Stacyc vs Gas vs Electric Dirtbike

That’s a very loaded question. The Stacyc is nice because they can throw a helmet on and go. But in my opinion, nothing beats a good old fashioned gas dirt bike. Especially if you decide to throw some trails in on the 50 acres of land. But regardless, these little dudes and dudettes grow faster than weeds… no matter what you get, even if it ends up being the wrong choice, you’ll have to buy something else in a year or two anyways 😂

If he is big enough to hold himself up comfortably on a 50 I would do that.  If not spend alittle more time on the lighter stacyc.  

5 1/2 years old with your own property that’s easy. Gas all the way. At that age there are plenty of good real motorcycles that will fit him 👍

Electric KTM all the way. Way more fun for the rider to start on and way more fun for dad because you have basically zero maintenance. We had an Oset then went down the 50 path and that wasn’t fun at all. Got rid of that and went to a KTM sxe5 and it was so good. Such a great bike. Then he went to a KTM 65 and it was great as well. Now he has a KTM 65 and he has a ETM RTR. Both are great bikes for different reasons. 

Electric ktm 50 all the way. Stacycs are cool.  But are overpriced for what they are.  And they really aren't made to be ridden in anything but perfect hard pack conditions.  

Or a pw50 or old jr50.  Still the best bikes out there to learn on.  

All of them, ride everything.

Stacycs want a paved surface or smooth pump track. Go with with a pw50 or crf50 that is actually capable in the yard or dirt. Ktm e-moto is a good option too but pricier especially if you go used, you can find almost show room 50 trail bikes for 1000-1500 or less.

If you have a paved driveway that isn't too small, you can get an electric balance bike on Amazon for about $200 then buy the 2 year guarantee for another $20 and they can have something to kick around the driveway and work on throttle control and balance in just a bike helmet and shoes for cheap.

Honda CRF50.  Cheap, easy to maintain, real dirt bike with gears.  Will handle hills and trails.  You can bring gas instead of a generator to refill it on the out skirts of the property.  Unlimited parts, and accessories.  And its fun and not intimidating.  Its what my boys rode when the riding for the days was over, and the adults were sitting by the campfire exhausted.  When dirt biking gets serious, its what they did to blow off steam for fun even after they were teenagers.

I did KTM E5 when mine turned 5 and was on an Oset before that. I probably could have got him on the e5 even earlier with the lowering kit. Reason for us going electric is we have a couple acres with a trail next to a sub division. He rides just about every day. If we had more land I probably wouldn't have found out how good these electric bikes are and would have just gone gas but glad I didn't have to deal with 50 2 stroke maintenance.

Kids at that age at least mine don't need hours and hours of run time. He can trail ride over an hour and during the break charge up. Never has the battery been an issue.

The nice thing about the e5 is you can really start your kid on them at 4 years old with the lowering kit and 10" front wheel. The bike grows up to 65 size with a big wheel kit but the rest of the ergos need tweaking (move bars higher etc). So you could use the same bike from age 4 to 8 or 9. Ours is 6 years old at this point (got it used) and has been trouble free.

If I were in your shoes I'd look at the crf50 or these e5's. crf50 will get outgrown a little quicker.

It seems like increasingly more of the parents of kids that age in my local off-road series have switched their kids to the KTM E5.

I got my kid a TC50. Nice bike but he never got too comfortable with the auto clutch and adjustments. 

Ended up getting him a leftover E5 for cheap and it really got him hooked to riding most of the week. When we go riding for the day at a track I just bring a small generator to charge it while he re-hydrates. Only mod to it was swapping the rear tire for a MX14 due to soft sand. 

Probably has 45-50 hours so far since August and knock on wood it has been flawless.. 

This or “as much” 50 as you can confidently put him on. Btw, same phrase should apply for electric…as big a chassis as you can reasonably put him on…a capable motorcycle, in other words.

The maintenance aspect of electric can’t be denied. But, range/ride time can be an issue on some models.

50 acres is a wonderful thing. Get him something that will last as long as possible and allow him to get out there and get dirty.

Congrats on your situation and Good Luck👍🏼

What are your thoughts on the RTR so far?

Gas. Refill and keep riding. No waiting for batteries to recharge.

Moto dad here with a 6 year old. For your property get the KTM E5. I was pretty anti electric, but after getting one it's super simple for him to ask to go ride the backyard and you don't have to do any gas or filter. Once he get's faster and if you are racing more you can the KTM 50SX gas and then 65 etc. But starting out get the KTM E Bike and let him enjoy the ride!