Kids and dirtbikes question
 

OK, here is the question of the week..... My son is 3 years old and rides a bicycle, rides electric 4 wheelers, etc very well. I bought him a Suzuki jr50 last week and installed big training wheels, bought him full motocross gear and took him out in the back yard. He knows how to start the bike, how to use the brakes and throtlle, and know how to shut it off. He proceeds to ride slowly around the yard with me by his side for a while. Soon enough he is riding around the yard cautiously and using the brakes, taking the bike out of gear and shutting it off. No problems, he rides until dark with no incidents.

Next day we go out in the yard again, he rides for a few hours and his speeds stat to increase. I have the throttle limiter all the way in with the stop nut removed but because he is so small it still moves pretty well. I tell him to slow down but he liks to do things like skid up to me, etc. He is really doing well and burning all over the place but steadily increases his speed until I have to stop him and reprimand him. All good.

Few days later I take him to my mom's house in the country because she has a big fenced in yard with an elevated drain field in the side yard. he does very well and burns a tank of gas but again he is increasing his speeds to the point that I have to stop him and make him slow down. Soon enough he has created a track around the house that results in him getting a good long run at the end of the drain field where he jumps the damn thing! He doesnt jump very high or far but he is only 3 !! I have to slow him down again. Shortly thereafter I tell him to stop the bike because he is riding too fast and he refuses..... I have to grab the handlebars as he tries to get by me and of course he busts ***. Nothing big just fell off the side. He gets up and brushes himself off and says that he will never do that again. He takes a break. He wants to ride again before we leave so I let him. Again he is starting to really haul *** and jump the drain field, to the point that the whole bike is flying in the air. I gain tell him to slow down and he does. He eventually makes a mistake and crosses the drain field in a perpendicular direction and hits the fence. It was pretty ugly. The bike actually stuck the front wheel under the fence. When I ran to him his first words were " I broke the fence!!" , sure enough he pulled it loose. He got a nice rasberry on his shoulder that he loves to show to people and tell about his big crash.

Today he wants to ride in the back yard again. OK, no problem, we get the bike out and he starts doing laps. Faster and faster until I tell him to slow down. He does. The out of the blue he hauls *** staright at me, turns at the last second and runs right in to a palm tree on the side yard. I couldnt believe it. Of course my wife and the nanny see the whole thing and start ****ting bricks. he hits, goes over the bars and lands on his head. It was pretty ugly. He got the wind knocked out him but otherwise was fine. In fact he wanted to keep riding so I put his helmet back on and turned him loose. I was afraid that if I made a big deal out of the crash he would be traumatized. He rode around for a few minutes and said that he was done. I gave him a full look over and he has a few scrapes but says he is not sore. He wants to ride more!!! I said no, and put the bike away because we were kinda questioning whether I am being stupid letting him ride at such a young age.

Question for the parents or experienced in this area.... Am I doing this wrong?? At what age did you let your kids ride?? Did they wreck alot? Did yiour wife get upset??

I raced motocross for years and have seen kids a year older than him at the track jumping little doubles!!!

hamming for the camera

the rig

the back yard tree turn

High speed pass

The scene of the "Great fence debacle"

His first MX scar!

Yahh your lawn will look like crap in a few weeks! :D:D

Yeah, its already taking a beating. Sod is cheap though!!

I'm having flashbacks! My son,Dano , (Nelems Marine) also got a JR50 Suzuki when he was 3---homemade training wheels and all.Soon after his 4th b'day we learned to jump terrace rows in the pasture and soon after he was sporting a broken collarbone!He was right back on it till he got it right(Dano was the only one NOT traumatized by the crash).Now he is 28 years old with a family & he races around in new Formulas &38ZR Donzis with Magicfloat.:eek: :eek: :D

Thats pretty cool .... I'm toying with the idea of getting mine started on something this year ....he's 4 .... the problem with kids this age is the will do things just to test ya .... not stop when you tell them ect .... ???

Cool training wheels !!!!

Wanna slow him down?....take off those training wheels. The T-wheels are the problem because he is really riding a motorized three wheeler that goes and goes...seriously you wanna be careful letting a 3 y.o ride a bike like that with those training wheels. Most of the PW50's I have seen with t-wheels had ones similiar to that of a regular bike. Your T-wheels extend out quite a ways which create more stability but also act as something that can hit a tree, rock etc and send him flying.

