has proven to be very reliable and a good little bike.
I think Bill at Bills Motorsports at 503-585-1153 has some previous years left over for pretty cheap. Worth a look at.
Karl
I bought an '02 Husky Boy 50 in '04 when my boy was 5, almost 6. That has worked out great. He was a bit intimidated at first, but got the hang of it pretty quick. He is now 8 and almost too big for it, but he can absolutely dominate the bike and work on his riding, not handling the bike.
I did pay too much for it and broke it trying to ride it myself. Once I got all the worn out stuff replaced and refrained from riding it, it has proven to be very reliable and a good little bike.
I think Bill at Bills Motorsports at 503-585-1153 has some previous years left over for pretty cheap. Worth a look at.
Karl
- Thread starter
-
- #3
Thanks for the advise KARL . ive talked to some friends that race pro . They say that the ktm 50cc dominates most all races. i'm going in this weekend to buy a brand new one.My boy has been riding his pw 50 (1981) since he was 3 years old. alls he does is complain that it goes to slow. I think if they ride a powerful bike they will adapt very quickly.just like it only took him 1:30min to learn on the pw 50 at 3.5 years old. If any body has any suggetion (before I Buy a brand new ktm 50cc would be helpful)
headbanger
Member
- May 7, 2000
- 153
- 0
Go to the KTM Talk mini 50 forum. That will tell you all about the KTM 50's. My son has one and it will keep you busy in the garage!
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
which 50cc
My son rides an 04 KTM pro jr. He has had it about 2 weeks. I looked around, asked around, and done quite a bit of research. We even went to Loretta Lynn's and spent some time looking around. I spoke to several 50cc Dads. They had different stories, but most came to the same ending. Most of them went with the COBRA. A couple of them told me that in order to be competitive on the National level, you really needed the Cobra. Take a look at the last couple of years at LL's. Cobras seem to dominate the Nationals.
However, my son rides a KTM. We have a local KTM dealer that is really great to deal with. Most of the local kids ride KTM's, so if we happen to get to the track and break something or tear something up, we are more likely to have someone with a spare bike or parts to get us going again.
I think that you should look around in the area that you ride and see what the others are riding and check out the parts availability.
With that said, the internet will allow you to get just about any type/brand part within a day or so anyway.
Good luck in your choice.
My son rides an 04 KTM pro jr. He has had it about 2 weeks. I looked around, asked around, and done quite a bit of research. We even went to Loretta Lynn's and spent some time looking around. I spoke to several 50cc Dads. They had different stories, but most came to the same ending. Most of them went with the COBRA. A couple of them told me that in order to be competitive on the National level, you really needed the Cobra. Take a look at the last couple of years at LL's. Cobras seem to dominate the Nationals.
However, my son rides a KTM. We have a local KTM dealer that is really great to deal with. Most of the local kids ride KTM's, so if we happen to get to the track and break something or tear something up, we are more likely to have someone with a spare bike or parts to get us going again.
I think that you should look around in the area that you ride and see what the others are riding and check out the parts availability.
With that said, the internet will allow you to get just about any type/brand part within a day or so anyway.
Good luck in your choice.
Jasle
Sponsoring Member
- Nov 27, 2001
- 1,358
- 1
Rus01 said:
Your friend would be mistaken. The cobra dominates peewee racing. About 80% of the entries at the biggest amatuer event Loretta Lynns were Cobra's. Top Ten in the 4-6 class were all Cobra and I think 9 out of 10 in the Sr class. Don't take my word for it though. Check out both www.ktmtalk.com and www.cobratalk.com and www.cobramotorcycle.com read everything you can and make an informed decision with ALL the info. Not just some pro guys info. I know several pro's that don't know the first thing about peewee racing. That being said I am a Cobra and Polini dealer and I've put some quite lengthy posts on here about which bike I reccomend and why. do a search and read them.
OK,
My son rides an 85 now, but I put in my four years worth of racing the PeeWee class and basically, the top four are just about the same. They all cost the same, they all breakdown the same and all require you to buy two if you want to be competative at the National level.
Just because Cobra dominates the Nationals doesn't necessarily mean it's the best bike out there. The results are based on the rider's ability. Cobra invests a lot of money in maintaining that reputation, including persuing these National caliber riders. Why are so many there? Because top riders know the reputation of these bikes. However, I've seen top guys on LEM, KTM, and Polini do just as well. KTM had parts availability problems several years ago, but now I hear that is pretty much solved.
Each has it's unique attributes and I would put your kid on each to see what he/she feel comfortable with.
The KTM is narrow and suits lighter riders better in my opinion.
