can someone help me ? My six year old wants to ride dirt bikes and I need a recommendation for a fully automatic 50cc bike. I want a new bike, but don't have more than 600 dollars. also what is the advantage, if any, of a four stroke as opposed to a two stroke which was all we had when I rode 30 years ago

Yamaha PW50 is a good starting point, But you will not get a new one for $600... Plus most of the used PW50 are not ridden hard and can be picked up for about $500.

This is thumpertalk I think you will get a biased opinion about 2 strokes vs 4.

a few months ago I saw BRAND NEW crf50's on sale for like $700 at the local shop...

You want new, but don't want to spend more than $600??

These cheap chinese knock offs are pretty much your only option...

http://evosales.com/...ke-for-kids.cfm

But a used big brand 50, kids out grow them fast, so they are generally still in really good shape.

I think a PW50 will be too small for your 6 yr old. I would strongly recommend a Honda CRF/XR 50. Mine has been on his since he was 5, just turned 7 and he will probably be on a larger one next year depending on how much he grows. He raced it in Pee Wee hare scrambles this past year and it did well for him. It fit him perfectly as a 6 year old. The Honda has kick start and a 3 speed so he can learn some skills there as well. I bought a 2002 XR50 for $575 2 years ago, no problems except a clogged carb once. Runs perfect now. The only downside is that it's a little heavy, but not as heavy as the TTR50 which has e-start. He can pick it with no problem after he got used to it. At first he just rode the bike in 2nd gear until he learned to shift, it works fine in 2nd with the auto-clutch. Not to mention that the parts availability is better than most any other bike made. It hasn't changed much at all over the years. Can't go wrong with this bike.

TTR50-E. Both of my sons learned to ride on it, and the e-start is HUGE when they fall off and kill the motor a hundred yards from where you are standing.

The Suzuki DRZ70 is another option. It's basically the same size as the CRF50.

Thank u for the information. I've been out of this for 25 years so I am officially a Newbie. Should I assume that a "thumper" is a 4 stroke? Regardless of the bias, I would still want to know what the reasons are behind the bias. Input anyone?

I'm a firm believer that you should not buy a "big" bike thinking that your kid will grow into it. Buy a bike that's the correct size for him. If it's his first bike, make sure he can put both feet on the ground and that it's not too powerful. You can pick up a used PW50 or KDX50 for $600 all day long. They are relatively light, easy to start, no clutch and a single gear. Keep it for a year and then sell it for the same price you paid for it. Then look at at a CRF50 or DRZ70.

The PW50 is a two stroke. Two strokes, as a general matter, have less tourque at low RPM, so the rider needs to work the shifter more to keep it at higher RPMs. For a beginning rider, the lack of tourque is not really an issue unless your kid will ride up a lot of steep inclines.

My son started riding at 6, and we started him out on a KDX50 (essentially the same thing as a PW50). It was the perfect beginner's bike. He rode that for a year, and then we moved him up to a DRZ70, which he still rides today.
We selected the DRZ because it has electric start, no clutch and 3 gears. By next season he'll be ready for something bigger or maybe a quad.

The KDX we purchased new, but only because my son has three younger siblings and so I know I'll have it for another 6 years or more. Otherwise, all my kids' bikes would be used because they outgrow in them in 1 to 2 years.

Good luck.

I'll toss in my .02 cents worth for the Suzuki JR50. You'll probably need to go 'used' (not sure if they still make 'em or not?) but its simple to maintain, easy to learn how to ride, tame when new, but once uncorked it has enough scoot to kick the rear end out in corners. My son learned to ride one at age 3, but thanks to the adjustable bars/rear springs he rode it steady through until he was 7.

Suzuki stopped making the JR50 in 2006. I bought the very last one at our local dealership this past Christmas. Within two months, I gotta call from the local Honda store telling me that my name had been chosen from the drawing I signed up for and that I had won a CRF50. Well, my son set his sites on that CRF50 and never looked back (I think it was because I ride a CRF250X and he likes the idea of riding the same bike as his old man).

Anyway - to get to the point of my post....
I got a Suzuki JR50 that's got less than 10 rides on it sitting in my garage if you're interested. It's practically brand new. To give you an idea.... it's got a reservoir for the 2-stroke oil (so you don't have to mix the gas).... we've only been through about 1/3 of the oil reservoir. It's MAYBE had four tanks of gas run through it (I think it's more like three....)

PM me if you want.

You won't find anything new for $600 that you'd actually want to buy at any price. So you'll be looking at used.

