4 steps to choosing the right bike

by James Holter

If you’re shopping for a kid’s bike and are unfamiliar with the market, be ready to have your head spun right off your shoulders. There’s an incredible range of features, options and sizes out there.

Manufacturers compete aggressively for the beginner-bike market, eager to plant the seed of brand loyalty in someone who will likely be a lifelong consumer of motorcycles and gear.

According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, more than half of the off-road motorcycles in the U.S.—just under a million bikes—are under 125cc. That’s a lot of business to support.

The end result is an assortment of choices in clutches, transmissions, four-stroke engines, two-stroke engines, etc.—all available in various chassis sizes and levels of sophistication.

The good news is if you put safety and comfort first, the fun comes naturally.

Here are four things to keep in mind when shopping for a first bike.

1. Get the right size bike

David Gingrich, sales manager for Honda Northwest in Columbus, Ohio, sells a lot of kids’ bikes. He says parents often go for the larger machines, figuring their kid will just "grow into it."

"We’ve had parents come in and try to push their kid onto a bigger bike," Gingrich says. "In that case, we’ll suggest they keep the kid on something better sized for them. It’s pretty simple—just make sure both feet touch the ground and they can hold up the bike."

Their hands also need to comfortably reach and operate the handlebars and controls, he says.

Just remember this: It doesn’t help if your kid grows into a bike only after he becomes disenchanted with the sport trying to manhandle a too-big bike and doesn’t want to ride anymore.

2. Get the right type of bike

In a world where full-size bikes can be anything from relaxing cruisers to race-replica sportbikes, you’ll find a wide range of mini-motorcycles, too.

Even in the 50cc starter range, there are docile beginner bikes and full-on racing minis, similar to front-line MX bikes for adults, only smaller. While they may be great dirtbikes for skilled racers, they aren’t for beginners.

For a first bike, look for something more basic.

"True beginner bikes, like the Yamaha PW50 and Suzuki JR50, come with exhaust restrictor plates," says Gingrich. "There are also limiters that restrict how far the throttle can open."

3. Don’t underestimate your kid

You can’t teach size, and handling an aggressive power curve takes serious seat time. But basic skills, like shifting and clutch operation, come easily—with the right training.

Don Wilson, who runs the Honda rider training facility in Alpharetta, Georgia, says that the clutch is such an important part of operating a motorcycle properly and safely that the sooner you can get your new rider adapted to a manual transmission, the better they will be in the long run.

"Here, kids come to learn," he says. "We’ll teach them. Kids are smarter than you think."

For the littlest riders who will only fit on the smallest machines, there’s a halfway step: a bike with an auto clutch, but a transmission with a standard toe-shifter. "These give a child a chance to learn to shift without using the clutch," says Gingrich.

4. Don’t overestimate yourself

Sometimes the most expensive minibike you can buy is the cheapest used machine in the classifieds—particularly if you don’t have the ability to rebuild it yourself.

Things you need for safe operation—fresh brakes, bearings, sprockets, tires and more—can cost hundreds of dollars to replace at once. You could easily equal the cost of a new machine by the time you’re done.

If you find a good deal on a used bike, and you aren’t confident in your mechanical abilities, most professional service departments will look it over for a reasonable fee, which you may be able to use as a negotiating tool in your purchase.