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Dirt bikes for me and my and my son

trevor

trevor

Forum Guru
Past Site Supporter
Hi guys, been thinking about getting dirt bikes for me and my boy for a while and thought I would ask for some advice here.
My son is 10 and the only riding experience he has is he had a cheap Chinese 50cc quad that he rode a bit and I have taken him to the local motocross track a couple of times where we rented a crf150 for me and a crf50 then a crf70 for my son. He of course loved it.
At xmas I told him that he would have to pay for half of his bike when we get one. He had $300 saved and I said he would need at least 500 as he would need the proper gear too. Well if he doesn't get $340 from various sources for xmas.:eek: I don't want to ride at at motocross track (too hard on my body) I want to do trail riding like I did when I was a kid. The Honda crf 70 (auto, no clutch) looks like it would fit the bill the best for him. A good used one (2006) here is around 900-950 so it's in the budget. For me I'm thinking 4 stroke 250cc to 350cc not sure what brand.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated as I have not been in the dirt bike market for 3 decades. Oh and my budget for my bike would be 2 grand tops and his $1200 tops.
Thanks,
Trevor
 
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Why the automatic?
Kids learn to shift gears easily enough.
For cheap you can't go wrong with a DR 250 or DR 350.
 
Dirt bike suggestions for me and my son

Dirt bike suggestions for me and my son

tkent02 said:
Why the automatic?
Kids learn to shift gears easily enough.
For cheap you can't go wrong with a DR 250 or DR 350.
Click to expand...

Sorry Kent shouldn't have said automatic. Your right, good idea for him to learn how to shift. I just don't want him to have to worry about using a clutch on his first bike, want to make it as fun and easy as possiable first to get his confidence up before going bigger (which I'm sure won't be long:eek:). Yeah the DR's do look like a good solution for me. Probably the 350 for my fat azz (215ibs):).
Thanks for the reply Kent, apprreciate that.:)
 
He won't worry, he's a kid.
Shifting is fun.
The 250 and 350 DR are identical except for the displacement.
 
+1 on getting a bike with a clutch, so much more fun and he'll learn fast. A crf80f would be nice.
 
evan132 said:
+1 on getting a bike with a clutch, so much more fun and he'll learn fast. A crf80f would be nice.
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I hear you but my boy is a bit timid and will need to feel confident pretty quickly. And I know the Honda 70 seems to have a great reputation as a starter bike. I'm still feeling this out though. I want to make a good decision. Most importantly, I want my boy to have fun.
 
I could understand this overly done preoccupation of making everything safe and comfy for him if he was like 5 y.o. But, I don't understand it at all at 10.

There is no better time to learn about using a clutch than on a little guttless bike....now.

I am appalled at today's crop of, supposedly, future taxpayers who can exhibit these "lightening-fast" video game reflexes....but, then fall well short in the real world.

Whatever...good luck.
 
At 10 or 11 years old, I bought my son a Honda CRF 80. Very tame 4 stroke bike.

A couple years later a Kawasaki 125 4 stroke, another tame bike that was definately not over powered.

The following year, a Honda CR85R two stroke.......holy s*** hold on!

He is 16 now and doesn't care about bikes!!
 
Kids

Kids

My son started on a PW50 at 4 years old, that got stolen, got him a XR70, rode that for 2years and when he was 10 he had an XR80. Rode that a couple of years, lost interest in bikes until he turned 16 then announced " When I get my driver's license I want a bike". So now he rides a 1991 CBR600F2. The early years on dirt made me feel tons better about him getting on a street bike. Now we take rides together. And we're both looking for dirt bikes again.:D
 
Maddevill said:
My son started on a PW50 at 4 years old, that got stolen, got him a XR70, rode that for 2years and when he was 10 he had an XR80. Rode that a couple of years, lost interest in bikes until he turned 16 then announced " When I get my driver's license I want a bike". So now he rides a 1991 CBR600F2. The early years on dirt made me feel tons better about him getting on a street bike. Now we take rides together. And we're both looking for dirt bikes again.:D
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Yes Maddevil, I agree with you. A main reason for getting my boy a dirtbike (besides him wanting one) is so that if one day he wants a street bike he will have learned valuable skills from riding in the dirt. He will have also learned that falling down can hurt and have respect for that feeling. Therefore learn the importance of wearing proper gear all the time and make him uncomfortable without it. I have always maintained that people who don't wear helmets, most likely never rode dirt bikes. IMO:)
 
My first dirt bike was a mid 70's Honda TL125. What a blast that thing was, took it out on logging roads and did some trail riding, could climb a tree with it almost. I think I was probably 11 or 12 when I got it, was stupid easy to ride. Learned a lot from it, both how to ride and some very basic mechanics. Still want its big brother, the TL250.
 
I don't know about your area but look into taking a dirtbike course first. The one I took my daughters too let my eldest try a bike with a clutch first and then dropped down to an automatic when she had more problems working the throttle then the clutch. Worked out well and you'll be able to see how he'll take to it before spending the money. Plus, it's a controlled course that will only go as fast as you are willing to go (at least for us it was).
 
