Kids dirtbike questions.

[mxz]

I am thinking of getting my 7 year old son a dirt bike. Has anyone owned any of the Chinese knockoff kids dirtbikes? Are they any good? Or should I hold out for a CRF50, KTM50 or similar? Any other opinions for a starter dirt bike? Riding would just be around our property.
Thanks

[Sadz]

Keep in mind, you get what you pay for!!! Where do you live?

[AGAVE]

Having seen many kids learn to ride, i'm gonna toss my opinion in here.

Things to keep in mind.
He's gonna crash the thing 50 times in the first day if he's a daredevil like most of my friends kids.
The cheap chinese machine costs 250$, won't go very fast, will be lighter to pick up and once he's a better rider you can give it away.
As long as you keep oil in it and don't overheat it, give it some cool down time on hot days, they provide plenty of fun.
Those 110cc bikes are tall enough for a 7 year old and will go fast enough to scare him.
If he's still interested next year, buy him a better bike.

Most important, a bunch of gear, shin guards, elbows, plus the usual moto stuff, helmet, boots, eye protection etc..you won't believe the crashes they somehow manage to get themselves into.

[rmemedic]

Start out on something like a CRF50 or PW50 just to get the feel down. It will keep him interested for at least this year, kids don't care how "fast" the bike is, they just want to ride. You'll be able to sell if next year for what you paid for it pretty much.

Advise, get full gear because if he gets hurt he might shy away from the sport.
No pressure on the kid, keep it fun and exciting and he'll do great!

[blackcamaro]

Buy a used name brand bike and when you go to sell you will get most of your money back.

Chinese bikes= bic lighter, it runs out of gas you throw it out

Honda, Suzuki etc = Zippo, keep it for life and always worth something

[nakkers]

Good gear is key.

Bike is debatable. Depends on how much use you'll get out of it. Cheap is disposable but, even the good stuff gets beat up pretty easy or becomes worthless if it costly to repair.

I prefer quality brand names I recognize and be patient and scope out something used. Make sure it runs good, see it go through the gears and all the mechanicals work well.

Or get a cheapo Chinese make and run it until she doesn't go no more.

I started out on a KX80 with no rear fender and took a few kicks to get running but, she was a good place to start. But, I wouldn't care what it said on the gas tank, as long as I had a ride was all that was important to me.


Good luck!

[You Know]

At age 7 if they r tall enough I'd say go for the crf50 or a used xr,zr50. They can all be goverened to go turtle slow but are plenty fast for adult fun too. Alot of people go the low $$$ route with these chinese knock offs, the knockoffs do not crash well! Spend 1000bux on a used Honda and in 3 years when your child outgrows it you can sell it for 1000! Yep, it's true, they hold their value. Anyone who has owned a honda 50 can attest to their "bulletproof" status. The one I currently own was dropped a zillion times in the "learn to ride program", fires first kick everytime and hauls my phat a## around! A buddy bought a chinese heap for 300bux, first time it hit the ground the engine case cracked open(brittle cheap material used). Mine has hit the ground with momentum and the weight of a grown man with nothing more than scratches. Honda 50 all the way, look no further! : )

[zeniceguy]

We have a suzuki 50cc dirt bike that has been riden by all the kids and all the adults over the last 10+ years and it has never needed 1 thing.
My son also has a chiner made 49cc quad, I hve replaced the rip cord many times and now after 2 very light seasons on it the rear axle bearing is warn out.

If you want to see if there into off roading, then a couple hundred is good to spend to find out. it wont be wurth a cent when done. if you buy a used name braned it will be better then the china bike and you could still sell it later.

[omnivore]

Had china pocket bikes-they were broken more than they were running.

Our Honda and Yamaha minibikes all run like the day they were built.

Also, do some research on OSET electric trials bikes. My 4 yr old loves his. It's the 12.5" model (24V), but there's a larger 16.5" model with 36V and disc brakes.

[canuckwr250]

I have helped put together some of these chinese bikes for a guy that works with me.They dont come with any torque specs so you basically tighten all the nuts and bolts and guess that they are tight enough.The clutch and brake pull was very hard and material used on the whole bike was very cheap,he also had some brand new machines that needed carbs replaced because they where not working.There are some better ones out there but you are paying the same money as a name brand bike.I bought a Honda 50 for my kids in 1998 and 5years later I sold it for what I paid for it.

[D23]

I would try to get a KTM or Honda 50 used as well. You can always sell them when the kids grow out of them and not take too hard of a hit. I stated on an RM80 at age 7 and it was too big but I grew into it. Depends on how much he wants it compared to how much you want him to have it, ya know. Kids are notorious for wanting drums/guitars/hockey gear etc. but use it once and then it sits in the garage.

Your kid, your call.

Hope he does like it and is good at it. Best thing in the world is a dad who flips the bill in the early days to get you a head start. I was CMA pro by 14 and loved motocross more than anything thanks to my dads efforts. Probably the only thing we had in common through my teenage years.

[trevi]

Boy, have we ever progressed since I first started riding. We all rode the cheap Rupp bikes, with pull start engines when I started. We actually had to work on them ourselves sometimes as well. KTM as a first bike?... today's kids are living the high life.

[mxz]

Thanks for all the info guys. I don't want to be fixing a knock off bike all the time, I will be finding him a name brand dirt bike. My son will definately ride it if I buy him one, been asking for a couple years now. He has had a Mini Skidoo since 4 and he will ride that thing all day if I let him. Same with his bicycle, he's been on 2 wheels since he turned 4.

[CDNgsxr]

Does anyone know where to find a used name brand 50. I started looking for my 4 year old last month and havent had much luck. I went too see a few but they were mostly trashed and asking too much. Thanks

[promac]

Stick with Honda, Yamaha or Suzuki - don't bother looking at KTM - it's too high strung for a new rider and expensive - spend the money on safety gear instead.

[promac]

Does anyone know where to find a used name brand 50. I started looking for my 4 year old last month and havent had much luck. I went too see a few but they were mostly trashed and asking too much. Thanks

eBay, kijiji, craigslist, bike-trader - check out the 50/fiddy forums as well.

[j2]

For sure get a brand name. I bought a chinese knock off and spent more time working on it than my kids were riding it. You can't get parts either so after spending hundreds of bucks on its its throwaway. I couldn't even give it away, had to take it to dump.

My son is a year older than yours and I ended up getting a used CRF50 when he was 7. I just put gas in it and go, its Brilliant. And at least when they move up there is a good market for the CRF so you will get your money back

There are two for sale in the for sale section on this board

[CDNgsxr]

thanks!