Mini Bike wanted for my 5yr olds birthday
Discussion
As above, looking for a decent 1st bike for my son. He's had a balance bike for 2 years, can ride a push bike well without stabilisers & wants (some days) a motor bike to go play on in the local fields.
Currently looking at a cheap (almost nasty, but very VERY cheap) chinese import with pull start 2 stroke with centrifugal clutch for £155 NEW locally, or a 2nd+ hand PW50 or CRF 50 for c£500 off fleabay. I know the chinese bike will be made of cheeses & paper and the Jap bikes might hold their value better and work for more than 15 minutes.....
Just wondered if any of you wonderful PH'ers could offer any (sensible) ideas or could recommend anyone you know looking to punt something half decent on???
Much obliged.
StuB (& LucaB aka Taz)
Currently looking at a cheap (almost nasty, but very VERY cheap) chinese import with pull start 2 stroke with centrifugal clutch for £155 NEW locally, or a 2nd+ hand PW50 or CRF 50 for c£500 off fleabay. I know the chinese bike will be made of cheeses & paper and the Jap bikes might hold their value better and work for more than 15 minutes.....
Just wondered if any of you wonderful PH'ers could offer any (sensible) ideas or could recommend anyone you know looking to punt something half decent on???
Much obliged.
StuB (& LucaB aka Taz)
crf50 gives you a good basis to build on, I know lots of fully grown men spending their weekends riding around on hopped up 50s/88s, there is a world of big bore, suspension, chassis parts out there to take them from little 50cc semi autos up to 160cc dohc "mx bikes" with marzocchi forks! Easy to convert from semi auto to clutch when it comes to the next stage of learning. Plus they are bullet proof and hold their value.
StuB said:
a motor bike to go play on in the local fields.
Have you got the landowner's permission? Because you WILL need it - and, unless you know him well, you're very unlikely to get it.Do you want to explain to your 5yo why his b'day present's been confiscated by the police?
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=police+crackdown...
Remember, it's a motor vehicle without type approval/licence/insurance etc - so it can't legally be used anywhere but private land, and you WILL need the landowner's OK. These damn hairdryers have been enough of a PITA over the last few years that unless you're truly in the back end of nowhere, it's highly likely the law will get called sooner or later, and they will check that you've got permission.
Yamaha TTR50
Knocks the PW into a cocked hat.
4T motor so mega reliable, leccy start and 3 speed box with auto clutch so he can progress to learning gears once the confidence is up. Is slightly bigger than the PW50 but not as big as the 80 so can be used as a single step bike before small wheel 80's enter the picture.
Close thread
Looks a dead ringer for the bigger YZ's and is a quality bike, so good resale.
Knocks the PW into a cocked hat.
4T motor so mega reliable, leccy start and 3 speed box with auto clutch so he can progress to learning gears once the confidence is up. Is slightly bigger than the PW50 but not as big as the 80 so can be used as a single step bike before small wheel 80's enter the picture.
Close thread
Looks a dead ringer for the bigger YZ's and is a quality bike, so good resale.
TooMany2cvs said:
StuB said:
a motor bike to go play on in the local fields.
Have you got the landowner's permission? Because you WILL need it - and, unless you know him well, you're very unlikely to get it.Do you want to explain to your 5yo why his b'day present's been confiscated by the police?
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=police+crackdown...
Remember, it's a motor vehicle without type approval/licence/insurance etc - so it can't legally be used anywhere but private land, and you WILL need the landowner's OK. These damn hairdryers have been enough of a PITA over the last few years that unless you're truly in the back end of nowhere, it's highly likely the law will get called sooner or later, and they will check that you've got permission.
Stu is a sensible, well known, professional father of 16 kids, by now he knows exactly what he can or cant do to get away from the law, indeed his porsche has the factory fit 'smoke' option to evade 'the feds'.
In all seriousness, i do beleive Stu is probably talking about proper fields, where other like minded parents like to take their children to ride motorcycles in a supervised enviroment, such as the ones ill be taking my youngest too after christmas.
