Ducati Monster Forum

Well, it's been awhile (nearly 20yrs) since I've ridden offroad.

So, need some advice on gear, basic teaching tips etc.

My two teens (15yr girl and 14yr boy) want to get into motocross.
And since they are pretty much typical non-commital teens, I don't want to break the bank getting them in the dirt.

I need some advice on low cost minimal gear setup even used.

I found a couple of big wheel 80s or 125s here in europe (chinese offbrand) that I will be getting most likely. So, it's not like they'll be competed in MX races. Just some basic skills and getting them ready for street riding in a few years.

Yes, even the girl wants a street bike (I raise my kids right  [Dolph]). Have been looking at an Aprilia RS50 to start them on now. But I think they need this offroad time first.

get them xr100s!

First let me say, good onya for giving your kids this opportunity.

  Over here in the land of Oz we have schools that will take kids through the basics to advanced levels, they also provide everything that you need like helmets, body armour, boots and even the bikes, they are professionals that run them.

The beauty of this is it takes the frustration out of teaching and also the expence of buying bikes and gear when the kids say they dont want to do it anymore.
They also give advice on what gear to buy.

Hope you can find something like that in your area.





                                          Mmick

thanks for the idea. I'll check around. My oldest speaks German so I know I can look offbase for that, and the 14yr old is learning german so this is a good opportunity for him to practice.

here in the US...alo of the dirt stuff of 2011 is on massive clearance for relatively cheap...probably cost you no more then $150 per person for a basic set-up of stuff...mind you...not going to be the upper eschelon on boots or helmets(meaning not Sidi or Arai), but good stuff nonetheless from name brand companies...Fox, MSR, TLD, etc...

as far as bike, Brix rightly suggested the XR100/CRF100...but a couple other models worthy of looking at are the DR-Z 125L and the TT-R 125L as well as the upper end to end the CRF-150F

There's a lot of moto gear in kid/young adult sizes on e-bay. Kids outgrow the stuff long before it would wear out, so there's a big churn market.

what would be the basic kit if you were to put your 14yr old on the bike?

helmet
boots
gloves
pants
shirt
chest armor?
elbows?
knees?

when i rode it was just a helmet, chest armor kit, gloves and boots with motorcross pants and shirt.
but the other gear is new to me. there are several types of chest/core armor now.
some shirts that integrate all of it.
do the pants leave room for knee armor?

The pants are big and baggyish - you can fit armor under them. There's even knee braces specifically for moto.

I'd suggest something for the elbows and knees. Much of the time when you come down it's going to be on an elbow or knee.

Don't forget goggles if they are wearing MX helmets.

basic kit would be a chest protector, helmet and googles, gloves, and a jersey with elbow padding, with some sort of boot that has no loose lacing and a measure of ankle protection...Jeans can suffice in the beginning with some general knee pads....be nice to upgrade the chest protector rig to a compression jacket with all the back,chest,shoulder,kidney and elbow padding built in, but that raises the price a bit.

thanks. basically what I was looking for.

there are some quasi affordable knee braces out there as well.  Having jacked my knee up twice riding dirt, i wish I had worn them sooner.

I picked up a used XR70r for my daughter for her 12th birthday this summer, and then I took her to buy gear, which ended up costing more than I expected.  What made it worse was I decided I'd better get a dirt bike for myself as well, and then more gear, and the next thing I knew...  yikes!  I'm sure I spent over $800.00 on gear alone for each of us, nevermind the bikes.  Shirts, pants, boots, kneepads, helmets, goggles, etc.  The girl who sold us the gear (a 16 year old who has raced MX for years) said not to bother with elbow pads or chest protectors, FWIW.

I'm hoping that it pays off in the long run...  so far, she has enjoyed the little bit of riding we have done.  I'm sure next year, when we have a full season, I will have a better idea.

yeah basically been thinking the same thing.
the wife is going to get her motorcycle endorsement when we go back to the states so I may end up with 2 more bikes... then the 9 year and 8 year olds will want one...
then the 15 yr old may get hers street endorsement next summer.

i need to find extra income soon for the helmets and boots alone.

I bought an 03 XR70 for $600 and an 84 KX60 for $275.  Both start by the second kick and they are an absolute blast!  The KX hauls my 220lb butt around like buttah and wants to lift the front wheel in gears 1-3.

The XR came with boots, gloves, pants and jersey.  See if you can get the sellers to throw that stuff in.  The kid who it used to belong to was about 6'3" tall and probably should have sold it 2 years prior.  He was saving up for a 125.

Funny story:
My friend decided he wanted to take the KX for a spin.....he mounted up and flipped out the kick starter.  "Oh yeah, watch out for the kick ((((BAM)))) starter......sometimes it will bite you" I said as my friend winced in pain.  Second kick (((BAM))), it caught him in the shin AGAIN, in the exact same spot!! 

He handed the bike back to me as he winced literally for the next five minutes tears in his eyes.  He had a goose egg on his shin that was bruised, bloody and hard to look at.

He ran the Marine Corp marathon the following (last) weekend......time was 4:30......the previous year he ran it in 3:40something.  Said he cursed that frickin KX all 26.2 Miles, still hurts like a muther F-er!!!

i hear different bikes recommended, but what about sizes.
I've seen smaller bikes 14 in or 15in front and 17in front etc.
what is best for kids about 5' 7"

the ones I suggested are all large wheel bikes, as I figured your kids weren't small when you previously mentioned their ages.

IMO the largest bike they can flat-foot as long as it's still light. (Don't ask me how I know this...  ;))

I would never recommend riding w/o a chest/back protector.  It only takes 1 shot to the chest from a master cylinder to convince you of their worth.  As others have said, you can get almost complete gear sets for not much $$.  Check Rocky mountain atv/mc. They have pretty good prices and selection.
Good luck!