Bikes for Kids

[Mduc]

I have a questions for parents who are getting their kids early on bikes.

My son will be 4 this October. Last year we got him a 4x4 which he is also riding this summer but I can see that he is definately ready for something more. I went to a Honda dealer last Saturday and they had the little 50cc dirtbikes with training wheels on them. Size wise he definately will be tall enough for it but at 4 1/2 yrs old (by next summer) will he be ready for something like that?

When I spoke to the salesman, he informed me that they are automatics but you still shift gears. I am not sure how many gears it has 2 or 3? I asked how fast they go and he said about 20 to 25 mph. For me that is scary fast for a 4 yearl old. He said that the 50cc are for kids 12 and older but I can't see how a 12 year old would fit on a tiny thing like that.

I got him a bicycle which is still with the training wheels attached and I will try to teach him to ride it without training wheels by the end of this summer before I even think of the dirt bike.

I guess I am asking, how young is too young? He might be tall for his age but hes still only 3 1/2. How old were some of your kids when they started something like this?

[Porsche Monkey]

I have been wanting to get my four year old the same thing but they have a ban on em right now because of too much lead content.  Where are you located?

[ScottRNelson]

Look for a Yamaha PW-50 Y-Zinger.  They've been making those for a long time.  One gear and designed specifically for little kids since all it has is gas and brakes.  They come with a bolt that can limit throttle action too, so that they won't go very fast until the rider has the skills to deal with it.  They're not really that fast, although the one I used to have was clocked with a top speed of 27 mph, which took a long time to reach.

It is my opinion that kids have no business on little motorcycles until they can ride a bicycle without training wheels.  I usually started my kids out with training wheels that kept them fairly upright, then I raised them a bit and we practiced seeing how far they could ride without the training wheels touching the ground.  Once they could go quiet a ways like that I took them off.  One of my daughters never bothered with training wheels, she started riding a neighbor's bicycle when she was five and just picked it up no problem.

I know that there are kids as young as three years old who can ride the little motorcycles fairly well, but I happen to think they should be more like six years old before really getting into it.

I'm still wondering at what point I should buy some more small bikes for my grandchildren.

[bluemoco]

I bought a Honda CRF50F for my son for his 6th birthday.  I also got the 'training' wheel kit.

It's a great little bike, but my son was really too young for it at 6yo -- even though he was able to ride a 2-wheel bike at 5yo.  His confidence has grown, though, and now that he's 9, he's very capable of riding the moto.

Looking back, I probably would've been better off buying a Yamaha PW50 (like Scott suggested above) or just waiting another year on the Honda.  The PW50 is a great little learner bike.  They're smaller and easier to handle for a 6yo kid, and they're all over on Craigslist for ~$600.

Footnote - all of the youth bikes mentioned here have speed governors on the throttle handle.  Makes it easy to keep the speeds down.

Lately, I've had my eye on a Polaris RZR 170...   

[Mduc]

Thanks for the feedback. I live in NJ and I think they might have changed that lead law because at the start of the year when I went there they weren't selling them unless they said screw the law and are selling them anyway.

The guy said that on the Honda you cant restrict the speed and that was a concern. I know that I wont even think about putting him on it untill he can comfortably ride a bicycle without the training wheels.

I will look into the Yamahas, but I definately want to get it only once I see that he is ready for something like this.

[silentbob]

My son started with a PW-50 at two and now he has a TTR-50.

[Goldeneye]

My son started on a CRF50 at about 4 1/2 years old.

He was told he had to ride his pedal bike without training wheels before he got on the motorcycle.  He was riding the motorcycle within a week.

On the Honda you CAN limit the speed with a screw on the throttle assembly.  It is also a three speed semi-auto transmission.  When he was learning put him in first and let him be.  I didn't show him how to shift for about half of his first riding season.

And remember ATGATT.  He has taken a bunch of falls.  Never been hurt or wanted off the bike for more than a quick break.

All kids are different, you'll have to figure out where yours is at.  My six year old just started riding this year...