The first steps to getting your kid on two wheels in 2021

Cory Texter, Pro Motorbike Racer, talks about how he started his 3 year old son, Cruise Texter, in the world of motorcycle racing.

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So the time has come, and it’s a little surreal for me. I am officially a Peewee Dad. My little boy Cruise is three years old and rides a motorcycle almost every day of the week. I always wondered how I would approach this part of my life. Would I be the Dad who is over the top yelling at his kid to go faster or would I be the complete opposite, just sitting back and watching him spin laps? I’m a competitive individual, but when it comes to working with a toddler, there are a different set of rules you need to learn and adhere to.

Cruise is three years old and will be AMA legal to race in the 50cc class on September 3rd when he turns four. As a current professional racer, a lot of people have asked me what steps I took with Cruise to get him as ready and safe as possible to compete on two wheels at such a young age. I mean let’s be honest, he still wears diapers to bed. How can we properly train and teach kids at such a young age to be safe riding motorcycles at speeds around 40mph? I don’t know if I have all the answers because I am still learning myself, but I wanted to share the steps we have taken in our journey so far.

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Before Cruise was born, Shayna (Cory’s sister and Factory KTM Flat Track racer) bought him a Strider with a rocking base. As many know, I grew up in a racing family. My father was a Grand National competitor, my sister has the most wins in AFT Singles rider in history and my grandpa Glenn Fitzcharles is in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Having a bike before the baby is born is basically standard expectations in our family.

Cruise started using the Strider on the rocking base when he was nine months old. It’s basically a rocking horse, but with handlebars. Cruise rocked back and forth on that unit for months. When Cruise started walking and gained some strength in his baby legs, we took the Strider off the rocking base. This was a little after his first birthday. He kicked around that little Strider for almost a year. We took that Strider to the park, he rode it in our kitchen and he even zipped around stores and frequent visits to Starbucks. Everywhere we went, that lightweight little Strider came with us. I believe in the product so much, I actually became a Strider dealer and I have helped many kids get on their first set of two wheels.

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A few weeks after his second birthday a friend of mine who races named Rich Heverly brought us over a Stacyc E-Bike for Cruise to try. The bike has 12″ wheels just like his Strider, but it’s powered by an electric battery. There are three speed settings and you essentially ride it like a motorcycle, twist the throttle and go. Because of the balance Cruise learned on his Strider, he was able to hop right on the bike and go without any input or training wheels. It was such a natural transition, and really cool to watch.

The Stacyc is a really neat little bike. Cruise rides the bike every day and because it’s quiet and doesn’t emit any smoke from an exhaust, we have been able to ride year round on various terrains and courses. We have taken it to the skate park, BMX track, playground and biking trails. The place we ride it the most, especially during the cold months is our basement. We have a full basement in my house that is concrete. On the slippery surface, Cruise learned how to slide the bike using the brakes, along with proper use of throttle control. The only bad habit that took us a bit to fix was – because you kick your feet on the Strider to make it go – Cruise kept kicking his feet on the Stacyc when it wasn’t necessary because the bike has a throttle. It wasn’t a huge problem for me because he was still going fast and more importantly, he was being smooth. When we go on longer rides, I throw on a fanny pack with an extra battery and swap them out when needed. I haven’t seen many kids thrash on these bikes more than Cruise has and we still ride the same bike we got from day one.

During the COVID stuff, I called my local dealership Fredericktown Yamaha and ordered him a brand new Yamaha PW 50. There were some used ones online, but I wanted Cruise to have a new bike to keep forever and be the first to ride it. The PW 50’s are very cost efficient at $1499 retail. It’s also essential that we support our local dealerships. Cruise wasn’t quite ready to ride the bike at first because he was only two years old and a bit small to hold it up by himself. I didn’t want to order him training wheels just so he could ride the heavier bike. I thought that was extremely counterproductive, especially because he was already a highly advanced rider on his Stacyc by this point. The biggest thing with parents that I have noticed in this sport is that everyone tries to rush the process. I rode the bike with Cruise in front of me for months and let him work the throttle so he had a feel for the power. To be honest, a few times I let him ride the bike and I would run alongside it and catch him when he wanted to stop because he couldn’t touch the ground yet. That was interesting to say the least and mildly successful. We also took the seat foam off the bike so he could touch the ground sooner.

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The PW 50 is heavier and three times more powerful than the Stacyc, so I wanted to make sure I gave Cruise a lot of space to get comfortable when he learned to ride it. We went to my grandparents’ backyard for his first solo ride. It’s a wide open grass field. Nothing less and nothing more. He had just turned three years old. There are some parents who get their kids on a PW 50 at two years old, but it’s either forced or with training wheels. I know the skill level of Cruise and I think two years old is way too soon to be riding a PW 50 or a motorcycle similar that isn’t a Stacyc or something compatible. Again, because of the skills learned on the Strider and Stacyc, he jumped right on it with no issues. No training wheels needed. I was telling him to slow down because he was feeling sporty right away, sliding the bike and railing the corners. Don’t rush getting your kids on a gas powered motorcycle too soon. Their little minds and bodies need time to catch up with their skill level.

We started an Instagram for Cruise around this time, just to highlight some of the stuff we do and for something fun to look back on through the years. Some of the videos are up over 100k views and we have one close to half a million views. We have a lot of fun with his social media channels and just hired a video guy to help us start a YouTube channel.

Over the past few months, we have done a few Stacyc races. The racing aspect of this sport is most often where this whole process starts to fall apart and become unfun for the kids. The first Stacyc race we did was the Supercross Stacyc Holeshot Challenge in Orlando. A huge stadium, bright lights and a long day was challenging for my three year old. We basically had to wake Cruise up for the race at 9pm. I didn’t give him any instruction. I just wanted him to enjoy it and have fun. He was racing a handful of kids who were six and seven years old and it was his first time riding the bigger 16″ Stacyc. I think he finished midpack, but races at this level aren’t about winning and losing. It’s all about learning and developing skills that will be useful down the road. We had a good time and it was an awesome experience. A few weeks later, he won his first Stacyc race at the Pagoda Motorcycle Club with a full gate of kids, many who were much older.

As Cruise transitions into the start of his official racing career, we are having as much fun with this whole process as we can and are trying to slow down the process, not speed it up. The plan is for him to race a few events this year after he turns four, but we aren’t sure of when or where at the moment. It’s crazy how much kids learn and develop month to month. There are a few outlaw events right now he could run before he turns four, but I have held against it because I don’t think it’s necessary. He will be riding a motorcycle his entire life and I like him to enjoy other aspects of being a kid such as playing on the playground, learning to throw a baseball and jumping on the trampoline. There are many days where I have to pull him off the bike because I feel he is riding too much. I think that is key. My biggest advice to parents is to take baby steps throughout this whole process of getting your child on two wheels. So many kids get burnt out at a young age. Let them develop their own love for the sport and don’t live your dreams through your kids. You have your opportunities, but let them shine on their own.