It won't be for him to ride right now. This is something I want to do over time so when he gets his MC endorsement he has something cool to ride. For now he can use dirt and pocket bikes.

 

I did not read all these, but I would almost look at/for a 125-250 dirt bike and get started on that. that way he can work on it, crash it, fix it, and repeat....without getting upset on ruining or damaging a larger bike. once he has a handle on that, then maybe look into a Sporty as a project, and start all over. at least he gets some experience on something more manageable, and won't have to worry about hurting a nicer bike. plus couple year down the road and you two will be able to road trip together.
but this is all from an old man, former endure rider, and grampa!!!

 

Sound advice. He will most definitely cut his teeth on a 125-250cc bike first. I rode the wheels off a 125cc when I got my endorsement.

 

My .02 or .03..


Why not an old Shovel? Just get one with a left side shift.. An Evo would be my second HD choice..


To step outside the box, cant go wrong with a small to mid CC 70's Honda CB. Parts are plentiful and the bike is light.. How about a 70s Yamaha DT Enduro?


Lotsa good stuff out there

 

I would do a early 70's cb/cl 350/360. Super easy to work on. Parts are plentiful, both used and NOS. Plus the bikes are easy to ride, excellent to learn on, and you can teach him about balancing and tuning carbs. Also plenty of Yamaha's Suzuki's and Kawi's out there.

I would stay away from the KZ400 though. I just finished a 76 kz400 for my dad. The bike was made from like 74-80, then went to a 440. Almost every year was little different for the 400, so finding factory parts sucked. My experience was that I could always find the part I needed, but from the wrong year. I spent 3 months looking for air box boots.

I'm building a 74 CB360 that came out of my father-in-law's barn earlier this year. He parked it in there in 1985 and it sat until now. Doing a scrambler build with it because it would have been to expensive to build it back to original, but there is an endless supply of parts on ebay and even my local craigslist.

 

Maybe if you get too big of a turd, it will turn him off. Hell, I don't have the patients for a all out build, never had. Also, just cuz these old timers think something is cool, your kid may not. A sportster may be cool to work on, but...

 

While I think the EVO sporty is a great place to start for a 16 year old, I think a first project for a 12 year old might be a 250 to 450 Enduro. A XL883 sporty will weight close to 550# while a XL250 will weight closer to 300.

First bike project is about learning how a bike works and how to ride. Both are very affordable from craig's list. I just think a sporty might be too much for some 12 year olds.

 

1st off, Thank you for your Service. Pick up a older 883, you can take it apart and go thru all the parts ensuring a safe and solid motorcycle for you son. You both can put you own customizing touch on it, and you will have a rock solid ride when your all done. They are
amazingly bullet proof motorcycles.

 

Thanks again everyone for advice.

 

Let us know what you come up with! I'm still a sporty fan. It's a bike he won't grow out of likely. Heck, I'm 54 and it's still the only bike I ride.