Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

q:-he /)erfed start W ith its single-speed automatic transmis- sion (no clutch to worry about) and a throttle limiter to keep speeds where the parents want them. the Yamaha PWSO may just be the perfect beginner motorcycle. It's no wonder it's one of Yamaha's top-selling motorcycles. Powered by a 49cc twostroke engine, the PWSO is small in stature. In fact, with a seat height of only 19.1 inches, it's not much higher than your standard 12-inch bicycle that most youngsters get their starts on. It's also small enough (49inch overall length and a dry weight of 82 pounds) to pick up and toss in the back of your station wagon, sport utility vehicle - or even the trunk of your car. Parents will also like the fact that there's no drivechain with the PW50 as Yamaha went with a driveshaft, eliminating the worry of small hands and feet being injured by a chain. Other safety features include an exhau,;.t pipe which has been tucked up and away from the rider, full front (2.4 inches of travel) and rear suspension (2 inches of travel), and drum brakes front and rear, The PW50 is also oil-injected, eliminating an extra parenting chore of mixing oil and fuel. For 1997, the rear suspension on the PWSO has been iJ;nproved via a new coil spring and oil damper shock that replaces last year's grease-dampening type. This year's PW50 also looks just like the YZs ridden by the big boys with its Team Yamaha blue and white factory works graphics. The 1997 PW50 carries a suggested retail price tag of $1,349. (Above) The student rode, Hannah ran. (Right) Kyle slde-by-slde with his new hero. (Below) We couldn't resist. After day upon day of getting the same question: "Da~ is our ride today?" the big day finally arrived and we were off to Perris, armed with a PWSO, riding gear (one of the guys in the office actually arranged to get his helmet custompainted - aaarghh) and a cooler full of juice boxes. Upon arrival at Perris, Kyle was able to meet Mr. Hannah, who thought Kyle was going to be a little bigger, a little older and a little more experienced. Not today, Bob. Instead of teaching a kid how to shave five seconds off his lap time, Hannah was going to get blisters chasing a 4year-old around a Pee Wee track in the midday sun while wearing motocross boots. Hey, Yamaha pays him money and we were going to make him earn it. Hannah was going to teach Kyle how to ride from scratch. If Kyle"s first-time experience was a miserable one, he was going to always remember Mr. Hannah in that light. Meanwhile, 1'd come in and pick up the pieces, showing once again that I was indeed Superdad. But there was never any question that the experience would be anything but positive. As I knew he would be, Hannah was the perfect man for the job and Kyle took 0 him instantly. Since 1'd already gone over the basics of the motorcycle in our garage, Hannah was able to jump right into actually teaching him to ride the PWSO. He took the time to explain some basics to him namely to always watch where he was going and to keep his legs tight on the motorcycle, his feet firmly on the pegs. We also decided it would be a good idea to have him ignore the front brake and worry only about using the rear. Early on, at least, he even ignored the back brake and it was only upon Hannah's insistence later in the day that he ever started using it. When Bob spoke, Kyle listene·d. When Kyle rode, Bob ran. One thing became apparent immediately: my fears of crashes and injuries were completely unlounded. Although he was only 4 years old, he could ride. We'd kept the throttle screw fairly tight on the PW, so his speeds were slow. But he did everything he was supposed to do. He gave it throttle on the straightaways and slowed for the comers. Ah, if only we all remembered those basics. Although he suffered through a few low-sides - all of which were caused by losing the front end - he'd jump right up without tears, ready for more. He'd been through far wor~ get-offs on his bicycle, with only half the protection. Before we knew it, Kyle was doing lap after lap by himself. Hannah had finally stopped running and was soon riding next to him on his YZl25. When Hannah thought he was ready, he instructed Kyle to start standing up on the pegs through the bumps. Again, Kyle listened intently and was soon standing up not only through the bumps but every time he knew Hannah was nearby. Apparently, standing up was cool. The only thing Kyle didn't like about his first ride was his boots. You put a 3S-pound kid in 20-pound motocross boots and... well, you can understand the problem. He simply couldn't feel his feet, and more often than not they'd find a way to ride off the pegs, leaving one leg trailing until he'd recognize the problem and pick it back up. While the motocross boots offer excellent protection, they simply aren't to scale for small children, and we've since put him in hiking boots. While the hiking boots offer adequate ankle and foot protection, they don't come with the excess weight, size and stiffness of the real thing, and he can better concentrate on riding rather than wondering where his feet are. After a few hours of riding, drinlcing juice boxes and hanging out with Bob Hannah, Kyle was finished. When 4year-olds are finished, you know it because they tell you. Kyle was ready to go home and do something else. The key to his motorcycling future would come later. I wondered if the motorcycle would sit in the garage catching dust, or if he would ask to go riding again. I think as a parent it's important not to push the issue, and if he didn't ask to ride, well, I wasn't going to mention it. The next morning, he was on me, the question answered. "Dad, are we going to ride my motorcycle today?" "We can if you want to," I answered. "Is Bob Hannah going with us?" (."" Jeremy who? \0 0\ 0\ ,..., rr) ,..., l-<

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