2019 KTM - 150sx

Yeah Joe! Let's do this. Let me know when you're back up in the PNW. I'm so down. PM me. Also, tell June I say what up!

What's up Kage173,

First off, I completely understand where you are coming from. Particularly with the safety and concern for your son. I have a 4 year old boy myself, and he's already scaring the living shit out of me because I can tell he has my genes. Not much fear, has incredible balance on a bicycle (strider) and want's to be just like his daddy. Now I understand how my dad and mom felt when I was that age after my father opened Pandora's box and got me my first Honda Z50R. He rode motocross and has said that he thought that he would get me a bike and I would get over it, but after my first 100 ft. riding down a desert trail, he realized "oh shit, what the F have I done". It was game over from there. Now I'm living the same 'uh oh' moment with my son...Talk about life coming back full-circle.

To answer your question, "given what you went through, would you do it again or would you have been just as happy playing soccer/baseball/tennis and being good at that and never having any real injuries?" - - -

I would. No doubt about it. While growing up and racing MX, I also participated in stick/ball sports. I was born a natural athlete. I played football, baseball, soccer and lacrosse. I did all them even into High School. I would do the sports thing during the week and a few days in between, skip a practice or two and go to the track to get ready for the weekend race. I'd even get done with a big Lacrosse or Football game on a Friday night, wake up Saturday am and race all weekend. I just loved to compete, no matter what.
I never really thought about it because I was just born an active kid who loved to play. I got hurt playing football and lacrosse a lot as well, although nowhere near as serious as riding but I can tell you I got more than a few concussions playing sports like Football and Lacrosse. I think it's all relative. Every sport is inherently dangerous in their own ways. Tennis? Not so sure about how you get hurt doing that, at least on a level of being in a cast or hospital ER visit. haha.

But like you are experiencing, I see my son want to get very heavily involved into Moto, especially now with a new bike in the garage, and it scares me. It's almost as if I wish he doesn't have the determination, perseverance or skill that I was born with to ride MX. But I think he may. I think my philosophy is this (and I'm sure my wife has a total different one than I do), is that a kid needs to be able to do what they feel instinctively they want to do. If your son loves riding Moto, then go with it. What happens will happen. If he begins to excel or feel a tug towards more traditional sports, he will go that direction and you can breathe a sigh of relief. But that's for him to decide. Trying to protect him from what his internal heart and soul is directing him towards will be a losing battle. Who knows...maybe his first legit spill on a MX bike will make him say "fuck this, I like soccer way more". Or maybe it will make him want to be better and become more determined (as was my case at that age). You just don't know because as our little men grow, they need to discover that for themselves, and I truly believe they will. If my son decides to want to rip MX and is good at it, well then I'm going to do everything I can to let that passion and internal fire flower and develope further. If he chooses to do ballet, or baseball, or soccer, or theater, or be a mathematician etc etc. instead, then I will do everything I can to help him be happy, support him and be the best he can at that. If he does decide to go balls out in MX, then I will make damn sure he has the best helmet, gear and protection as possible and guide him through my own personal experience of riding at that young age i.e. "hey John, I know you want to hit that 80 ft. kicker like the other kids on 125's, but you ain't there yet, no matter how bad you want to...give it a little time and just get that 45 ft. gap dialed first so that you can do it with your eyes closed. Then let's talk about how the big gap is going to feel." That kind of shit.

I guess that's my best answer and somewhat advice I could give to you, as a fellow parent. It's hard, man. Real hard. Nothing worse than seeing your kid hurt. My parents saw me get hurt so much and it killed them every time, especially my mother, but she and my father knew they were powerless to stop me from getting back up and going at it even harder. If they would of tried to make me stop, or controlled that fire I had it would of made me resent them in some way. And I wouldn't have learned so many life lessons that I did, such as how to persevere through losing, getting hurt, being humble when I would win nor would it have provided me so many laughs, cries, new friendships and experiences that riding MX provided.

That being said, I gained the same life lessons from playing traditional sports as I did from racing MX through the most formative years of my life. They all made me who I am today - A hard worker, never a quitter, working through pain no matter what and being strong-willed / minded. And most of all, a good person because of all the ups and downs I experienced at a young age. It teaches you a lot about life and sets you up for the real world, even though at a young age you don't know it. That's the most important part of all of it.

Your boy will be fine, you just guide him where you see fit. You sound like a great dad who is concerned for his boy, but also wants them to thrive. So you're already winning at the dad game. There are no rule books for this parenting shit. Hardest job in the world. Throw you kids desire to ride MX into it, and well, it gets even harder. But that's the fun of it. You'll learn just as much as your son through this journey as he will himself. Cheers my man and best of luck. I'll need a pep talk myself sooner or later. HA!

Thanks man. Really excited to be back. Can't wait to rip the 150. Feel like a kid again I'm so excited. Best of luck with your boy, you got this.

Thanks man! Super stoked.

Let me ask you, I know the past 2 year 150's had to be fine-tuned off the showroom floor particularly with the jetting. Wondering if that's still the case with the '19? I was planning on hitting up MXA to see if they have had any time on the 150 so far to see if they recommend anything right off the bat. Same with the reeds, know that the bike in the past had issues with reeds being weak. Any extra insight you have into your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Of course, I'll find all this out for myself Saturday when I take it out for it's first really rip and get a feel for what I need to do or where some weak points are, but just curious about you calling out these adjustments after a demo.

Cheers man! Dope TC you have there as well. Tasty.

Redesigned 38mm Mikuni TMX.