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The three biggest obstacles I'm facing are; they are scared of riding on the street, they don't have a license, they don't have a bike. My plan is to get a couple small cheap bikes to let them try out for some low stakes fun, see if i cant get them to make the leap to a proper bike and a license or at the least a dirtbike. ideally i would bring these on camping trips so they can putt around the forest service roads or trails if there are any nearby.
I think i'm more looking for a moped type thing (would prefer dirt oriented) which i don't really know squat about. The contenders must be less than 50cc (No license required) and be able to be plated in WA state (for forest service roads)
Any suggestions? The first "street bike" i rode was a CT90 which would be perfect except the engine is too big.
I wonder if e-bikes would be the way to go. Are they allowed on forest service roads? E-bikes don't seem to carry the stigma that a lot of non-motorcyclists associate with motorbikes, which might help with the mental hurdle.
TW200 ? They are not intimidating and people ask about them wherever you ride it. People could care less about my DRZ when my wife is on her tdub. Street legal and good for up to about 60mph with a medium sized rider. Might be a bit outside your specs but worth a mention.
TW200 is by far the most common MSC motorcycle, so it makes sense to learn on. They have enough in them to get beyond the abilities of most beginning riders on dirt. They have enough power to be fun, and still plenty left to want more. Add in a street title, ride height.
Or the new vanvan, it's a fun little bike.I havent been looking at used bikes,scooters, etc for a while now...too many idiots lol. Where abouts in wa. Are they located? Not sure what my buddy has for sake, maybe a tw200, I think a Hondamatic 400?...its in. Great shape, maybe something else.
Hello
If less than 50cc is a must maybe some 50cc enduro from China?
Relatively cheap, if something breaks it is dirch cheap to fix/replace.
You can find sizes from small pit bikes to grownup enduro, with something that might interest you inbetween.
You can find without lights or with full set of street lights ready to plates on it.
My nephew attends a off road school, and they have something for everybody. No lights because they do not do roads But sizewise, gearwise (full auto, centrifugal clutch or full manual), 2/4 stroke, colorwise everything.
yeah i have been looking at the chinese pit bikes. they are super cheap and the quality has gotten better in recent years. Im starting to think that i might not worry about the 50cc license limit thing. Where people will be riding these there are no cops or rangers so i highly doubt they would run into trouble with the law as long as its plated. That open up more possibilities like CT-70, CT-90 and the like.
One of the best family bike days we had was my daughters 21st birthday we hired 10 50cc pagsta mini choppers at the Gold Coast. and we all rode round like a little gang, We got comments everywhere we went and traffic gave way to us it was a ball. If something like that doesn't work nothing will
One of my high school teachers up in Bellingham rode a 70cc scooter (don't remember exactly what) for years without a license and never got a second look from cops. Probably not the best advice, but maybe worth getting a CT70/90 for them to try out a few times without a license, and if it doesn't stick it'll be easy to sell. As long as they aren't tearing up trails I assume they wouldn't get a second look there either.
If it has to be a 50cc limit, the best IMO is the Yamaha DT50 Liquid cooled 2 stroke with a clutch and 6 speed gear box. It will haul a 200 lb 6' fat guy up to 50 MPH. Light and easy as hell to ride.
My wife's first bike was a Hodaka Ace 100 with a bunch of Super Rat parts. It was a full on dirt bike and it really built her riding skills. Her first street bike was a 1972 Suzuki TS50J which was bought after a year on the Hodaka. Great little bike, started first kick every time and was super easy for her to transition to the street. After she got comfortable with the Suzuki, she moved up to an XL250. She stopped riding solo when we had our first child and didn't ride again until after all three boys were grown. She had a Buell S3 Thunderbolt for a while but has a Kawasaki Ninja 250 now.
I have a chinese pitbike. It's a taotao dbx1, 140cc 4 speed. It was $1100 shipped to my door. It's got plenty of power and seems to be holding up well. I have about 10hrs on it, oil is still pretty clear. My neighbor has one and has more hours than I do on mine, he also crashes it atleast twice every time it's ridden. So they are decently stout.
The TW200 is the same basic thing but better in every conceivable way. Easier to ride, cushier on the trails, more buoyant on sand and mud, more stable on the road, and it's goofy and fun to look at and makes people smile.
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But sizewise, gearwise (full auto, centrifugal clutch or full manual), 2/4 stroke, colorwise 
