pw50 to a ktm pro junior?

[Smallville]

Some are suggesting that I move my 5 year old son from his pw50 to a KTM 50 pro junior....is this bike gonna scare the crap out of him cause of the difference in horsepower? I've heard that it is too much of a jump...I'm just trying to move him up with a faster bike cause the pw50 is just not cutting it for him anymore. If you think the pro junior is the way to go...then why....if not...then what would you suggest and why? Thanks Smallville

 

[dimitri]

My advice is,Dont become one of these crazed mini parents, if hes just 5 let him ride for the rest of the year. maybe he will have a growth spurt over the winter, then think about a new one next year,cause chances are if you go to what fits him now its not in say 3or 4 months,and you dont want to buy 3 different 50s do you.

 

[mx547]

when my daughter was six, she had a suzuki jr50 which performance wise, is about the same as your pw 50. she raced it for six months then went to a ktm pro jr. the change was no problem at all. she didn't even have an adjustment period. she never had any trouble with the increased power. in fact, i believe that she rode much better because of it. i say if he's tall enough, go for it.

 

[Jasle]

My now 5 year old has been on a Cobra CM since 4. There are ways to tame the clutch down. There is nothing "peewee parent crazy" about wanting your kid on a bike with real suspension. The advantages are huge. Confidence is the big one. You will be able to teach correct riding posistion with the Racer bikes unlike the pw50 with way too low bars and non adjusability of it. There are several softer stacks you can use. But like I mentioned in the other post do your research first. There are problems inherent with the bike you are mentioning you should know about. If you still choose KTM let me know. I know some of the hot setup tips on the ktms. We sponsor some of those guys too.

 

[FruDaddy]

I think the "peewee parent" reference is in reference to pushing the kid onto a bigger bike and insisting upon results (living your dreams throuh your child). Smallville doesn't seem to have this problem yet, and hopefully his childs MX will always be HIS CHILDS MX. Enough soapbox, definetely look into the other manufacturers, there is an extensive thread on this board concerning the heavyweights in this class. And The Loretta Lynn results from this year speak great thing about the performance of the Cobra bikes. They swept the top five in at least one class. The results can be found at www.mxsports.com

 

[Jasle]

Trust me I've seen the Real "Peewee parents" since I deal with mostly peewee riders and parents. I know exactly what you are saying...I just don't want smallville to think he's going that direction just by wanting to upgrade his bike. The guy yelling at his kid to hit that double when the guy has never even ridden at a track. I've taken an 80 out to follow my guys and there is no way I can keep up with my 9 year old on his 65 and I was surprised at how much I had to work to keep up with my 5 year old on his 50. I suggest anyone that is wanting their kid to go faster grab an 80 and ride with their kid. Its fairly easy on the 250...try it with an 80!!!

I also bet that 6th place dad was wishing he had been on a different bike. There is so much of an advantage with the supsension and motor in the 4-6 class1 its not funny. He had to be riding his ass off to get a 6th place!

 

[Patman]

My son was beating the snot out of his PW50 so I picked up a Pro Junior Comp 2 when those were the hottest thing KTM had. I rally had reservations when I brought it home because he was about 5 1/2 and really small for his age. He jumped on it and cracked the throttle and stopped, looked at me with a big smile and then roosted me! He had a few scary moments on that bike but it was more of a big jump for me than it was for him aparently.

Like Jasle says it's really a different world dealing with full size stuff on a pint sized bike. I had high hopes for my son to race but he never really took to it, he's plenty happy just riding for fun and that's perfectly fine with me since that's what it's supposed to be about, FUN.

 

[FruDaddy]

Agreed with all said but I must add:
An adult on an 80 creates the wrong body geometry on the bike. Kind of like a 13 year old trying to ride a pro sr. The reason the kid on the 65 can outrun his pop on an 80 has a little to do with the power to weight ratio, and a lot to do with the fact that he is the right size for the bike. I just put my boy out there and try to encourage him to do his best. I do push a little, and only get mad when he stops trying. I know I can't do any better. And I've ridden his 65. I use a PW80 to chase him everywhere except on the track.

 

[MXGirl230]

He jumped on it and cracked the throttle and stopped, looked at me with a big smile and then roosted me!

:rotfl:

 

[drz400e]

I just bought my 7 year old son a KTM 50 adventurer senior. He had a kdx 50. The senior is a bit tall for him. Next spring it will be a perfect fit.

We don't race, but do lots of aggressive trail riding. Even though he can't quite touch
on tip toes, he is still way faster going over large roots and soft sand than his kdx. The smile on his face after his first ride pretty much summed it up. Suspension and a few more pony's rule.