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How Do I Get My Kids Started Dirt Bike Riding?
Getting your kids started in dirt bike riding is an exciting decision. My parents started me on dirt bikes when I was about four years old, and I know I’m really glad they made that decision. Riding dirt bikes is one of the fun memories from my childhood.
If you are new to dirt bike riding, you might not be sure how to go about turning this dream into a reality. This site (Kids Dirt Bike Hub) will help you make your dream come true. If you are familiar with dirt bike riding, you might just need some links to the best kids dirt bike gear, riding locations and all the newest kids dirt bike reviews. If you’re brand new to motorbike riding then you’ll find step by step information to show you the way forward.
Either way, you’ll find plenty of information here to help you to get your family out and about dirt bike riding.
To get started you are going to need kids dirt bike gear, a reliable dirt bike for kids and a place for your kids to ride your dirt bike.
If you know how to ride a dirt bike, you might be quite comfortable teaching your child to ride a motorbike, but if you aren’t you’ll need to find someone to teach them.
How old should my child be to start dirt bike riding?
There is no set age to start your kid’s dirt bike riding. I’ve found that as a rule of thumb, a child needs to be able to ride a pushbike to get started on motorbikes. Of course, there are options with dirt bike training wheels that could be used before this, but to ride without training wheels around the age of 4 seems to be when lots of kids successfully start dirt bike riding.
How do I teach my child to ride a mini bike?
- Start simple
As with most new things, it’s great if the first memories can be good memories. For this reason, we suggest starting simple and making your first dirt bike ride as smooth and successful as possible.
Your first ride is really about seeing that motorbike riding can be fun, being proud that “you did it” and maybe conquering some fear along the way. If your child has never had anything to do with motorbikes and they are a bit timid, it might be best that their first ride is an older experienced person doubling them.
When it does come to their first solo ride it’s best to start them by riding in a straight line in a large, flat open area where there is nothing to hit. Remember to teach them how to stop before you let them loose with the accelerator.
2. Start in wide-open spaces
Starting to ride in large spaces may sound obvious but it really is important. Hitting a post or fence early on in your riding career can be enough to stop new or timid riders from ever wanting to ride their dirt bike again. If you’re in a large wide-open space, the chances of hitting things are minimal and it means the new rider can concentrate on just staying on the bike instead of trying to avoid obstacles.
3. Start on a dirt bike that’s the right size (not too big)
If the bike is too big for the child, it’s harder to control and stop easily. This can quickly make your child very timid with riding. Best to have them start on the right sized bike or even one that’s too small (if you can borrow one) so that they feel confident and in control of their motorbike riding.
4. Start with all the gear all the time
As you’ll see in the kid’s dirt bike safety gear section, safety gear is really important and needs to be part of your child’s motorbike adventure. Ensure that your child wears all the dirt bike gear all the time. Don’t let them ride without their riding gear. It’s amazing how a fall can dampen a child’s enthusiasm and without safety gear, the effects can be much worse. Remember all your gear all the time.
5. Start with one thing at a time
When you’re starting out teaching your child, it’s best to teach only one new thing at a time. In your first riding lesson, you might teach how to ride the bike in a straight line, but this automatically means that your child will be learning to start and stop and balance on the dirt bike to do this, so a lot is going on for them, particularly if they are quite young. Your next lesson might just be learning how to turn their bike, but there’s plenty involved for them too, as this new skill adds to the previous skill that you taught them last, as well as having challenges of its own. If your second skill is how to turn and the child is quite confident you can practice-wide turns and sharper turns, and perhaps even set up a small turning course using cones.
From here you can just keep adding one new riding skill at a time.
