@2kwik4u How has the MotoTec held up? I am thinking about getting one for my 13 yo. Any advice on helmets (type, brand)? Thanks!
It's done really well actually. He rides it a few times a week, and we keep it sitting on the charger in the garage when not in use. No loss of range that we can tell, and in general all the components are holding up decently. I'm starting to think about brake pads and flushing those systems, and have no idea where to get those parts, so that will be an interesting exercise. I've had the chain come off once, but that was because he ingested some weeds/grass/dirt into the system. Speaking of dirt, he's had it several inches of mud a few times, and it appears to do just fine with the sloppy wet mess of dirt. Everything kept working fine.
I pressure washed it once. That was a mistake. Water got in the connections and created some shorts. Luckily the internal protections just shut everything down. I tore it all apart, cleaned and dried everything and put it back together. filled the connections with dielectric grease, and it's been fine ever since. Other complaint is the charging port WILL NOT stay tight. I have to retighten it every few weeks. Not a big deal, but a PIA that I should have to deal with. I siliconed it in place last time, we'll see if that holds.
Grips, pegs, levers, tires and suspension have all been holding up well. He's up to 63lbs now and it yanks him around quite well. I'm a shade over 225lbs and I ride it around the block once or twice a week. Suspension is WAY WAY too soft for me, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything (other than my butt over bumps). Suspension is a shade stiff for him, but it works well enough to maintain traction and keep him comfortable.
He's jumped, and crashed it a few times now. No broken parts, but a bit of bruised ego each time. We make him ride in boots/pants/gloves/glasses/helmet, which he's not a fan of in the summer, but it's already saved his legs/feet a few times.
We had a Razor MX650 for him before the Mototec. The Mototec is a little bigger, but in general MUCH higher quality for only a few hundred bucks more (if buying brand new).
Sorry, just saw the second part.........
No real advice on pants/gloves/etc. We just went to the local motorcycle dealer and picked out the items, paid and left. It was hard to find some that fit him, so we had to go to several locations to get everything. We're fortunate to have a few stores in town that stock those items. I think we ended up with off brand stuff, and it's held up well considering his fairly light use.