For your average six year old, the PW50 is gonna be really small, what's his inseam?

I'd look at the XR50, it's at the edge of your budget on the used market, but they're there. It's not "automatic", but it doesn't have a clutch lever. Three speed - your kid can grow into shifting later. Just don't give him a mile straight where he can just go and go and go in first gear, make sure he's either learned to shift or spends limited time at wide open throttle so he doesn't over rev it.

The "next size up" bike I'd recommend would be a PW80. But like Smiley Pete, I wouldn't buy a bike with the "grow into it" mentality, it's a good way to scare kids off bikes or worse risking catastrophe.

I got my 4 and 5 year old an 2000 xr50r a few years ago for $300. My kids are now 6 and 7 and they both still ride around it every now and then. It has been an awesome bike. I put new tires on it and change the oil and that's it. The thing is a tank, it has been dropped a thousand times and the only thing that broke was the throttle where the on/off switch is.

I am sure the pw50 is a nice bike but I don't know if I would want my kid to ride that if he fit it, he would be too young IMO. If a kid can ride a pedal bike without training wheels, get an xr/crf 50 or ttr-50.

that brings something up. Make sure he can ride a pedal bike w/o training wheels. I realize by this age, they usually are. But my younger brother didn't till he was eight.
Don't mess with training wheels on dirt bikes, they're only good for boat anchors and reinforce bad habits on motorcycles.

Something to think about - a 4-stroke 50 has about the same power as a 2-stroke 25 - if there was one made, which there isn't unless you buy one from Lifan or another Chinese outfit. Then there's the parts issue...

Bikewise, none of the current suzuki offerings are in the ballpark size-wise (or budget-wise). Yamaha's pw50 is probably too small for a tall 6yo, the TTR-50E is probably the right size, is built like a tank, but doesn't have much power and costs more. The KX-65 might be a good choice, but it's kind of big, like the DRZ-70. The CRF-50F, at 21.6" seat height might be a good fit. The next size up is the CRF-70F at 26.1", but that might be a bit of a stretch for a 6yo.

So, thumbsup for a used KDX-50, CRF-50F, XR-50. They should fit and not break the bank.

I think that training wheels are a good idea if a kid is just getting started and they're not really confident in their ability to hold the bike up. Try to remove them after a few weeks so they don't develop bad habits (like not leaning the bike...). Try to get your kid to practice picking the bike up - it will boost his confidence if he drops it and you're not right next to him to pick it up for him.

Get him a Crf50 and you might have to put a bbr conversion kit on it once he gets used to it. That kit bors it up to an 80 and it also raises the suspension.

another vote for a crf50 or a PW. I put my son on a borrowed PW at age 6(This past spring) and by mid summer, his riding was better than the PW could handle. I then bought a used CRF50 and he rode that the rest of the summer. I had planned on that bike for most of next year, when a couple weeks ago he slung his leg over a borrowed ttr90 and rode that around the yard, but that's still a bit too tall for him. If I had to do it again, I may skip the PW part and start on the honda. The main thing I did like about the PW is that it has a throttle stop built in so it was excellent for a beginner. You can't go wrong with buying a used PW50 cheaply and make sure he likes riding.

I don't know about the CRF, but the XR50, which is nearly identical does have a throttle stop. It's on the throttle assembly. The CRF might have one, but the screw removed, just buy a new screw, I believe it's 6mm X as long as you can find, use a 6mm nut as a lock.

IMHO, forget the TTR90, buy a PW80 instead. The PW does not have a throttle stop, but it does have a very easy mechanism to cut down on the power, 3/8" fender washer in the exhaust between the head pipe and the exhaust port.

From what I've read on other threads,the pw50s, the throttle stop is not a speed governor. It's an acceleration governor. The PW50 can still reach top speed with the throttle cut back, it just takes a lot longer to get there. On the XR it will only rev so far based on the throttle. As I said, that's what I've read, we never had anything smaller than an XR50.

The xr or crf 50 is the way to go. I have put three kids through mine and all three of them did the run it wide open in first gear until I allowed them to shift it and it still hauls me and one of the kids if we choose. If it is too tall for them cut the seat down. You will know when they out grow it, they will be jumping it and landing so hard it sounds like it will break in half but it never does. Have fun and be patient.

We have (3) six year old boys down here that are all on CRF 50's. Bullet proof and not too heavy. All 3 of them can pick up their own bikes. Teaches them to shift as well. Each boy is learning from watching the other one. Good Luck.