Crf50 or pw50 for little one to start on

They're pretty much the same. I'd get a CRF50 simply due to the fact it will be easier to sell. Or, you can get a set of high bars and keep it as a fun bike for the backyard.

Pw, just as easy to sell as the crf and if he loves it and wants to race moto they have a shaft class.

Hey I'm in the same situation. My son is 3 and rides a CRF/XR50 but he can't solidly touch the ground without training wheels as of yet. He actually has developed into a pretty solid rider for 3 and is begging me to ditch the training wheels so I'm now looking for a PW50 since it is a bit shorter in seat height plus it's auto trans which is nice since he's not accomplished in changing gears. He turns 4 on the last day of March which will make him legal to race the local MX series so the PW seems like the more logical choice to have him ready for that. I would highly suggest a remote kill switch kit when they first start to ride. It really saves on having to chase the little ones down if they get into trouble as in hitting the house or going off of a cliff lol.

PW50 for sure. I know lots of people that have sold their CRFs and TTRs to go to a PW.

PW=lighter, smaller, good resale
bad = dad cant ride it and auto clutch is tricky to get the hang of they rev rev rev, hit when they hit Jr will let off and start the proccess all over again.

CRF= slightly faster, dad can ride, put it in second gear and leave it till Jr is ready to shift. can usually race in the shaft class or will have its own class called multi speed. dad can ride it. tons and tons of after market, good resale and did i say dad can ride it.
bad= taller and heavier

really comes down to a personal choice, for me it was crf cause now that the little one has moved on i still pull it out and ride it myself from time to time. either way they are both pretty simple machines. very little maintenace required PW is oil injected. both have a screw that lets you limit the throttle.

I'm going to be in the same boat in a couple years and have been considering this. The only thing I don't like about the pdub is the dual handbrakes. It seems like that would be another hurdle to overcome when moving to say a ktm. Does Suzuki still make the jr50?

Pw for sure. Lighter, no clutch, lower to the ground. Will always sell. Plus, if the kid doesn't really like it, you aren't out much cash. Our passion doesn't always translate-be ready for that too. As long as they are enjoying it.

Agreed.

My son turns five in March of 2014. He rode a PW50 most of 2013. We now have a KTM 50 mini. The change over to the KTM was very easy. He had a great time with the PW.

As a dad who started a kid on each, I would say PW for sure unless the kid is 6 or older or rather large. The weight of the crf was a huge factor.

PW hands down. They are just great little bikes.

I went with the pw for a few reasons. Smaller, easier to ride for someone who has never rode before such as a 3-4yr/old, re-sale is really high in my area, and its a trusted bike as it was my first dirt bike as well. It was a really good trainer bike as she is now on the KTM 50. The PW got handed down to my middle daughter.
They were itchin to ride since Santa brought them and the tracks were closed. Now my yard is no longer very grassy! haha

Both are great bikes. As others have said it depends on the size of the child. My son started on a crf50 but had to have training wheels because he couldn't hold up the bike. But he rode the cap out of it. Then went to a crf70, ktm Pro Sr 50, to a ktm65 in 7 months...If you get the crf, you may be able to hang onto it longer if your kids grow into it.

We went with the CRF50 because we're Honda guys, he was too short to touch the ground when he first started so once he learned the controls we'd catch him like a back catcher now he's callin' me out...

I had the crf with training wheels when my boy started riding, then I got him a PW when we wanted to start racing. He loved the bike, but now he races BMX and we dont race moto anymore for the time being and he out grew the PW so we sold that and got another crf with tall bars and heavy suspension, then jsut traded for a 12" front wheel, he loves it and it will last for years.

Thanks to my fanatical dad my kids have both. We started with a crf50 and my first son rode it with training wheels when he was 3. We suspected that if he had something with a lower seat he would ride without training wheels so my parents showed up one day with a pw50.

My oldest had just turned 4 and took right off on the pw. Now he rides the pw and my 2 year old rides with me on the honda. I think next summer I may try my 4 year old on the honda to get him used to shifting and a pedal rear break. Then my youngest can start riding the pw.

We got the crf50 first, but it probably would have better to get the pw50 first.

pw50!

Well Tate is riding a PW. Guess Chad knows his stuff.

PW's are light, with a low seat height. They just do not pull well from a stop when the limiter screw is turned down a bit. Then once the clutch locks up, they still get going pretty fast ,even though the screw is turned in. It limits throttle opening, but does not really limit the speed.

A PW will still get going pretty fast at say ,1/4 to 1/3 throttle. I have a set of QT gears , that helps with better low end pull.

My oldest daughter first bike was a JR50. I liked it better than the Yamaha cause it had a 1 speed trans. So you at least learned what a shift lever was. And the chain drive seemed to take off better than a PW shaft. I've had a PW for my granddaughter cause I bought it right. Now she's bigger and rides the CRF50.

They are both great bikes. The best to buy is which ever one has the best deal. We started my son on a PW50, took decent care of it went through several riders and sold it for very nearly what we paid for it. They had the CRF50s at Santa Special for $999. Which ever one you buy you wont regret it.
TM