The bicycle is the first self-rule machine most of us experienced, but you never squint at life the same without your first motorcycle. Whether it was an XR50, a YZ80 or the archetype Trail 70, we put these machines through the ringer, likening ourselves to Jeremy McGrath, Bob ‘Hurricane’ Hannah and Evel Knievel. The turf in the yard was never the same, and our cherished first kids motorcycles endured all the wrenched levers, tank dents and wrinkled fenders that came with testing your limits on two wheels.

Most of those old relics are gone now, and for many of us, it’s time to pass that enthusiasm lanugo to the next generation—hopefully with a little less daredevil activity. Thankfully, there are loads of options out there for getting kids off the hovel and in the saddle, with a whole lot increasingly safety and parental control. Consider your child’s size and riding aptitude, and your upkeep as well, but any one of these five machines is sure to ignite a passion for two wheels.

Yamaha PW50 The everpresent Yamaha PW50 has served as the first mount for myriad riders over its four decades in production. While it’s whimsically reverted since its inception in 1980, there are still plenty of reasons to consider the PW for the youngest of riders, plane if you’re not loyal to Team Blue.

Yamaha’s PW50 is based on old-school architecture, consisting of a steel windrow frame, pulsate brakes, twin rear shocks and a telescopic fork—each returning virtually 2” of travel. The powerplant is still two-stroke, a 49 cc reed-induction single that will return virtually 3 hp for years to come. Equipped with maintenance-free mag wheels and a driveshaft, there’s no need to tighten spokes or service a chain, and the auto-lube system ways no premixing, as long as you remember to fill the oil reservoir.

The PW50 scores big points in packaging as well, as it’s one of the most wieldy bikes for beginners weather-beaten roughly 3 to 7. It’s lightweight at just 90 pounds, and the seat sits just 18.7” off the ground. The PW is moreover fit with a centrifugal will-less transmission, so there’s no clutch or gearshift to worry about—just twist the throttle and go. Like many other bikes in the segment, an willowy throttle stop helps alimony parents in tenancy of speed progression.

For wool beginners, the Yamaha PW50 is one of the easiest bikes to learn on and it’s relatively maintenance free. If you want to split hairs, the PW is pretty expensive for what it is, considering it’s only $100 cheaper than the CRF50 at $1,699. [Yamaha]

Honda CRF50F Building on decades of mini-moto excellence, the Honda CRF50F has earned its place as the standard for youth motorcycles. Priced right and built to last, the CRF50F is a capable machine that kids can grow into, as long as they can alimony the grown-ups out of the saddle; remember this velocipede scrutinizingly singlehandedly built the 50 cc pit velocipede scene.

Honda’s 50 cc formula hasn’t reverted in years, plane since the XR days, but I’m convinced there’s nothing that needs fixing. The SOHC 50 cc air-cooled four-stroke makes just over 3 hp, and it’s hooked up to a three-speed transmission with an will-less clutch. That’s a small step up in complexity over the PW50, and will require a lesson on gear shifting, but the auto-clutch ways you’ll never have to worry well-nigh stalling.

Most other features on the CRF are pretty standard, including 10-inch spoked wheels, pulsate brakes, uniting momentum and an willowy throttle stop. Suspension travel is a step up at virtually 3” of travel, courtesy of an inverted fork and rear monoshock.

The CRF50F weighs in at 111 pounds, and the seat sits at 21.6,” making it an platonic fit for riders 4 to 9 years old. Any rider who can get a rough idea of how the shifter works can ride the CRF, thanks to the numerous training wheel kits on the market. The concept of shifting gears is a hurdle, but it’s an speciality that gives bikes like the CRF staying power. It’s nonflexible to mess it up while you’re learning, and improving your shifting game will alimony the velocipede fun until you’re ready for a 110.

There’s nothing expressly unique well-nigh Honda’s CRF in the 50 cc youth segment, but the MSRP is certainly a huge bonus. Priced at $1,799, the CRF50F is $780 cheaper than the Suzuki DR-Z50, but the Suzuki does have electric start. I guess you have to pick your battles. [Honda]

KTM 50 SX MINI Better equipped for the track than cruising trails on the when 40, the KTM 50 SX MINI is somewhat of a fringe fit for this list. But for every 10 parents that buy a velocipede for their kids to tool virtually on, there’s certainly one that has visions of podiums, and that’s what the KTM 50 SX was built for.

