40 and New to Dirt Bikes

If this is a real post, not some wack job trolling.

The 250F for you(whatever brand) is a good idea. For the wife and kids, provide their ages, and sizes. 

Both 2 and 4 stroke will be good for your riding interest. 2 strokes are not as much maintenance and easier to work on your self.

Can your kids ride bicycles proficiently? 

CR500’s for you and the wifey. 
1974 TM400’s for the chilens. 

Pay no attention to this crazy bastard,I would point you more in the direction of the mighty YZ426 to get the ball rolling..

There goes the neighborhood…

Those posts represent a proper “welcome to Vital”! 

How about a Stark Varg, it's electric, no gears, no clutch, ideal for a beginner to learn on, power can be adjusted from 10hp safe for a beginner, up to 80hp, which is more than a pro could use, you can start with low power and increase the power as you become comfortable.

https://starkfuture.com/products/stark-varg

It's battery supposedly has a similar range as a 450f's gas tank, but recharging takes time, which may be an issue for a pro riding aggressively, but not for a beginner running at lower power and lower speeds.

Being electric it is low maintenance, but it is expensive $12,900.

Virtards will flame this comment, because it's not what they learned to ride on, and you're not a real dirt biker unless you ride a 2 stroke or a 4 stroke!

Maico 501's and Suzuki TM 400 Cyclone's from the 1970's will get you in good shape, LOL

     Buy used for the test period. No way to know if you and the family will like it. Most likely only half the kids will be very interested after the first couple of rides. I personally would only purchase 2 bikes for the 4 chillers. Let them learn about sharing and maintaining a motorcycle. One other thing….it makes sense to me that you try to buy all the bikes from the same manufacturer .  Nothing worse than visiting 3 dealers to pick up parts. Wishing you all a fantastic motorbike journey, and remember that you don’t have to go fast to have fun ! 

CRF 50 for the kids

 KLX 110 for the wife

 250F for you. Pick a color. 

Talk to some dealers and demo ride different bikes.

Man if you’re buying the whole family new bikes in this economy you’re going to need either a huge bank account, loan comparable to what a house would be or maybe sell one of the kids. Maybe one you don’t like much?  Kidding aside welcome to the world of dirt bikes! It’s most definitely a fun family sport. 

If you aren’t looking to race MX, I’d consider something like a WR250F. Very user friendly stock but can be modified later as your skill levels increase. Depending upon your wife’s height and aggressiveness, she may do well on something like that also or maybe a big wheel TTR125 for her to start on and the kids to grow into?  To be honest, you could probably find a play bike for just about every size and skill level at a Yamaha dealer if you were buying new, or you could search around for used ones and probably find some pretty reliable, fun machines. If it gets more serious than play riding, you’ll have a lot more knowledge by then and will probably understand your options a lot better. 

My only advice is make sure you have good health insurance, it’s not if but when and how bad. Dirt bikes are cool, fun, and a great outlet, my kid has raced since he was 6, now 21. Great people, great sport, but unfortunately it comes with injuries. 

Rent some bikes for a weekend. Give it a go. Find out who likes what. Bikes don’t appreciate (unless there is a virus 😎). I would personally buy used. Low hours, good shape bikes. Just the basics for all. Chances suggestion above is sound advice.

Yesterday, I taught the 3rd of my 3 kids how to use a clutch on my TTR125.  I was telling them about how I truly think that is the most fun to ride bike I've ever had (I moto on a YZ450f and have a RM125 for the woods, with history of other bikes in my past).  I also have taught about 3 other adults how to use a clutch on that TTR.  I imagine all the trail 125 4 strokes are similarly easy.

I would suggest a used TTR for the wife - look up how to transplant an 85cc front end on that thing and keep an eye out for one on the cheap (it really transforms the bike and is not a necessary day 1 upgrade).  As the kids hit around 12 years old, it's a great bike for them to learn on.  Another option  for her, depending on height and her ambitions, is an 85 or KX100.  Easy to work on, you can set them up to be fast, and they are light with low seat heights.

You are looking at going from 0 bikes to 5 bikes (potentially).  Some things you need to consider (I don't expect you to reply to these but they are issues you need to address):

Do you have transportation for them? 

Riding gear for everyone (you need quality helmets and boots, at a minimum.  DO NOT RIDE WITHOUT THEM)? 

Do you have storage for 5 bikes? 

Do you have tools and a place to work on em?  At a minimum, you'll need to learn how to change oil, air filters, and tires (tubes really) in order to keep the bikes running, and cross your fingers nothing breaks.

If you take your wife and kids out, expect to not get any riding in yourself for at least a year.  There will always be someone you need to teach or a bike to pick up or something you need to fix.  If I go out with 1 of my kids, I ride with them.  If I take 2 or more kids out, I just assume I'm not riding.  It's a super bonus if I can.  You might want to consider getting your bike LAST (just ride theirs or your wives when they are taking breaks), or if you truly want to ride yourself, carve out some alone time.

As others have said, start small. Go to a try-out day or something or find a day that runs tuition from a pro with bike hire thrown in, see how your mrs and kids get on as well as yourself and make a decision from there. 

Only other advice I'd give you (beyond insurance), would be if you do decide to invest in your own bikes and gear, don't try and go cheap on Helmets. The rest of gear will vary by riding style, but you only get one head!

Did you consider dual sports like the Honda CRF300L or the Kawasaki KLX300? Of course compared to enduro bikes they're very basic, a bit heavier (300 pounds), and limited in power (27 hp and 22 hp). But the low power makes them forgiving, easy to learn on. Plus they're also half the price and very low maintenance.

You can already have a ton of fun with such bikes on mountain trails, rocks, they are quite competent in off-road and you can progress to more powerful and expensive bikes when you feel ready for more.

They're also road legal, not a game changer for the kids but that may allow you to easily hit the trails after a day at work, no need to load the trailer, truck or whatever.

real question, can your wife drive a stick shift? does she know how to use a clutch? 

How much money do you have to spend on this? Some of your kids may never want to ride after doing it once 

Take a look at trail bikes. CRF, TTR, KLX, DRZ

They will be much easier to ride, less expensive, and lower maintenance.  It'll also make it easier to ride together because a 250f MX race bike does not like to go the same speed as a child that's still learning.

The trail bikes hold their value well so you'll be able to sell and upgrade if you decide to start racing or riding more aggressively.