Which is it? a 65 or an 80?

[j-bo]

I am now in the market to getting JR. a new bike since he has waaaaaay outgrown his PW..
He is 9. He can ride EVERY day at the house (small track). Getting used to a clutch won't be a problem at all..so I figured, why have him start on a 65, when after a year he will undoubtely outgrow it.( I am "financially challenged" too :( so the cost of getting another bike in a years time would be hard to do)
SO.. I have considered an 2000' kx80...in actuality, it is only 3 inches taller than a 65...and I can always lower the height with a dogbone and/or shaving the foam a bit...
He is NOT racing this for atleast 3 months anyways.. I believe the learning curve would be the same for a 65 or 80...just more power with the 80 and more suspension too..

SO.. comments please! Thanx.. j-bo

 

[ktmdad]

If he's pretty close to the ground I'd just go with the 85. As you stated the learning curve will the same. The KX80 will be a good bike as the power band is broard compared to the CR and YZ. Plus you'll get longer use out of an 85 than the 65.

This is a good time to look for a used bike, as a lot of people are selling thier '02's to get '03's.

 

[mxer1345]

go with the 80. my lil brother is 9 and he can rde my 85 with no problem, except he can only touch with one foot, but his fine with that

 

[tri-mx'er]

I would go with the 65. He will not "undoubtedly" outgrow it in a year. He may be riding it well in a year though. At 9 years old I agree, he has WAY outgrown the PW. But the 65 is no PW50. It is a screamer. True, the boy could probably learn to ride the 80 now, but I believe he will be intimidated somewhat, and certainly not able to ride the bike to its full potential for a good while.
I too am financially challenged. But truthfully, if you buy a year or 2 old 65 and take care of it, you will be able to get a lot of your money back in a year or 18 months. Then you can buy a year or two old 85, and the boy will be on a relatively new bike at the age he is really ready to take advantage of it. Buy the 85 now, and he will be on a 3-4 year old bike when he is riding the snot out of it. It will probably cost you a few hundred dollars more over the next few years, but your boy will be on a bike suiited more for him, and newer as well. You will probably save a little in wear and tear also.
Just my $.02
Rich

 

[Honda26]

80.

 

[nikki]

In your situation.. if he can come close to touching the ground on the 80 - I would go the 80 route. If he is obviously way too small for the 80 - then I would go with the 65 for now...

Last thing you want is for the 80 to be way too big, he has a hard time getting started on it, he dumps it over in several turns, he has a hard time picking it up off the gound and restarting it, etc... not only is the seat height 3 inches taller but it is heavier and just bigger in general.

 

[Vytas]

I had my six yr old on a KX65. He rode it all last year and started with only one foot on the ground. I lowered the forks as much as I could and took all of the load out of the rear spring so it would sag some. This year he has no problem riding the 65 or starting it. For a nine yr old I would definately go with the 80. At seven my son seems almost too big for the 65. When he turns nine he gets his 85.

 

[Chili]

My buddy was in the same situation with his son who is 10 and was riding an XR70. Basically he decided to put his son to the test he already had an 80 for his 12 year old so he had a bike to test with and he had his 10 year old see if he could start the bike without assistance, once he could do that he laid the bike on it's side and once the 10 year old proved he could pick it up the decision was made. Going with the 65 I feel would be the safest and easiest way for your son to learn to ride but if the constraints of the dollar are such that replacing the bike next year even though you will likely only lose a few hundred dollars would be impossible then I would go with the 80 as I don't think that the learning curve between a 2000 KX80 or a 65 would be much different if JR can handle the size and weight difference.

 

[RM250'er]

65...

Well said TRI-MX'ER. If he's going to race in the next few month, get the 65. and race in the 60cc class.

It is not a slow bike.