I will never forget the day I came home from school to find a Yamaha motorcycle waiting for me in our garage. I was ten years old and we had just moved to the countryside from the city. There wasn’t any public transportation, and my new school was five miles away as the crow flies, but a lot farther via a gruelling two-hour school bus ride. My father, a sensible fellow, looked at the situation and decided I was responsible enough to get to school under my own power. After a brief lesson, it was plain that the motorcycle, a tough, off-road dirt bike model, and I were meant to be together, so I was set loose on my first solo ride. I headed down a seemingly endless dirt road as the afternoon sun sank slowly toward the horizon, the cool wind blowing through my hair, and the shadows of the surrounding bush growing long as the landscape turned to bronze. I was free and the world was mine to ride on.
The best moment of my life
That was the best moment of my young life, and I had a wise father and the expert staff at our local Yamaha motorcycle dealer to thank for it. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair, I love to ride now as much as I loved to ride then!
What age can I start riding?
I started riding at ten, but kids can begin a lot earlier than that at the fresh age of four. Back in my youth (I won’t say how far back that was!) things were looser, and I could ride around the area on both public and private roads with impunity. Nowadays kids are only allowed to ride on private property and need to stay off public roads until they’re old enough to get a license at around sixteen, depending on your local laws. Now that I’m an adult I’ve combined my passion for trail biking with overlanding, I just strap my Yamaha on the back of my 4×4 and it’s off-road we go! Here’s some info on riding off-road trail bikes in Western Australia, make sure to check your local government’s regulations as they may be different.
What motorcycle should I choose?
There are plenty of off-road models to choose from, it depends on you. A good rule of thumb is “If it falls over and you can’t pick it up, it’s too big for you!” Children need smaller bikes designed for their small size, 50cc at age four to six, moving up to 60/80cc around eight years old, then at age ten a 150cc 4 stroke, or 65/80cc two strokes. I was a big, husky lad so I started with a 250cc, I still have it and ride it to this day!
As for what makes, yes, there are lots of them, but I think you know what I’m going to say- YAMAHA! My Yamaha has lasted me a lifetime, it’s simply The Best.
