PW50 still the pick for kid bikes?

731chopper
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DFW, TX, USA
8/17/2018 8:44am
What kind of helmet would y'all recommend for a 3 year old? The local powersport place I've been going, recommends the LS2. https://ls2helmets.us/mini-mx/fast-mini That's what I've...
What kind of helmet would y'all recommend for a 3 year old? The local powersport place I've been going,
recommends the LS2.

https://ls2helmets.us/mini-mx/fast-mini


That's what I've ordered, but I want to make sure my little nephew has the best.

Thanks Smile
My son wore is bicycle helmet for the first year. He now has a moto helmet I’m trying to get him to wear but his head shape is an issue for most helmets so we’re still searching for the best option. We’ve tried a Fox and Fly but he needs a rounder shape.
Falcon
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Menifee, CA, USA
8/17/2018 9:12am
PW50 for sure. My kid got right off his balance bike and rode the PW without any kind of training wheels. He was 3 months past his 4th birthday.
agn5009
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State College, PA, USA
8/17/2018 9:16am
agn5009 wrote:
My son had 0 issues with going from training wheels to none. The first day I took them off he was ripping around no problem at...
My son had 0 issues with going from training wheels to none. The first day I took them off he was ripping around no problem at all. So I disagree with your guys' opinion 100%. The biggest obstacle with kids learning how to ride a dirt bike is brake and throttle control. It's not balance. They should have the balance to do it from learning from strider bikes then regular pedal bikes. It took my son a little bit of time to figure out the hand brake because it was totally new to him whereas the balance came easily due to the similarities between riding his bicycle and strider bike. You can let them get used to using the brake and throttle more adequately with training wheels.
kage173 wrote:
Fair enough. I do agree with you about braking. That was a very new concept to my son and he still doesn't love it, particularly the...
Fair enough. I do agree with you about braking. That was a very new concept to my son and he still doesn't love it, particularly the hand brake.


On his bicycle he loves the pedal braking and skids for miles, so I've been thinking about converting the P-dub to a pedal brake. Would love to hear if anyone has any experience or reviews on that.
I don't have any experience with the foot brake but it sounds like it would work and be beneficial for him. It's a really hard concept for kids to learn especially at the same time as learning the throttle. More often than not when a beginner loses their balance it's because of hand brake/throttle confusion.
1
slipdog
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Nor Cal, CA, USA
8/17/2018 9:21am
peelout wrote:
my little guy is 7, he has been riding the PW (Pierce's first bike) for 2 years now and loves it. this year i tried to...
my little guy is 7, he has been riding the PW (Pierce's first bike) for 2 years now and loves it. this year i tried to get him started on a KTM 50 and it's still too much bike for him. there's a big difference between getting the PW moving versus the KTM. that and i think the noise of the KTM bothers/scares him.

at first i was getting frustrated because i insisted he ride the bigger bike, but now i'm chalking it up to "he's a 7 year old" and if he's not comfortable then we'll wait until he is.

cool thread bros


That's where I'm at. I can see mine are not having fun when I put them on the cobra, but they ride the CRF at the same basic pace as their friends that bring over KTM/Husky's. Our track isn't really big enough to take advantage of the top speed of the race 50's either.





5

The Shop

109
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Murrieta, CA, USA
8/17/2018 9:25am
109 wrote:
PW50 is the only choice for starting Mx. A good used one is $600 and will be worth $600 after all your kids have had hours...
PW50 is the only choice for starting Mx. A good used one is $600 and will be worth $600 after all your kids have had hours of fun on it.
Your best bet for riding young is strider bike>stacyc>pw50
My younger daughter had 4 months on a Stacyc before I let her ride a PW50 and the difference in learning curve has been huge.
The PW50 class is the best class for a safe environment to get into racing. You can’t beat it.






kage173 wrote:
That's awesome. Good on you for getting you daughter into it. We need more girls in this sport. And she looks good! Look at that leg...
That's awesome. Good on you for getting you daughter into it. We need more girls in this sport. And she looks good! Look at that leg out there on that turn.

How do you like those Mika bars? A buddy has the PWOnly setup with a whole different throttle and braking system. That got me looking into it and he also mentioned the Mika setup, which is a little less $. How much more effective is it than stock?
Both my daughters ride, they are 4 and 6. 6 year old raced for the first time with AME minicross and was an amazing experience. All props to Tony Alessi for a great series.
The 4 year old learned to ride her PW in the pits at Milestone at an AME race. We’ve spent 2 months riding at home getting her confident. She’s going to start doing mini night this month.
Best experience I’ve had as a dad is teaching them to ride.

