WELCOME TO Dad’s Blog

SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WHEN THE BIKE IS TOO SMALL...

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:13:27 -0400

Well it’s been just over three years since Ben got his Honda CRF50. He just turned eight at the time and this was a great beginner bike for him. He’s had a lot of fun with it over the past three years and all the modifications we’ve done have helped extend the bikes usefulness.

But alas, kids GROW fast and Ben is really too big for the bike now. Don’t get me wrong, he can still ride it and have fun, but he is cramped and his riding ability is suited for a bigger bike. Fortunately I have a three year old who is anxiously awaiting his turn to ride. I’m not a big fan of training wheels on motorcycles. In my opinion if he can’t balance and ride, he’s not ready to ride. Again, just my personal opinion. So back to Ben. What’s next? Keep in mind he is not looking to race, he just likes to go to a track and ride for fun.

A 65cc two stroke motocross bike is an obvious choice. But do we really want to get into mixing fuel and blue smoke? Also at the rate he’s growing he would probably outgrow a 65 in pretty short order. Maybe an 85cc motocross bike? Again pre-mix and blue smoke and that crazy power band (he needs to learn to use a manual clutch). How about an 80cc, 100cc or 110cc play bike. Good size, four stroke, but the components and engine aren’t really up to motocross style riding and they’re a little heavy. How about a CRF150R motocross bike? Nice bike, four stroke, tractor-like power band (torque), motocross ready components. But...expensive and a little too much power for right now, although it is a bike he could grow into and live with for a long time.

The bike I would really like to get him next does not exist. It would be the size of a 65cc motocross bike with motocross quality components and light weight. It would be a race worthy four stroke with around 100cc of displacement. Picture a smaller version of the CRF150R motor. I don’t know if the 65 class will ever go four stroke but if it did, that replacement bike is what I’d like NOW.

So that’s the problem facing us. We’re thinking about getting the new bike when Ben is twelve, so we’ve got some time to ponder the alternatives. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know what happens. If you’ve got any thoughts on the subject leave a comment.

Happy Trails,
Dad

A WORD ABOUT SAFETY FOR KIDS AND PARENTS

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:13:14 -0400

When Ben got his CRF50 he was eight years old and had never ridden a motorcycle before.
My main concern when he started to ride was SAFETY. The last thing I wanted was for him to get hurt badly. We got him the basic riding gear (sea riding gear section) and went to a nice flat area away from any roads to start riding. Don’t skimp on riding gear if you can help it. I’ve seen little kids riding in sneakers. I highly recommend BOOTS if at all possible. At the beginning of each riding session I talked about SAFETY being THE most important thing, even telling him to dump the bike if it meant not getting hurt.

Obviously I gave him the basic instructions on how to use the bike. Most importantly where the rear brake was! We started out having him ride in first gear and practice getting up to speed and letting up on the throttle and applying the rear brake. After a while he started riding around in first gear just to get the feel of the bike. Once he felt comfortable he started shifting into second gear. I was a little nervous because he could now get going at a pretty good speed (and I couldn’t run along with him anymore!).

As he progressed he got better at shifting the transmission at the right time and coordinating his brake and throttle. I gradually let him try a little tougher terrain with some small hills and some tighter turns. Little kids can have a hard time with tight turns and go down a lot (part of dirt bikin’). That’s where the riding gear becomes important! We realized he needed a little extra gear than we thought once he started wiping out. Live and learn.

One of the weird things kids do sometimes when things get a little out of control is to hold the throttle pinned with there eyes WIDE open! You can’t emphasize enough to them to let UP on the throttle when they get a little out of control.

With each riding session Ben got better and better. We’d review what he did right and where he could improve. It can be tough but you’ve got to try and teach them a little common sense, like “don’t try and see how fast you can take that six foot jump” (true story).

He’s been riding for three years now without a serious accident (there have been a couple of close calls) and he rides with style and speed. I still get nervous but I trust in his abilities and judgement.

If your kid is new to riding, be patient, talk to them about safety and technique, start slow in a SAFE area, and have some FUN!

Happy Trails,
Dad

P.S. I’ve added a section about NECK PROTECTION you may be interested in.

WHAT TO GET THE KIDS FOR CHRISTMAS...

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:06:35 -0500

I’ve already posted a piece about general holiday gifts for relatives and loved ones into the dirt bike scene. In this entry I’m going to talk a little about my personal shopping plans. My son Ben is starting to bug the crap out of me for a new bike, which isn’t happening this Christmas! These are obviously tough times for almost everyone, so with that in mind you’ve got to realize there are some good gifts that don’t necessarily cost a lot. So here’s what he might be getting. First of all he does need new grips. His have broken the grip glue bond and started to turn. It’s tough to remove and re-glue grips so it’s best to replace them. He’s wanted a pair of Renthal Kevlar Dual Compound grips for a while so I’m sure he’d like them. He has been running regular Renthal Dual Compound grips but the kevlars should be very durable. We just got a fresh pair of Fox gloves or else they would have also made a good inexpensive gift. He’s due for a new pair of motocross socks so one of the many good pairs out there will probably be on the list. The one thing I’d like to get him even though it’s not cheap is an EVS RC Evolution neck brace. More and more people, especially kids are wearing some type of neck brace, whether it be a Leatt or another brand, and I think this is a really good idea. Again it’s not cheap but I believe well worth it. His Oakley XS O Frame goggles have a cracked lens and I haven’t been able to find a replacement, so new goggles are another good gift idea, and again not to expensive. He’s pretty well set as far as riding apparel is concerned, although his pants are gettin’ a little short (they grow so fast!). Riding apparel makes a great gift and the kids stuff isn’t too expensive. The hardest part is trying to figure out what they like without giving the surprise away. That’s probably all the Motocross related gifts for this year. Good luck in your shopping and gift giving endeavors!

