Considerations for parents when buying a dirt bike for 6 year olds
You’ll probably find that if your 6 year old is into dirt biking, they got it from you as a parent. Alternatively, they have a friend at school who is into dirt biking. Either way, if your 6 year old is into dirt biking and has asked for a dirt bike, what is the best dirt bikes for 6 year olds. Let’s take a look…
What are the best dirt bikes for 6 year olds? The best dirt bikes for 6 year olds will have an engine size of 50cc. The power of the dirt bike will depend on your child’s physical size and prior experience. Plus of course the cost of a new kids dirt bike will be important to you as a parent too.
Considerations for 6 year olds on dirt bikes
As a parent you want to make sure you are buying your kid the right level of dirt bike. There are a number of extra considerations for children to think about when you’re buying a dirt bike.
Kids grow and develop very fast and two six year olds can be so different in terms of maturity and physical size. You may find that some 6 years olds are like 7 or even 8 year olds, and visa versa. But the important thing is to make sure your child is safe.
Previous experience: Has your 6 year old ridden a dirt bike before?
Weight of the dirt bike: Is your 6 year old smaller or larger than average and will they be able to handle a standard dirt bike designed for a 6 year old?
Size of the dirt bike: How tall is your 6 year old and do they have short or long legs for their age. You need to match the height of the seat to your child.
Size and power of the engine: You don’t want to get an over powered dirt bike for a 6 year old. This is especially true if this is their very first dirt bike.
Top speed: How fast will the dirt bike go?
Price of the dirt bike: The price of a dirt bike is always a consideration and needs to fit within your budget. However, when buying dirt bikes for kids you also need to factor in how quickly they’ll out-grow the bike you buy.
Gears or centrifugal clutch: Does your 6 year old know how to ride a manually geared dirt bike? If not, you need to buy one with an automatic clutch or a centrifugal clutch?
Type of power: Do you want to buy a 4-stroke, a 2-stroke or an electric bike?
Will your 6 year old need stabilisers? You can get dirt bike stabilisers if your child needs them to stay upright until they master their balance on a dirt bike.
A list of the best dirt bikes for 6 year olds
Let’s now take a look at a list of dirt bikes suitable for 6 year olds. If you’re viewing this on a mobile device, you may need to turn your phone landscape to get this table on your screen. Depending on the size of your mobile device, you may be better viewing this table on a computer or an iPad, thank you.
If you want reassurance as to whether dirt bikes are safe for 6 year olds, you need to consider how safe the sport is for all concerned. Dirt biking is a dangerous sport, but if this is what they want to do then should you stop them just because it’s unsafe?
This is a decision you have to make as a parent of course, and is one that I cant make for you. However, you can do everything you can to ensure their safety.
Safety considerations for 6 year olds on dirt bikes:
You should obviously make sure they wear a safety helmet.
They will need a pair of goggles to protect their eyes from mud and dirt.
They must wear appropriate reinforced dirt bike safety boots.
You should make them wear the appropriate body armour.
Consider a body air bag to protect their spine and neck in an accident.
The dirt bike engine size should not exceed 50cc or an electric equivalent in terms of power and speed.
Your 6 year old must be able to touch the balls of both feet on the ground when straddling the bike’s seat.
Dirt bike experience of your 6 year old is very important
With regards to point 6 above, you’ll notice in the table of dirt bikes for 6 year olds, this includes the KTM SX50, which has a powerful punch in terms of speed and power with a top speed of 72kph (45mph), so be careful if you choose this dirt bike for your 6 year old.
This is where this becomes difficult. The final decision will come down to you as a parent as you weigh up the risks of dirt biking, alongside the skill and confidence of your child. If your child is 6, but had no experience on a dirt bike at all, I certainly would not be putting them on the KTM SX50.
What size dirt bike is good for a 6 year old?
The right size of dirt bike for 6 year olds depends on their physical size and maturity. The size of bike in terms of power and engine size or cc does also depend on their experience riding dirt bikes.
