My grandson is 16 months old. What. Is the earliest any one has started a young boy with a motorbike?
I have heard people claim they were riding/racing as young as two. I am not sure how that works unless a kid is just tall for his/her age and unusually coordinated. My rule was that the kids had to be able to ride their bicycles without training wheels before they could ride the motorcycles without training wheels. Also, some kids are just gonna have a knack for it, some won't, and some should NEVER be anywhere near a bike!
Daniel is good at it and loves it. Sarah is much better than she thinks, but she lacks the "go for it" zest and confidence that Daniel has. Rachel is more like Daniel.
Sarah started when she was about 7. Daniel was 5. Rachel was 3. That is just how old they were when I got the first bike for them. They all started on a Honda CRF-50 with Moose training wheels. I rode with them on the bike with them sitting in front. At first, I did everything and they were just along for the ride. Then I would let them steer while I did the gas. Then I would let them do the gas while I steered. I would constantly be coaching them about looking through turns, keeping their eyes up, etc,... Then I would have them practice using both the front and rear brakes, independently and together. Eventually, I set them loose on their own in our back yard and would coach them. I set up cones for them to practice weaving and stopping.
I did get a second bike, the TTR-50E, just because it was a hassle having Sarah and Daniel taking turns on the Honda. I think they both rode with the training wheels for about 4-5 hours total (over many separate sessions) before I took them off. Daniel took to it like a fish to water. Sarah was hesitant at first and had trouble keeping her eyes up. Once she learned to keep her eyes up, it really clicked for her and she started doing great. Rachel didn't get too ride as much from 3-5 years old just because it was a pain to keep swapping out the training wheels on the Honda so she could ride. I didn't really worry about it much because she still wasn't riding her bicycle and I did not think she was ready to run the motorcycle by herself. So she just got the occasional ride with me on the days I remounted the training wheels on the Honda.
Back in March, I picked up a new Honda CRF-110 for Sarah. She had tried an XR80, but it was a bit tall and had a clutch. She had a pretty spectacular get off that did a number on her confidence and desire to ride even though she was unhurt. She does like the 110 though. IT has the auto clutch and is electric start. Daniel is still on the TTR-50E, but is really ready for something a little bigger. He's eyeballing Sarah's 110...
Rachel is now riding the CRF-50 all by herself (with the training wheels). She is not quite tall enough to reach the ground yet, and that is a big deal for some kids. She's been doing real well and I think it may not be long before I let her try it without the training wheels.
A BIG issue with young kids is finding good protective gear. In my view, that is a MUST. I know a lot of us grew up doing crazy stuff without helmets and pads and we survived (most of us anyway...). But all it takes is that one split second moment and everything can go real bad. That is what happened to Sarah and if she had not been wearing her gear, she would have been severely injured. At a bare minimum I suggest a helmet with goggles. Better, is that plus elbow and knee protection. I let them ride in cowboy boots initially. But I did finally get them some real dirt boots. Also, a good chest protector is nice. I picked up one of these for Daniel,
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He really likes it. The smallest one will not fit Rachel. I would have gotten one for Sarah, but they only had one. I'll probably order one for her though. It has a good range of adjustment so he should be able to keep wearing it as he grows for the next few years.
Kids growing is a big issue because they can quickly outgrow gear!! Gear is not always cheap either! I try to buy stuff for Sarah that can be handed down to Daniel and Rachel. I occasionally buy them something new of their own just so everything they get is not handed down. Also, we have had friends whose kids out grew their gear and they were nice enough to donate it to our kids. So we will do the same when the time comes.
Training is a big deal too. I am sure some folks just give the kids the bikes and turn them loose. I spent a lot of time with them going over all the basics about throttle control, braking, body position, traction issues, cornering, etc,... I also had Sarah and Daniel do a class with Kyle of NXLevelMX. They loved it and it did wonders for their riding confidence and skills. It also helped sooth Mom's nerves
I also spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos with them. They love them and watching the REALLY good riders will hopefully help them to get a better idea of what they need to be doing when they are riding. That drifter video I posted above is a perfect example because you can REALLY see how he is moving his body around during different maneuvers.
Lately, I have been thinking that I would like to get Daniel into Trials riding. He has some self control issues at times and something like that would be real good for him in terms of teaching him self control, discipline, and concentration. It also builds a solid skills foundation for any future riding. Best of all, I could build him a course in our backyard and thus eliminate the need to load bikes and go somewhere every time we want to ride. Besides, I would also like to work on some of those very same skills and it would be fun to do it with him!