As far as the Mika bars go. 100% best mid you can do to PW50. $100 or so and positions the kids in the right riding style. Allows movement of bars front and back and movement of rear brake lever up and down.





2
rstaichi
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Everett, WA, USA
8/17/2018 9:26am
When I was looking for my boys I went oset. Lower seat hieght, lighter, can adjust power coming on and top speed and can ride in yard with no one bitching.
Negative was price, battery’s don’t last very long.
I was looking at pw 50 used and most wanted over $1000.. no thanks. And dealer wanted $1400 plus all the normal fees.
This was 3 years ago but one cost me$1200 and other was $1700. Lot of money for a bike that won’t go an hour. But for ease of learning the best I think.
My boys started at 2&3
peelout
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Ogden, UT, USA
8/17/2018 9:30am
slipdog wrote:
That's where I'm at. I can see mine are not having fun when I put them on the cobra, but they ride the CRF at the...
That's where I'm at. I can see mine are not having fun when I put them on the cobra, but they ride the CRF at the same basic pace as their friends that bring over KTM/Husky's. Our track isn't really big enough to take advantage of the top speed of the race 50's either.





i have been thinking about picking him up a CRF50 so he can learn to shift and use the foot brake. do you feel like it's the next step up from a PW before getting on the faster bikes?

ps... sick spread bro
1
rstaichi
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Everett, WA, USA
8/17/2018 9:32am
What kind of helmet would y'all recommend for a 3 year old? The local powersport place I've been going, recommends the LS2. https://ls2helmets.us/mini-mx/fast-mini That's what I've...
What kind of helmet would y'all recommend for a 3 year old? The local powersport place I've been going,
recommends the LS2.

https://ls2helmets.us/mini-mx/fast-mini


That's what I've ordered, but I want to make sure my little nephew has the best.

Thanks Smile
731chopper wrote:
My son wore is bicycle helmet for the first year. He now has a moto helmet I’m trying to get him to wear but his head...
My son wore is bicycle helmet for the first year. He now has a moto helmet I’m trying to get him to wear but his head shape is an issue for most helmets so we’re still searching for the best option. We’ve tried a Fox and Fly but he needs a rounder shape.
My 7 year old has a bad flat spot. So helmets don’t fit right at all. Both boys are in 6d’s but the older one is looking straight and helmet is turned to the side.lol
1
slothy
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Saint Clair Shores, MI, USA
8/17/2018 10:00am
peelout wrote:
my little guy is 7, he has been riding the PW (Pierce's first bike) for 2 years now and loves it. this year i tried to...
my little guy is 7, he has been riding the PW (Pierce's first bike) for 2 years now and loves it. this year i tried to get him started on a KTM 50 and it's still too much bike for him. there's a big difference between getting the PW moving versus the KTM. that and i think the noise of the KTM bothers/scares him.

at first i was getting frustrated because i insisted he ride the bigger bike, but now i'm chalking it up to "he's a 7 year old" and if he's not comfortable then we'll wait until he is.

cool thread bros


that is a cool pic!
1
8/17/2018 10:20am
What kind of helmet would y'all recommend for a 3 year old? The local powersport place I've been going, recommends the LS2. https://ls2helmets.us/mini-mx/fast-mini That's what I've...
What kind of helmet would y'all recommend for a 3 year old? The local powersport place I've been going,
recommends the LS2.

https://ls2helmets.us/mini-mx/fast-mini


That's what I've ordered, but I want to make sure my little nephew has the best.

Thanks Smile
731chopper wrote:
My son wore is bicycle helmet for the first year. He now has a moto helmet I’m trying to get him to wear but his head...
My son wore is bicycle helmet for the first year. He now has a moto helmet I’m trying to get him to wear but his head shape is an issue for most helmets so we’re still searching for the best option. We’ve tried a Fox and Fly but he needs a rounder shape.
rstaichi wrote:
My 7 year old has a bad flat spot. So helmets don’t fit right at all. Both boys are in 6d’s but the older one is...
My 7 year old has a bad flat spot. So helmets don’t fit right at all. Both boys are in 6d’s but the older one is looking straight and helmet is turned to the side.lol



Right now here is wearing a helmet that doesn't fit the greatest. It makes me nervous because I don't want him to get hurt. He's not really scared of much of anything besides the sounds of his bike.
One-Hander
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Beverly Hills, CA, USA
8/17/2018 10:33am
I think the KTM 50sx should not be ridden by a beginner toddler in any way, it's way too fast IMO.Toddlers have no throttle control. PW50 would be my first choice.
1
agn5009
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Location
State College, PA, USA
8/17/2018 10:49am
109 wrote:
PW50 is the only choice for starting Mx. A good used one is $600 and will be worth $600 after all your kids have had hours...
PW50 is the only choice for starting Mx. A good used one is $600 and will be worth $600 after all your kids have had hours of fun on it.
Your best bet for riding young is strider bike>stacyc>pw50
My younger daughter had 4 months on a Stacyc before I let her ride a PW50 and the difference in learning curve has been huge.
The PW50 class is the best class for a safe environment to get into racing. You can’t beat it.






