How to get my best friend to start riding???

[71_burton]

Hey its been awhile since i've posted anything and i need some help so my question is, How do i get my best friend to start riding? He's asked me how much a used 85 would cost and i would say around 1400 for a good one. He just simply reply's I'll buy a go cart. Then in the next class he'll say he has a good jump in his backyard he could hit, then he'll go on about the conversation him and his mom had the night before about buying a bike. Then he'll talk all day about buying one and it be a week before he'll talk about it again. Now he's got into the coon hunting scene and still keeps talking to me about riding. He ask's sometimes if he could come watch me race and i say 'sure'. So how do i go about getting him to ride?

Oh and if he dont need a racing bike what other bike do you think would be good for a 5'6 135lbs 12 year old (He's about a year younger than me maybe idk???).

[mxkid12]

Does he have any riding experience? If not maybe a crf150f or ttr230 or crf230. I wouldn't put a begginner on any race bike because they will get hurt. Otherwise, maybe find him a bike too try it out like one of the bikes i mentioned. I am very indecisive too but i always wanted to dirtbike so just tell him he wont regret it. That it will be so much fun and adrenaline just riding around. Just keep working on him he will give in.

Well hope it works:thumbsup:

[MotoMan40]

Yeah, I had a friend that was indecisive about riding and had a low budget (<$1000). After some convincing by me and our other friends, he bought a china 150 4t to start out on until he is good enough to upgrade to a 125 2t or 250f. Just tell your friend how much fun riding is.

[CRFrider30]

I would not start him out on a racing bike unless he has some experience with riding. I would tell him to get a XR100, CRF100, or a CRF150f

[npm]

If he does get a bike and you do go riding, take it easy on him for a while. Don't try and show him how fast you are because he'll get discouraged when he can't keep up, or worse yet get in over his head and crash trying to keep up. If he doesn't have any experience it might be best for just the two of you to ride together (with nobody else around, nobody likes to look like a newby in front of others) at a place where the terrain isn't too demanding so he can work up his confidence.

[calviper7]

Yeah start him out with a CRF150 (old ones) or the CRF230. They kind of suck to ride, but they are great to learn on. If you can ride one of those you can move up to anything. Because they are just as heavy as a big bike. My friend rode a CRF150 from age 11-12 (A girl) and she moved to a CRF250 when she was 13. I started out on a CRF230 when I was 15 and moved up to a CRF450 a couple years later

[jeepcj776]

has he rode your bike, or atleast been around it

[ohioktm250]

what got me into riding was riding friends bikes, just running around in my grandparents field and eventually on their tracks and trails. after a summer of this i realized i needed my own bike. the next summer i had one and i havent looked back since. what i am saying is that the cheapest way of seeing if he is really interested enough to ride is other peoples bikes in a controlled setting. if he loves it then he will either save his money or pester his parents till he has his own bike

[jbrandt]

give him a bike and say, "here, ride this."

trust me, he'll like it and buy his own!

[89coptzer]

i wanted a bike for as long as i could remember and when i was around 14 (22 now) a new friend of mine had a bike and let me ride it. some kind of suzuki 4 stroke 125. anyway i just couldnt get the feeling of riding out of me and that next fall i got a 97 cr250. sold it a couple years ago and now ive got the itch again so a couple weeks ago i got a 98 wr400f. just get him on something and he will get the sickness.

[Moto_Ty]

Idk what it is about riding, but if you are around it just a little you WILL WANT TO RIDE! My neighbor (way across the cornfield) used to ride. I could barely hear it or see him. I went over there and watched him after that, and i used to push his old old 50 up this hill then coast it down. I got me a TTR 125 and i've been hooked since

[71_burton]

If he does get a bike and you do go riding, take it easy on him for a while. Don't try and show him how fast you are because he'll get discouraged when he can't keep up, or worse yet get in over his head and crash trying to keep up. If he doesn't have any experience it might be best for just the two of you to ride together (with nobody else around, nobody likes to look like a newby in front of others) at a place where the terrain isn't too demanding so he can work up his confidence.

I have a friend that rides a china 125 4t and he's a beginner, you think they could learn together?

has he rode your bike, or atleast been around it

Yes.

give him a bike and say, "here, ride this."

trust me, he'll like it and buy his own!

I tried that but he chickened out. When was like 10 i asked him to ride one of my 65's and he did try but he couldnt get anywhere because of the clutch.