I started my boys out at 5-6 using a Honda Z50 with NO training wheels. It is important for the kids to gain respect for the machine they ride and that includes tipping, spills, crashes etc. Bikes act much different when only two wheels are on the ground. I doubt he is to that point to cruise on only the two wheels and if he does, might be too young to figure out when trouble is near and might end up hurting himself.

My boys are all riding (12 y.o on a TTR125, 10 y.o on a YZ85 and my youngest 9 y.o is riding a XR80). It takes time and practice to get them to the point that they actually feel comfortable and safe riding the bike.

3 years old is pretty young especially on that PW50 because that is a two stroker that moves out pretty good. You could always install a larger rear sprocket to slow him down even more.

Thats great for a 3yr. old. My son is 3 and I don't think he is ready for a dirt bike.

My take.

A training wheel bike is both
1) easier to ride fast
2) more dangerous to ride fast
than a bike w/ no training wheels. If you planned to keep the wheels on it, you shoulda bought him a 4 wheeler.

Now that he obviously has the mechanics of throttle control and braking down pat, it's time to take the trainers off of it. That in and of itself will slow him down, cause he will now have to spend time learning how to negotiate turns and understand the dynamics of countersteering (do it soon before he hardwires the steering reflexes wrong).

Obviously, he'll spend some time rolling on the ground as he comes to understand that finesse and traction play a part in riding a regular 2 wheeler, but that is a good thing as long as he is learning from it.

As far as things you can do to slow the bike, that's easy. Put a tiny countershaft sprocket on it to kill the speed. It will keep the acceleration intact (which he will like) but it will take the edge off the top end.

If you were not using a throttle limiter then you just put a main jet 5 sizes up and it will blubber like an old weedeater on top, but run clean down low (but you are a long way from taking the limiter screws out I see).

Happy trails.

Adorable...awesome ride....boat in the backyard...scars....bad boy attitude.

Sounds like you need to start the fan club now, dad! The girls are gonna be lining up!

:D :D :D

Brett,

That is AWESOME! All of us past and present MX racers know that when you got the bug, it's in your blood! I think you are doing him a HUGE service because you are letting learn his boundaries and that sometimes you do fall off, but you have to pick YOURSELF up, brush it off, SUCK IT UP, and get right back on. In this there are MORE life lessons than one can easily comprehend. Not until I was older did I truly realize how much I learned in the process. So many people today "fall off" and expect others to run to their aid. This teaches him not only dexterity, motor skills, but larger "life" lessons as well. I started about 3 or 4 as well.

Oh, BTW he is ADORABLE and thank god he looks NOTHING like that Kreimeier guy.:p :D

I think your doing fine. My son started at 6. When he gets to the track hold your breath....the father fear factor sets in.......you have to live with it. This is him today he has about 9 tricks including so very funny Z-50 stuff. cb

he'll wreck and it will slow him down for two or three days and then he'll top speed the bike again.. then wreck again.. two or three more days.. it's a cycle that never ends until you hit 30 and then it just hurts too much....

only to be as fast as i was when i was young...

last time i rode.. i took a corner going into a double and some kid came onto the track out the center and got right in my way when i just got into the power band and i had too dump the bike to avoid hitting him.. broke two ribs from teh hand bars.. two me two months of pain and new bars to get over that one... still to be fast on a bike.. NOTHING LIKE IT... sorry i'm on your son's side here ...

nothing like hitting a jump and stroking the throdle in teh air and landing the the sweet zone..

I congratulate you on getting you son started so early. So many kids today are told to strap on a helmet along with their underoos and they don't leave the house without a layer of bubble wrap to keep them safe.

I think kids need things that allow them to experiment, learn their boundaries, get in trouble (a bit) be held responsible for damage to themselves and to others and to property.

Don't just yank the training wheels off, hand him the wrench and talk him though it. Not only will he learn "lefty loosy", he'll learn pride in accomplishment and confidence with his hands. Next comes the spark plug wrench and when he cracks the frame from jumping over the septic tank hand him the torch and teach him to weld.

Craig,
I like your son's form on the bike.... loose and relaxed, foot off the peg, has his eye on the landing spot! He looks fast, what class is he in??

