Have fun on minibikes this Christmas – but be safe!

Traditionally Christmas is a time when many youngsters get their first taste of motorcycling with the gift of a minibike.

These bikes are great fun and an excellent way of getting the next generation of riders and racers onto two wheels, but Honda is stressing the need for safety and the use of such machines in the right place at the right time.

A number of far-eastern and East-European companies now produce small capacity ‘fun’ minibikes for children, but the fear is that many of these machines may not have been subject to the sort of quality control and stringent checks that children’s bikes made by Honda or its competitors have been. Figures show that imports of these machines have increased from 70,000 in 2003 to 176,000 in 2005. Honda is warning parents that if they intend to buy these minibikes or ATVs they should at least give them a thorough mechanical check over before purchasing.

Honda’s current range of bikes suitable for children includes the CR85R and CR85RB two-strokes and the CRF50F, CRF70F and CRF100F four-strokes. There’s also a new addition to Honda’s four-stroke range, the new-for-2007 machine CRF150. Each is designed to be resilient to the rough and tumble of junior off-road riding and can be maintained by your local Honda dealer with full spares back-up and peace of mind.

Clothing is also being sold with these motorcycles and ATVs, and parents need to be aware of what they are buying. Just because kit is sold with the bike, this does not mean that it is proper ‘safety clothing’ or that it’s been subject to thorough testing procedures. There’s also issue with where youngsters can ride these machines. These bikes can only be used on private land, such as farmers’ fields and only with the express instruction and permission of the owner. Any school playing fields, public parks, pavements or off-road rights of way are public areas – and use of such machines can have serious consequences for the rider and others. These include the crushing of bikes, ASBOs, fines, the loss of driving licences and – most importantly – possible serious injury. Honda would urge people to instead direct their children towards a proper ACU-affiliated club where a proper framework exists along with safety measures and medical facilities to lead youngsters through a regulated sport, be it off-road or on Tarmac. For more details of your local club, visit the Auto Cycle Union’s website at: acu.org.uk.

Honda is committed to helping the next generation of motorcyclists, which is why we’ve been running our ‘My First Licence’ scheme for the last 18 months. The scheme allows children between the ages of 5-11 to ride for the first time and learn the need for respect when controlling a vehicle on the road. The experience was fully-booked for the duration of the recent International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at Birmingham’s NEC with more than 800 children getting their first taste of motorcycling on Honda’s CRF50s.