Kids bikes

[Squamch]

Tips, tricks, and tears related to 50 up to superminis.

My son Lachlan is racing a 2017 ktm SX50 in motocross and harescramble this year.

So, we will start with a list of what's been done.

Larger aftermarket rads
Nihilo Concepts water pump impeller and drive gear.
Seems like a new tire every damn week.


This weekend was a motocross, and we had a time. Practice on Saturday went well, then a ton of fun riding on the little track, hanging with his homies, meeting a new young lady friend...everything an aspiring motobro wants in a weekend.

First moto Sunday went well, 5th place out of 10.
Second moto, the bike wasn't getting up and going. I dropped the oil at lunch (200ml, that's all they take!) And the plug didn't look good. I poured the drain pan into the "dirty oil" jug, and....sparkles. Lots of sparkles.
Tried nuked an OEM clutch in 7 hours.

Good news, his main co-menace Logan had his new MC E5 there, as well as his "old" 2023 SX50 factory edition. But Logan had a small issue towards the end of Moto 2 this morning...still placed 3rd, but...small issue.

Logan, being a good friend, elected to race his electric bike, and let Lach swap his wheel and chain, and race the factory edition.

Logan's got wings.

Lach was digging the added snap from a maxed out clutch and the FMF on the factory edition, but during his race, 3 different people told me that the way to solve ktm 50 clutch woes is with an IPR clutch, and apparently Mima's sponsorship will cover that, so hopefully that will arrive before we leave next Friday morning for a harescamble weekend. Cause if it doesn't, we don't leave....because he doesn't have his old TTR50, because....

I was hoping to ride my bike one evening this week, but it seems I'm more likely to be pulling wrenches and ordering parts

 

[Squamch]

Got the TTR50 apart enough to see what parts we need. As seen previously, 1st gear is for sure fucked, but further investigation revealed the main axle in the trans also lost a baby tooth. Partzilla shows the main axle out of stock "ships in 2-3 days" which has been bullshit in my experience, so I'll text the parts guy at the local shop tomorrow and see what he can find in Canada.
Ordered the IRP clutch for the KTM today too, "overnight" from NY. If it's here by Thursday, I'll be happy. Supposed to be a bolt in, add oil, and go deal. Fingers crossed. Otherwise we're bringing his wheel and borrowing Logan's bike again. Handing out parts, fluids, tools, etc like candy for the last couple years pays off when we need help at a race at least!

Was a surprise as I was disassembling to find a 4th tooth in the bottom of the case, having only seen the 3 missing off first gear. "Where the fuck did you come from?!"

 

[Squamch]

UPS tracking shows the clutch here by 8pm. Last scanned in Kentucky, which makes sense, if you draw a line between New York, and Vancouver Island.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I didnt know you could break those parts on a lil bike

 

[Squamch]

He likes to party

 

[Squamch]

IRP (Intuitive Racing Products) clutch went in last night, smaller, lighter, carbon fiber discs...badass little unit. Engine revs noticeably faster. Increases oil capacity by 75% too, up to 350ml. Put some engine ice in it too, on the advice of other dads. Looking forward to hearing his reviews.

We've got a 1 1/2 year old son as well, who has grown up on and around dirtbikes. He is PISSED that the TTR is apart. Every time he goes on the porch where the bikes are, he lists them off "Daddy!" Pointing at my 300, "brother!" Pointing at the sx50, "mumma!" Pointing at the klx140, "Mine!" Patting the ttr fender.

I've been trying to find a deal on the smallest stacyc for him, but I don't know if it's gonna be acceptable

 

[TrikeKid]

Stacyc is a good first step, wish I'd have gotten my kid one of those instead of putting training wheels on his 50. He clipped his ankle (foot slipped off the peg) with those fuckin things and didn't want anything to do with it for at least a year afterward.

 

[Squamch]

Hare scramble yesterday. 3rd in his class, did no favors to the clutch. It was chooching smoke out the crankcase vent, boiled some coolant out...I'm gonna try a fan, but I think this bike may just be retired from non-track use. Dunno what the solution is, I wish someone would make a 2 stroke with a 3 speed semi auto like the jap 50s. Was brutal watching him go by just pouring smoke.

 

[Squamch]

Anyway, the bike's fucked again.

Pretty sure he cooked the stator.
runs fine cold, as it warms up, it develops a rough idle, smooths out up top but struggles to get there cause it's running like garbage. Friend is dropping off a new OEM stator and known good coil tomorrow, and I'm gonna try to get him out and see if we can get it hot and see if it'll run right.

Told him I'm going to put him on the rack and stretch him 1/2" a week until he can ride a 65.

May end up with an E5 for the harescrambles. We were gonna take a family vacation next year, but if he keeps riding the 2 stroke in the woods, we won't be able to afford it either

 

[Gots_a_sol]

Makes me sort of glad the child didn't get into dirt bikes

She would rip around on her Oset back when we lived in a subdivision. Bought a big enough property and to make trails on then she didn't want anything to do with it

She got high sided on a slightly damp grass track and banged up her ankle and I'm pretty sure that was when she lost interest. I try to set an example by crashing frequently and hopping right back on but it doesn't help

 

[Squamch]

Friend dropped off a stator. Didn't have a chance to get it hot and let him ride it tonight, dumped the oil, it's a strawberry milkshake, I have everything for the water pump except the seal, but the bearings were nuked. I'm gonna see if I can find a seal in town tomorrow, if not, I may reassemble with good bearings and hope like hell that wallowing bearings were letting it leak, and the seal can last a little longer. I doubt it, but I can dream.

Race bikes are fuckin awesome!

 

[Squamch]

Found a seal locally. Fingers crossed!

 

[Squamch]

Got it together today, took him to my buddy's place for some hot laps, got it nice and warm, oil came out clean.
He's racing again this weekend!
And the parts for the TTR are in, so tomorrow afternoon I guess I'll start putting that back together. I don't mind the idea of him riding that in the pits instead of the KTM.

 

[Squamch]

He raced all weekend, only came dead last once, got t boned twice, hurt his paw, and THE BIKE RAN GREAT THE WHOLE TIME!!!!111!!!

His 50cc open is kids from 4-9...but he's a little kid at 6. There's the 4 fast kids who race each other, they're remarkably good. Then the 5 medium fast kids, who try to catch the fast ones, then there's 3 at the back of the pack who have their own race going on. My kid is in the last race. This is him and his main competition.

This is one of the really fast ones.