so I took my kid sunday and he hit the jump. he never got smooth landings down but he did better/worse at times. I tried to tell him to go faster and at one point he nailed it WAY too hard and bounced so hard (he did get good air lol) that he ended up super maning the handlebars lol it was awesome, I was cheering before the bounce lol. then laughing after. anyway, here's a couple vids, ended up letting an 18yr old gurl ride it a bunch of times too, she caught on quick and was leaning turns and jumping a little, but then when the trail rode it eventually it banged on a fence post or something cracking the left side motor case (the small one) so now I need to replace that lol. was still fun for them. I'm all crispy it's really hard to sun burn a brown person, I was out there ALL damm day watching my kid go around the track. I actually took a shovel and rake and made the jump twice as high LOL

MOV04624.flv video by hawaiianbasshead - Photobucket

the 18yr old gurl made the vids lol.

MOV04625.flv video by hawaiianbasshead - Photobucket

she got one shot of him right before he got into the air lol

DSC04627.jpg?t=1276037189

gonna try to get better vids/pix when we go riding again. I didn't really ride as I flipped my ltr pinning 4th so I haven't really rode in a couple weeks now but I'll be back at it soon. and I'm gonna get more armor for myself LOL kidney belt and neck brace or roll like my kid has lol. maybe hip pads for in my pants lmfao. incase I roll again I'll be better shape.

oh, that's maui in the back ground, hard to see. we get alot of vog (volcanic version of smog, and there's plenty of clouds) we're on the big island, Kohala/Upolu track.

 

Looks like they had a good time. I commend you on taking the itme to train him well, AND make him wear all the gear.

That is what being the parent is all about.

You get a Dragginbutt 2 thumbs up award. (first ever)

Dragginbutt

 

well, usually he's doing wanna be stunt riding, doughnuts and powerslides and stuff. and he's pretty reckless of a rider. so he NEEDS to wear as much gear as possible. hard to see but he actually uses knee/elbow pads and all. I hope to get rockgardn flak jacket and cya shorts, if I had those on, I would've just save me thousands in ER/Dr bills as well as missed work. I would NEVER want to see my kid how I was for ME not making him wear proper gear. I'd sooner get rid of the bikes, than have my kid seriously injured...

I can see when they're conservative riding on a flat grassy area doing very slow circles and are in complete control of the bike not wearing neck support and chest protectors and such. but once they start nailing doughnuts and stuff... they should be setup pretty good.

I actually have my kids bike really wide so it's hard to flip. but there's the possibility of terrain changing that. on flat loose stuff, it's all but impossible to flip.

I put taller/wider rear tires on it the other ones were bald and these give ground clearance much needed for trail riding. it wasn't enough and I'll get a pic of why lol

 

I agree with you. Wider is better. That is the first thing I recommend to a parent of a child/novice. Add the spacers, it is cheap insurance.

Not sure of your son's age, but for those parents out there listening, pay attention to your child's ablilty to concentrate and take instruction. If you have to, stop, do something else, then come back to it to re-enforce the lesson. A child cannot keep the same level of concentration going that an adult can. If you see them zoning out, it is time to stop. Also, you need to constantly re-evaluate their ability and thought processes. The ability to hit the throttle and use the brakes is part of the deal, but they also need to know how to react to dangerous situations, like meeting another rider on the trail coming the other direction. Or finding yourself in an off-camber hillside, or not quite making it up a hill, and now you are sliding backwards etc. These are the situations you are training them for. Kudos again for taking the time to do it right. All to often, we come across parents that buy a machine, gas it up then go back in the house. A motorized baby sitter they are not....

 

a motorized child killer maybe.. kids bikes (non race ones) seem to be kind of mellow from the factory. I heard on the news there is something like 2000 kids who die every year riding ADULT atvs.

to ME, this is the guys who're so over confident in their kids they put the 6-12yr old on a banshee and let him rip... to THAT IDIOT parent, I say you may as well show your kid where you keep the loaded gun so he can show his buddies when you're not around! I almost shot myself in the eye when I was young with a BB gun to show my buddy it was empty. thank GOD he was a great friend and kept arguing with me and I ended up shooting a fence. kids do not always use good judgment, so try to use it for them!

in all honesty, I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to my kids. my daughter is just over 1yr old and after making one she became epileptic and I can't help but wonder could we of took better care of my wife while carrying her to of not had this befall her... and she NEVER drank or anything stupid like that. just in general blame myself... anyway, going way OT here lol.

yeah, I completely agree but I also took a very good spill with alot of speed and no protection so I know 1st hand why safety equipment is more important than having fun! it's costed me more than I paid for my bike and it's only been 3 and half weeks since I peeled... I would personally shrug off protection figuring I NEVER eat it like that to necessitate full body protection. then the day someone was giving me grief I got it bad lol.

like I said, I plan on getting a full body armor suit and padded shorts...