Do you know a kid who can hardly go a day without talking about riding dirt bikes? They say “hate the game, not the player," so don’t blame the child—blame motocross. Motocross, also known as MX, is undeniably the most popular dirt bike riding style, but this does not mean kids must get a motorcycle and find a racing track to have some muddy racing fun.
This buying guide will review the best dirt bikes- gas-powered, electric, battery-powered, and bicycles- for kids as young as 3, 6, 8-years-old, and above.
How to Pick the Best Dirt Bikes for Kids
If the child is as young as 3-years-old, we recommend starting him or her out with a ride-on dirt bike such as the Huffy Electric Ride On Car for Kids. Little ones can have plenty of fun riding around on this bike, even while developing the interest and coordination for bike racing.
For children between 4 and 6-years-old, we recommend starting them out with an electric dirt bike such as the Razor MX350 Dirt Rocket Electric Motocross.
Small electric dirt bikes can replicate the design of advanced dirt bikes. Plus, electric models are eco-friendly, providing a ripe chance to introduce little children to the realities of environmental consciousness, fuel efficiency, alternative energy, and so on.
Little kids can start with small electric dirt bikes and then transition to gas-powered 50cc models fitted with training wheels before moving on to 2-wheel off-road bikes. Whatever developmental stage a child is at, there’s a dirt bike for him or her in this guide. Your primary concern as a parent is your child’s safety. We understand that. Below are quick facts you should know.
Dirt Bikes Can Be Dangerous
You wouldn’t believe us anyway if we said dirt bike riding isn’t dangerous. But the thing is, soccer is dangerous too. So are scooters, skateboards, hoverboards, rollers, swimming pools, and even ballet. Yup, dancers break their hips, ankles, feet, knees, and neck all the time. But don’t take our word for it; ask the surgeons at Johns Hopkins.
Get a Helmet
No matter what you think about face masks, riding gear, including a helmet, can make a world of difference. Let’s take the ballet dancers, for example. According to Sports Medicine Weekly, one of the main causes of ballet injuries is “natural physical limitations and constraints" that restrict “a perfectly correct technique," leading to accidents.
In other words, riding without a proper outfit increases the risk of bike riding injuries. Also, a study by researchers at the University of British Columbia states that more than sixty percent of fatalities caused by dirt bike riding happened to riders without a helmet. It’s not that we expect you to let your child ride anything with wheels without a helmet anyway. Here is a set of affordable and high-quality riding gear for kids you can get right now.
Play Safe
The importance of safety-conscious dirt bike riding cannot be overemphasized. Kids may be tempted to push a dirt bike to its max speed, but the result not be good if they do not have the skill and coordination to match.
Still, this does not mean that children are better off avoiding the outdoors and spending most of their free time in front of the TV or playing video games. Bike riding is a health-building activity with numerous health benefits such as improved cardiovascular health, improved posture and coordination, improved strength and motor skills, dexterity, muscle development, mental development, and many more.
Risks Are Okay
Don’t love a child so much that you raise them to have an unhealthy need to avoid risks. If you do, don’t expect them to develop the courage and capacity to handle uncertainties. No matter the consequences, taking risks can help people build resilience and confidence. Surely, you want this for your child.
Consequently, dirt bike riding may have risks, but the benefits far outweigh the risks and those risks can be drastically minimalized by being safety conscious. The Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics reveals that most of the hospitalizations as a result of injuries from dirt bike riding occurred at official racing tracks.
What this means is that your child is highly unlikely to need a doctor because of bike riding accidents as long as the child is not taking part in competitive dirt bike racing.
If your children are less than 5-years-old, then you have next to nothing to worry about because the kiddie dirt bikes we have on this list are no more than vehicles of joy, fun, and improved fitness. Let’s dive in and check out 10 of the best dirt bikes for kids available right now.