Clueless Parent

[Ks Dad]

Hi!

I have a 10 year old who has fallen in love with dirt bikes. It is all he wanted for XMas and I have been saving to make this happen.

I am looking at buying a 1991 Suzuki JX80 for him to start on. But, I keep reading in all the forums about a "power band".???

What is that? and will that have an impact on buying him the bike? He has ridden a Honda 50 (no clutch) and this will be his first Manual.

Does the power band on this Suzuki effect his ride?

That's why I listed this as clueless dad, I have no idea what I am getting into, but I want to share the experience with him and grow into this together.

Any help or insight would be appreciated!

Thanks for being patient with a new poster!

[VET393]

In my opinion....I'm not sure, but is the Suzuki a 2 stroke? I personally would start him on a 4 stroke. Simply for ease of riding and since you are clueless in this(powerbands), it may will be easier all around for both of you. If it is too difficult then it will take the fun out of it for both of you. I am sure you can find a used one out there, or even a last years model at a dealer and get him a new one. That way you skip the headaches of a used bike that hasnt been maintained properly.

[Tperkins]

not sure on the jx80 size or your son ability but i can help you out with the power band, when we say power band were simply talking about the power of the bike over the scale of its rpm's, many 2 strokes for instance have a harsh power band, for instance my 250 up until about 2100 rpms it feels like it has no power, and once you get to about3000 you better hold on or it will jump out from yur legs, now an 80 wouldnt be this dramatic but as i said i've never rode an80, and i can guarantee you some of the far more knowledgeable users will be here to further help you, and welcome to ATM.

[Dano426]

I think you mean JR80 The Suzuki JR80 is very similar to the Yamaha PW80s and yes they are two strokes. It would be a great bike to start on.

[Ks Dad]

All:

Thanks for your reply's

And you are right, it is a JR80. It is at a very good price and I thought it would be good for him to start on.

The Powerband makes sense, I didn't understand when I was reading the posts but I really appreciate the way you laid it out for me!

i would love to get him a 4 stroke, but $$ are tight and I am looking for the best value I can afford and I am not too scared of getting my hands dirty.

Thanks for the welcome, this is really a great place!

Mike

[Keetoman393]

Don't worry about the power band being too much on the JR80 - they are made for little kids and are very smooth! When you get to bigger bikes, the power is not as smooth. Go for the JR80 - they are great beginner's bikes and your son will have a blast on it!

Welcome to

[Billyboypaints]

looks like everyone beat me to he punch
anyway as mentioned above the jr 80 is a great little bike
pretty darn reliable and easy to work on
welcome to
come back and post often

[kwmotocrosspunk]

the JR80 is a great starter bike, if you dont happen to get this bike, you could also look into the:

Honda XR or CRF 80
Yamaha PW or TTR 80

the XR and the PW are the older models of the kids trail bikes, the honda XR is the same as the honda CRF and the yamaha PW is another model of yamaha trail bikes

all the bikes above are made for kids who are just learning to ride, they aren't too fast and are virtually maintenance free, i would bet to say that the honda XR/CRF line are basically bulletproof, and im a yamaha fanatic!

[dhighlan]

Jr, PW, run like 4 strokes smooth linear power Highly recommended for beginning no peaks it power.

[VET393]

My son learned on a XR200. Then I got him a CR125 to race and he struggled with the 2 stroke the whole time he raced it. I got him a YZ250F and he went to the front right away. My wife is learning now and I got her a CRF80F. I ride this bike all the time, even on trails and it pulls me around fine and I am 215 and 6'1" . Actually it is really fun to ride.

It is truely your choice, but you are going to get both views on bikes (2 or 4 strokes) on this site.

2stroke=gas+oil+smoke
4stroke=pump and go

[Ks Dad]

Many Thanks to all of you!

I went ahead and did it, turned out the bike was a JS80!

The bike has been sitting idle for 6 years, but it started right up (fresh gas) and went through the gears smoothly.

The headlight was removed and the kill switch was disconnected, but everything else was good.

It was smaller than I thought, but with my son learning (4'8", 110 lbs) how to work a bike, the fit looked good.

I appreciate all of the input, you all are a huge help and taking the time to help someone out really means alot.

Next on the list .. SAFETY EQUIPMENT.

This is a great place and I can't thank you enough.

Mike

[Billyboypaints]

if you need help finding gear let us know and congrats on the purchase

[Tperkins]

congrats on the purchase and let us know how your son is doing on the bike he'll be tearing up the tracks in no time at all

[kwmotocrosspunk]

congrats on getting the bike, im sure your son will just love it!

as for gear, the cheapest place to atleast start looking for gear is ebay, alot of times you can get a set of jersey, pants, and gloves in one package for a really good price, and ebay has loads of used but still in great shape items like boots, chest protectors, helmets....what ever

and ask around here, alot of members here have children and of course they all grow out of thier stuff, check the "For Sale" and the "Pay It Forward" forums to see if there is anything available and even you local "Craigslist" might have some stuff too

[pragmatic393]

Congrats on the purchase! I know it can be stressfull

Lets see some pics

[sparta4188]

Originally Posted by pragmatic393

Congrats on the purchase!

Lets see some pics

PICS! congrats man!