How old is old enough?

[Paul Danik]

Greetings,

   I would appreciate hearing from you folks your opinions and experiences on just how old a youngster ought to be before he/she is given their first motorcycle?  Also, at what age is proper gear available for a youngster, mainly helmet and chest protector?

Thanks,
Paul

[brian kirby]

Paul,

It all depends on the youngster. I've seen 4 year old kids do very well, I've also seen 7-8 year old kids that are not ready. Kids gear is available in REALLY small sizes, most local tracks have 4-5 year old classes for kids on KTM/Cobra/Polini 50s and they all have on the full gear setup.

Brian

'72 Berkshire

[454MRW]

One of the things I should have stressed BEFORE my 13 year old son, at the time, broke both bones in his left leg when he dumped his dirt bike in the front yard, is the importance of a good pair of boots. He wore his helmet all of the time, but he often begged for me to let him wear his tennis shoes instead of his motocross boots. We both learned a valuable lesson that neither of us will soon forget. He  now chooses on his own to wear his boots every time he rides. Mike

Michael R. Winter
I enjoy rebuilding and appreciating Pentons!
1974 250 HS Pentons-1980 KTM 175-400'S

[garrettccovington]

My Daughters started out around 9.  This about the time when the Local Cycle shops stop selling gear for little kids.  They were afraid of getting sued.  I was able to get some gear out of the Recycler. We all rode around together on Honda SL70's and XL75's.  I have to admit, It scared the heck out of me.  They knew only 1 speed WFO..  Around 14, they had more fun showing their bikes to the "Boys",.  Its Funny all the "Boys" were "related" to Ricky Johnson and wanted to ride them. My reply was "NO, MOW MY YARD" That would shut them up and they would leave.

g

72 six-day

[joe novak]

In general, I would say that after a child has proficiently ridden a two wheel bicycle without training wheels for at least one year, is capable of stop and go, leaning into turns left and right, popping wheelies, and will obey the supervising parent with 100% compliance, that will be the physical and mental age to start a child if you are willing to assume all risks.   We have both a Honda CRF 50 with 3 speed auto trans, and a Suzuki JR 50 with a 1 speed transmission.   My daughter has ridden both, and I think it is FAR better to start a child on any of the beginner single speed motorcycles (ie.Suzuki JR-50, Kawasaki KDX-50, Yamaha PW-50).  Reasons are they only have to focus on two controls: throttle and brakes, and they are much lighter in weight.  Compare motorcycle weight to child weight, and ask yourself how much weight you want to fall on your child.  The throttle is usually the easy part for them; it is the stopping which is more challenging.  If they ride in a safe area with no obsticals (trees, rocks, creeks, cars, houses, garages, fences, ponds, et.al.), it is less likely that they will hit something and get injured.  I am NOT an advocate of the beginner training wheels for motorcycles.  I think that if they need training wheels, they are not ready to ride.   I personally prefer the 2-strokes over the 4-strokes, even though it is likely that you will have to buy a used one now to get one.  Jessica always rides with helmet, goggles, gloves, elbow pads, shoulder and chest pads, pants with knee pads, over the ankle leather boots.   She started riding a two wheel bicycle with trailing wheels at age 2 (27 months), two wheel bicycle at age 4, and motorcycle at age 5, and is now 7 with no motorcycle inflicted injuries so far.  She loves to ride the JR-50 and race me on the CRF-50!   She "gives" me a head start, then passes me in a lap or two....  joe

[Kip Kern]

Paul

For Christmas,we bought Kaleb a KTM 50 auto when he was 6.  He received a set of complete gear shortly afterwards and the following summer, he was riding pretty darn good. By 7 he was racing Hare Scrambles, having a great time with the other kids.  All kids are different, I was just lucky!  Have fun[ Happy Holidays

[Gordon Brennan]

A buddy of mine and I were discussing this topic a couple days ago. Not necessarily when, but HOW. Not picking on Paul, but part of his question caught my attention. "before he/she is given their first motorcycle".
Before I get started, I also went out and bought both my kids their first motorcycles. First a PW50 then a TTR90 and then a Beta Rev 80, and they have a ball with them and so do I, riding with them.
But I must admit, as I'm sure most of you will too, that your memories of your first motorcycle, (or minibike) in my case, was buying it yourself. Mowing lawns, raking leaves, shoveling snow and anything else to make some money. When you had enough, you bought your own bike. And then you kept working to buy parts and fuel.
Those are fond memories for me and I'll never forget them.
I realize times are different and as I said, I did the same as Paul is asking.
We are all lucky we can do more for our kids than our folks could. Although I think my Dad made me do it on my own to appeciate it more. And it worked.
We all spoil our kids too much. But with motorcycles, we always know where they are. Kids are a blast!! Good luck Paul. Shopping for the kids is almost as fun as for yourself.

