Tips For a 50cc Rider?

Focus extremely hard on fundamentals and basics. It’s all about technique. This is not a knock on you, but if you don’t feel confident in your ability to teach him, get him in a school that will focus on the fundamentals of technique. 

I'd Invest In a good riding coach. There is much more than just riding. Practice needs to be structured along with all the off track stuff that needs to be included to develop a kid.

Go old school and get a couple tires and go out to the desert and have him do circles and figure eights around them.

Keep it simple at first, let him get confident sliding around the tires and keeping a tight turn both directions then can work in more advanced stuff. Keep it fun! 

#1 is have fun! Once the fun stops, the learning stops. 

Get him riding with faster kids his age that he can chase around practicing. 

Don’t worry about technique at this age. If you can get him to look ahead and ride on the balls of his feet the rest of his body will naturally align. 

Have fun! 

Just enjoy riding 

Knees back, toes in, smooth throttle. People say push hard on technique and that is true. But practically speaking kids get bored of figure 8s and get tired of you harping on them. Don't push so hard that you take the fun out of it. Technique develops over time. The best thing you can do is find camps or a coach with a group of similar aged kids.

There used to just be the Gary Semics video series, but now there's lots of resources from AJ Catanzaro (YouTube) and Daniel Blair (SX University? app), and others.

An effective trick I pull on my kid is to tell older kids (85 and Supermini riders) to mention techniques to him or encourage him to hit a jump. They've all been there and are willing to help out. And he will listen to them way more than you.

I did many schools when I was young.  I’m confident the techniques are more advanced today, but there were 3 things that made me immediately faster and more consistent.  Learning to let the bike move under me and keep my body and head steady was first.  The thing that taught me to pass was proper use of the front brake.  In a straight line, it’s like 80% of stopping power.  I spent hours on front brake drills on a figure 8 turn track.  Once you brake better than the next kid, you go right by entering corners.  And elbows up and body forward, looking ahead.  Allows you to push with less effort and more control.

Good luck moto dad!

The modern style of toes in, on the balls of your feet, butt out with inverse arch of the back feels awkward and uses different muscles than you normally would. I'd advocate you get that down, then just let him have fun safely. Reiterate like a broken record every time you go to the track to never enter the track after a jump, never veer off unexpectedly to exit, get off the track if you crash after a jump and get to the top to direct people away from your bike until help arrives etc. In summary, get the basics down, be safe, and let him have fun.

1. Keep it fun

2. Seat time

3. When he is ready, get a coach to help with fundamentals/ safe riding technique
4. Keep it fun

5. When you have questions refer to #1

Get him A Kit, Ti bolts and take 5 ft/lbs off every bolt for more flex.   Sell the house, move to mtf! 😋

Just have fun

I try to break things down to the smallest pieces I can and always have a reason we are doing something. “Because this is how you do it” doesn’t work in my opinion. 

Showing them that when you kick the tire with their elbows up versus down makes a difference has helped. 

This is good advice.  HAVE FUN!!😁

Guys hiring coaches, are you finding them on USMCA's website?

I had to google where Underwood was. 

First thing that came to mind is getting class time with the traveling camps (MX Factory, Moto Academy, Troll Training in MN), Mike Evenson with his 554motoclinic in MN but usually the opposite corner of the state.

What may end up working best for you is to find out who the best riders are in your immediate area and ask them if they are available or interested in working with your kid. $100 dollar bill goes a ways to cover their own practice expenses. 

Thanks, I didn't want to hijack the thread but kids are in the same boat with gaining speed and seem to listen to others better than me. 🤣 

First off, I only see two bikes, no self-respecting Mini Dad only has 2 bikes, you need a Race bike, a Practice bike, and a Spare. Come on Dad, keep up!

Get a riding coach for him, then drill those same lessons into him for the next several riding sessions so he adopts them and uses them forever. 

I have a friend who was a fantastic MX coach and he taught me a few things, even later in life. Here are some of his drills:

-Do that figure 8 at Pala, but on flat ground up there. Put out two cones and just have him ride around them. Have him sit the whole time, maintaining proper form, and try to make those turns without putting his feet down. Eventually, have him go a little faster and setup for those turns by brake sliding into them - again, with feet up. Eventually, do this drill while standing - brake sliding, feet up. 

-Have him ride around with his left hand on his head. Do turns, small bumps, etc. 

-Practice riding as slowly as he can go without putting his feet down. No, slower than that. Balance. 

-As long as it's safe to do so, have him roll down the pit road back to the lower parking area with no hands on the bars so he learns he can steer the bike with his feet. Eventually, have him stand while doing this and grip with his knees. 

           Tell him that doing NacNac’s while passing me is really annoying. Have More Fun !

Best two things you can do

Get a bike yourself and ride and race alongside him on his journey.       For so many reasons 

Kids are social animals at this age - find some kids that click with him and give him access to his friend group that ride 

My son was amazingly driven to improve because of his faster friends and earning respect 

For Zoe: her balance is simple perfection. Watch some videos on “turns” and show her how to move around on the bike…and how to/when to get up off the seat and how to stand and “attack”…outside of that…she’s solid and as she learns to move around on the bike, she’ll branch out a little bit into more speed and technique. Again, her balance is superb…just get her to move up in the turns and let’s try to get our foot out like we would in a “berm shot”.

Levi is pure SoCal Speedster. Like his sister…just work on his fundamentals…technique…the basics. There are articles & videos out there  from the likes of Jimmy Weinert (has even posted in Vital), Marty Smith, Ryan Hughes and others that cover basic “turn technique” and “attack position” and how to place your feet on the pegs in different ways and positions for different parts of the track, etc. he’s already “getting it” & a 65 isn’t too far ahead in the future for him. 

You’re already kicking ass correctly. You’re already doing it right. Do a little research and create some fun ways, games and “skill tests” to do as a family. Basically, continue to just keep doin’ what you’re doin’! 

That video was a perfect thing to watch with my morning coffee. Stoked! 

Yeah, ride dirtbikes and have fun!!!

AC gave some good advice on a recent AC&JB podcast when a live audience member asked the same question.

I’ll do my best to paraphrase.

“If at any point you want it more than your kid, pack it up and quit”

Put a throttle with a stop on it and limit the power. Tell him you will turn it up when he can drag his bars turning both ways on a figure 8 track.