10 Tips for Teaching Kids to Ride a Dirt Bike Whether you’re riding gas or electric dirt bikes or quads – here are some great tips for getting your kids out riding! By Jim Harmer, DirtBikePlanet.com I recently taught my two boys (ages 8 and 6) to ride a dirt bike. I made lots of mistakes in the process, but I successfully got them confident on their bikes and they absolutely love it! Here are a few of the lessons I learned along the way: Start on a Flat, Straight Dirt Road I made the mistake of googling where to ride dirt bikes the first time I took my kids out. I ended up at a very sandy place with deep ruts in the tracks. The kids never made it more than 25 feet without crashing. They had been very excited, but they quickly got frustrated and the bike scared them after the first time. For the next trip, I found a flat, straight dirt road to teach them on. It was just a long dirt road without any traffic and they had SO much fun! They were able to stay on the bike easily, they hardly crashed, and they were WILD with excitement! For your first trip out, I’d recommend just finding a dirt road and practicing going straight and not falling down. Don’t have them do any 180 degree turns at all. Just go straight and stop. Ditch the Training Wheels Unless you’re teaching a 3 or 4-year-old, I recommend ditching the training wheels. If you start them with training wheels, they’ll be just as scared to take them off as they would be just starting without them. I just didn’t even tell my boys what training wheels are, and made them ride without them. It was a good choice. In 3 or 4 rides they were confident and riding quite well. Don’t Start Them on Too Large of a Bike Be certain you start the kids on the right size of dirt bike. Most kids would do well to start on a 50cc dirt bike, because it’s smaller, lighter, and less intimidating. If you have access to a 50cc bike–even if it’s technically too small for your kid, it’s wise to start on one. Larger bikes may more “properly” fit your kid, but they are usually very heavy and that is tough for a kid to handle when they are used to only driving the weight of a bicycle. When they try to turn or stop, they almost always dump the bike. Don’t buy a 50cc if it’s too small for your kid because they’ll outgrow it too quickly, but if you have access to one for your first practice runs, it’s really helpful. After I got my 8-year-old riding the 50cc 32 32
dirt bike 3-4 times on trips out to the desert, I switched him to a 110cc dirt bike that is a much better fit for an 8-year-old. Because he started out on the smaller bike, he was slightly intimidated to ride the 110, but he quickly got the hang of it. I’m glad I started him on a 50, but he was ready to graduate in just 4-5 rides. Teach Only One Fundamental Each Trip On the first trip out, I gave my kids a class on how to ride a dirt bike. I taught them basic form, I showed them how to start it, I showed them the kill switch and the gear shifter, etc. That wasn’t smart. It overloaded them with information. I changed my teaching and I decided to just teach them ONE thing each trip. On the first trip I just taught them how to go in a straight line. I showed them the trottle and the foot brake and that was it. I put them in first gear for this trip and kept them on first gear the entire time.
squeeze the bike with their knees and turn mostly with their knees instead of their arms, etc. I’ve continued to just think of one tip each trip to help them, and they seem to really like that. Find a Large Open Field to Practice Turning Teaching the kids to turn 180 degrees has really been a challenge. The weight of the bike makes it more difficult for kids than you might think. It really helps if you can find a large flat open field where the kids can practice. This way they have as much space as they need, and then you can work with them to get their turns tighter and tighter until the point that they can turn 180 on a dirt road and not need to go off the side of the road. Read Up On How to Keep Them Safe
On the second trip I taught them how to turn 180 degrees. We went straight on a dirt road, and then I walked beside them as they learned to turn around. This is more difficult for kids than you might think, because when they start leaning to the side to turn and they slow down, the weight of the bike often overpowers them and they fall. I kept them in first gear for the entire trip. On the third trip, we increased the speed slightly. I put them in second gear for the entire trip and they got used to the feeling of going a little faster and they enjoyed the feeling of freedom. On the fourth trip, I showed them proper riding position and form. I taught them to put their elbows up and out, to straighten their back, to sit forward on the bike to
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