It will be interesting to see how The Boy takes to trials. He loves speed and jumps (the kind of jumps a 7 yr/old can do). However, its wheelies that really gets him excited. With that, trials has a fighting chance.
Don't make him only ride sections and practice the basics, toss in a little jumping off stuff and some faster little trails. Hopefully he won't get bored. Just because the bike says trials on it doesn't mean you can't have well rounded riding on it.
I second this comment.One of the most fun days I ever had was riding my Trials bike in the snow with a group of sport quad riders. The conditions were perfect for me as there was no ice so I had pretty good traction. Let's just say I wasn't too bored waiting for them........ the only downside for your son is that he cannot set down. There are aftermarket mini seats you could get or just make one.so now he could do both.
I would say the trials bike would allow him to get a taste of it at the least. Hopefully he will learn some good skills and get some experience from it too. Those will transfer if he later decides trials is not for him and at least he will have tried it and gotten something good out of it that will help him in trail riding later whatever bike he rides. If you give him challenging sections then that can be a lot of fun and again it can be very useful for non-MX type rides and competition like enduros and scrambles. I haven't ridden MX, but I would imagine balance and so on would be helpful there too. Then if he decides to go back to non-trials riding he can and he at least gave it a shot. Also, if you have a little bit of room around your home, you may be able to setup a small trials course or sections that he can practice on in a smaller space than needed for MX riding - IMO.
Well, was offered one of those friend deals you can't refuse on a barely used 70. Now, if only I could sell the 50 and the kayaks, I could go and pick up the trials bike.
Never enough room, but I built the Nuggets a mini mx track this Spring (w/ 17 whoops, a table top, a small stadium jump and one gap jump (that I'm going to turn into a safer table top)). I've been looking to get some giant rocks delivered for "lawn ornamentation".
Install a mini-flattrack next to it, and I'll be there quick with my XR100R flattracker. I'll also bring the Montesa once the "lawn ornament" rocks get there!
Well I would def get the trials bike still. I grew up on the trials bike and it has made me the great rider I am today. You can trail ride that crap out of them too. Some of the best single track trails are on trials bikes. Also MX everybody does and there is not much hope of becoming a top rider. Trials compition is less people so you ride and learn off your compition rather then hate them. You can jump them and then when he gets really good he can impress all his friends with some vertical rock climbs or splatters that no big triple jump can touch. And if you get both then let him ride them both. Keep the trials bike in the back for a couple of years if he is into racing MX, then just go play on it every now and then. It helps hone your abilitys so much. I wish I had kept with trials more growing up but with moving around it was hard. Considering I used to beable to beat one of the current us champs running the circuit now. Always wonder where I might be. Yet we were only 8.
Well, I've had too many beers this evening to give a lengthly responce...However, I'm in the same spot as you. The short answer is, Trials riding is going to wait (I'm a beginner at it (and have a 315 Montesa) till he is 7 or 8. My wife will join in with the Trials riding as well, family time... I've been concentrating on the MX Track and BMX for right now, they go together VERY well. Instead of buying a bigger bike for my son I built up the one I had (CRF 50). We have one of the best BMX track's in the USA about 20 minutes from my house, and several MX tracks near by. A few pic's... PM me if I can help in anyway... Jim
Ah, Garthe, I don't think that footwear in the 2nd shot is sanctioning body approved. Nice fiddy! Thanks buddy. I too thought about beefing up the 50, but no mods to cc allowed and he can ride up to a 70cc 4 stroke in his class, so grabbed the sweet deal on the 70. The 70 we nabbed is a '05, but it still had the little nubbins on the orig tires (one ride, sold, one ride, sold). Its great when kids don't take to motorcycling (so long as not my kids)! The Sherco is another story. Previously loved at it should have been. Hope he fits a .5 as we're getting it as soon as the XR 50 is down the trail. Now, if only "The Boy"'s dad could have a little success in bleeding his (Dad's) damn clutch MC on his Beta so he could ride tonight! The Kids' have been having all the fun this past week and its Dad's turn damnit.
