Hi guys, I am seeking your advice as to what to do with my son. This summer he turned 13, and for his birthday I bought him a 2006 Suzuki RM85 dirt bike and myself a 2004 Kawasaki KX125. I bought them with the hope that we could do something together to try and build our relationship. The way I figure it is that I have until he is 16 (driver’s license age) and then I will be out of the picture for a while. I know for myself when I was his age, riding was everything for me, I had hoped it would be as meaningful to him. We bought a membership for our local motocross club which gave us access to the track and the sand dunes riding area around the track and that is where we did most of our riding this last summer. We had fun but we also had a number of complications that I never factored in:


-My son has had very little (almost no) riding experience before getting this bike.


-Our main riding area (the sand dunes) is very sandy. Its great if you fall hit the ground but generally quite slippery, which has affected his confidence level and made the learning curve for riding that much harder.


-He never rode a bike with a clutch. He did make some progress over the summer but it was minimal and stalling was/is still a regular occurrence.


-He doesn’t have any friends that are into riding. When I was young it was the positive peer pressure that got me really interested in riding. It was the main focus of my relationship with two of my friends until we got into cars. With my son it is just me and he thinks I am at times pushing him too hard


Sometimes he pops the clutch too quickly and the front wheel will come up. Another time the rear wheel will slide out on the sand and he wipes out. You could see that as the summer went on he was getting more and more fearful rather than gaining confidence.


As usual, my man brain sees a problem and wants to fix it. So I thought maybe a quad would solve some of those issues. I managed to find a cheap Yamaha Warrior late summer. He very much likes the stability and is more relaxed while riding it, he was even brave enough to attempted to do some doughnuts in the parking lot at the track which is one of the first times I have seen him attempt something somewhat daring.

The question is, now what? We still have the dirt bikes, do we sell them or should I keep pushing him? I want to encourage him to move out of his comfort zone but I also want him to follow his interests. I have got to admit, given the choice, I would prefer ATV trail riding myself compared to dirt bikes at the sand dunes.

 

sell the bikes and get the quads, in time he will navigate to a bike but if he doesn't and you can ride with him on a quad the it is still time together

 

I'd go with the quads too. My oldest son is 21 now and still goes out with me and my buddies riding. We started riding together when he was 14-15 or so.

 

Bikes are not the greatest at the dunes, and sounds like he probably won't enjoy the mx tracks anytime soon either. If it is financially feasible, I would keep the bikes and look for a quad for you. Enjoy some laid back trail riding next year. Once he gains some confidence with the clutch he may take a liking to the bike again. There is certainly no shame in selling one or both bikes to ride quads only either. The main thing is spending time together doing something you both enjoy, regardless of the number of wheels, brand, etc.

Now find a way to get a couple sport quads to the dunes, 'cause that is one place they absolutely shine!!!

 

Maybe find a project quad or bike to rebuild too.

 

If he doesn't want to ride the bike I think you should sell them both and get a quad. It sounds like that's what he wants anyway.

 

Sounds like quads are the way he wants to go. I'm sure he can push his comfort zone on a quad if he so desires. If you want to get him hook line and sinker let him start to get accessories for his warrior.

 

I am now 41, but when I was in my early teens I was a trail rider. I never cared for MX tracks, or racing. I didn't care how fast I could go around a track and frankly, did not want to ruin my CR80 at the time racing it. I grew up in Wisconsin and rode in the dunes for the first time just a few weeks ago. I did not like it very much. The dunes were big and climbing huge hills was not fun to me. I preferred the small, rolly bunny hills. It was easy to get stuck if you did not keep your speed up, which I really did not want to do, because I did not know whats on the other side of the dune.

I also got nervous when 3-4 dunes all came together and you had a small ridge to ride on at the top. On a quad, this made me feel like I was going to roll. I can relate to your sons reactions to the track and the dunes. If he is anything like me, he would enjoy trail riding over what you are describing. And I also think its fun to go camping and bring the bikes to have some fun while in the woods on the BLM roads. Its slower, safer riding with the focus more on scenery and getting out there, seeing the sites with your bike.

However, when I turned 16, all of my buddies already had drivers licenses and were starting to date girls. I forgot about my off road bikes really fast. I just wanted a car, the freedom to leave and do what I wanted and have private time away from my parents and with girls. Thats why I am suggesting camping. As long as you provide activities that can be shared by him and a girlfriend, he is more likely to stay interested. But thats my

 

I would take him to the trails on your bikes and see if he enjoys that. If he still prefers the quad, sell the bikes and get yourself a quad, I wouldn't try to force him to ride the dirt bike if he prefers a quad and feels more safe on it.

I broke my collarbone on a Yamaha TTR125 last spring, then happened to get a Yamaha Warrior 350 from my neighbor just a few months later. I prefer riding my quad a lot more than I would a dirt bike because for someone who is just starting out riding, I can do a lot more on a quad and not pay the consequences as I would on a dirt bike. If your son feels the same way, I'd say sell the bikes and get yourself a quad to ride with him. But first, take him to some trails on the dirt bike to give him a sense of riding without having to deal with the sand.

 

I appreciate all the feedback, I agree that quads are the way to go. I may sell the bikes, but it will be hard to let my KX125 go.