What to get

[FROG MAN]

I grew up with the enduro class of motorcycle. Those were great for riding country back roads,and trails during my early teen years. I put a lot of miles on a kz-250 when I was teen.Today kids are into the ATV thing and you never see a dual purpose bike around here.

 

My youngest just turned 12 but he is a big boy and looks more like 14 in size. I would like to get him started into motorcycling soon to get the off road experience and skills early. So what should I look for in a scoot? If I opt for a dual purpose licensed capable scoot then Ramona could ride it around the camp and short highway trips.

 

That Big 16th Birthday will be here soon and I noticed a few spare 1st gens in the shed out there.

[Squidley]

Personally I would say to get him a 2 wheeled bike, not a quad. I know that I ride my touring bikes like a dirt bike in using the rear brake a lot and down shifting before a corner to be in a good power band. It will also help with balance to be on 2 wheels, I had a '79 Yamaha 250 enduro a few years back that I ended up selling on ebay because I knew it was a money maker. I played with it a few times in the back yard and told myself that I was getting a bit too old to be bouncing around in the dirt. I just knew if I kept it I would either break it or myself

[Dano]

Go two wheels, never look back. My son started when he was 7, he's finally ready to jump on my IT400 and give it a whirl.

 

Squidley-- you're NEVER too old to jump on a dirt bike and have some fun! Keeps the skills up for the 1st gen!! (Try keeping ME from going on the Redbud track again!)

[99silver]

Gerald there are a few out there most are 250 or 400 cc, The 250's are lighter and are water cooled and are pushing out more hp than the old ones we rode. The 400's may be to much power for a beginner.

[OutKast]

Kitty has a Yammie XT225, and I have a XT350. Not the fastest, but both dependable as a rock and easy to ride. Kitty's 2006 XT225 is a bit more civilized with electric start and full charging system where she has front marker lights and the headlight does not dim at low RPM. The 2000 XT350 is kickstart/magneto, even with a new battery the headlight almost goes out at idle, no front marker lights.

 

The XT's are NOT serious dirt bikes and probably not hold up to lots of jumping and banging off trees. Great dual-purpose though.

[FROG MAN]

I just looked at a Yamaha WR250R. A 4 cycle water cooled off road setup designed for mainly off road use yet street legal. Might be a possibility. Man designs sure have changed since I was a kid and so has the price. I gave $800 new for my 250 way back when?