R3 or cripple triple for 12 y.o. first track day bike

All,

Need some opinions here... My 12 y.o. son is going to start doing track days with me this year. He currently rides/races motocross on a KX100. He is currently 5'2" and about 120. He's growing quickly and will easily be 5'4" 140 by the end of the year. He is an beginner/intermediate level motocrosser. He is not a future Ryan Dungey or Marc Marquez. We just enjoy racing and competing.

I currently trackday and club race on a 2007 R6 with UtahSBA at Miller/UMC. I love the bike and it's very fun. It's fully tracked out. I also have a 99 SV650 that is fully tracked out as well, but a little old and rough.

I'm going to sell the SV650 and upgrade the second bike. I'm debating back and forth over getting an R3 or an R6 and converting it into a cripple triple. The bike would be a track day bike for my son this season and track day and possible race next season. It would also serve as a loaner bike for friends of mine that are interested in getting into track days. Right now I'm leaning towards the R6 cripple triple because:
1. I'm very familiar with the bike and have many spares and could use additional spares for both bikes.
2. Buying a used, set up 06+ R6 isn't much more than a set up R3.
3. The R6 could be converted back to full power after my son is 14+. I'm also seeing posts where it's now possible to convert from 450 to 600 in ten minutes. Guys are racing two different classes and converting back and forth. I think I would enjoy racing in the 500 class with the 450.

Anyone with lot's of experience with the cripple triples? Can anyone convince me that an R3 would be better for us?

Thanks in advance...

 

Convert his kx100 to mini moto and start him off on the kart track at Miller would be my advice.
Or better yet pick up an xr100 and start him on that on the kart tracks, then go to the kx. THEN the r3.

 

A cripple triple R6 for a 12 year olds first trackbike?? Im no genius,but i think the R3 is better for every reason imaginable. The triples are still a beast of a bike and far less forgiving when he makes a mistake compared to the R3.

 

We already have a TTR-125 so I think the cart track would be a great idea. Not sure why I didn't think of that. I'll just have to get some different tires for it

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Why not let him ride the SV? That thing is forgiving and if he crashes it, for pennies you can fix it until he gets some seat time under his belt.

 

Get tome BT045's the TTR and let him learn

 

When my son and I were racing, the bigger the bikes got the less fun we had. Play on the kart tracks and then move to the R3.

 

This.

 

Go with the R3
It's a growing and competative class on the west coast. Jessie Norton at yamahar3racing.com is the man to talk to. He however, lives in San Diego but is a great person to ask any questions!

 

Mike,

R3 at the most. There are several Ninja 250's already track prepped for sale in the area. I would follow the others recommendations to go to the Kart track on the smaller bike first.

Yes, we put Gauge on an R6 at 12 years old. He had 8 years of prior asphalt experience including 2 years on the big track on an RS125 and a Ninja 250. In 99.9% of cases what I did wouldnt have worked out, we had 2 of the best coaches in the country working with him when he went out on the R6 and I still feel like we got lucky that it didnt end badly. I wont follow the same path with my younger son who is racing on the Kart track. They arent strong enough to deal with the forces that bike can throw at them. We gambled, we got lucky... I wouldnt recommend it to anyone else.

 

You can even get BT45s in a 19inch for the stock front wheel. That is THE way to go.

 

Mini's and a 250/300 class bike for a few years bfore the poly-cylinder monster

 

Please listen to Kelly. He's right.

 

And nobody has said "Grom" yet...

 

Get him started on the kart track, I know three kids that started there first, Cam B, Bobby Fong, and Elena Myers, they did Ok.

 

Best idea.

 

The f#ck is a cripple triple?

 

Kill one cylinder on an I4.

 

Disable a cylinder, hence the term "cripple tripple".

No need to thank me. I'm just doing my part.