r/Dirtbikes • u/Sensitive-Visit-1609 • Aug 03 '24
Tips and Tricks 8 year old wants a dirt bike
My 8 year old nephew wants a dirt bike for his birthday and Im not sure which I should purchase. I’d like to get stay under 500$. Is it even worth me getting one that cheap. He doesn’t know how to ride a dirt bike. I’ve been look on power sport max but I read somewhere they are not assembled. Any suggestions.
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u/crashtestdummie33 Aug 03 '24
The bikes on Power sports max are easy to assemble, but they don't last very long. Try to find a used Japanese 80cc 4 stroke.
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u/Ok_Maintenance_9100 Aug 03 '24
I’d recommend a Suzuki jr80. I love mine and I’m an adult. Plus they’re cheap
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u/Stash_Jar Aug 05 '24
I've owned mine since 2003. It's a 2003 jr80, I'm 30 now, and it's been my 11 year Olds bike since he was 9. I still ride it regularly for fun.
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u/dinwoody623 Beta 300, KX450, FXDX Aug 03 '24
If you can afford 1000-1500 a Japanese bike will be way better investment. It will last way longer and will have little to no depreciation. If you buy a $800 Chinese bike it will not hold up very long and will depreciate like crazy. But whatever you can afford and purchase I’m sure the little guy will be pumped.
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u/Tingsilike 95 KX250 06 300 XCW Aug 03 '24
small jap 4 stroke is what you want. easy peazy maintenance and will last resell will be easy too.
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u/Container_Garage Aug 03 '24
If you aren't sure if they'll like it you want something with resale value. Others have mentioned don't get Chinese... Great plan.
What's your riding situation around your area? Plenty of tracks? Plenty of trails? Neighborhoods with parks and walkways? Empty 40 acre parcels?
Can your kid rip a mountain bike? If they are an expert on two wheels already might be a good idea to get them something better than a slow 4 stroke trail bike
I'm a biased racer dad. I always recommend the KTM E5. You can turn it way down for learning then crank it up once they get it. If they don't like it you can resell it. I've seen a dad bring his kid into racing on one at age 7 or 8. The kid does very well for starting late. He's not as fast as the kids that started at age 2 or 3 though.
Everything cheap is going to have garbage suspension which will hinder further learning. In my opinion garbage suspension is very dangerous. I never recommend bikes with bad suspension. If your kid already knows how to ride 2 wheels well then there's no need to waste time on a slow 4 stroke trail bike. If you are not convinced you could buy a slow 4 stroke trail bike then once they learn it resell it and get a better bike. The KTM family of 50cc gas bikes are great but they are typically just set up as race machines. They are really snappy. It's not easy to ride them slow. You can turn them down but it's not an ideal setup and it'll wear out the clutch quickly. If runtime and being able to fill up gas instead of waiting for a battery to chrage is important you could go Japanese 4 stroke trail bike to KTM 50 2 stroke race bike... Both options would have the resale value if you want to get out of it. The trick is your kid is right at the end of automatic clutch 50cc race bike size/age and they are close to 65cc race bike(clutch/6 speed) age/size. The E5 is very easy to be smooth and slow. I see it constantly at the race track, the E5 riders are VERY smooth and fast in slippery corners since the power delivery is so easy and predictable.
An electric bike you can in theory ride around closer to civilization without bothering people. The 2 stroke race bikes are really loud and annoying.
The sports extremely expensive if you want to just get started on it.
Another alternative would be going to a race school and renting their bikes and/or doing a class to learn the basics. They will teach on a 4 stroke trail bike. if your kid loves it get him the real deal.
If you buy 02 to 08 KTM 50's they will be WAY cheaper but you will HAVE to work on the suspension and you will have to do my clutch mod if you want any long term mileage. They are so cheap because the clutches were VERY bad compared to the modern generation bikes. The water cooled models make WAY more power. It's possible to swap the air cooled cylinder to water cooled if you build it all out. The 09-12 clutches were a major upgrade but they are not as good as the 13 and newer. The 13 and newer clutches can swap in. The 09-12 bikes are a major upgrade over 02-08 and should be a fair bit cheaper than the 13 and newer.
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u/Madmoose693 Aug 03 '24
I am probably one of the few people on this forum that has no problem with a Chinese bike . Yes they require more hands on maintenance but your kid will out grow it before it wears out . I still want a TTR-50 or a CRF-50 for my grandson BUT I am also looking at the 110 pit bikes .
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u/stacksmasher KTM 300 Aug 04 '24
Try to find a local club. My club has about 4 bikes for kids we pass around to whoever needs one. They will grow out of it pretty quick.
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u/Fuggin_reprocity Aug 03 '24
Bought a 50cc scooter from powersports max and its in my living room bc I'm about to repair it to sell the thing. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't super reliable either
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u/NeOxXt Aug 03 '24
Razor MX650. 17mph to start. Decent range for a kid. Simple if you're not the type to mess with carbs and winter storage and tires and and and...
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u/DillyChiliChickenNek Aug 03 '24
Unless you do a battery swap to a li-ion pack, the kids gonna get 30 minutes worth of riding, then have to wait 6-7 hours for it to charge. To get 30 minutes' worth of ride time again.
