[SeaSerpent]

I would like to get my son a bike, he will be 14 in July.

He does not have any experience on a bike.
My 230 is to tall for him..was thinking maybe an 80, 100 or 125?

Thanks,
Chris

[JAWS]

How tall is he? What type of riding does he/you want to do? How much does he weigh?
Joe

[SeaSerpent]

He is 5' 3" and 105lbs.

It would mostly be trail ridding.

[JAWS]

Without getting into specifics, this is a hard question to answer. Have you taken him down to a dealership and let him sit on the various bikes for fit? He needs to touch easily and he needs to be able to pick the bike up himself. If you are going 4 stroke then a 100 or a 150 might be the ticket. The 4 strokes are easier to learn on due to not being pipey like a 2 stroke. The 2 strokes are generally lighter and have more power per displacement. That pipeiness doesn't translate well to trail riding as a general rule.
I think if you get him something like a CRF70 (auto-clutch), he will outgrow that almost immediately.

It may come down to fit. If he had aspirations of motocross then the 125 2 stroke would be my recommendation, but not for trail.

Joe

[redrooster65]

My advise is to but him a used bike to learn on. My daughter is about the same size and her CRF100 fits her well. She has learned allot in the last year and I would like to get her a CRF150R but am waiting a bit to see if they come out with a "X" version.

The trick when they are learning is you don't want something that will scare/hurt them but they will outgrow the beginner bike in a hurry. If you buy used they hold there value very well and when its time to move up the losses are minimal.

[Roady]

Have to agree with RedRooster. I have gone thru a stable of XR100's over the years and recomended them countless times because:
They are bulletproof
Great learning bike for clutch
Power won't get away from them
Resale is incredible (you can often sale them for what you purchased for)
Low seat height and light weight
Did I mention they are bulletproof?

This site has all kinds of cool info on smaller bikes and even a guide for what to look for to determine abuse when shopping used.

http://www.socalxrs.com/frames1.htm

Good luck and happy hunting

[xman]

CRF150R.

[NCLR1]

Going to the dealership to try some out would be the best advice.

[crf100rider21]

i was 13 when i got my xr 100

but he will want more power soon, so my advise is to buy a used 100 and let him learn on that then buy him a 230 or 150r

[amccrazgrl]

I'd say a 100 probably.

I'm 5'3 and went to sit on bikes at the dealer. The lady recomended a 100 for me since I have my experince on dirt bikes. I weigh 147lbs.

I'm still debating getting a bike though.

[coljam]

he will want more power soon,

first bike I bought for my boy @ 12 (he's now 14) was the 230f. he was a little taller than your son.

One factor I have not heard mentioned is your judgment of how aggressive your son is by nature. If he is more timid, then he will probably love a smaller bike (e.g. the 100 or 150f). But if he is pretty aggressive in other areas of life (and has some natural athletic ability), he will probably outgrow those bikes relatively quickly, resulting in your needing to off load one and move to a bigger bike.

That was the case for my son. He took riding pretty quickly. It was only one season before he was looking for more power than the 230f could give. We ended up getting a YZf 250. He loves it.

Hope that perspective helps some. Good luck. Riding with your boy will be an absolute blast!

[SeaSerpent]

Thanks guys and gals..

I will find him a used 100


I appreciate the advise,
Chris

[crf100rider21]

I have a crf 100 for sale ,but we are kinda far away!

[vetteguy]

My son had no experience and started on a CRF150 at 12 years old. He did fine and after his first season has moved up to a 230. At this age they grow quick and you will probably be looking for a bigger bike after 2 weeks if you get a 100. I would go with a CRF150F. You can find many nice used ones for 12 - $1500. JMHO. Good luck, Guy