KDXRIDER.NET

A buddy of mine is considering purchasing a dirt bike for his son and I'm looking for a little advice.

His son will be 14 at the end of August. I would say he is about average build and height. He is a very athletic kid and has playyed all the sports growing up. He has quite a bit experience driving his Dad's jet skis, boats, ATV's (don't know if it is shift or not) etc...

He found a 2004 TTR-125 for $1800 and he is certain that he can talk that price down somewhat. I'm wondering if this is enough bike for his son? I know my son started of on a KLX110 at 7 and he outgrew that bike after a few times riding it. It was good for him to have a bike that was under his skill level and I'm glad I went that way but I think that if he had been bigger, this bike would have been unsatisfactory. He is now on his second season with his KX-65 and power wise, he could handle more but size wise, the bike fits him well.

So, knowing this, would a TTR-125 be not enough bike to get my buddies sons feet wet? I would really like to see my buddy and his son get into dirt bikes. I know that the time I have spent with my boy have been some of the best ever and I know that if he had a riding buddy, it would only be better. I don't want to steer him wrong but I think a TTR-125 might be good for a few times riding and then be boring. Is it that much different power wise from a KLX110?

Any suggestions? Should I take them out for a day and let my friends son ride my boys KX65 and see how he does and then go from there?

Naturally I'm sending my buddy towards the KDX just so I can kick his ass and he can't use the "yeah but my bike isn't as fast as yours" excuse.

Lots of questions. As always, thanks for the help.

He'll outgrow it in an hour....

That's kind of what I was thinking based on my son and his KLX110. I know the KLX is smaller frame wise than the TTR125 but the motor isn't that much smaller. Probably differentin the power delivery as well since I sure it is a 5-6 speed cluth verses the 3 speed semi auto on the KLX.

for the money long term the kdx is the way to go in stock form it has a nice mellow power band and is very forgiving. your buddy can sharpen his mechanical skills as his boy grows and add suspension mods as well as power mods as the boy grows both in size and skill. I have a 5 year old that I will hand my kdx down to in 5-7 years cause it will still be a great bike. If the LAW allows us to ride em then. when I was 14 I was on a 125 two stroke kids learn fast and are fearless with semi rubber bones. not all crispy like us .

XR200's are great beginner bikes for people that are too big for mini's but not experienced enough for a KDX. The seat height is lower too.

We have a TTR-125 LE that I bought this spring for my wife and daughter. It's a very fun bike, good-handling, easy to ride. Very appropriate for wives, daughters, and timid boys. A semi-aggressive boy will probably trash it in a week. The frame uses the engine as a stressed member (pretty common on these little bikes) but it won't hold up under jumping and etc. The forks are pretty soft and things like the sprocket bolts and shifter just aren't up to agressive riding. I'd look at KX100's, XR200, lowered KDX, etc. A KX125 wouldn't be out of the picture either- with the stock silencer, my '01 is actually a pretty manageable bike and mucho fun to ride.

If you end up gettting a KDX, get one bone stock, motor-wise. They can be a handful to a new rider if they are hopped up any at all. Lots of room to grow the bike along with the boy. It's very easy to modify for better performance all around. This would also be cheaper over the life of the rider's interest in the sport. It can be costly to keep buying and selling bikes as the rider advances in skills.

A good lowered '89-94 KDX would be perfect! I happen to have one I think I want ot part with. Fit my 5'6" girlfriend perfectly.

I made that mistake with my son when he was 13. Since he had never really shown a lot of skill with operating mechanical stuff, I got him a CRF150 which he mastered in a month. Then I got him a KX 85 since he was still a little short for a big bike . The KX has worlds better suspension and twice the HP, but he turned 14 and went through a growth spurt, now hes almost as tall as me and looks ridiculous on that bike. If I had it to do over again, I'd have gotten him a used MX bike, preferably a 250F and lowered it for him and cut the seat while he learned. The bigger wheels of a full size bike work a lot better on rocky trails around here than the little bikes do.

The KDX will be too big of a bike for the boy but would be a greak bike for the Dad. I think that kids should be able to at least pick-up their own bike should it fall over and I don't think he could pick up the KDX, - heck, sometimes I can't pickup the KDX (like when it has tipped over on a steep hill with the wheels pointing uphill and the seat pointing downhill)

I'm thinking I'll bring up my son's KX65 and let my buddies kid give it a spin or two and see how comfortable he is with that kind of power delivery. I bet he takes to it right away even though the frame will be small for him.

KX100 would be a good choice.

Well if he's small, then don't even consider the Hondas The stupid CRF150 weighs as much as my KDX. I agree , try him out on the 65. get him used to that then get him on an 85. I put the big wheels on it and it's about the size of a CRF150 with way better suspension, brakes, and power, plus it weighs 70 lbs. less. Since you say he's athletic, I bet he'll want the performance of an MX bike within a couple weeks.

Since he has been riding from a young age, height should not be a problem for him, since he has probably learned to do the SADDLE HOP. He's gonna grow fast now, so I would think about a FULL SIZE BIKE. I bought my son a KLX125L last year and he is growing into it, BUT I maybe should have considered the KLX110, since it was he 1st bike.
Also, my 1st ever ride on a KDX, I flipped the bike & tore the rear fender off. I did not realize that you could not twist the pipe like a small bore 4stroke

How about the KLX125-L (Note the L part) **edit** I missed GH post..

$2600

Seven inches or so of suspension.

4-stroke air cooled

19" front 16" rear (that's what makes it different from the NOT -L)


Here's a big deal....178#!!! THAT is a good thing.

The Honda 230 is another $1000..and WEIGHS another 50#!!

I've heard the TTRs are gutless. The person that bought it said it was a mistake.

I bought a TTR-125L last summer for my wife (still have it). She is 5 foot even and can only touch with her tip toes. I had to adjust the sag a little to get the back end to squat enough for her to get both feet down at the same time. It is NOT a fast bike, but she is NOT aggressive (at all) and she LOVES it. Anything to get the wife excited about riding is okay with me! As far as I could tell from the specs, the TTR-125L and the KLX-125L are pretty much the same bike. They both have the same seat height, weight, displacement, tire size, etc. Pretty much the same price, too. I wanted to get a KLX for my wife (stay green), but I couldn't find a used one up here Montana way.

To answer the original question, the kid will out grow it quickly. I agree that getting him something light, but with room to grow would be the way to go. I would think a KX85 or KX100 would be good.

Hi Mark, You've allready got some good advice but I thought I would add that my son has a DRZ110 and I was facing the same issue with height verses power. A 65 wasn't enough power but an 85 was too tall. Cure, All the cool stuff you can add to a DRZ KLX110. He has 7.5 in. of travel a manual clutch (get rid of two Lbs of cent. clutch) a 4sp gearbox along with pipe and carb work. The bike is a screamer and handler. perfect for the next step up. Good luck...