Surely you can do it like we can on Gasgasers: Go get one of those big syringe's that you can get for bleeding brakes, open the bleeding nipple at the bottom slave area, (after you take top off mastercylinder)... fill syringe, do like doctors do and get the air out, push tight fitting {clear} line or hose over the nipple, Push the fluid from the bottom nipple up to the master's reservoir. at least I find that easier and you can push bubbles up easier than down. If it wont go up, you have a problem with the adjusting screw at the lever/master cylinder! that adjuster has to leave a tiny bit of play, so that the Master Cylinder's Plunger or push-rod can return Fully to extended or unpushed position, this lets the reservoir dribble fluid in to the plunger on the cable side. As soon as the plunger starts to push in, this hole gets covered up and no pressure will bypass... It may also be why you thought the clutch needs bleeding, because as the bike is hot the lever must allow the plunger to come fully out (at rest) to let fluid in or out. YMMV.
Step 1) Get a syringe, preferrably a large one from a veterinary supply store. Step 2) Slip a piece of clear plastic tubing over the end of the syringe (without the needle on! ) and make sure it fits good and snug. Step 3) Fill syringe with brake fluid (or whatever the clutch MC on your bike requires), slip the other end of the plastic tubing over the bleeder nipple on the clutch slave cylinder, making sure it fits snug. Step 4) With very little fluid in the clutch master cylinder, open the bleeder nipple and "back bleed" the system by depressing the plunger on the syringe, therefore forcing fluid through the whole system. Keep the syringe upright as to not force air into the system. When the clutch master cylinder is full, tighten the bleeder, remove the syringe tube, and enjoy a fully bled, well working clutch! ....And I see that Sting was online at the same time, and types faster!
Thanks Sting. Nah, it needs bleeding because I rebuilt it and I didn't bench bleed it afterwards. Cutting corners never gets you anywhere. Will remedy tonight though.
He was sitting on the bike with NO shoes and I told him that was against the rules. The racing that we're doing, there are no 'rules' about mod's. I'm leaving the motor stock for right now. My hope is that in a year or two he will be able to jump to a Kaw 65. I know what you mean about Daddy riding time. I've been to the track every weekend for the last month...havn't ridden once. It's hot here now so, we have to get their early and ride. Don't have time for both of use to ride. But, I can't complain, it's SOOOOOOOOOO much fun watching him ride. Good luck to you. Jim
Why not do both (yeah you said only one bike, seems a silly restriction )? Or maybe bicycle trials and MX? Also, its not like he's gotta decide for life now, he could run trials for a year or two then switch to MX if he gets bored or vice versa. I did MX as a kid (I was a little older as I had to buy my own bike - worked my little butt off mowing neighbors lawns and bought a YZ80 when I was 11) and absolutely loved it. We also did a lot of trail riding and family dirt bike campouts. Huge fun, great family activity, I really enjoyed it. I'm 27 now, the whole family still rides in the dirt Have a look into the local venues and organizations as well. You might find a really vibrant scene in one sport and a dead one in another. I know when I was growing up in the DC area the trials scene (or what I knew of it) was basically a half dozen old guys puttering around out in Frederick MD while the MX scene was huge with thousands at Budd's Creek on race weekends.
Finally got that damn clutch bled. As best as I could tell, the two copper washers at the banjo were part of the problem. A little emery cloth and flat surface fixed that. BP, both? Hell I wish that was the only option. This Summer he discovered golf and tennis too (he has been at tennis camp this week). I'm going to have to find a nanny to run him around all the time for his different little activities. BP, its buried in here somewhere, but he's getting a trials bike too (once his 50 sells). Like the movie Platoon, there are polar forces pulling at the soul of this child. In his case, his grandma, who disapproves of him on motorcycles and expresses this openly (often), is the force behind the tennis camp (and his grandpa was one of the golf instructors for the kids golf thing locally). The grandparents already have two Nancy-boy grand children on the other side ("oooh, our kids can't play football because they might get hurt"), so they need to be content with that. Tennis...geeszch. Golf is cool (cool as in cooler of beer in the golf cart), but tennis? Kid gets back from "fruit camp" today, so we'll be riding tonight. Gots to get his mind right.