By Rachel Gomes (with edits from Dora Gomes - 8 and a HALF)
Riding round with my daughter on dirtbikes is honestly one of the best feelings I’ve had as a parent….
Not just the fun side either, it’s getting through the falls and frustrations together too. We got Dora’s first bike for her when she was nearly 5, she’s 8 now (actually, she made me edit this, she’s 8 and a HALF) and I’m not lying when I say she probably rides dirt better than me now.
She was 3 weeks old when she first got taken to a MX track. Her first word was ‘Dadda’ and her second word was ‘budderbiiiike’, she literally cut her teeth on waffle grips. She loved the noise and chaos of track life from the start so for her, it was only a matter of time before she got on a bike.
Riding has taught her so much, she’s resilient, tough, brave and really fun to be around on the track and trails. It’s not all insta-happy though, as a parent there is a lot of work involved and you need to be prepared to allow your kid to get hurt sometimes. It can be hard because half of you is thinking “oh my god, don’t fall” but the other half of you is screaming “go on!!” I once watched Dora come flying down a hill because the throttle on her bike got stuck open and she couldn’t stop and went crashing straight into a bramble bush. She was a bit shaken but after a little cry and a fix of her bike she got back on and just carried on. I was totally blown away by her courage that day, and proud of her ability to just get on with it. You can’t get that shit from an iPad.
So here are my tips for anyone wanting to get their kids into motorbikes!
Start with a bicycle… then move onto an electric balance bike!
If your kid is confident on a pedal bike and has good balance then you’re in a good place. It’s hard to jump on a motorbike unless they’ve already got the basics of balancing and steering nailed. Invest in decent lightweight bikes for them from early on, it makes a big difference. Start them early. Next an electric balance bike can really nail throttle control early on too so that they have an understanding of it before moving to a proper motorbike….but more on that in a bit.
Are they up for it?
You might want your kid to ride, but it’s not for everyone. Some kids are more risk averse, find it intimidating or just don’t get excited about the noise and the dirt. Maybe take them to a track first to see some other kids ride. If they’re jumping up and down screaming “I wanna go!”, you’ll know.
Are you up for it?
Think it through… The reality of being a moto mum involves a lot of hauling bikes in and out of cars and vans, mud, early weekend starts, packing lunches, standing on the side of the track, investment in kit, bikes and maintenance. Have you got space to keep a bike? Can you handle washing the kit and bike every weekend? (the worst bit ffs). Yes, there will be blood, sweat and tears and there will be days where you load up the van, drive an hour and a half to a track only for the bike to stop working on lap 2 and you have to deal with the ensuing tears. But there will also be days full of happy, active kids and laughter and friendships and memories that will last forever.
Get some decent kit
Don’t cut corners when it comes to kit for your kids. When they fall off (and they will, a lot), you don’t want them hurt. Decent kit is the difference between them getting back on the bike or not. As an absolute minimum you want mx boots, knee pads, a helmet that fits well, goggles, gloves and some sort of body armour. Check out some of the stuff listed below.
Buying a Bike
Depending on how old your kid is at the time they start riding will influence which bike to buy. Broadly, you’ve got small bikes which are fully auto (twist and go), semi-auto (gears to go up and down but no clutch), or mid-size fully manual bike (gears and clutch). Don’t be tempted to buy a small bike for a tall kid, it will be much harder for them to ride and balance if they are all tucked up on the bike. Ideally they should be able to just about plant their feet on the ground whilst sitting on the bike. Steer clear of the cheapo bikes on Ebay, if it’s pull-start don’t bother. I’ve watched kids really really struggle on these bikes and at times they are dangerous. Lots of tracks don’t allow them.
Yamaha PW50 - Age 2-6
The pee-wee. This bike is like a rite of passage for most early riders - ask any pro rider what their first bike was and you’ll find it was probably this one. For good reason too - it’s small, easy to ride and easy for you to maintain. By far the most favourite of all Dora’s bikes. A good second hand one will cost you around £600. Don’t get a replica. It can fit in the boot of a mid-size hatchback or estate. You can also fit stabilisers to them if they’re really little (I’ve seen 2 year olds ride these on the practise tracks!). It’s a 2-stroke fully auto (twist and go) and you’ll probably want to ride it yourself! You can’t go wrong with one of these as a first bike for kids up to about 6 years old. They hold their value well and are always in demand so when you’re done with it, you can sell it easily. I cried when I sold ours!
