Age and weight for a KX 65?

[Pipefitter317]

Hello, I am looking for a bike for my son that is ten years old and around 75 lbs. Trying to figure out if this would be a good next bike (ttr90 currently) or if we should go to the next size up. Any info would be appreciated.

[hi_im_sean]

kx 80/85/100 would be more appropriate

[wjw11teen]

i agree with sean.. my boy is 9 and weighs 92 and is right on the edge of being to big..if your boy is fairly tall then an 85 would be better is 317 your local union number? im a fitter from local 300 in the dakotas

[Ronny T]

80s and 85s are very fast and being your son is only 75 pounds the power band would throw him off. hell Im 140 and 85 wheeled with me on it. Coming off a ttr 90 I recommend another trail bike before going to a race bike crf150f, ttr 125l, klx 140. If you really want the race bike features perhaps a crf150r being a 4 stroke its easier to ride and the power band wont be as jump. It is equal to an 85 in power and size. Just make sure your son can handel it

[hi_im_sean]

80s and 85s are very fast and being your son is only 75 pounds the power band would throw him off. hell Im 140 and 85 wheeled with me on it. Coming off a ttr 90 I recommend another trail bike before going to a race bike crf150f, ttr 125l, klx 140. If you really want the race bike features perhaps a crf150r being a 4 stroke its easier to ride and the power band wont be as jump. It is equal to an 85 in power and size. Just make sure your son can handel it

im 180lbs and my 100 scares me more than any of my other bikes. they can be down tuned very easily, and temporarily.

[Pipefitter317]

Thanks for the great info guys:thumbsup: I am definitely not looking to get my son hurt, that is for sure! He is tall, but skinny as can be, he has learned alot on the ttr and is a fairly fast rider as of now. I was thinking 2 stroke due to the weight of the bikes and the ease of maintenance. Also he is wanting to get into hairscrambles and it seems every kid there is on a 2 stroke. He raced one race and got murdered by those little screamers! My wife has DRZ 125 and it seems like it would be way big for him for a while. I was also kicking around a crf80, but again if he wanted to get serious about racing it would not be a good bike. Just not sure:thinking:

i agree with sean.. my boy is 9 and weighs 92 and is right on the edge of being to big..if your boy is fairly tall then an 85 would be better is 317 your local union number? im a fitter from local 300 in the dakotas

Well hello there fellow fitter! Local 440, Indianapolis. 317 is the area code for the INdy area. Hows your work holding out? Slow around here!

[kawie]

with the crf,ttr an klx weight would be a promblem,they would weigh over twice what youre son weighs.my son started on a jr 50 a 3.5yrs an by the time he was four he was on a kx60.at 9yrs old he was on a yz85.i would think that if he is racing an you say he is a fast rider then i think a move to 85cc smoker would benifit him more than another play bike an he would out grow the 65 real quick too.if he was new to riding then my answer would be different.promblem with adults is we are longer legged an sit father back on the little smokers an put our weight on the rear more an makes the front lite.

Kawie

[717billh]

my son is 9 1/2 and 4'6 90lbs his kx 65 is not to small. i did put handlebar risers on and next year he will most likely need a tall seat. but his bike has way more power then he is using at this point. i wont buy him a new one until he is tall enough to touch the ground or hits the weight limit on his 65 which is 120 lbs. we ride trail only so he needs to be able to reach the ground so he doesn't get high sided. which still happens to him on occasion. his wheel will come up on him in 4th gear when he pins it. plenty of power! if he rides hare scramble he will want to be able to touch the ground. or he will fall a lot if the terrain is any thing like we ride

[Ronny T]

85s would be bigger then say his wifes drz 125 in seat height so 85 doesnt sound like an option I think he was right orginally to just get a kx65. If your son can touch ground on an 85 like I said before a crf150r could be option matinence would be the problem. But personally I think the kx65 fits him best

[SAPPERS]

My daughter had a ttr-90 and I moved her to a kx 65. She did great.

BTW, it's for sale in the Louisville craigslist for 850. There's an 01 also that the guy wants 950 for. He lives somewhere near me. I don't know him but he's stoned. Ours is 10 times nicer and an 03.

[CooHead]

My ten year old, about 90 pounds, has a 2004 KX65 and does great on it. Seems just right size for him. Has plenty of power and the real bike clutch and gear box. He came straight of a "gas&go" PW50 that he was WAY to big for. I thought of a TTR90 or something for him...something with an automatic clutch. But thought he would out grow that pretty quick. Sure, the first weekend with the KX65 he got a lot of kick starting practice from killing the motor by dumping the clutch so often. But he has the hang of it now.

