Looking for beginner bike for my son...

[Jay Is Jay]

I'm looking for a beginner bike for my 11 year old son, 4'10". Not sure his weight, but average for his height. I don't know of a better place to find used dirt bikes for sale locally than Craigslist, so I've been looking there. The selection is quite limited though. Is there a better place to look for used bikes?

 

We aren't planning to buy new, but we went to a local dealer just to look around, and he sat on what I think was a TT-R110E. If I am remembering the model correctly, then from what I looked up, the seat height is 26.4". And he was just tall enough to touch the ground with both feet flat. So is that just too short of a bike? I want to surprise him with one, so I'd rather not have him sit on any while I'm meeting people to look at their bikes. So a TT-R110 with seat height of 26.4"....an XR-80 has a seat height that's about 2 inches taller than that. Might a 110cc be too small, while an 80cc might be just right? I'm kinda thinking an 80 would be too small. I guess though it really comes down to which used bikes are available, and choosing from them. I'm just unsure how much higher the seat should be than the one he sat on at the dealership.

 

Also, I never heard of it before, but came across and then looked up an SR110 by SSR. I'm not considering buying it because it seems so ridiculously under priced that something must be wrong. A brand new 2017 SR110 has an MSRP of only $829. How?? Is it going to fall apart in 6 months? (A brand new Yamaha TT-R110 is over $2,250.)

Edited April 20, 2017 by Jay Is Jay

[Gflo]

I would avoid any of the Chinese bikes.  Quality is questionable, and you will have problems finding parts, which you will need.  Resale is poor.  If he was my son, I would look for a CRF80.  Even when he outgrows it, resale is excellent.  They are very hard to find used.  A TTR110 is okay, but has an auto clutch.  He will need to learn to use a manual clutch at some time.  A CRF80 is what I started my daughter on, and to this day is glad it was her first motorcycle.

[76xtdrvr]

I agree with Gflo on the Chinese bike purchase. They're getting better, but not close enough yet, imo. On the flip side, none of the entry level Japanese bikes have received any significant upgrades in years, maybe decades, but the prices go up almost yearly. If you do some searching, you can find a good used bike a few years old and save big $.

[Jay Is Jay]

Oh, I wasn't aware the ttr110 was automatic. I'm not getting him an automatic, especially at 11 years old.

Well, I'll keep my eye out for a CRF80 then. According to the specs (albeit the specs on the new bikes) say the seat height is over 29" which sounds like it's about right.

[Padilen]

It's not an automatic trans, it has an auto clutch. From what I've seen many of the smaller bikes have this feature. If that's a problem the TTR125 doesn't have an auto clutch.

[DerrickH]

We have an '03 XR100R. That bike is so reliable and great for a young rider.

[JHensel]

My daughter is 8 and she is on a 110 the auto clutch is nice and I think she can ride this bike for a couple of years..  If you want the next size up a lot of people like the KX110L

[SilvFx]

just to chime in on the CRF80F/XR80....this is a good size for him. I believe my son was about 4'10" when he started on a XR80.  16" front/14" rear wheels, 5 speed and clutch.  The replacement for the CRF80F/XR80 is the CRF125 (not the L version).  The CRF125 just came out recently so not sure you will see many used yet. But look up the specs and i think you will see similar seat height.

CL is a good place to look.  That's where I find and buy all my used bikes out here in Colorado.

You can use www.searchtempest.com to do a wider search which uses CL and Ebay.  You can also look on www.bikefinds.com