Start 'em right

by James Holter

On a cloudy, chilly and downright sloppy early spring afternoon, Brittney Sparks, 10, her brother, Brandon, 13, and their dad, Glenn, 38, are at the Hocking Trail Riders riding park in Logan, Ohio. They’ve shown up with just a few hours of sunlight left, but they’re making the most of it.

Brittney is like a lot of kids. She’s wrapped up her school day, finished her homework and is looking for some fun.

But while most other kids are probably settling down in front of the TV with a video game, Brittney’s hanging out with her dad and older brother, conquering mud, hills, rocks and logs on a 128-pound, two-wheeled off-road vehicle—a dirtbike.

And you can bet your last nickel that inside her helmet, she’s wearing a big grin.

Sound like someone you know? Maybe you have a 10-year old who shares Brittney’s passion for fun on two wheels. Maybe you have a youngster begging for his or her first motorcycle, and you’re wondering if the time is right.

You know that becoming a motorcyclist isn’t a decision you make lightly, especially when kids are involved. There are a number of physical, emotional and mental assessments that you, as the parent, need to honestly make.

Luckily, we’re here to help. We’ve looked into lots of the questions you’re likely to have about kids and bikes:

How old is old enough? What challenges will your child face? Where can you get training for a beginner? What’s the right bike for a novice rider? What kind of protective gear does he or she need? Where can you go riding legally and responsibly?

Looking for answers? Read on.

Are they ready?
Brittney and her brother didn’t just jump on motorcycles one day and start riding.

Even though he’s a rider himself, their dad did what the experts advise: He made the decision to let them ride with his head, not his heart.

"They both started at their own pace, just learning throttle and braking," he says. "But it wasn’t long before they were riding better and moving up."

By approaching the sport cautiously, Sparks avoided one of the biggest early pitfalls—an enthusiastic parent who jumps the gun because of a love of the sport.

Few know that better than Don Wilson, who runs Honda’s Rider Education and Environmental Learning Center in Alpharetta, Georgia. The center has a staff of MSF-accredited trainers who teach riding skills and environmental awareness.

Wilson says that one of the worst reasons for a kid to start riding is because Dad does.

"It reminds me of the stereotypical baseball parents," Wilson says. "You know, the kid doesn’t want to be out there, but the parent is making him. ‘I played baseball, so now you’re going to play baseball.’ The truth is, if the kids don’t want to be out there, they’re not going to learn."

So the first step in evaluating whether your kid is ready to ride is finding out if they’re truly interested. Most motorcycling parents are eager to pass their enthusiasm to the next generation, but the interest has to come from the kid.

Step two is determining that your kid is physically ready for motorcycling, says Rob Gladden, a program manager for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. As the man behind the MSF’s DirtBike School, which trains new off-road riders and develops courses to get kids started right, he knows what to look for.

Before you think about teaching your kids to ride, he says they should be able to touch the ground easily with both feet when sitting on the bike they’ll ride. They need to be able to comfortably reach the control levers, and have the hand strength to operate them. And they must be strong enough to push and lift the motorcycle.

Then there’s the mental aspect, which is tougher to evaluate, and takes a parent’s careful perspective.

"Can the child comprehend risk, and recognize and reduce risk wherever possible?" Gladden asks.

Though most parents teach their kids themselves, it’s worth considering placing a young student in a non-competitive dirtbike school, if possible. (For a list of programs, see "Basic Training," sidebar top right.)

One big benefit of such schools, Gladden says, is that the kid is taught by a "disinterested third party"—in other words, a trainer who is not a parent.

"A lot of times, kids won’t listen to Dad, but they’ll listen to an instructor," Gladden says. "Sometimes, the parents, despite their best intentions, may not be able to provide the best instruction possible."

Gladden notes there’s another benefit to an outside riding coach: "A trainer gives the parent a tool that has been proven in other sports. They can say, ‘Remember, the coach said…’ "

Challenges and hurdles
Any activity has risks. While you can’t eliminate the risk associated with riding motorcycles, you can significantly reduce it with intelligent preparation and careful prevention.

Brittney and Brandon say they don’t even think about starting a bike without all their safety gear. Dad wouldn’t let them, even if they wanted to.

The Sparks know that proper motorcycle gear is essential to safe riding. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

You can start out with basic gear like a helmet, goggles, boots, gloves and jeans as your kid learns the sport. If he or she likes riding enough to keep doing it, you’ll likely want to buy more specialized gear.

