What age is appropriate to let kids ride

[ctrider]

Hi folks

I know that a lot of factors come into play, but I was just wondering
how some went about it and what results were had.I have a daughter who will be 10 yrs old come spring, and a son who will be 8 years old come spring. I am itching to let them go ( don't want to be killed by the wife though) but if they fall, they may not want to get back on for a while.
My sons feet don't get anywhere near the ground, so I guess that would be the first pre-requisite eh.
Mike from Montreal

[bjatwood]

This is a loaded question for sure!
I started riding one of these bikes when I was about 10.
It seems that the HONDA hand brakes help kids learn to stop, if you can teach your kids to stop a bicycle with the hand brakes that helps to teach them also. I would ride along with the kids when your teaching them just in case you need to take control of the bike. That is what my Dad did when I started riding a Mini Trail. when he felt I was capable enough to do it on my own, he let me go.
My 2 cents worth.

Brian

[hornetgod]

I started out on a trail 70 at 10 years of age. It took me a while to get the hang of the 4 speed clutch but these bikes are excellent for first time learners. I imagine a 3 speed semi auto would be even easier to learn on.

[hondaman]

I started out at about 9 or ten with a tube framed little minibike from Montgomery Wards. I don't know if any of you out there remember those. It had a lawnmower engine on it , 5 hp i think. It had a pull start and it also was automatic. I didn't get a real minibike {Honda CT 1970} until I was 12. I would say not to let your kids ride a Honda unless their feet can touch the ground. They do go 35 to 40mph so they are not exactly a toy.
I guess it all comes down to just how big they are and how responsible.

[ckyle29]

My boy started riding when he was three on a Honda CRF50 with training wheels. He is six now and his feet are just about able to touch the ground so the training wheels will be going soon. If he rode more, he'd probably be off the trainers already but as of yet he doesn't even ride his bicycle without training wheels.

That being said, my opinion is that a CT70 is too tall of a bike for most kids under the age of 10. The CRF also has a throttle limiter so they can't go any faster than your heart can take. You can get a used one for about $800 and when he outgrows that there is already an XR70 in the shed waiting for him. That is the route I'd recommend and then your CT70 does get all torn up.

[XSIVE]

A friend of mine had one of those little minibikes from Montgomery Wards. It was cool and we were riding it thru the fields at around 8 or 9. I got my CT70 when I was around 10. By the time I was 12 I was riding an XL100 as well.

Just like when you buy a bike, you have to get a size that will fit you. Too tall and you can not start and stop well. Too small and it affects your riding style somewhat. Also their motor skills make a difference. My sister even at 14 couldn't ride without crashing every 25 feet.

My 2 nephews at ages 5 and 7 both have CRF70's with training wheels and do well.

The wide seat on a CT70 makes it a better fit for taller kids and adults.

[ctrider]

Thanks for the tips
My daughters legs touch the ground but I don't think she is ready yet.
She is game, but not ready.
The crf50 sounds great, but with the recent purchase of my 2 first ct 70's
It is not in the budget.

Best regards Mike

[makotosun]

I too had one of the Monkey Wards twin tube minis I got at 8. We lived on a farm and it soon bit the dust as it was a pretty lame build. Got the Z50 hardtail (red hardtail with lights!) at 9 and rode it all over the property, gravel roads, etc, no helmet without incident.

My son just turned 6 and he is pretty short for his age. He has been riding a TRX70 solo for about a year now. It has a throttle limiter like the CRF's do, so I keep him reasonably slow and ride along.

He just graduated on his bicycle to no training wheels, and is still a bit shaky, but I am building a Z50R for him to ride next. I have a set of those training wheels off of E-bay that you can rotate up a bit as he learns to balance better. I will govern the throttle too plus it has an electric start Lifan 50cc Semi Auto.



I think the CT is still a bit tall for him.

I expect he will be going solo without trainers by next summer. that is, if he can get at least a foot on the ground :

My wife frets a lot about it, but he wears a full coverage helmet and is actually a pretty careful kid. The theory is to teach them early to ride well, so when they get bigger and decide to get a bit crazy, they will at least have a modicum of skill to deal with it!

He also has an XR70 in the shed awaiting his graduation from the Z - though I will probably put some heavy shocks on it to motor around with him on his Z

[racerx]

I'm a firm beliver in beginning the learning process as early as is practical. In a few years, the advantages of the early training will be readily apparent. Most of the best riders got their starts early in life.

Seems like things are progressing along very well with your young rider training program. Short of keeping your kids in an hermetically sealed room, clad head-to-toe in Nerf suits, getting hurt once in a while is just part of life; a spill, at some point, is inevitable. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I mean how else does a rider learn to respect the limits other than seeing, firsthand, that the machine has real teeth & claws? Between a decent helmet and keeping the speeds low, odds are that any crash is going to be mild and the injuries superficial. From your descriptions, there won't be many riding mishaps.

[ghunt]

Most motocrosser's start at 4 on Yamaha PW's and 3 with training wheels. Just get good equipment so all you can here is plastic when they fall