Advice on first bike for my son

Depends how tall is tall for his age. If he is 5'7+ an 85 will be too small for him. A 65 is out of the question, couldn't even race it if he tried. I personally never rode mini's when I transitioned from BMX to MX (I was 14-15ish). I hopped right on a 125 two stroke. That'd be the way to go if he is tall enough. Also, if you're from IL you have had to race BMX at Rockford, Elgin, and that track in Alton, IL. What about the indoor track in Walworth, Wisconsin? Last time I was there was like 2001 or so?

You may want to look at the ttr125L, crf150(not the race model) or any of the bikes equivalent to these. They are easy to ride and will teach him to ride correctly without having to worry about correcting for mistakes a more powerfull bike will cause. Then once he can ride these to their potential you can either sell it or keep it as a pit bike.
Make sure to buy quality protective gear to go with it and have fun.
Alan "MXtrainer"

Consider how aggressive he is. If he's really aggressive, then maybe if you could find one of those KDX 200's, it'd go a long way. It's big enough and strong enough to make a fun ride, without letting him get stupid with an out of control powerband. No doubt 85's rip...but they may kill the little bugger.

If he's not aggressive, and maybe even has some fear, then a TTR would be good.


Above all, make sure you fit the bike for fun first. That's what it's all about.

Same with my son except he was 5' 8 @ 12-13, he even looked funny on the RM 85 big wheel.

Like JYZ said, it depends on his height.

You dont want a 85 that he will grow out of in 6 months

If you think he likes to jump go with a MX bike and not a trail bike.

Oh and join the group of being scared about our childerns safety, we are all paronoid when our kids throw a leg over a bike, especially when they start hauling ass. And when they crash your heart will drop to your stomach.

come on im 12 and 5'4 and im getting a 125 or 250f and have been riding for a year now. But im faster than some kids that have been riding all of theyre life

If he's never ridden anything before, he really needs to ride a mellow bike for a while before getting on a race bike. You say he's tall for his age, but how tall?


For most 12 year olds, the bike they will end up racing is an 85. Generally around 14 or so, the bigger kids move on to big bikes while the smaller ones stay on 85's even up until age 16.


Unless he's already 5'7" and 145 lbs and you are 6'6" or something, I'd consider aiming to race an 85 for at least a year.


If you're ending up on an 85, the starter bike could be a TTR125 or something that size from another manufacturer. The wheel size is the same as an 85, so the ergonomics will be similar if he goes to a race bike. I'd only consider a 110 if that's what you want to have as a pit bike. Around here the 110 is probably the most popular pit bike, and the kids (and adults) thrash them and they just keep on going. I've had some TTR125 experience as well, and they are nigh unto indestructible as well.


You'd want to let him get some handling skills and get the basics down on a mellow bike...it might only take a dozen rides or so. You might even consider borrowing one for a few rides.


The race bike will take some getting used to. An 85 has a mean hit on its power band. Putting him right onto one without prior experience is pretty much a recipe for some whiskey throttle disasters and lots of loopouts. A 125 or 250F is just that much worse for someone with no experience.

And the nice thing about the pit bike is that for riding in the backyard or parking lot or whatever around the house, they are quiet. Kids gain a lot of their handling skills just playing every day on pit bikes.

Find an xr 200 or a 230. Its an adult size bike with child size power.

Just for the record, speaking as a kid who was just thrown onto a 96 yz250 (to learn how to ride) its not like we just get crazy as soon as we can. It's really scary to ride for the first couple times for us (im not a kid anymore, but just recalling memories).

At any rate, I would strongly advocate against a ttr125 or similar, because they are lame to ride and he'll either break it or outgrow it really fast, both size and skill wise.

One thing to remember if he is just learning to ride is that if you start on a used TTR125, you probably aren't going to be losing too much money on the thing if you sell it six months later......

I have raised and taught three boys how to ride. If he is not too tall, I would get the CRF 150 motocrosser, and ALL of the protective equipment you can put on him. Teach him to respect the bike and ride under control (my little one always told me he was not riding "over control"). If he learns the skills with proper supervision, he will be riding a bike that he will not break or grow out of, skill wise.

My two cents. Good luck. You will be amazed at how well he will ride, with the proper instruction first.

Service Honda 500!!!!! He'll grow into it......... J/K...As much as it pains me to say this, The Honda 230 is a damn good learner bike.... But what he really need's is something from KAWASAKI.... You know, A real bike.

105SX




150F




150R




The 150F is a fun bike, the 230 has more torque but the 150 is more fun to throw around and jump.

I'd have been stoked with any of these at that age.

Started on a 77 YZ 80D, moved up to a IT175 soon after.