I got my oldest (turns 8 in May) out on the local go-kart track on his CRF50 last year. In just a few weekends he went from not leaning the bike at all to dragging the pegs and tucking the front pushing it through the turns so hard (it is still on knobbies). He has displayed an interest in road racing eventually and asked for a bigger bike (a kid was on a MetraKit 70 one day while we were there and he wanted one). I told him we have to work on body positioning first but if he gets it down this summer and grows a little more then I might pick something up this fall/winter for him to try next year. So, after all of that, the question is which would be the better bike? I am not all that interested in the fastest bike. My real questions are which one is smaller (the MetraKit seemed pretty big when he was standing next to it last fall), which one is going to have a broader powerband so he doesn't have to start learning to thread the needle on a high-strung 2-smoke, and how difficult is it to get parts for either one? The ideal situation would involve getting a bike that is actually fairly tame at first but could be upgraded/updated as his skill improved over the next several years. Any info would be appreciated!
why not get some real tires and maybe tard wheels on the crf? i think plenty left to learn on that bike first
You need to ask the question on boards where people race these things. Locally in the SE it's www.semra.org. The largest "mini racing" site in the US is www.minigpx.com. The owner/webmaster is on here, goes by the username Sanfret. He can defniitely give you info on the metrakits and NSR as his son races both and is a factory rider for metrakit.
I'm pushing 200lbs and I have a blast on my NSR on my local kart track. Not to mention, even with my weight, I've done close to 30 days and I'm still on the same OEM tires (gotta love that). Other than gas and an oil change here and there, I've done nothing to the bike and it runs like a champ. nj
Unless he's tall for an 8 year old, a NSR or Metrakit will be too big. Get proper motard tires on the CRF and go from there. He's pushing the front from poor tires and most likely poor form rather than pure speed and such. Actually, you could go to 12" tires and get as much as you'll get from either two at this stage. The kid on the Metrakit (Probably Butts, I believe) has been on that type of stuff for a VERY long time. I think either is too much for an 8 year old with just a little CRF on knobby tires to deal with. If you're worried about form, get him better 10" tires. Plus, the money you'll save can go towards other needed things...
Get him in to pocketbikes. Not the Chinese knock-off's but the real Italian/European pocketbikes. My 7 year old had been riding with the local CAPRA group for 6 months now. His season starts in a few weeks and he's excited to get going. Here is a link to the discussion forums for various local groups. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask for more info. http://www.cycleforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=299 Here is a link to his first outing on the pocketbike… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5sIVw_qgig
Hey Larry: Head down to Circleville Raceway Park on April 15th for the first round of the Ohio YSR League (www.oyl.org) racing series. There will be everything from stock YSRs to NSRs to Metrakits to mini-motards to auto 50ccs there. OYL officials are generally cool with newbies, especially kids, just doing practice as long as they've completed all the release forms. You'll find lots of folks willing to let your kid take their bike out for a few laps in practice to see what fits him best. Mini-motards are the most versatile, but if roadracing is really the direction you both want to go, then a used stock-class YSR would be a great choice. Cheap, bulletproof, easy to ride, tons of parts available, and you can sell it a year or two later for what you paid for it.
Regarding new tires for the CRF, yes that is one of the things we will be doing this spring is putting some better tires on it. Again, the goal this year is to work on form (getting off the bike, getting through the turns faster, etc). I figured I would get a head start on new bike research just in case he is ready for something else by the end of the year or early next year. Also, thanks for the recommendations on alternatives (especially the pocket bikes, I may look in that direction possibly as it is a good suggestion) but my question wasn't do you guys think my kid is old enough to handle an NSR or a MetraKit. My question is which one is going to be better to learn on with respect to power and size, and is either one better regarding replacement parts. Bottom line, if he doesn't improve a lot this year then whether he wants it or not he won't be getting either an NSR or a MK. If he does improve a lot, gets his body position down, and is pushing street tires on the CRF50 then an upgrade is likely in the future and I would like to get some info on things ahead of time so I know what the heck I am talking about when it comes time to make a purchase.
pit bike remember we need that CRF as a pit bike, my old ass can't walk around the pits plus shane needs to pee 10 times a day at the track. can't the kidd get a job and get his own pit bike !!!!!!!!!
something like this would be good for him in a couple of years,looked at the metra kit it was nice but a little pricey http://forums.13x.com/showthread.php?t=133822
Pocketbikes are relatively inexpensive to get started in. You can find a nice Polini powered 6.2 HP Air Cooled for $500 to $750 in the classifieds section of the forums I sent you. Then you have your regular costs of leathers, helmet, gloves etc. They don't wear boots per say but minimoto shoes or ankle high boots with the top laces left undone so they can bend their foot correctly on the pegs. Being 2 strokes they learn throttle control, entry and exit speed, breaking, etc just like on larger bikes. The Polini powered pocketbikes are NO joke. They will throw a 250lb rider on his ear faster then a 600cc sport bike. I have road rash to prove it! Remember, this is the route Val Rosie used to gain his god like skills!
If we trick out the CRF50 then I will just have to starting bringing the wife's XR100 as the pit bike.
Thanks again for the info. I am going to check these out and get some additional information on them. This may be the ticket for the next year or two.
Yep, Bill Wilkey (Robb's dad) was instrumental in getting my son started in pocketbikes too. I hope he is half as good as Robb and Cory some day. Those guys are FAST!