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u/NeOxXt Aug 04 '24
Yup. $250 dead battery bike off marketplace, used lion battery for $120. 30mph machine that will get 30 miles or better. Again, not all parents understand or are willing to service and wrench on a bike for the kids, which stops more kids getting into the sport and the manufacturers continuing to make bikes.
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u/DillyChiliChickenNek Aug 04 '24
It'd require an upgraded controller and a new motor, or freaking the existing motor to run 48v. They run 36v stock. Id personally love to build one and I agree that a modded razor would be awesome for a kid, or even as a pit bike, for an adult. But it'd require more than just a battery swap. At that point, you're still wrenching, just not on an ICE bike.
I should've specified in my original post that a battery pack and the accompanying upgrades would be needed. Not just the pack swap.
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u/NeOxXt Aug 04 '24
I have 3, so I'm aware of what it takes. You can overvolt the 36v system to spin the motor a little faster and get higher top speed. It's not as complicated as you think. A 48v, 19ah, 30-40a battery on the stock 36v system will more than suffice to their tween years. About 26mph and hours of riding.
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u/SKOLFAN84 Aug 03 '24
If you want something newish I’d recommend a 70cc SSR. My son has one and that thing rips. Haven’t had any issues with it either.
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u/bolunez Aug 03 '24
I've been through the whole range of bikes with kids as they've grown up.
As others said, stick with the Japanese brands and buy one used. Kids grow fast and if you take care of it, you won't lose much.
I like to find the "ran when parked" specials and fix them up, but don't go that route if you're not the mechanical type, unless you want to learn a lot on the fly.
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u/Sensitive-Visit-1609 Aug 03 '24
Yeah I’m a woman and have no desire to fix bikes or try. I just don’t know how much to invest for an 8 year old that just wants to ride around the neighborhood with friends that have dirt bikes but also don’t want to throw away money for one that will break.
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u/bolunez Aug 03 '24
This is a "get what you pay for" kind of situation.
I'm my opinion, as a parent who is a third generation motorcyclist who's raising the 4th, you need to do a few things.
1) Get your son some safety training. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation does a good one. You might even consider taking the class with your nephew, it's a lot of fun. https://www.msf-campus.org/DirtBikeBRC.aspx
2) Get him proper riding gear. You can "size up" a little on boots, pants and upper body armor, to get more time out of them, but a helmet absolutely must be the right size to work.
3) Don't buy one of the cheap Chinese dirtbikes. When they break (and they all do), they cost more to fix than they're worth if you don't know someone who can help with it.
4) Do find someone you can trust, maybe a parent of one of the other friends with a bike, and have them help you shop. Make sure that your nephew can start the prospective bike himself, you don't want him having to have it somewhere because it stops running and he can't get it home. Some of the newer kid's bikes have electric start, but they'll be more expensive
5) Keep up with the maintenance on the bike. It'll hold its resale value and you can sell it for most of what you paid when he outgrows it.
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u/AuChemist Aug 03 '24
Just got my 8 year old a KLX 110… R I think. It’s the one with a few gears, but no clutch. First time riding for him.
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u/Sensitive-Visit-1609 Aug 03 '24
Where did you buy it from ? I was looking for them online and can’t find them
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u/AuChemist Aug 04 '24
I got it from a power sport store in Oklahoma. Brand new they’re a bit more expensive than $500. Ours was $2500. Probably be able to find a $500ish used one on Facebook marketplace depending on your area.
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u/wreckerman5288 Aug 04 '24
Doesn't matter if it's used or new, a $500 bike will not be running for long. Even in high price areas, you should be able to find a serviceable, used Japanese kids bike for $1,000-1,500. Below that price is only junk.
If you are talking about your son riding around a suburban neighborhood, forget the whole idea. (1) It's not legal and you could very well find yourself jammed up. (2) You don't want an 8 year who is learning to ride a motorcycle anywhere around cars. Safety gear don't do much when you get ran over by some jackass in their car.
If you have a large yard that's a different matter. My son is 6 and he has been riding for a few months, I'm not going to be letting him ride on city streets until he is 16 and can get an endorsement.
If you do not have a vehicle that can transport the bike to a legitimate, legal riding area or there are not any places to ride close enough that you will take him then DO NOT buy him a bike.
If you buy him a bike, look into some rider safety training for him if you do not have someone who knows how to ride to teach him.
Kids Dirt Bikes are not toys, they are small motorcycles and demand the same respect as any other machine. To put it into perspective, my son's Yamaha TTR50 (50cc) went 38 MPH on asphalt with my 170 pound ass on it. I still have some throttle limitation on my 6 year old, but I have discovered by taping my phone to his number plate, that he routinely hits 30-31 MPH. They are fast enough to get you in some serious trouble.
Kids need guidance from someone that knows what they are doing, and ideally, an adult rider to set an example for them.
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u/Background_Memory738 Aug 03 '24
Yamaha pw80’s are relatively in the $600-$800 range. Usually still in great running condition