The above table ranges from a relatively low powered 49cc dirt bike with a top speed of 24.1kmh (15mph) to a 50cc KTM dirt bike that’s capable of speeds up to 72kmh (45mph).
As already explained, you certainly wouldn’t want to put your in-experienced son or daughter on this high powered kids dirt bike. But instead you may choose the electric Kuberg bike or the KTM SX-E 5 instead. With both these dirt bikes you can control the top speed. Or perhaps the Honda CRF50F, as this has a parent-friendly throttle limiter too.
As for physical size, you need to look at the seat height. The seat height is important because your child needs to be able to keep the balls of their feet on the ground when they are sat on the seat.
This is no different from choosing a push bike. If you kid can’t touch the ground, they’ll simply fall off each time they come to a stop. The seat heights for each of these 6 year old friendly dirt bikes is included in the above table.
How much is a 6 year old dirt bike?
You’ll see that the above table of dirt bikes, prices range from $410 at the cheapest, through to $5,000 at the most expensive. But these are of course the prices for new dirt bikes.
You can always buy a secondhand dirt bike instead. However, considerations for buying a secondhand dirt bike are that they usually take a bit of a bashing in the dirt and off-road. But at least this will be a cheaper option, bearing in mind your 6 year old will be growing fast!
Unless you have the spare money, you may not want be splashing out nearly $5,000 on a dirt bike your child will grow out off in 6-12 months.
Your other consideration is whether this is their first dirt bike. If it is, then there’s no guarantee they’ll like dirt biking, so do you want to be splashing out several thousands of dollars on a new dirt bike until you know it’s something they love?
Cheap dirt bikes for 6 year olds
The best way to grab yourself a bargain and a cheap dirt bike for your 6 year old would be to buy a secondhand bike as already mentioned. Or choose the Funbikes MXR above which is relatively cheap and this is sold on Amazon.
You can also buy cheaper dirt bikes on sites like eBay, Autotrader or by simply looking in the local adds near where you live.
However, please bear in mind that dirt bikes do take a hammering as they are ridden off-road. You may find yourself buying a whole lot of hassle. How are you mechanic skills buy the way?
Electric dirt bikes for 6 year olds
There are electric dirt bikes available for 6 year olds. Included in the above table is the Kuberg Trial Hero and the KTM SX-E 5, which are both good contenders.
The good thing about electric dirt bikes is there are no gears for your 6 year old to contend with, which is great for beginners. Plus they are very quiet. Petrol dirt bikes, and especially 2-strokes, are pretty noisy. Your neighbours may not be too happy the day you bring back a 2-stroke dirt bike for your son or daughter to ride around your backyard!
However, if you buy an electric dirt bike instead, then it won’t be heard by you or your neighbours.
Another advantage of an electric bike is your kid won’t have to kick start the engine. Kick starting a dirt bike isn’t always easy, especially when you’ve been riding for most of the day and your legs are tired.
But on the other side of this coin is the current charge time and run times of electric bikes, are in my opinion still too long to charge and too short time to ride.
One extra benefit of an electric dirt bike is the parent-friendly speed control you get. You can gradually increase the top speed as your 6 year old improves their dirt biking skills and confidence.
Stabilisers for dirt bikes
With regards to dirt bikes with stabilisers, as shown in the main image for this article, this is a retro-fit. If your 6 year old hasn’t got their balance on a dirt bike yet, these stabilisers help them gain confidence.
I hope you enjoyed this article about the best dirt bikes for 6 year olds
I’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your adventures of dirt biking in the comments below. Please also share your photos. Either from your cameras or videos from your Gopro’s!
If this article hasn’t answered all of your questions. If you have more questions about dirt biking (or specifically about the best dirt bikes for 6 year olds), please comment below with your questions.
There will also be many more articles about dirt biking for you to read and learn about this fabulous sport and hobby.
Have fun and be safe!
The best dirt bikes for 6 year olds (Parents guide & rough price guide)
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