Kids onto dirt bikes - what age?

Want to get my son into riding at some point on a small dirt bike (50) but not sure what age is appropriate. I know every kid will be different but curious as to what others have done. My thought is I think I want him riding his bicycle without training wheels first. Granted I know I've seen 50's with training wheels so I know that's not a necessity.

Obligatory picture of son (3.5 yrs old) with his first bike that he just got is below:

 

Get a Strider.

 

I got the kid a strider and was maniacal about "NO DAMN TRAINING WHEELS" and "NO DAMN TRIKES". My son was a demon on the stride bike by 2.5 years and was riding an electric trials bike shortly before his 4th birthday. I attribute it mostly to my two wheel only zealotry and somewhat to him being a maniac. Now on his 50 at age 6 he will put adults into the bushes during backyard moto if you give him an inch.

In retrospect my ego may regret my earlier activities sooner than I thought.

In any case, my opinion is get a stride bike and never under any circumstances let him ride with training wheels or anything with more than 2 wheels.

 

Agreed. Get him off the bike with training wheels, and onto a strider. I got my boy a strider when he was a baby, and he was riding his bike with no training wheels at 4 and a pw 50 at 4 also with no training wheels.

 

Also, my son could ride moto before he could really ride a bike because leg power and coordination wasn't there to develop any speed.

 

Same here, my son used to tear it up on one of those tiny electric razor sport bikes.

 

My boys had Suzuki JR50's at 4yrs old, they didn't get bicycles until later that year...

 

Like the others said, push bike, but since you have the bike....I'd just take the crank out of that one and ride it as a push/balance bike....If he can touch the ground w/ it. Or go buy a cheap ass used bike and do the same.

 

Absolutely, get him a strider. Best thing I ever bought my kid. Had bike day at preschool when he was 3, he was the only kid up through first grade that showed up with a pedal bike that didn't have training wheels. Teacher thought we were joking.

 

I had my kids on a xr 50 at five.

 

This is ok, especially at his age. But the thing I really liked about the strider was the weight. At only 7 lbs the my boy at 16 months was able to handle it.

 

Just looked on my local craigslist and used striders are going for 20 bucks

 

Mine got his pw at 4.

 

My kids both started at 5. Someone makes an electric Strider which would be a fantastic training tool since it can be ridden anywhere. Our biggest issue with the dirt bikes is seat time.

 

Mine got the pw and a balance bikr at 5, id have done it sooner, but she didnt show any desire until 5, so I waited until she asked.

 

XR50 by 6yo and DS80 by 9yo.

 

My kid was on a blata 2.5 pocket bike at 4, racing it at 5, then got a ttr50 right before turning 6.

 

Strider - I should have gone with this first before a bicycles with my daughter but live and learn.

 

Strider, Strider, Strider. Take those training wheels off.

Mine went from Strider to pedal bike, to CRF-50, at 5. With the balance already there, it was just learning initially to pedal and then to twist a throttle and work a brake.

 

Oldest - strider @ 2, bicycle w/o training wheels @ 3, Jr50 @ 4. He's 7 now, and riding an XR50, but still not well. He doesn't really have the fire... yet.
Youngest - strider @ 18mo's, bicycle w/0 trainig wheels a week after his 3rd bday, xr50@ 5. Took him a while longer to want to ride the dirt bike. Now that he's on it though, he's hooked.

tl;dr - they're all different!