kage173 wrote:
That's awesome. Good on you for getting you daughter into it. We need more girls in this sport. And she looks good! Look at that leg...
That's awesome. Good on you for getting you daughter into it. We need more girls in this sport. And she looks good! Look at that leg out there on that turn.

How do you like those Mika bars? A buddy has the PWOnly setup with a whole different throttle and braking system. That got me looking into it and he also mentioned the Mika setup, which is a little less $. How much more effective is it than stock?
109 wrote:
Both my daughters ride, they are 4 and 6. 6 year old raced for the first time with AME minicross and was an amazing experience. All...
Both my daughters ride, they are 4 and 6. 6 year old raced for the first time with AME minicross and was an amazing experience. All props to Tony Alessi for a great series.
The 4 year old learned to ride her PW in the pits at Milestone at an AME race. We’ve spent 2 months riding at home getting her confident. She’s going to start doing mini night this month.
Best experience I’ve had as a dad is teaching them to ride.

As far as the Mika bars go. 100% best mid you can do to PW50. $100 or so and positions the kids in the right riding style. Allows movement of bars front and back and movement of rear brake lever up and down.





That bottom bike is sweet looking!
8/17/2018 10:51am
109 wrote:
PW50 is the only choice for starting Mx. A good used one is $600 and will be worth $600 after all your kids have had hours...
PW50 is the only choice for starting Mx. A good used one is $600 and will be worth $600 after all your kids have had hours of fun on it.
Your best bet for riding young is strider bike>stacyc>pw50
My younger daughter had 4 months on a Stacyc before I let her ride a PW50 and the difference in learning curve has been huge.
The PW50 class is the best class for a safe environment to get into racing. You can’t beat it.






kage173 wrote:
That's awesome. Good on you for getting you daughter into it. We need more girls in this sport. And she looks good! Look at that leg...
That's awesome. Good on you for getting you daughter into it. We need more girls in this sport. And she looks good! Look at that leg out there on that turn.

How do you like those Mika bars? A buddy has the PWOnly setup with a whole different throttle and braking system. That got me looking into it and he also mentioned the Mika setup, which is a little less $. How much more effective is it than stock?
109 wrote:
Both my daughters ride, they are 4 and 6. 6 year old raced for the first time with AME minicross and was an amazing experience. All...
Both my daughters ride, they are 4 and 6. 6 year old raced for the first time with AME minicross and was an amazing experience. All props to Tony Alessi for a great series.
The 4 year old learned to ride her PW in the pits at Milestone at an AME race. We’ve spent 2 months riding at home getting her confident. She’s going to start doing mini night this month.
Best experience I’ve had as a dad is teaching them to ride.

As far as the Mika bars go. 100% best mid you can do to PW50. $100 or so and positions the kids in the right riding style. Allows movement of bars front and back and movement of rear brake lever up and down.





Look at that aggression!! Your girls are gnarly! My daughter is 5 and she has a ttr50, but thinking about throwing her on my sons PW to see how she likes it. Once we ditch the training wheels I would like to get her to some of those ame races. They look like a blast for the kids!
Moto Mofo
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8/17/2018 11:01am
peelout wrote:
i have been thinking about picking him up a CRF50 so he can learn to shift and use the foot brake. do you feel like it's...
i have been thinking about picking him up a CRF50 so he can learn to shift and use the foot brake. do you feel like it's the next step up from a PW before getting on the faster bikes?

ps... sick spread bro
Someone offers a foot brake conversion for the PW, but I’ve never heard any real feedback on whether it’s worth a crap or not.
Moto Mofo
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8/17/2018 11:05am Edited Date/Time 8/17/2018 11:05am
My daughter just turned 3, and has been riding and balancing her Strider like a champ for several months. Keep thinking about Osets (we ride trials too, so she could try some trials events on that) and the Stacyc, but I can’t help but think the PW might still be the best option.

I wish Beta imported this bike to the US. I’d buy one immediately.

