Like most of you other vet riders, I'm raising my kids on dirtbikes.  Depending on their growth phases, I replace the bikes every 2 or 3 years.  I've run into a bit of a problem at about age 12 though.  There seems to be a very big step between the 125's and the next size up.  You go from 50 to 70 to 80 (with a clutch) to 125, then 250??  I kept my older son on the TTR125 for longer than he should have been and was able to step him up to an 02 XR200.  Perfect for him and his riding style now.  My younger son has been on that 125 for about a year now and has already outgrown it, but he won't be comfortable on something (almost) full sized, besides the fact that he has a very different riding style and needs something that will perform.  I've thought about putting him on a 2 stroke (KX100?) but we do a lot of different type of riding and I don't think that will work for some of the tight trails we do - feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.  I'm looking at the CRF150R as probably the only option right now.  Problem is that they are VERY hard to find and a little pricey for a kid's bike that will be owned by a guy who has to maintain stable of about 5 bikes.  Are there any other alternatives to that bike??  Or what did you guys that have been through this do?  They can both ride the full sized moto's but are not ready to have those as their full time bikes.  Thanks for your input.

the KX100 or maybe an 85 or 85 big wheel of some type I would think. Two stroke should be fine in the woods you just might have to play with the jetting and premix a bit if its gonna be at sustained low rpms so it doesn't load up and foul plugs. I believe the regular 85s are a bit taller than the ttr125 and definitely have a bit more pep so all those should be a step up. There's also the ktm 105 if you could find one for a reasonable price.

twagner44, on 11 April 2012 - 12:20 PM, said:

Just to understand, you're asking here about your younger son, correct?  He's 12 yrs old, (how tall/inseam length/how much seat height might you want?), ready for something more aggressive than an XR200, but workable for him on tight trails, and you'd rather not have it be an expensive, high-maintenance model, correct?

Edited by calbikeman2, 11 April 2012 - 03:33 PM.

how tall is he? The only bike i can thing of is the crf150r if hes not ready for a full sized bike

Go with a ttr230

there great bikes and will have plenty of go for him comming off a 125

I had the same dilemma with my son.  We ended up going from a XR 80 to a CRF 150F, but it was very heavy for him.  I picked up a 2008 KX 100 with a 12 oz. flywheel weight and he did a lot better with the light weight and good suspension. After about a year on the KX, he is on a YZ 125.

te4250, on 11 April 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

So which way would I adjust the jetting and the premix?  Leaner for sustained lower rpm's right?

twagner44, on 11 April 2012 - 09:32 PM, said:

Yes. You could probably run as low as 50:1 if hes gonna be putting around most of the time. The jetting on a used bike will probably be too rich as well for the woods but all you should have to do is drop the needle so it doesn't load up and sputter or foul plugs.