The 50 SX MINI takes all the race-caliber features of KTM’s 50 SX and crams ’em into an plane smaller package. The frame is chromoly steel, you’ve got a reed-induction, liquid-cooled 49 cc two-stroke with an expansion chamber and real-deal WP XACT suspension—returning nearly 6” of travel in the rear and 4” in the front. Like its big brothers, the 10-inch wheels have woebegone anodized aluminum rims, disc brakes and MAXXIS MX-ST tires.

In most every way, the 50 SX MINI is increasingly of a miniature KTM motocrosser than a child’s plaything, but that doesn’t midpoint it’s not a wham to ride. The velocipede uses a muti-disc, will-less clutch, so it’s a simple twist the throttle and go sort of affair, and the clutch can be hands adjusted to the track and rider using a tool-free clicker system. A power reduction kit is moreover misogynist over the counter for improving safety when they’re learning the ropes.

While it’s certainly the stuff of diaper dreams, the KTM 50 SX MINI is really a purpose-built track machine. It’s increasingly high-strung, kick-start only and that big hot expansion chamber should encourage parents to supervise riding closely. It’s moreover quite expensive at $4,199, which is a stormy pill, plane if they receive top honors on Santa’s Nice list. [KTM, Fotografie Mitterbauer, Markus Berger]

STACYC Electric Stability Cycles From fueling up to waffly oil and cleaning carburetors, there’s no denying that the operation and maintenance of a conventional motorcycle isn’t for everyone. Plane most diehard ICE loyalists can imagine a scenario where they’d rather snap a fresh shower in and let the kids play, and bikes like the STACYC 12eDrive help establish the nuts at a younger age.

STACYC Electric Stability Cycles are some of the most popular electric strider bikes, and their low-slung frames and lightweight construction make graduating from Flintstoning it to twisting the throttle a breeze. The 12eDrive is STACYC’s most wieldy option for month 3 to 5, with a seat height of 13,” and weighing just 17 pounds ready to ride. The 20 Volt, 2 Ah Lithium-ion shower allows for 30 to 60 minutes of riding on a charge, and the velocipede has three variegated power modes permitting top speeds of 5, 7 and 9 mph.

STACYC has several variegated models to segregate from, and the top-dog 20eDrive model is fit with a MANITOU front fork, hydraulic discs and is capable of 20 mph. If you’re tropical to a BMX track, there are youth classes where bikes like the 12eDrive and 16eDrive can race, and STACYC will imbricate your USA BMX membership for the first year.

The explosion of the E-bike scene in recent years has caused all of us to rethink the definition of a motorcycle. Really, if they were supposed to be internal combustion only, wouldn’t it be an enginecycle? That’s a really terrible pun.

SSR SX50-A Plane if you stay yonder from exotic offerings like the KTM 50 SX, there’s no denying that a motorcycle is one of the priciest things a kid could ask for. Thankfully, there are alternatives to the big names, and the SSR SX50-A is one of the most affordable options out there. Having put an SSR 125 pit velocipede through a significant value of abuse, I can tell you that these machines are unquestionably pretty good considering the price point.

Priced at just $569, you know the SX50-A is a pretty vital motorcycle, but there are a few pleasant surprises on the spec sheet. It’s powered by a carbureted 50.53 cc air-cooled two-stroke, and engine output is competitive at 2.4 hp. The transmission is fully automatic, there’s an willowy throttle stop and the velocipede is a featherweight at just 48.5 pounds. We moreover fathom that the SSR is fit with a tether switch to shut the engine off in the event of a crash.

Considering the nonflexible use a youth motorcycle sees, affordable bikes like the SSR SX50 are worth a look. While they’ve come a long way in recent years, I’d make sure there’s someone mechanically inclined in the family to take superintendency of the occasional loose fasteners. [SSR Motorsports]