2
slipdog
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Nor Cal, CA, USA
8/17/2018 11:12am
peelout wrote:
i have been thinking about picking him up a CRF50 so he can learn to shift and use the foot brake. do you feel like it's...
i have been thinking about picking him up a CRF50 so he can learn to shift and use the foot brake. do you feel like it's the next step up from a PW before getting on the faster bikes?

ps... sick spread bro
They learned to shift it but don't. They leave it in third all the time because it pulls them at 45lbs even out of the tight corners. I don't know if it's a necessary step because it seems like the power difference is what they really need to get comfortable.

Right now mine need the better suspension more than more motor.
731chopper
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DFW, TX, USA
8/17/2018 12:09pm
rstaichi wrote:
My 7 year old has a bad flat spot. So helmets don’t fit right at all. Both boys are in 6d’s but the older one is...
My 7 year old has a bad flat spot. So helmets don’t fit right at all. Both boys are in 6d’s but the older one is looking straight and helmet is turned to the side.lol
Yep, that’s the issue he has as well. From what I’ve read some helmets manufacturers make a different shape helmet for the Asian market with a rounder shape so I need to find one of those.
peelout
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Ogden, UT, USA
8/17/2018 12:21pm
slipdog wrote:
They learned to shift it but don't. They leave it in third all the time because it pulls them at 45lbs even out of the tight...
They learned to shift it but don't. They leave it in third all the time because it pulls them at 45lbs even out of the tight corners. I don't know if it's a necessary step because it seems like the power difference is what they really need to get comfortable.

Right now mine need the better suspension more than more motor.
thanks for that, i think mine will do the same just shift it to the fast gear and leave it. that's what he does on his 7 speed mountain bike too lol. i'm not worried about suspension yet as if he gets ANY air on a bicycle or dirt-bike he won't touch it for a few days. i think the CRF50 would be a good transition from the PW, he's getting too big on it and as i said in my OP, he won't ride the KTM yet.
rstaichi
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Everett, WA, USA
8/17/2018 12:32pm Edited Date/Time 8/17/2018 12:33pm
rstaichi wrote:
My 7 year old has a bad flat spot. So helmets don’t fit right at all. Both boys are in 6d’s but the older one is...
My 7 year old has a bad flat spot. So helmets don’t fit right at all. Both boys are in 6d’s but the older one is looking straight and helmet is turned to the side.lol
731chopper wrote:
Yep, that’s the issue he has as well. From what I’ve read some helmets manufacturers make a different shape helmet for the Asian market with a...
Yep, that’s the issue he has as well. From what I’ve read some helmets manufacturers make a different shape helmet for the Asian market with a rounder shape so I need to find one of those.
FYI 6D has wedges they can give you to make up the gap... for those goofy shaped head kids out there...like mine?
Question
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8/17/2018 12:54pm Edited Date/Time 8/17/2018 12:58pm
peelout wrote:
my little guy is 7, he has been riding the PW (Pierce's first bike) for 2 years now and loves it. this year i tried to...
my little guy is 7, he has been riding the PW (Pierce's first bike) for 2 years now and loves it. this year i tried to get him started on a KTM 50 and it's still too much bike for him. there's a big difference between getting the PW moving versus the KTM. that and i think the noise of the KTM bothers/scares him.

at first i was getting frustrated because i insisted he ride the bigger bike, but now i'm chalking it up to "he's a 7 year old" and if he's not comfortable then we'll wait until he is.

cool thread bros


Hi ! It sounds then like a PW80 may be a good bike for the transition. Bigger, faster, 3 gear without clutch, bullet proof = economical and still smooth (no as scary as a 2 stroke made for racing). Wink

I moved then directly from this to a 80CR at my 9th birthday (I was a bit tall) ; it had a plastic stuff in the carb to avoid hitting the "red powerband" (top 20% something), a plastic that got eaten naturally by the engine after 1 or 2 months.
DIZZLE
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8/17/2018 1:11pm
thorns wrote:
So I'm at the exciting time where my nearly 3 year old son is loving motorbikes. Pretty much lives on his balance bike and pretty solid...
So I'm at the exciting time where my nearly 3 year old son is loving motorbikes. Pretty much lives on his balance bike and pretty solid at riding that, so naturally with Christmas coming up, I'm starting to think about getting a bike with a twisty throttle.

Is the PW50 still the pick of the bunch, or are the likes of the electric OSET, or even a STAYC bike a better first option?

I know obviously with the PW50 you can pretty much buy one, run it for a few years and not lose money, but the electric bikes have my attention a bit as you can ride them in a lot more places without pissing neighbours etc off, and even the STAYC you could ride it round the footpaths.

Anyone else been down this road recently with all the options available these days?