Wilson adds that it’s extremely important to develop a child’s sense of personal safety as early as possible.

"Our kids aren’t even allowed to sit on a bike without wearing a helmet," he notes.

With physical risk reduced, you’ll also want to identify the biggest mental source of danger. As with any activity where multiple kids are involved, that source is clear.

"It’s dealing with peer pressure," Wilson says. "The kid will say to himself, ‘Little Johnny did it, so I have to do it.’ You can tell them everybody learns new skills at their own pace, but they’re still kids, and they’re still susceptible to peer pressure."

The best way to fight peer pressure? Parental guidance.

"It’s really important that the parents are involved," Gladden says. "If possible, parents should ride with their kids, supervise them. A dirtbike is not a babysitter."

A parent who is along for the ride is in the best position to realize when a young rider could be in over his or her head. And that’s the time to stop and offer guidance.

In addition, it’s a parent’s job to watch for signs that their kids need a break.

Getting schooled
Some parents are lucky: They already have a qualified teacher in the family.

That’s how Bill Kaeppner, 57, a lifelong rider with some land and lots of experience getting his own children started in motorcycling, came to be a mentor to grandkids Geno Macione, 11, and Jacob Young, 8.

The two often go riding on the Hocking Trail Riders land with Brittney and Brandon. And when you talk to them, it’s clear that they really love learning to ride.

Geno, who’s aboard a Honda XR100, gets a big smile on his face when he talks about getting started on "Mr. Fifty," which his grandfather explains is a mid-’70s Honda MR50. The bike has more than earned its keep, Kaeppner says, helping his son, daughter and, now, his grandkids learn to ride.

"First off, I’d ride down a hill, just coast down it," Geno says. "I was really excited the first time I started it and went riding. It was so awesome."

But if you’re like most parents, you won’t have a ready-made instructor to tutor your kids. And that means the job will likely fall to you. You may be able to get some help by joining a local club that has a lot of parents to serve as trainers. If you do decide to go it alone, though, Honda’s Wilson offers a few things to keep in mind.

First, he says, the parents have to learn about the bike themselves, which means reading the manual and asking the salesman or a knowledgeable friend the right questions, if necessary.

Do you need to pre-mix gas? Does it have a manual clutch? Where’s the kill switch? Where’s the choke? You’ll need to learn it all yourself before you can teach.

Then, you’ll need the right mindset. Teaching a kid something as advanced as safe motorcycle riding will take a fair amount of time. You won’t breeze through any one step. Ideally, you’ll invest hours in each new stage of learning, in an attempt to turn conscious execution into habit.

Wilson says that in his classes, early stages are done with the engine off. They focus on things like proper set-up and use of control levers and proper riding position. Then he discusses the starting procedure, including use of the choke, before finally moving on to the clutch.

Only after riders get the hang of all that are they allowed to let the bike move under its own power.

The kids start by "straddle-walking" the bike in a straight line. They take 8 to 10 steps and stop, then repeat until the instructor is sure they’re in control.

"Next, the kids will straddle-walk until they’re given a signal by the instructor to put their feet up on the pegs," Wilson says. "And then they’re riding a motorcycle."

Drills involve riding around a large circle in different directions, learning the techniques of turning, shifting gears and standing on the pegs.

Next, he covers counter-balancing in turns, weaving, and shifting weight to control motorcycle direction.

Finally, the kids learn more complex techniques, like unweighting the front wheel to ride over obstacles. An advanced course builds on that experience, teaching methods for riding over larger logs, through mud and sand, riding off a rock ledge, and hillclimbing.

For their part, Geno and Jacob say hillclimbing and jumping are two of their favorite skills to practice.

"My grandpa’s trails are really fun," Geno says. "He has this big hill, and this little hill that we jump. I can jump the farthest, but Jacob is the best hillclimber."

For lots of kids, recreational riding is enough. But if, after lots of practice, your kid really enjoys the sport, it’s likely that the question of racing will come up. With more than 3,000 competition events a year, the AMA offers plenty of opportunities for your kid to get out on the track. But only you can decide when—and if—they’re ready for that stop.

Determining whether your kid is ready to race requires a careful assessment of where he or she is in the learning curve. It’s also a decision best made without any pressure, which is how the Sparks family has approached it.