PS, Stu, Luca is jumping on a bike, O Shows Lad Henley is already on one, And my Cal will be after xmas....
Modern Relics contenders 2034....???
Lincsblokey said:
Permission to smash your miserable stick in half?
Shooting the messenger, much?Lincsblokey said:
In all seriousness, i do beleive Stu is probably talking about proper fields
Because, of course, no "proper field" is properly owned by anybody who might be even vaguely properly pissed off about it being improperly used by kids on minimotos, right? If you're in proper countryside with proper fields, then proper locals will known exactly who properly owns what proper fields, making it very easy to properly ask.Have you thought of an oset electric trials bike?
A friend of mine has recently got one for his 4yo. Theryre silent, which helps if you use them on public land or your garden, the power can be turned down for when he starts, theyre pretty much maintenance free, and since theyre more of a trials bike you can set up a little course in your garden meaning he gets more time on it.
Theyre about £500 secondhand, but you will get that back when it comes time to sell
A friend of mine has recently got one for his 4yo. Theryre silent, which helps if you use them on public land or your garden, the power can be turned down for when he starts, theyre pretty much maintenance free, and since theyre more of a trials bike you can set up a little course in your garden meaning he gets more time on it.
Theyre about £500 secondhand, but you will get that back when it comes time to sell
My 4 year old went from balance bike to Oset and then bought him a PW 50 2 weeks ago - Osets are great and will be buying him another one next year.
Wouldn't worry to much about Police/dog walkers at this stage as long as you are utterly sensible - Take him/her to a large field at a sensible time, correct clothing etc - Out local bobby watches Archie smiling as much as me, however if and when I progress Archie onto a KX 80 in a couple of years I know Mr Bobby's smiles will disappear so needless to say he will then not be going to said field.
Osets are great because people think they are toys - They aren't - Selling Archie's at the moment although I'm debating letting him go to school on it - The good lady would kill me.
I approach all dog walkers asking them if it offends, because he's a 4 year old he's still at the cute stage and because we've been riding there since Christmas Day they've watched him progress. He even now rides up to them and they say hello.
Do it mate he'll love it.
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/xpwEVI3A[/url]
Wouldn't worry to much about Police/dog walkers at this stage as long as you are utterly sensible - Take him/her to a large field at a sensible time, correct clothing etc - Out local bobby watches Archie smiling as much as me, however if and when I progress Archie onto a KX 80 in a couple of years I know Mr Bobby's smiles will disappear so needless to say he will then not be going to said field.
Osets are great because people think they are toys - They aren't - Selling Archie's at the moment although I'm debating letting him go to school on it - The good lady would kill me.
I approach all dog walkers asking them if it offends, because he's a 4 year old he's still at the cute stage and because we've been riding there since Christmas Day they've watched him progress. He even now rides up to them and they say hello.
Do it mate he'll love it.
[url]|http://thumbsnap.com/xpwEVI3A[/url]Edited by 996 sps on Wednesday 17th September 12:59
I bought a cheap Chinese bike for my (then) 7 year old. It was nothing but trouble. Something stopped it working every time he used it (fuel line blockage, dodgy LT wire, arcing HT lead etc.) Each was fixable but it took a lot of the fun out of it for him. I then bought a second hand PW80 which has been superb. The only issues with that have been a broken brake lever (after crash), a bent brake peddle (after crash) forks out of alignment (er ... after crash) and a large branch stuck in the chain/rear sprocket (er .... after another crash!!!)
StuB said:
Thanks again Martin. Good luck with the DT project.
Quiet roads east of Finningley. Can't believe I haven't been exploring that way more.
Most welcome Stu and thank you, will put some progress pics up as we go. Yes some great roads out there and if you're ever back out this way pop by and I'll join you for a ride out. Quiet roads east of Finningley. Can't believe I haven't been exploring that way more.
Edited by Lavs on Friday 19th September 23:02
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