6. Start calm and always stay calm
If you want your child to love dirt bike riding, then this is a really important tip. It can often be quite stressful for a child to learn to ride a motorbike because they don’t have a background in driving cars and other vehicles and may even be new to push bike riding. The best thing you can do is remember to explain things well and stay calm. If you become frustrated will only turn them off the whole experience. When you’re explaining things, bend down to their height so that you’re at their level and don’t seem threatening. Make sure you calmly let them know that it’s ok to fall off the motorbike and if they fall off it doesn’t mean they’re a bad rider or that they didn’t learn their riding skills well enough.
I believe this tip is so critical that if you don’t think you can stay calm while teaching your child to ride, you are better to get them taught by someone else.
What Dirt Bike Is Best For My Child?
As you have already seen, choosing the best dirt bike for your kid requires a lot of research and thought. Narrow down your thoughts by giving your child the chance to make an informed decision. You should include him/her in the process of decision making when buying the dirt bike. This will be a great way to help in their investment in the bike. Besides, they are the ones who will be riding, so they will know best which bike fits most comfortably.
In the end, bike riding is one of the best gifts you can give to your child at an early age. It is like an empowerment tool, helping them to grow more independent and learn from their own mistakes. It gives them the freedom to explore something out of the ordinary things they are familiar with.
Moreover, they will gain motor skills that will come in handy later in life. The most critical part is making the best choice.
All the factors mentioned above are equally important when choosing the best dirt bike for your kid’s size and skillset
Once you start feeling like they have outgrown one model, upgrade to another bike that is the right fit for them.
What Should I Know When Picking Dirt Bikes For My Kids?
Does your child want to start riding a dirt bike? You can either fall on these two categories:
- You are confused, terrified, and anxious because this is a completely new area you’ve never ventured into.
- You are confident and excited because of the vast knowledge and experience you have about motorbikes.
If you are not experienced, then worry not because buying a dirt bike for your kid and training them how to ride is not such a big deal. While riding dirt bikes has considerable risks, there are several ways you could prevent your kid from getting hurt.
The first step is understanding what’s the best bike for kid’s age, buying them the best protective gear, and understanding the safety measures while riding. If this sounds like a handful to you, then you are at the right place. Keep reading on to learn the factors to consider when choosing your kid’s dirt bike.
Size of the Bike
One of the first things to consider before buying a dirt bike is the height of your kid and the height of the bike’s seat. Many parents base their decision on the age bracket for bikes which at times never works. While the age bracket of the bike works pretty well when your child has an average height for that age bracket, some kid’s growth development is faster than others.
What Size Dirt Bike Is Best For My Child?
The best way to determine the right size of the bike is when your kid can step on the ground with both feet when seated on the bike. When the kids are in the learning stage, they need to put their foot on the ground for balance. While shopping, ensure your kid sits on different models of dirt bikes until you find the right size. Also, remember that riding boots make your child taller than regular shoes would.
While trying the minibike, ensure your kid has riding boots on. With the safety boots on, they should touch the ground with the balls of their feet. You do not want them to have their foot flat on the ground because if they do, there will be lots of suspension loads. Loads of suspension makes them feel the bumps more. Moreover, they are likely to outgrow the bike faster.
What Engine Size Should My Kids Dirt Bike Have?
If your kid is a starter consider buying them a bike that has less power and is much lighter. The smallest engine you could get is a 50cc bike which is recommended for kids less than 7 years old. Four-stroke 50cc bikes are perfect for starters because it gives a more linear power making the throttle easier to control compared to other big engines. Ordinarily, young kids’ dirt bikes range from 50ccc to 125cc. 125cc bikes are for kids that participate in motocross races and are more experienced.
What Size Wheel Should My Kids Dirt Bike Have?
There are two types of wheels. Big wheels with a 48cm front wheel and a 41cm rear-wheel or more. Small wheels with a 43cm front wheel and a 36cm rear-wheel or less. The difference in the wheel sizes goes beyond the sizes to suspension, swingarm, and gearing. With bigger wheels, your kid will be more stable and soak up smaller bumps.
