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View Full Version : What's a good starter bike for a 9 year old?



chris200x
03-29-2005, 10:15 AM
The boy is buggin me for a bike. I kind of want to stay away from an atc for now until he gets some ridin time under his belt. What would be better? mini bike? a smaller cc quad? Any suggestions? motor sizes? pics?

patblkwell
03-29-2005, 10:16 AM
I would say a 50-80cc minibike would be better in preparing him to ride a trike one day. He could get too comfortable on a quad haha.

jenndnn3
03-29-2005, 10:52 AM
He=boy? Is he of good size? Now fatherly impressions aside, is he mature? You will want a 80 or 90 4 stroke or 2. Let me warn you. Training, teaching is no easy feet. The 4 stroke hondas are holding great values vs some of the other stuff. But based on experience stay away from weird or noname minis. You can control the amount of gas they will allow on the handlebars. My kids do well, they follow most rules, my boy strays often has to be watched. My 9 did start on a 110. The other 2 on a quad, however both were offerred a 70 which none but the 9 would really ride. Picky suckers, hard starting, compared to quads of today. AND yes they roll. Dont believe me ask the kids. I stabilized the 110 for the 9 year old, asked if she preferred aa quad she turned it down. Quads will roll as well.

Here is my biggest issue I have. It is a lesson you should not learn. My kids bring their freinds, we used to allow them to ride any except the 3 wheeled, and they wreck. It is a guarantee when this is allowed. SO I dont allow them (atv) to come out.

Be prepared your kids will wreck, but with good training they should be fine. Dont put them on an oversized quad. Take the kid, have them sit on the atv. Make sure everything is in great easy reaching distance. You can control the speed. Just dont buy a bigger quad because it is a better deal.

Before I did allow my 9 to have full access to the 110 she had to prove a couple things. She can start it. She can push it around if she hits a tree. She can unroll her rolled trike. The quad however is going to be heavier, so no your 7, 8 or 9 will not be able to roll it back over. Teach em to bail. You need to be with them. Plus push button start lol too easy. They are suspended this will kill any love for hard tail by children. Our children can push em back if they hit a tree, but it is difficult.

Very good luck in your adventure.

bigredhead
03-29-2005, 11:26 AM
Man... i wish i had parents like you guys when i grew up..... i never had the chance to get a good running machine growing up.. only a crap Kawi KV75 that never ran worth a crap.

I highly recommend you going thru all the safety measures with them.. over and over and over again.. and to limit speed, make obstacle courses and teach them to stop and turn etc...

I was just given a hunk of junk by my uncle and told " WEAR the HELMET ". that was it.

and man....... i wrecked... hard.

chris200x
03-29-2005, 11:35 AM
I would have to say size wise he is one of the bigger kids in his 3rd grade class. As for maturity...well, he's a nine year old boy! lol. I've already caught him buzzin up and down the street on his friends lil suzuki 50cc minibike. but that looked awefully small. When I had my prarie 400 auto I used to sit on the back and control the brake and let him steer and control the throttle. He seemed to pick up on it rather quickly on the throttle response. Ya know a little bit at first so dad doesn't roll off the back lol. after a short time he was doing good size inclines with ease. What I mean is he can tell by the sound of the motor when to give it more or less gas. I'm leaning more towards the motorcycle then the quad just because of the size factor like you mentioned manuvering it around if he got it stuck or whatever. I'm still not certian which would be safer.

Banage
03-29-2005, 11:40 AM
Helmet saved my life and my buddies, so teach them the habbit of wareing one.!.!..

G-MAN-1
03-29-2005, 02:34 PM
i have the perfect bike for him. a 2000 cobra 50.

good bike with a decent price..........

TimSr
03-29-2005, 06:07 PM
If he is going out on the trails, he will be riding with the adults in a lot shorter period of time on a quad than a bike. If he is track riding, either or would be fine, whichever is his preference.
Most of the mini quads have very poor braking systems, and its something to keep in mind for trail riding where its hilly, such as your state of Pa. The Taiwan made two strokes (which includes the Polaris) are all pretty much parts interchangeable, and well made, but many have only hand operated brakes, and kids have trouble with them on big downhill trails. Some of the E-Tons use a hand operated hydraulic disk rear, which works great, but hand operated mechanical rears dont cut it for kids. They need a foot pedal rear. Also, these cvt 2 strokes will free roll (coast) down hills, and can get away from them with hard to pull brakes. This includes the LT80, but at least it has a rear pedal brake. The TRX90 and the Raptor 80 are excellent trail quads. They have an auto clutch manual transmission, and when rolling downhill, you get engine braking which makes them less apt to start rolling downhill out of control. Youll also find that they have the low end to chug up about anything, even with heavier kids. Alos, the Taiwan quads usually have the airbox located very low in the front, and it doesnt take much water depth to kill them. Ther Raptor 80 handles water crossings as high as my TriZ does. TimJr has the Raptor 80, and the E-Ton 90. The 90 is a lot faster and is much better as setup for the track, but the Raptor 80 makes a far superior trail machine. He weighs 105 and it handles him great.

chris200x
03-29-2005, 07:54 PM
I'm really not to crazy about those japanese jobs they sell all over the place. Tim sr. thanks for pointing out about those brakes. I know the feeling of losing control down a hill. It will be mostly trail riding and zooming around the silts with me so maybe a mini bike would not be the right choice. Especially with the hills. I'm gonna have to think this one through.