My 2 year old picked up the www.stacyc.com and never looked back. Now at 2.5 years old he is ripping and following me all over the neighborhood. It's amazing his balance and throttle control now plus they are light weight and not intimidating. I think his transition to a PW50 will be a breeze and he now has that confidence. The STACYC has three speeds to help advance as he does. These things are game changers!
109
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Joined
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Location
Murrieta, CA, USA
8/17/2018 1:51pm
kage173 wrote:
That's awesome. Good on you for getting you daughter into it. We need more girls in this sport. And she looks good! Look at that leg...
That's awesome. Good on you for getting you daughter into it. We need more girls in this sport. And she looks good! Look at that leg out there on that turn.

How do you like those Mika bars? A buddy has the PWOnly setup with a whole different throttle and braking system. That got me looking into it and he also mentioned the Mika setup, which is a little less $. How much more effective is it than stock?
109 wrote:
Both my daughters ride, they are 4 and 6. 6 year old raced for the first time with AME minicross and was an amazing experience. All...
Both my daughters ride, they are 4 and 6. 6 year old raced for the first time with AME minicross and was an amazing experience. All props to Tony Alessi for a great series.
The 4 year old learned to ride her PW in the pits at Milestone at an AME race. We’ve spent 2 months riding at home getting her confident. She’s going to start doing mini night this month.
Best experience I’ve had as a dad is teaching them to ride.

As far as the Mika bars go. 100% best mid you can do to PW50. $100 or so and positions the kids in the right riding style. Allows movement of bars front and back and movement of rear brake lever up and down.





mattyhamz2 wrote:
Look at that aggression!! Your girls are gnarly! My daughter is 5 and she has a ttr50, but thinking about throwing her on my sons PW...
Look at that aggression!! Your girls are gnarly! My daughter is 5 and she has a ttr50, but thinking about throwing her on my sons PW to see how she likes it. Once we ditch the training wheels I would like to get her to some of those ame races. They look like a blast for the kids!
It’s all confidence and learning in a relatively safe environment. I’m not bumping the older one up to a KTM until she’s flogging the PW begging for more power.
See too many kids on KTMs blipping the throttle because the power kicks in so abruptly and mx is about carrying momentum - PW50 is all about momentum as it has no bottom end power.
1
109
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472
Joined
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Location
Murrieta, CA, USA
8/17/2018 1:53pm
thorns wrote:
So I'm at the exciting time where my nearly 3 year old son is loving motorbikes. Pretty much lives on his balance bike and pretty solid...
So I'm at the exciting time where my nearly 3 year old son is loving motorbikes. Pretty much lives on his balance bike and pretty solid at riding that, so naturally with Christmas coming up, I'm starting to think about getting a bike with a twisty throttle.

Is the PW50 still the pick of the bunch, or are the likes of the electric OSET, or even a STAYC bike a better first option?

I know obviously with the PW50 you can pretty much buy one, run it for a few years and not lose money, but the electric bikes have my attention a bit as you can ride them in a lot more places without pissing neighbours etc off, and even the STAYC you could ride it round the footpaths.

Anyone else been down this road recently with all the options available these days?

DIZZLE wrote:
My 2 year old picked up the www.stacyc.com and never looked back. Now at 2.5 years old he is ripping and following me all over the...
My 2 year old picked up the www.stacyc.com and never looked back. Now at 2.5 years old he is ripping and following me all over the neighborhood. It's amazing his balance and throttle control now plus they are light weight and not intimidating. I think his transition to a PW50 will be a breeze and he now has that confidence. The STACYC has three speeds to help advance as he does. These things are game changers!
100% - strider to stacyc with no battery, then stacyc on the slow mode, then medium, the fast. Then to a PW is the best and fast way to riding well.
kage173
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USA
8/17/2018 2:17pm
109 wrote:
It’s all confidence and learning in a relatively safe environment. I’m not bumping the older one up to a KTM until she’s flogging the PW begging...
It’s all confidence and learning in a relatively safe environment. I’m not bumping the older one up to a KTM until she’s flogging the PW begging for more power.
See too many kids on KTMs blipping the throttle because the power kicks in so abruptly and mx is about carrying momentum - PW50 is all about momentum as it has no bottom end power.
Totally agree with this. I want mine begging for more power and throwing the thing around like a toy before he moves up. That is the best way for them to learn and to keep them from hating it and not wanting to ride due to fear of the bike.
Jerkolantern
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New Richland, MN, USA
8/17/2018 2:32pm
Man I find myself welling up remembering the days I had with my kids.... Man getting old turns ya into a pussy! I hope all you guys have as much fun as I did. I've never banged a super hot chick or made huge scratch to even come close to how happy they've made me. Kids kick ass.
6

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