Here’s wishing you and yours a great Christmas / Holiday season from all of us at Project CRF50.com

Happy Trails,
Dad

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE MOTO - GIFT IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:31:25 -0400

Well the holiday season is upon us. Time to figure out what to get our family and friends. It can be hard to find that special gift. For those parents, grandparents and spouses out there with a loved one with and interest in Motocross or Dirt Bikes we’ve created our special Holiday Gift Guide to help you with some ideas for an appropriate gift.

We’ve come up with a selection of some really nice top brand products for adults, kids and even some really cool motocross pajamas for the little tykes. We’ve also tried to have a selection of products in a variety of price ranges to suit any budget. We’ve included a large selection of gear bags because we feel this is a great gift for almost any dirt bike rider especially if they’re using a duffle bag or some no-name department store gear bag. Gloves also make a great gift at a modest price because gloves wear out and get ratty pretty quick. We’ve also included some casual apparel that is suitable not only for riders but anybody with an interest in motocross or dirt bikes.

Anyway, have a look at the gift guide as well as our Riding Gear section and see what you think. If nothing seems to be just right you might try going to MOTOSPORT.com and look throughout their categories or do a search. They also have a great online chat feature where you can ask questions. If you have any questions or really need help finding the perfect gift for someone you can e-mail me and I’ll do my best to help out.

Here’s wishing you and yours a great Christmas / Holiday season from all of us at Project CRF50.com

Happy Trails,
Dad

WHERE DO YOU START? WHAT TO SPEND?

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 18:48:43 -0400

So you’ve got the bike. What are your plans? Was your idea to keep the bike totally stock and just do routine maintenance? Would you like to do some minor modifications? Really max out the bike?

My advice is you start slow, make a plan, weigh the benefits of each mod versus it’s cost. We started just wanting foot pegs because the stock pegs were slippery, For less than a hundred bucks the new pegs made a big difference in riding the bike especially in wet conditions. Watch your kid. Do his/her feet slip off the pegs? Do you even ride in wet conditions. Everyone is different, no one can decide what YOU should do but I hope this site helps anyone just starting out working on a CRF50 or even some more experienced riders who want some ideas for parts for there bikes. Our next mod was the shift lever for the same reasons we changed the pegs. Again aimed at improving basic rideability of the bike. What does your kid need? If you want to do more serious riding like at a pit bike track you might want to do many of the mods we did. Start with a BUDGET and see what you can get for your dollar. That’s where the fun comes in. I enjoyed researching and buying the stuff for our project bike. And working on it was like working on a big toy (I’ll talk more about doing the mechanical stuff in a future post).

Happy Trails,
Dad

PROJECT BACKGROUND - THE BEGINNING

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 17:40:03 -0400

My name is Rick and my son is Ben. When he turned eight we bought him a new, stock Honda CRF50 (2006) so he could do a little trail riding. Once he started riding we realized the stock foot pegs weren’t that good so I began looking around for some better ones. That was supposed to be it but one thing lead to another and we wound up building the Honda CRF Factory Replica project you see here. On this site I will discuss all the modifications we made to the bike. We wanted to keep the motor stock but do things to improve the rideability of the bike as Benjamin started to do a little more serious motocrossing with it (so much for trail riding).

WHERE TO RIDE?

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 18:13:05 -0400

Is it me or are there fewer and fewer places to ride a dirt bike these days?
When I was a kid there was tons of empty areas around to ride. As more and more people rode on the same spot a track would develop.

When we got Ben’s Honda CRF50 we had a couple of places near our house to ride. Then the police started to kick people out of one place and the other was finally developed.

This left us to mostly go to motocross facilities that have a pit bike or mini track. And even these come and go. We live in south Florida and Air Dania in Ft. Lauderdale closed. Moroso Motosports Park had two decent tracks and recently closed. Orlando Mini Moto was a great place but closed after three years. We go to Seminole as much as possible but it’s over an hour away. I’ve researched Miami MX as a possible place to go also about an hour away.

I understand that finding places to ride is a national problem. What’s the solution? Or is it just a case of the “good old days” gone?

GIFT IDEAS

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:26:34 -0400

For any parents or grand parents out there if you are looking for a gift idea for a kid with a Honda CRF50 or any other bike for that matter there are many good gift ideas throughout the site. I do not recommend anything I haven’t personally tried or in some cases have read many positive reviews about. Most of the parts I used are big brand, high quality parts. A new piece of gear or apparel is always a good gift.

WHAT THIS SITE IS ABOUT...

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:19:14 -0400

This site is about improving a stock Honda CRF50 for a KID to use. While much of the information is useful for anyone modifying a CRF50 it is geared towards kids of the right size to ride the bike (50-80lbs.) and not towards an adult weighing 185lbs! Two different projects. If you’re a big guy and want to spend 10 grand on a monster 50 go for it. If your a kid or a parent and what some tips on some quality aftermarket modifications then you’re in the right place. Many of the modifications (especially the early ones) were meant to improve rider SAFETY. By adding grip and controllability you improve the ability to ride safely. While the total dollars spent was not minor, you can pick and choose from the modifications we made here and add a few of your own ideas to the mix. This is meant to be a guide and especially useful if you are just beginning to start a project. We’ve been at it for over two years including riding and testing at our local tracks.