My Dad got me a QA50 for my 4th birthday. Never more than a couple of bruises. Never did have a training wheel set up, but once I fell a couple times I learned respect for it. Kids are tough they can take spills alot better than we can at our age.

I trhink your doing it right. Good safety equipment and adult supervision. Take off the training wheels and let him at it!

Great stuff!!!

302, I had a QA50 also. Had it for years and even did my paper route on it :D

hp,

you and I were on the same page. You beat me to it.

I think that I am going to put a washer in the exhaust pipe near the head to restrict flow. That oughta slow it down a bit.

He runs A or B 125 on his Yamaha 250F. He faster than he looks. Rides like he's not moving passing others who are over working or over trying. I CLOSE MY EYES WHEN IT'S THE 1-2 BATTLE. Maybe I peek a little. Thanks, Craig

Need to send Troutly over there to take him for a ride in the police car. He will straighten up then.

:D
Roby

RIGHT ON!
 

I thought the EXACT same thing!:) :eureka:

SMOOTH is FAST in motox. Remember Jean Michel Bayle? That guy was so smooth it was SICK! He could run a season on a clutch when most others only lasted a race or two.

d-hlaw, I have 3 boys 7,9 and 12. They have been riding since they could ride a bicycle's. Do I thing there to young to ride NO just teach them to respect the power, Same thing was going on with them had to keep telling them to slow down, my middle one got shaking up last year when he went off a jump and the landing didnt go so well, make a long story short he never forgot it and made him a much better rider. Here they are ready to terrorize the hood.

FULL RIDING GEAR IS A MUST!:eureka:

Watch it Shane!!! :)
Brett, like I said, I'll have my 5 year old daughter teach him :)

I don't have kids but have been involved with motorcycles all my life. I think people who get their kids started at a young age and teach them the proper ways, in the long run, reap the benefits of that. Teaching him to wear all his riding gear and operate things properly will pay off big in the future.

I see to many people who have never had motorcycles until they are 22 years old and then they go out and buy a Hayabusa and think they can handle it properly, and without the proper gear. I still feel that anyone who did not start out learning on a dirt bike doesn't have any business on a street bike, too many variables for a beginner.

NO FEAR!!!! Take the training wheels off so he can steer better. Let him go and let him learn. Thats how I did it and I was up to 50ft triples at 16. Teach him the table top, can can, BACK FLIP!!!!! He will learn his limits, he is pushing them just like he pushes you. It is all the same. Have fun with it, keep reminding him that pain hurts...but it is something you don't remember. I have broken both arms, one twice, fractured my back, scapula, back surgury, colar bone and I still bench 250 and squat 375...three times a week. Its all good. Just don't let your wife see the back flip.;) Also, get him to the track, thats where there are no trees and places to bail out. I was passed by a 16 year old last year because I HAVE FEAR:mad: I am 40:D

First a few laps around the yard, then the next thing you know.............

I started my son riding at 3 with a PW50 and a LEM 50 quad. My wife thought I was nuts. He's now seven and has finally learned the limits, I hope. The quad sat around for along while and now my daughter 3, rides it all the time. My son rode as fast as the govenor would allow, until he got older and waded up hard, they have no fear at these young ages, and have no sense of speed. You can tell them to slow down a thousand times and a hour later they are pushing the limits again. It sure is cool to ride with him now that he is alittle older, especially now that he can somewhat keep up with me. Let him go, and keep him safe. The experience he will gain by starting young will make it alot more fun for you later.

Now we build his motors and set new limits. He needs the power to get up the hills, but the top end still scares the crap out of me.

Jeff

Hate to be a party pooper , but if this kid is seriously injured (or worse), you gotta live with it. You make the decision.
My son's 25 and had his first gas powered vehicle at 6 or 7(a go cart). He managed to rear end my neighbors ElCamino:rolleyes: Luckily unhurt.
Kids have no fear , nor do they anticipate what can happen before they do it.
That's why you have to be the parent. It's not always a nice job but somebodies gotta do it.
You can't protect them from everthing but lets not put a loaded gun in their hand either.
No offense , just my opinion;)

Well I am going to have a talk with him tonight...... I just hope he come s home soon. He took a 5 year old girl down the street for a ride in the Top Gun. The waves are about 4 foot so I hope he or she doesnt fall out.......