Polini is a taller bike and has a good clutch system
Lem is really doing great things on their most recent model. When we raced I hated their clutch, however they may have changed it I heard.
Cobra is squattier and has a wide seat that some kids just don't like, however, they build a really great bike and parts are readily available.
Go outside those four racing 50's and you ride at your own risk.
The bottom line is....if you intend to be competative, and I mean race every weekend or twice a week, like many of the mini parents do, you better buy two bikes because this hobby is worse than a "hole in the water that you throw money."
Be prepared to spend A LOT of money on maintenance, or like me, be forced to become a bike mechanic. If, you don't buy two bikes you better buy an equal $$$ amount in spare parts because ALL these bikes break from the wear and tear of a good rider.
My son rides an 85 now, but I put in my four years worth of racing the PeeWee class and basically, the top four are just about the same. They all cost the same, they all breakdown the same and all require you to buy two if you want to be competative at the National level.
Just because Cobra dominates the Nationals doesn't necessarily mean it's the best bike out there. The results are based on the rider's ability. Cobra invests a lot of money in maintaining that reputation, including persuing these National caliber riders. Why are so many there? Because top riders know the reputation of these bikes. However, I've seen top guys on LEM, KTM, and Polini do just as well. KTM had parts availability problems several years ago, but now I hear that is pretty much solved.
Each has it's unique attributes and I would put your kid on each to see what he/she feel comfortable with.
The KTM is narrow and suits lighter riders better in my opinion.
Polini is a taller bike and has a good clutch system
Lem is really doing great things on their most recent model. When we raced I hated their clutch, however they may have changed it I heard.
Cobra is squattier and has a wide seat that some kids just don't like, however, they build a really great bike and parts are readily available.
Go outside those four racing 50's and you ride at your own risk.
The bottom line is....if you intend to be competative, and I mean race every weekend or twice a week, like many of the mini parents do, you better buy two bikes because this hobby is worse than a "hole in the water that you throw money."
Be prepared to spend A LOT of money on maintenance, or like me, be forced to become a bike mechanic. If, you don't buy two bikes you better buy an equal $$$ amount in spare parts because ALL these bikes break from the wear and tear of a good rider.
Recommendations:
Buy minimum:
1) Spare clutch/shoes
2) Spare crank
3) Spare levers/cables/brake lines/pads
4) If it doesn't have alloy wheels, buy some. steel wheels will flatten once you kid starts catching some air and hasn't mastered landing on the downside of jumps.
5) Watch for frame cracks if you kid is heavier
6) Make sure you adjust the suspension for your kids weight!
7) Always change clutch oil after a race.
8) The cluch is adjustable and find a good spring combination for your riders ability level! I have seen too many new kids get freaked out because their first 50 experience wasn't good because how hard the hit was set up for a really good rider.
9) Invest in a good set of bars if you get a KTM. I thought they were too narrow from the factory.
10) Go with a good Regina 415/420 chain and buy a spare.
11) Buy different sets of gearing for where you intend to ride. Toi be competatitive, you need to make sure you set up for the tracks you intend to ride.
Well that's a good start I think...
Good luck and get into the 65 class as soon as you can.
Oh, the 50 class is a blast though, we loved it and so did my son!
Buy minimum:
1) Spare clutch/shoes
2) Spare crank
3) Spare levers/cables/brake lines/pads
4) If it doesn't have alloy wheels, buy some. steel wheels will flatten once you kid starts catching some air and hasn't mastered landing on the downside of jumps.
5) Watch for frame cracks if you kid is heavier
6) Make sure you adjust the suspension for your kids weight!
7) Always change clutch oil after a race.
8) The cluch is adjustable and find a good spring combination for your riders ability level! I have seen too many new kids get freaked out because their first 50 experience wasn't good because how hard the hit was set up for a really good rider.
9) Invest in a good set of bars if you get a KTM. I thought they were too narrow from the factory.
10) Go with a good Regina 415/420 chain and buy a spare.
11) Buy different sets of gearing for where you intend to ride. Toi be competatitive, you need to make sure you set up for the tracks you intend to ride.
Well that's a good start I think...
Good luck and get into the 65 class as soon as you can.
Oh, the 50 class is a blast though, we loved it and so did my son!
Rus01 said:
Your friends are wrong. KTM may dominate in your area but Cobra dominates on a national level. The KTM Pro Jr is 3rd or 4th best bike behind the Cobra CM50, the Polini X-1 and the LEM R2.
If you have the resources and don't mind buying a transition bike I would recommend a KTM Mini Adventure or a Cobra P3 (with exhaust restrictor) as an intermediate step between the PW50 and the full on race 50's.
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