Both Brittney and Brandon race, but Dad says that although he evaluated their ability to compete, the choice has been entirely theirs.

"I’ve been riding for 28 years, racing since I was a kid," Sparks says. "But I told the kids they don’t have to race. That’s why we also do a lot of trail riding."

Being responsible
Once your kids learn to handle a motorcycle, one of the big issues you’ll face involves finding a place to ride that’s both legal and appropriate.

In some parts of the country—particularly on the East Coast and near large metro areas—finding legal riding areas can be a real challenge.

"When I grew up, we had more than twice as many trails," notes Hocking Trail Riders’ founder Scott Lyons. "And there were fewer than half as many people riding them."

That’s because more riding areas are being closed down by suburban growth and overzealous attacks from environmental groups, while fewer real trail systems remain. In a lot of cases, even operating a dirtbike or minibike in your own yard is becoming an issue.

Local contacts are your best bet for finding elusive legal riding areas. No matter where you live, there are likely dirtbike enthusiasts near you (see "Find a Place to Ride the Easy Way").

Not just any park will be ideal for a beginner, though. Some parks are intended for competition-oriented riders, while others provide a more family atmosphere.

That’s the idea behind Lyons’ riding park in southeastern Ohio. Opened on Memorial Day 2004, the park is family-friendly, with trails and open areas to ride. It’s not a racetrack. It’s a low-key place where a family can enjoy being together.

"Exclusive might be the wrong word, but I’m going to keep it loosely populated, and low-impact," Lyons says. "I want to give families somewhere to ride where they don’t have to worry about traffic and dust from 500 other riders."

Where you live, the available riding may be on public land, where you share the trails with hikers, horseback riders and others. In those conditions, it’s vital to teach your kids to respect both other trail users and the environment.

"Off-road riders are some of the staunchest environmentalists in the country," Gladden says. "It’s extremely important that kids understand their role in the great outdoors and their role as stewards of their riding areas."

That means not just picking up your trash and hauling it out, but also riding in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment.

At the Honda training facilities, the course specifically covers a rider’s responsibilities in the woods.

"In the classroom, we have pictures of real-life situations, like crossing a stream, rock, log, etc. And we discuss how the kids should handle it," Wilson says.

"With our new Environmental Learning Center, we can then put the bikes away and walk along the trails," he says. "We talk about litter, staying on the trail, and the erosion that can result if you ride off the trail."

Jacob is a good example of how kids can see their place in the woods.

"We ride carefully on the trails," he says. "We go fast, but we don’t tear it up. We always pick stuff up."

Benefits of riding
Ask a kid why he rides, and you can boil down the answer to three letters.

"I ride for fun," Geno says.

"It’s fun," says Brittney. "You make a lot of friends, but it’s just so fun."

"It’s just fun, and you can hang out with your friends," Brandon says.

Ask a parent, though, and you’ll typically get a deeper answer, something about spending time together as a family, learning new skills, broadening horizons, and learning about the environment.

An observer at the Hocking Trail Riders park today, Keith Young, 30, Jacob’s dad and Geno’s stepdad, started riding at 20. But it didn’t take him long to realize there’s more to riding than just "fun."

"It’s perfect out here for them," he says. "They get some exercise, they get to be in the outdoors, and they learn discipline. It gives them something to look forward to if they do what they’re supposed to do. Their grandpa (Kaeppner) makes them work before he lets them ride. He teaches them how to maintain their bikes—we all learn from him, actually."

That sense of responsibility is echoed later by 8-year-old Jacob, whose riding day was cut short by a slipping clutch. Many kids in his position might get angry or frustrated, but Jacob takes it in stride, with a maturity that has come with his experience on a bike.

First, with the help of his grandfather, he’s already diagnosed the problem and has a plan to fix it.

"I’ll change the oil, and the next time I ride, I’ll be all right," he says.

Second, though he’s stuck at the bottom of a long incline, beside an 80-pound KTM minibike that’s covered with maybe 20 pounds of mud, he refuses any help pushing his machine up the hill at the end of a fun afternoon in the woods.

He’s already formed a bond with his bike—one that’s likely to last the rest of his life.

Brittney Sparks, 10, her brother, Brandon, 13, and their dad, Glenn, 38.

Teaching a kid something as advanced as safe motorcycle riding will take a fair amount of time. You won’t breeze through any one step.