Honda CRF70 - Age 7-10
This is another option as a first bike for an older kid or as a next bike up from a PW50. I think they stopped making these now so they’re harder to find but they are great bikes and well sought after. They are semi-auto, so they’ll start to learn gears but without the worry of a clutch. You can let them roll around in 2nd gear until they get the hang of kicking up/down the gears. They are 4-stroke so much smoother and gentler than a brappy 2-stroke. A decent first bike if your kid is starting out aged around 8-9.
KTM SX50 - Mini 4-6, standard 6-8
A decent next bike from the pee wee. Depends how confident your kid is though. This is a 2-stroke fully auto bike too but it’s a bit taller and a bit more aggressive. You can get mini versions and standard versions. The small ones are just slightly bigger than a PW50 but faster and better suspension. The standard versions will fit kids up to about the age of 7 or 8. You can regulate the clutches so they don’t go too fast if they’re still learning. Even though they’re still a 50cc they are light and have decent suspension so they can handle jumps and have impressive acceleration.
Electric Bikes
They’re the future! If you’ve got the cash, there are some amazing electric bikes out there. Oset have got a whole fleet of trials bikes if you’re not keen on MX. A friend of mine bought two and rides with his 5 year old around the local forests just outside of London. The Oset MX10 looks rad! If I had loads of cash and a 4 year old I’d be looking at the Husqvarna EE5 although you need to think about charging/riding times. On an MX track at full tilt, you’ll only get about 25 mins so a spare battery is pretty essential.
Other bikes worth checking out are :
Honda CRF50 - Semi Auto - Ages 4-7
Yamaha TT-R50 Semi Auto - Ages 4-7
Yamaha PW 80 - Fully Auto - Ages 6-9
Husqvarna TC50 - Fully Auto - Same bike as the KTM SX50
KTM 65 - Manual - This is when your kid starts getting good. I wouldn’t recommend it as a first bike but a natural progression from a KTM 50 or similar. For kids around 8-12. Be prepared for them to go fast.
Kit
Budget to spend around £300 on a complete kit. You can spend way more but that should be about your minimum. Always remember that boots and helmet are the most expensive thing you’ll buy but a good set of boots and great helmet are worth their weight in gold.
Boots - probably the most expensive bit but also the most important. Alpine Stars Tech 3 are great. Around £130. Don’t be tempted to buy two sizes too big, they’ll struggle to shift or use the foot brake. Also, a good tip is to check eBay for second hand boots as there are other kids all over the place growing out of their first mx boots as quick as your little one will so they generally don’t have much wear and tear.
Helmets - Loads of options, measure their heads - there’s nothing worse than a tight helmet and a loose one is dangerous. FOX do some great youth kit in small sizes and even some tiny kit for super small ones.
MX Kits - Loads of combos available. One thing to make sure of is that they have leather protection around the inside of the knees to protect from motor or exhaust burns.
Protection - Some of this stuff costs serious cash and the faster they go, the more you’ll need to spend, but for a small, first time pee wee rider, you probably want some basic knee guards, a chest protector, a neck collar and some elbow guards
And finally, don’t forget goggles and gloves!
Where to ride:
The sad news is, lots of tracks have closed down over the last few years. Residents complaining of noise combined with rising cost of land has not been easy for local tracks. If you’re lucky, you’ll have private land or wasteland nearby that you can practise on but it’s usually safer to go to an organised track, especially whilst they’re learning.
Wildtrax on the A14 is great for kids, it has 3 separate kids tracks including a little oval for beginners.
Google local Tracks near you - always phone first, some tracks you have to book in advance. make sure they have a kids track as some are only adult MX tracks. Have a chat with the organisers to get an idea of how they run sessions. They’ll usually keep kids on smaller bikes separate from older, faster kids. Sometimes they have dedicated tracks just for little bikes.
Op Ed from Dora (aged 8 and a half):
What do you like about riding motorbikes?
Um.. I have fun? and I like learning new stuff and trying to level up. I have fun when I do it and then I have like a feeling when I go fast and in my head I want to be a like a really good rider.
What would you say to other kids who want to try motorbiking?
There’s nothing to be scared about and even if you fall you can just go and do it again and you can get better and better and then you can do jumps and stuff. I can do skids, the other day I did like a really long one and it made a massive line on the floor.