Hi Everyone,
I have a quick question about the Honda CRF50's. I want to buy one with the outrigger training wheels for my 3 year old son; some of the ones I have looked at have an aftermarket 88cc motor in them. Is this engine reliable and is it too big for him to control? Thanks for your opinions and thoughts! No Bad days.

I wouldnt put a 3 year old on an 88cc yet. My 50cc has bloodied more people than my big bikes....and it still has the 50cc in it!

I have a cr50 with training wheels, interested?

No way would I give my 4 year old an 88cc. The stock 50cc is plenty big for him.

I just bought my 4 year old a 50cc also, and it's plenty fast for him. It hauls me around pretty good, and I weigh 190lbs. They have 3 gears, so I'd say the 50 is more than enough for him. I wouldn't want my boy on anything bigger for at least a few years.

After you get it, your kid will think your the greatest dad in the world! It's an awesome feeling seeing your boy ride his first dirt bike.

Thanks for the reply. I weigh about 220 pounds, is that too heavy to ride the CRF50? I don't want to bend anything! I also found a few good deals on the Suzuki JR50 and the Yamaha PW50; are these good bikes too?

Hi TCG, I PMed you. Please e-mail me some pics and let me know the specifics about your CRF50 for sale.
Thanks, Jason

You ever watch America's Funniest Home Videos? Ever notice how many clips there are of little kids taking off on their new bike, and then running straight into the fence, car, mailbox, etc.?

A 50's plenty for the kid.

I think we all know why dad wants the 88cc....

"Here Johnny, Daddy's gonna' show you how to do it."

"Dad, when do I get to ride it?"

yamaha pw 50 is a decent bike, its automatic, but has no resale when the time comes. stick with a "shifting" bike for max value. the crf is automatic, but it shifts. no clutch required. same with the yamaha ttr-50. im sure the suzuki 50 is the same way. the pw is one speed only. its too bad you posted this now. i just sold my daughters training wheels for her crf-50. dont get the outrigger training wheels, they suck. get the solid bar ones that bolt onto either the bottom of engine where the footpeg bracket mounts into, or get the kind that go right into where the foot peg itself mounts to the footpeg bracket. moose racing is who makes the ones i had for my daughter, but there are a few different makers.

remember, at 3 you will have to run the throttle stop on the grip in for him so he doesn't take off on you. you would be surprised how fast those 50 cc bikes will go with a 40 pound kid on them. thats what i do for my daughter. she is 6, and i still limit the throttle for her.

i used to put my daughter on her bike in first gear only. well one day, she figured out how to shift on her own by watching everyone else ride their bikes. so i have to limit the throttle, because her skills dont match how fast the bike is....

good luck. its really awesome to see your kid ride for the first time..take pictures!!

im 220 myself and the fifty hauls me, just trim it down for him on the throttle once he goes solo i got my grandkid started by letting him sit in front just to get him hooked, now its game on, farmdog.

Thanks SayChz for the good advice. I will stick with the shifting models for sure and make sure the throttle is turned down.

The PW50 is two stroke, plenty of peeps have learned to ride on these bikes. I don't think yamaha has changed much on these bikes for over twenty years. The yamaha ttr50 is 4 stroke with electric start, nice bike for sure. I can not speak for the suzuki other than I thinks it's 4 stroke as well. I bought my daughter the crf50 because I got a good deal, but I really wanted to get her the ttr50 because of the electric starter wod come in very handy. The Honda is fine, I put it in gear and she foes everywhere in the hardpacked.

My son has had his stock CRF 50 since he was 1 1/2. He is almost 8 now and it's just getting to the point of it being too slow for him.

I bought his brand new because my plan has always been to keep this bike (his first) forever. Someday he'll be able to bring his kids over and either show his first bike that is displayed in the house somewhere or maybe have his kids ride it too.

Yea, the Honda 50 will haul you around all you want. It is a 3 speed, and it goes pretty good. Here's a short video of my boy his 1st time riding on his own after I installed the training wheels for him. It took him about 2 minutes, and he already thought he could do freestyle!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCzMEmN4m58

Thanks ChubbyDog! That is a cool video of your son!!

I disagree with that statement! You can buy a used PW or TTR50, use it for a few years, and sell it for little or no loss. I've had multiple friends do it, and so did I! The smaller kids bike hold their value very well. Granted, if you buy it new you're going to take a loss but there's so many used ones out there that it's easy to find a deal.

Depending on how big your son is, the PW50 might be a better option due to the seat height. If he's big for his age, the XR/CRF will work, but another thing to think about is the weight of the bike. When he's ready to ditch the training wheels, the PW is quite a bit lighter than the XR so it will be easier for him to pick up when he falls over.

Just my .02!

Thanks K Bach for your thoughts! I agree, buying used is the only way to go.

The CRF50 has worked out great for my son. He started when he was six and has last year and this year on it. Barring any growth spurts he should get one more year. When I sell it I'm sure I can get what I paid for it and it will help another little one get started.