I'll let him ride this one until he is "way to big for it" and see what presents itself for him next.

Coo

My YouTube page even has a quick video of him wipeing out on it

[gsa102]

I think it would be a good step up, our local HS series lets them ride the 65 up until 13. Real bike clutch, good power, but not too much to handle. My 8 yr old is running a 65 but has a long way to go before he is riding to the bike's performance limit.

[Wandell]

Your best bet is to buy a KX65. You can do the fender washer mod to tame it down. But trust me, it won't be long before he wants it removed. The bad part is, he will probably want a 85 before a year has passed. Don't let people worry you about the power of the 65's and 85's. It's kinda weird, when I ride my son's KX65 it is all I can do to keep the front end down. This is because I'm 6", 200lbs. All of my weight is placed over the rear tire which plants it and makes the front end climb. When my son rides it, the rear tire spins and it doesn't wheelie nearly as bad.

[wjw11teen]

hello there fellow fitter! Local 440, Indianapolis. 317 is the area code for the INdy area. Hows your work holding out? Slow around here!

ive been working here at home for a year now but there will be a big lay off in oct right after hydro..working on a HRSG.power plant..

few guys left this week for whiting ind. to the refinery..chicago local..good money..

if your boy is only 75 lbs hes not to heavy for a 65 how tall he is might be a bit of a problem for him to feel comfortable

i had to get after market top triple trees and mini tall bend barsfor my kid

the tripple tree is adjustable front to back and opens up the room for his arms

65s if kept up mechanically usualy hold there value pretty decent..so if you wanted to move up to the 85 you should be able to sell it

an 85 is a big step in power from what your on now..but not impossible at all

the 65 is a good stepping stone if hes not to tall

good to hear from ya hope work picks up for ya

who knows i may be in your neck of the woods this fall if there hiring welders in a couple months might have to look ya up and have a cold one

[Pipefitter317]

Thanks again for all the info guys. After sitting him on my wifes DRZ there is no way he can handle a bike that size, he still has about 3-4 inches before he can even think about touching the ground. Im pretty sure the KX65 is the best bet for now! Im sure he will need a new bike in a year or so but thats all part of it. I just dont want to put him on a big bike to learn the clutch, if hes not comfortable on it he wont want to ride it. I will be looking into mods to slow the bike down to begin with so it dont bite him to hard but I think he will handle it just fine. Thanks again everybody.

[hi_im_sean]

Thanks again for all the info guys. After sitting him on my wifes DRZ there is no way he can handle a bike that size, he still has about 3-4 inches before he can even think about touching the ground. Im pretty sure the KX65 is the best bet for now! Im sure he will need a new bike in a year or so but thats all part of it. I just dont want to put him on a big bike to learn the clutch, if hes not comfortable on it he wont want to ride it. I will be looking into mods to slow the bike down to begin with so it dont bite him to hard but I think he will handle it just fine. Thanks again everybody.

look up the pipe washer mod

[kdub442]

My kid is 10. 55" & 70lbs. He has been riding a 65 for 2 going on 3 yrs. We just started on a 85. We will be racing 65 & 85 jr in the fall. Get him the 85. Buy a spare seat on ebAy. Shave the seat if he isn't tall enough. Get softer springs. The 85 has a power valve so it isn't as intimidating getting on the pipe. A 65 has a pretty big hit. You can get a lowering link from a couple of places. I've got a lowering link that does a 1" drop to the rear. Lowered the forks in the triples. Re-sprung it, and then shaved a seat. My kid is tiptoeing, but in a couple of months he will be fine on it. They grow fast. He can pick it up and start it on his own. That is important when racing the 85 class. They don't get much help if they fall over.

Edited August 18, 2011 by kdub442

[Chickenhauler]

I'd buy a bike that fits him properly now, if you're buying clean used bikes and taking good care of them, one usually gets back what they paid for them at sale time.

For taming down the bite, a FWW may be a good idea too.

[RyanK]

We moved my son from a TTR90 to a RM/KX65 and it was a perfect switch. Much better than my first son that went TTR90 to KX100. That was just too much, and he was a very good rider and the KX100 was set up completely for tight trails.

[Ryderr]

From personal experience, if it was me I would get him the 65. Let him transition into the 85s slowly. If his moms DRZ is too big, chances are an 85 will be. Ride the 65 for a while and be it a year or two then go to the 85s. Personally I wouldnt put my kid on a bike that is too big for him/her its too much for them. Your son may be ready for the power of the 85 but he might not be ready for the size.