However, the bigger the wheels the more the weight of the dirt bike. Your kid will be able to turn faster and have a lighter bike with smaller wheels. However, when riding in a more corrugated area they will likely have bent rims. Buy them bigger wheels when they have already developed their skills. Also, bigger wheeled bikes may be slightly too high for young kids.
What Is Dirt Bike Transmission?
Smallest dirt bikes have automatic clutches that allow a child to focus on how to steer and balance the bike without having to worry about the clutch. Bikes like Suzuki JR80 are a two-stroke with a manual clutch, commonly referred to as a “stepping stone dirt bike”. With this bike, you do not have to worry about pre-mixing fuel because it comes with an injection system that lubricates the engine. When your kid has mastered the skill with an automatic bike, you might consider choosing the manual transmission bikes to enhance their skills.
What Throttle and Speed Should A Small Dirt Bike Have?
Consider buying your kid a dirt bike with a throttle limiter if they are just starting to ride. It enables the kid to control the speed and power of the bike. Your child will be able to learn how to maneuver at high speeds. Four-stroke engine power’s delivery is more aggressive compared to the two-stroke’s abrupt throttle response. However, the difference in power in 50cc to 70cc engine types is less than the difference in high power engines over 250cc.
What happens if my kid doesn’t fit a particular dirt bike?
Sometimes you may have bought a bike according to your kid’s age bracket but they fit it. You may also want to start your kid early on riding usually below four years old. There are ways you could deal with this situation.
Some dirt bikes are adjustable.
You can adjust the bike by lowering its suspension. The handlebars will, in turn, be lowered allowing your child to ride comfortably until they grow bigger. Once they fit, the suspension can be raised. Alternatively, visit your nearest motorcycle shops where they offer cutting seat services so that your kid can fit the bike. Another way is to buy the starter bike training wheels that give your kids confidence as they learn other basic riding skills.
When do I move up the power?
Later when your kid has learned the basics and has ridden for a while, they might want to move up in power. It is best to move up the power when:
- Your kid is rapidly growing
- They want to try motocross racing
- They need a bike with larger wheels, improved suspension and brakes
- They need to learn how to operate a manual clutch
Bear in mind that moving up in power does not necessarily mean that you get a bike with a bigger power engine displacement. A difference is made with even a smaller increase in power engine or additional features like clutch and gears that they may need.
Should I go for a two-stroke or four-stroke engine type?
As we had mentioned above, four-stroke engines will be best for your kids if they are just starting out. A four-stroke engine will give power with every two rotations of the crankshaft while a two-stroke engine will give out power for every one rotation of the crankshaft. For this reason, a four-stroke engine accelerates smoothly reducing the scary stop-starts while operating the throttle.
On the other hand, a two-stroke engine has more power compared to the bike’s weight. Besides, when dealing with a two-stroke engine type, you will be required to pre-mix oil and petrol before filling the tank. This is because most two-strokes are lubricated by the fuel mix. In addition, two-strokes are more difficult to control at lower speeds compared to four-strokes hence two-strokes are preferred for kids’ motocross. If your kids are learning rapidly, a two-stroke might be a good choice but when they enjoy recreational riding then a four-stroke is the way to go.
Is Dirt Bike Riding For Kids Dangerous
Dirt bike riding is becoming a very popular sport among kids. There are people who think it’s dangerous while others think it is fun. It is a fun family hobby and brings about a sense of togetherness. You might be rightly cautious about letting your kids ride a dirt bike given the stories that you might have heard.
Remember, other than buying your kid a dirt bike, you must remember to buy safety gear for them. Keep aside a little bit of money to make sure you invest in good quality safety equipment. There is affordable riding gear that will not have you breaking the bank. They are affordable and very efficient at the same time.
Keep in mind that the best dirt bike riding gear fits well, is comfortable and doesn’t come in the way of your kids riding. Observe all precautions as you fit your kid with the safety gears and don’t forget to supervise them constantly. If you do, the risk of having an accident will be greatly reduced.
