Best First Bike for 10yo???

[CaesarVis]

My son caught the dirtbike itch and he has to have one now. He's 10 years old and is 4'8.5". He loves the Kawasaki KLX110. It's the perfect size now but will probably be too small in about 6 months. The Yamaha TTR-125 is a bit big now but will probably be perfect in about a year. The only problem is these things are both EXPENSIVE.

I have been looking through all of the bikes on Orion Powersports. The Apollo RFZ DB X-6 looks like a fantastic first bike for him, especially with the automatic transmission. He really needs a semi-auto or auto transmission. Does anyone know how the gearbox works on these automatics? Is it gears or something like a go-kart torque converter? Also, does anyone out there know if there's a huge difference between the X-6 and the X-16?

Does anyone have a better recommendation for a good first bike?

This is the one I'm looking at the most right now:
https://www.orionpowersports.com/apo...embled-tested/

[Bruces]

For what it’s worth ,the fully auto horizontal clones like that are complete dogs and a waste of your money unless you have a 3 year old to ride it .Extremely Slow !!! .They are not a cvt design ,they have gears and an internal clutch .

[CaesarVis]

Originally Posted by Bruces

For what it’s worth ,the fully auto horizontal clones like that are complete dogs and a waste of your money unless you have a 3 year old to ride it .Extremely Slow !!! .They are not a cvt design ,they have gears and an internal clutch .

So how do they change gears through different speeds?

[mbrowne]

My son started on an XR70 at 7.5. He still enjoys that bike but comfortably rides our other 110's. I have a KLX110 that is sized for myself and one that is mostly stock with a taller seat and beefed up rear suspension. If you started him stock and modded a bit with taller bars/seat as he grows it should last him a couple of years.

[Goob]

I bought an Orion RXB150XL for my son and I to get better at riding on the street by trail riding. I would recommend this bike. I learned many years ago on trails and tracks, but need a refresher, and he just needs it as a new rider with a Honda XR250 waiting on him for when he is ready.

The RXB150 has a fairly high seat height (about 32 inches..same as my TT250 with the Seat Concepts seat) compared to most pit bikes and has almost 14 hp. Weighing only about 160 lbs, this makes for a pretty good power-to-weight ratio. It has a 17" front and a 14" rear, with pretty good suspension travel and adjustable front and rear suspension. Though I haven't yet, it can be plated.

I am 6 ft and 175lbs and my son is 6 ft and about 215. I fit better on it than him..obviously...but it still works for him. I like it for a trail bike and, for me, it is a nice replacement for the Trail 90 I sold (regrettably) a few years back. Much quicker and also 1st and 2nd gearing gets me up some pretty rocky and steep trails....even at the 8500 ft altitude in the photo I have attached.

I grew up riding small bikes (Honda XL100, Honda CB125S, Yamaha DT100, and the Trail 90) so this fits me well. Plus, it fits in my old Dodge Caravan panel van. Can't do that with a bigger bike.

The things I like about it are: great power-to-weight ratio, fairly long suspension travel and high ground clearance, full lighting for when the sun goes down too fast, electric start, standard oil cooler, cheap parts, easy to work on.

I modified it, if you can call it that, by removing the tank plastics since they get in the way to work on the engine, and also replaced the taillight and rear fender with a better one, with a license plate light, from Rocky Mountain Motorsports (Tusk, I think). Also, stripped of all the hoaky graphics, but of course added my own stickers on the now blank side covers!

At $1400 delivered and assembled, with a Mikuni carb, it is a deal. I know that is a bit more than the one you are looking at, and not an automatic, but this would last him into his early to late teens. Also, the automatics shift in a similar way as "regular" shifting, but have an auto-clutch. You still have to rev it to shift-point, let up on the throttle, then shift using the foot shift lever. The only added skill for a manual is pulling in and releasing the clutch. The auto-clutch is nice for a beginner on hills, but any issues with clutching are quickly learned by a 10 year old. My Trail 90 (and all of the small Cub based Hondas) have the auto-clutch type set-up. Nothing wrong with it, but I think he will out-grow the need for it quickly.