Father/son dirt bikes

[Redfish Hunter]

I am struggling with a way to get my son out of the house and off the computer. I have tried a few things and have achieved only moderate success. A co-worker had gone through something similar a few years ago and had the tools he used for sale. They had been collecting dust for several years and he wanted them out of his garage. He offered me a deal I could not refuse.

This is what I brought home:



A YZ250F and a TT50. He threw in chest protectors, several kid size riding suits, extra wheels, parts and both Yamaha Service Manuals. Now I have some carburetor cleaning to do. Then some training.

Yep, it fits.



The work begins:



We will see how this one turns out. Mrs. Redfish is NOT happy with me right now.

 

[UberKul]

Mrs Redfish might be quite pleased if she were to have her own little earth mover. Three would fit on that trailer

Let the bonding begin!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Well, IF this works out and IF everybody stays happy that mid-80s 5th wheel camper might transform into a much newer toy hauler. Very big IFs...

As for Mrs. Redfish riding a dirt bike, that will never happen. She might ride the 4-wheeler. She would probably drive a side by side UTV. She will never, ever ride a motorcycle of her own free will.

Of course I cannot think of a bike with suspension rated for that much weight anyway.

 

[wild1]

Awesome.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Congratulations for your bikes and for your decision to buy a bike for your son!!

I believe in some time,Mrs.Redfish will accept this..

As for your son,he looks great in his new bike!!The perfect bike for him!!

 

[marcusorelius]

Of course I cannot think of a bike with suspension rated for that much weight anyway.

If'n she reads this U won't be take'n any "rides" fer a long time!

 

[dcarver]

Awesome.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Of course I cannot think of a bike with suspension rated for that much weight anyway.

If'n she reads this U won't be take'n any "rides" fer a long time!

Other than menus in restaurants and food labels in grocery stores, I am not sure she can read.

Besides, ugly as she is, I am not that tempted...

I am surely never going to get into heaven as much as I lie about my poor wife.

 

[not2shabby]

Nice! FYI, if you're like me and haven't ridden a dirt bike in ages...take it easy on that 250! My plated 03 WR I picked up a month or so ago will loft the front end in 2nd and 3rd easily. The YZ's are even more 'snappy' since there's no weight on the flywheel. Have fun!

 

[ULEWZ]

I was having problems relating with my young son when he turned 14 (2005). He could care less about me and went out of his way to avoid me. Fast forward to me convincing the wife to let me buy dirtbikes for the two of us in the hopes of creating a bond with my youngest son. I am hear to say it worked fantastic. We rode together every weekend for years and he started to talk to me and to this day we are best buds. I applaud you for making the jump into dirtbikes. Oh, it is the pilot jet, it is always the pilot jet, and nothing but the pilot jet (words I lived by, but YMMV). symptoms, hard starting, rough idle, won't idle off the choke. Dump the old gas, change the pilot jet and go. I find the other jets don't usually get plugged, but YMMV.

I went the electric start route, and here in cali there is this red sticker thing, so a WR is a must unless pre 2003.

Have fun and be safe.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Thank you all for your encouraging responses. Both bikes had been sitting up and neither one would start when I brought them home. Now, both of them start but neither one runs correctly. I pulled, disassembled and cleaned the carb on the 50, it is better but I must have missed something. The 250 is running a little better each time I run it. The old gas I dumped out of the tanks was awful.

As soon as I am good with the way the 50 runs, we are going to start training. I think he may be getting a bit excited. I cannot keep riding the 250 in my yard here. I am destroying my beautifully manicured lawn.

I really want to sell or trade the 250 to get on a decent dual sport. In the meantime, I don't have much $$$ invested and I want to get it someplace I can actually play with it. My goodness it is loud though.

I am really looking forward to posting some pics of my son all geared up and riding the little Yamaha.

 

[Hawkerplt]

My son and I road dirt bikes together for years. Absolutely loved every minute of it! He did a few "C" class races and had a lot of fun. He is off to college now and those years may be behind us. Hopefully, we can get away for some fun in the dirt sometime soon??

 

[BobbyBlue]

This is when not being able to post pics pisses me off...my son, now 28, and i used to bond over old honda elsinores...2 strokes are easy to work on and can be quieted down...or not...we rode in emerging subdivisions all over north dallas...there were plenty of those back in the 90's....one thing you may not have considered...kids are waaaay fashion conscious these days so take him to a store and let HIM pick out some new riding duds...and be damn careful yourself...that 250 is a beast ! ..get muddy too..mud is fun !!!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I thank you for the "fashion advice". I am hoping it helps him to, for lack of a better term, "Get in costume". I know it worked when he put on his little football uniform. Dressing for the part is half the battle.

What little bit I have ridden the 250 has been eye opening. It pulls the front wheel while spinning its rear tire and destroying my yard. There will not be much more of that going on.

My first bike was a Honda MR50 two stroke. I still have it. I had a Bass Boat Blue Metalflake helmet with a white visor. I had one of those prism type Honda stickers on it. Ah, the '70s. Good times.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Update!

My friendly Yamaha dealer (It actually is Friendly Yamaha) sold me a $5.99 jet for the carburetor on the TT50 today. I could not get the original jet unplugged. I installed the jet, re-installed the carburetor, and voila! Runs like a top.

I had 15 minutes left before I had to leave for work. I grabbed the boy, jammed his helmet on his head and put him on the bike. Two laps around the yard, a big smile, and I had to stop him. He got off the bike, we removed his helmet, and did not look happy. I was so worried that he was not liking the bike, a wave of misery washed over me. I asked him what was wrong, why he was unhappy. His response? "Well, it's just...why do I have to stay in 1st gear? I mean, can't I put it in 2nd?"

Yes, I got choked up. I had to look away. I promised him that we would do some more training and then we would start going up through the gears.