[garrettccovington]

Gordon Hit it right on the nose.  We did buy or make our 1st bikes.  Mine was a Taco Minibike kit with a 2 1/2 hp craftsman lawnmover engine. That little bike taught me more about mechanics than anything else.  Maybe, because I have Daughters, My kids never wanted to work on the bikes,(Big Mistake) they just wanted to ride them.  That is my fault for letting them get away with it. I see now, that I am paying for that.  It seems like they can never solve any mechanical problems what so ever.  Even simple things like checking tire presure is greek to them.  Fortunately, I can bag on their Boyfriends to check that stuff.  AND Mow my Yard.  They still don't mow my yard though.

G


72 six-day

[TGTech]

My son Paul started to ride a bicycle on the driveway just before we went to the ISDE Qualifier up in Michigan in '91. When we went to the event, we took his bicycle and he rode all around the area and got much better on the bicycle.

I took Paul to the Meadowlarks Club when we were setting up the tracks for motocrosses, and he would ride on the track on his bicycle as much as he could. In the summer of 1992, he started asking me if I could get him a motorcycle and in the fall, I bought a used PW50 and he started riding it all around the house property.

The next spring, I would take him to the Club track, and he would ride around the track and in that spring he asked if he could start racing. And that's when he got going at the Meadowlarks track.

Before he started riding his motorcycle, he had a helmet, boots, gloves and goggles to protect him.

Over the next 10 years, he won a number of local Championships, a number of District Championships, and in the last three years, was qualified to Loretta Lynn's. In that fall, we went to a track for a practice day, and that was his last ride day. He just stepped away from racing and moved to BMX and skateboarding.

Dane

[Paul Danik]

Thanks to all for your input.  Personally I started to ride when I was 13, my son Chad was about 8 when he started to ride. I now have a grandson and there is some discussion going on about getting him a beginner bike, personally I don't want to see him start to early.

As for acquiring the "first motorcycle", I like the story that JP tells of being in the Penton Honda dealership one evening just before Christmas a number of years back.  A family came in, selected a brand new mini KTM for the youngster, then they selected all of the color coordinated KTM gear to go along with the bike, put the whole deal on their credit card and loaded up.  JP stated that it sure was one "heck" of a lot different from when he was a kid.

Paul

[brian kirby]

It sure is different today Paul! I work at a motorcycle dealership and I see the same thing all the time. I would have killed for a KTM50 or 65 when I was that age. Here is a picture of what I was riding in late '74-early '75. Its a Fantic TX-10 "Broncco", I was 6 years old:



I did wear a helmet, I was just posing for this picture, but I didnt have any other real motorcycle gear. My parents bought me kids size combat boots at the Army/Navy surplus store, Levi's and a K-Mart helmet.

[Rain Man]

I think with the lead band et all that if they can distinguish between eating the bike or riding the bike, their old enough to have a bike.
 I know they have a 5 to7 y/o class @ the flat track races, and most of them seem quite comfortable zinging around the track.  I just hate getting beat by the 8 y/o personally

Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[Paul Danik]

Thanks to all for your input.  Personally I started to ride when I was 13, my son Chad was about 8 when he started to ride. I now have a grandson and there is some discussion going on about getting him a beginner bike, personally I don't want to see him start to early.

As for acquiring the "first motorcycle", I like the story that JP tells of being in the Penton Honda dealership one evening just before Christmas a number of years back.  A family came in, selected a brand new mini KTM for the youngster, then they selected all of the color coordinated KTM gear to go along with the bike, put the whole deal on their credit card and loaded up.  JP stated that it sure was one "heck" of a lot different from when he was a kid.

Paul

[brian kirby]

It sure is different today Paul! I work at a motorcycle dealership and I see the same thing all the time. I would have killed for a KTM50 or 65 when I was that age. Here is a picture of what I was riding in late '74-early '75. Its a Fantic TX-10 "Broncco", I was 6 years old:



I did wear a helmet, I was just posing for this picture, but I didnt have any other real motorcycle gear. My parents bought me kids size combat boots at the Army/Navy surplus store, Levi's and a K-Mart helmet.

[Rain Man]

I think with the lead band et all that if they can distinguish between eating the bike or riding the bike, their old enough to have a bike.
 I know they have a 5 to7 y/o class @ the flat track races, and most of them seem quite comfortable zinging around the track.  I just hate getting beat by the 8 y/o personally

Raymond
 Down East Pentons