Idk what it is about riding, but if you are around it just a little you WILL WANT TO RIDE! My neighbor (way across the cornfield) used to ride. I could barely hear it or see him. I went over there and watched him after that, and i used to push his old old 50 up this hill then coast it down. I got me a TTR 125 and i've been hooked since

Now thats wanting to ride!

[manson3161]

just find him a bike that fits and let him ride it he will get the bug and wont want to be lefft out of the fun. then he will find a way to get his own I sold my stereo cd's games... what ever I could to have $ for a bike and bought an old 82 yz100 I have moved up in bike size since then but still have that first bike just restoring the classic now

[npm]

I have a friend that rides a china 125 4t and he's a beginner, you think they could learn together?

Sure but two beginners aren't going to get fast very quickly if they don't have someone explaining and showing them how to ride properly. I know it's going to be boring to ride with these guys but if you really want to ride with your friend you're going to have to get down on his level and work on bringing him up to yours.

If you're friend can't use a clutch you need to get him onto something small that has a clutch so he's not intimidated by the motor or size of bike and can concentrate on learning how to use the clutch. I have an old XL75 that I have used many times to teach kids and even adults how to ride a bike with a clutch. Once they master the mighty XL75 they can move onto a bigger bike and get on with learning riding techniques.

[71_burton]

Sure but two beginners aren't going to get fast very quickly if they don't have someone explaining and showing them how to ride properly. I know it's going to be boring to ride with these guys but if you really want to ride with your friend you're going to have to get down on his level and work on bringing him up to yours.

If you're friend can't use a clutch you need to get him onto something small that has a clutch so he's not intimidated by the motor or size of bike and can concentrate on learning how to use the clutch. I have an old XL75 that I have used many times to teach kids and even adults how to ride a bike with a clutch. Once they master the mighty XL75 they can move onto a bigger bike and get on with learning riding techniques.

Ya, but the one with the china 4t dont like my track much, all he wants to do is go muddin in my field but i dont care he's still riding. Thanks, thats about the best advice i've got so far, good gas 4 you!

[npm]

Ya, but the one with the china 4t dont like my track much, all he wants to do is go muddin in my field but i dont care he's still riding. Thanks, thats about the best advice i've got so far, good gas 4 you!

Thanks. Not knowing what your track looks like I'm just making a couple guesses. Your buddies chinese bike is probably not a very good machine (well that isn't so much guess as fact) and after watching what you can do he's probably embarassed to try it on your track for fear of looking bad. It's too bad you don't have a pit bike or something like that you could ride when riding with them. If they see you on your track on a bike with a similar level of performance as to what they are riding it might inspire them to give it a go. Riding the pit bike could also make it more fun for you when riding with them. Sometimes it more fun to ride a slower bike at 100% than it is to ride a fast bike at 50%.

Good luck in your efforts. Over the years I've gotten many people interested in motorcyles and as friends we still share that common bond.

[71_burton]

Thanks. Not knowing what your track looks like I'm just making a couple guesses. Your buddies chinese bike is probably not a very good machine (well that isn't so much guess as fact) and after watching what you can do he's probably embarassed to try it on your track for fear of looking bad. It's too bad you don't have a pit bike or something like that you could ride when riding with them. If they see you on your track on a bike with a similar level of performance as to what they are riding it might inspire them to give it a go. Riding the pit bike could also make it more fun for you when riding with them. Sometimes it more fun to ride a slower bike at 100% than it is to ride a fast bike at 50%.

Good luck in your efforts. Over the years I've gotten many people interested in motorcyles and as friends we still share that common bond.

Thanks, I was so close to buying a pitbike i had the money saved and everything and got hooked on RC Rock crawler and spent 300 bucks in that so the pitbike went out the window, but i'm saving back up.

P.S. My friend on the china bike was messing around on my track and fell in shorts and his pipe landed on his leg and burnt his leg to a crisp and we had to take him to the E.R. and he might be a little scared.

[npm]

Yeah I can see why he might be a little gun shy. Not to sound too much like the old man that I am (I can still remember when I was young and immortal); if the track is on your property you should make sure your friends at least have boots, helmet, gloves, pants, and shirt on when they ride so you can at least minimize injury when they fall. Hopefully they have the full gear and wear it.

[71_burton]

Yeah I can see why he might be a little gun shy. Not to sound too much like the old man that I am (I can still remember when I was young and immortal); if the track is on your property you should make sure your friends at least have boots, helmet, gloves, pants, and shirt on when they ride so you can at least minimize injury when they fall. Hopefully they have the full gear and wear it.

I told him to wear them but he said "No no no all i'm doing is messing around". Look what happened.

[npm]

As normal in life, some people just have to learn the hard way........