Ok, been reading through many of the posts in the past regarding this very same topic. I really hated to ask this question again, but feel as though every kid is different and that I should ask questions specific to mine.

So, son is 10.5, 5'1, 110 lbs. Never ridden a bike before, but has ridden his mom's Polaris Trailblazer. I wanted to see what he did on the quad first before moving forward with a dirt bike. He is a pretty cautious kid and will take a while before he really starts to ram it hard. He has no clue what a clutch is and what it does although I have tried to explain. He is a pretty smart kid who will likely catch on to the clutching thing fairly well.

I can't see him jumping after a month of riding, but I guess one never really knows. I have looked at all the different brands and just get more confused the more I read and look. So, I turn to you, the experts.

On the same topic, if kiddo get's one, so does Dad. It has been a while since I have ridden, not since I was a teen ager. I am now 36, 6'4, 220lbs. I won't be taking any 40' crevice jumps, but would like to get a little air on occassion. Any suggestions for me would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance!

i would say the tt-r 125, or xr100. (for the kid, duh.)
for you, id say maybe xr400 or xr250, or wr250f.

xr is honda, red. tt-r and wrf is yamaha, blue. <----just in case:confused:

Just to add since you mentioned wanting a little air.

Both the XR400 and the WR250F can be motocrossed if you stiffen up the suspension. They make really good woods bikes and can run fast or just putt.

The TTR-125 has a lot more upgrade capabilities. You can get the TTR-125L as it is bigger but lower it a little for the kid until he grows into it if you need to. I have seen a lot of TTR-125L's racing so it is good intro bike into the MX or woods racing world if he shows a desire.

Ivan

dont wanna start a brand war, bit my opinino is:
1st: Get 2 bikes the same brand
2nd: Go with the xr's they are solid ans can be beat to heck and back. Also if you dont need it right a way, what about the crf150? xr400 sounds like a winner for dad. I have a friend who has a ttr125L, and he likes it, but it requred more matinence thany my old 93 xr200.(still runs)
All are pretty good bikes, dont think you can go wrong any route you choose.

My son while being 12 is about the same size you gave for your son and we started him on an 02 TT-R125L this season. I personally think it would be a great choice for your son's situation and had my son not decided to get into mx racing he would still be riding the TT-R for a few years to come. As for you I would seriously look at the WR250F. Just my .02 worth, best of luck!

Thank you all for your advice, I greatly appreciate all of your input.

I took the boy (and mom) to the Honda dealer near our house. First I was suprised at how big the XR100 really is...mom was even more suprised. It's difficult to get a good perspective until you actually see the bike. I had the boy sit on the bike and his feet were nearly flat on the ground. It was at that point that it really hit me as to how expensive this is going to get down the road! The good thing is that mom sat on the bike as well and felt good about being able to ride it herself. I explained that eventually, our son would need to move up to a bigger bike and that this 100 would end up being her's. She thought that was pretty cool.

Of course, we're going through the "he could get hurt" thing, but both of us realize that he most likely will get hurt riding a bike...just like he could get hurt doing a multitude of other things as well. We both agreed that he needs to learn respect for the bike...have fun, but respect it. It's slowly starting to sink in to him that this is not just another toy.

After a bunch of conversation about this, I guess now is the time to decide on what to buy and get it done.

Again, I thank you all for your input and please feel free to jump in any time to add another 2 Cents. I'll let you all know what we decide.