You will not regret riding with your son. Some of the best times my boy and I spent together was on bikes. Hands down some of the best memories ever!
He is 19 now and started riding when he was 5 on a PW80, then a KX60, then a CR80 and now has a YZ125. They out grow em quick!
If you start him on a "easy" bike just for comfort he'll out grow it in the first season. He needs something to grow into. Kids catch on quickly, very quickly. He will enjoy riding a clutch bike soooooo much more.

Oh yeah, you.. Find a mid 90's Honda XR. Awesome bikes for the trails.
 
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Trevor, keep in mind that no matter what bike you get for yourself it only has to keep up with a 10 year old newbe. Over on ThumperTalk I'm amazed at how many guys buy 450 mx bikes so they can ride with the kids on their PW & CRF 50's. Talk about a waste of power. That said a DR-200 or a TTR-230 will easily haul your 215 pounds around at kid speed (and more). A friend of mine is actually a pound or so under 200 and does amazingly well on a Yamaha TTR-230.

So before you buy a bike for yourself, be sure to factor in the possibility of riding with guys your own age. If that'll never happen then any air cooled trail bike will do, and I would favor the Yamaha TTR-230 (w/disk front brake!) or a Honda CRF-230. The DR-250/350 and the Honda XR-250 both have a reputation for being hard starting pigs. If you catch a deal on an old electric start DR-350 (the last few years had that) or even an early DRZ-400, go for it. But only go for the DRZ-400 if you are tall, at 5'7" I just wasn't tall enough and ended up selling my old '05 DRZ-400s.

And that leads us to your son. If he's safely ridden a CRF-70 before then you will be fine with any 70cc trail bike ~ pick your color. No matter what you buy in two years it'll be too small and too slow for him. Keep it in good condition and it'll be worth almost the same as what you originally paid for it.
 
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My hard starting pig DR 350 takes one kick, two if it hasn't run in a month or two.
It's all in the maintenance.

My wife's DR 200 hauled my 6'4" buddy up some 11,000' passes in Colorado a few months ago just fine. He had a blast on it.
 
tkent02 said:
My hard starting pig DR 350 takes one kick, two if it hasn't run in a month or two.
It's all in the maintenance.

My wife's DR 200 hauled my 6'4" buddy up some 11,000' passes in Colorado a few months ago just fine. He had a blast on it.
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I'm glad yours starts well!, but I personally know of two other riders that sold their kick only DR-350's because they wouldn't start consistantly. You'll discover the same deal on ThumperTalk, some start in one kick, others need to be push started off a mountain before they'll start.

Pretty cool that your wife's bike made it up any 11,000 foot pass! (really!), at that elevation it probably wasn't putting out much more power than a DRZ-70. Stock and at sea level I think a DR-200 is only pushing 24Hp ~ maybe.
 
If you want dirt only, I might look at an old IT yamaha. Cheap and fun. For a dual sport, you need a 350 in order to not be a hood ornament on the street. I have a XT250 and a XL250. E start is super convenient.

Modern bikes require you to slide up on the tank to turn them. That is why the seat goes so far up. My ATK490 and DRZ400S both plow unless you are putting or you slide forward in a turn. Its OK, I just didn't figure it out at first. I like my DRZ350S best of my dual sports. Probably would like the Honda XL600 best with E start. If you don't want to haul ass over rough terrain, don't get a race bike with lights like a KTM, new Husky, or my ATK. You need speed and skill to make them work.

I learned to ride a hand clutch bike at 10 years old. Your boy can do that too, but you may want something physically larger for him soon anyway.

The old school dual sports are less capable, but more user friendly.
 
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zig06 said:
Stock and at sea level I think a DR-200 is only pushing 24Hp ~ maybe.
Click to expand...

Probably more like 16 or 18 at sea level, don't know, never ridden it there…

At 6,000 to 12,000 ft, it has not got much power, but it will get you there with a grin on your face...

No wheelying past KTMs or anything, but it will get you there.
 
trevor said:
I don't want to ride at at motocross track (too hard on my body)...
Click to expand...
OK, Gramps...What are ya, 70 years old?:p And here I thought you were young...;)

trevor said:
I have always maintained that people who don't wear helmets, most likely never rode dirt bikes. IMO:)
Click to expand...
You'd be wrong. I started on dirt bikes back in the 70s and we never wore helmets...
Jean jacket, jeans and tennis shoes...not even gloves. Fell down a lot, didn't hurt much.
Ya bounce good when you're young...:D

Wasn't 'til I felt old and fragile that I started gearing up...(That, and they made wear gear at the track;))
 
tkent02 said:
Probably more like 16 or 18 at sea level, don't know, never ridden it there?

At 6,000 to 12,000 ft, it has not got much power, but it will get you there with a grin on your face...

No wheelying past KTMs or anything, but it will get you there.
Click to expand...

The 200 is rated at 15bhp here. A great little bike with an engine that runs like a sewing machine. For the father - son thing I would buy a DR125 for him and a 200 for me. Both have electric start and as long as you change the oil every now and then, keep on top of the valve clearances (really easy) and keep the rear suspension linkages well greased they'll last forever.
 
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