Kids' Motorcycle Gear: Don't Buy Big to Grow Into

Kids come to bikes in a few different ways, and the gear follows the use.

• Pillion passengers: a child on the back of a road bike needs the same protection as anyone, sized to them. There is no minimum age in law for a pillion, though the rider must hold a full motorcycle licence to carry one (a learner on a provisional licence cannot), and the child has to reach the footpegs and hold on properly. A helmet that fits is the non-negotiable part.
• Off-road and motocross: how most young riders start, and most kids' gear is built for it, with motocross-style helmets, goggles, boots, gloves and body armour.
• Young road riders: from sixteen a rider can ride a moped once they have a provisional licence and have passed their CBT, and at that point they need the same full road kit as any adult, in their size.

It mirrors an adult setup, with a couple of additions that are common for young off-road riders.

• Helmet: the priority, and the piece where fit matters most of all. A children's helmet in the right size, ECE 22.06 approved, never a guess scaled down from an adult range.
• Jacket or body armour: young off-road riders often wear a dedicated armour vest or jacket over a base layer to cover the back, chest, shoulders and elbows.
• Gloves: child-sized, with a secure strap and full finger movement.
• Boots: over the ankle at the very least, motocross boots for off-road, in a genuine children's size.
• Back protector: worth adding for any child riding at speed, on the road or off it.

This is the one point I would stick on the fridge if I could. Buying a helmet or a set of armour a size or two too large so a child grows into it does not give you a bit of protection now and more later. It gives you very little protection at all.

A loose helmet moves on the head, can twist so the impact lands somewhere unprotected, and can come off entirely in a crash. Oversized armour slides off the joint at the exact moment it is meant to be doing its job. Too big is not almost right, it is barely working. Buy for the size they are now, and accept that you will be replacing it as they grow. That is just the deal with kids and bikes.

Measure around the head with a soft tape about two centimetres above the eyebrows, and match that to the maker's children's size chart. With the helmet on and done up, it should feel snug the whole way round with no pressure points, the cheek pads should hug the cheeks, and it should not lift or rotate when you gently try to move it.

Then check it again every few months, because children's heads grow and a helmet that fit in spring can be loose by autumn. And if a helmet takes a real knock, replace it, however new it looks and however much it cost.

Since kids move through sizes so fast, the aim is proper protection now at a price that reflects a short life on the gear. That does not mean grabbing the cheapest thing on the rack. It means the right size and a sensible protection level, without overpaying, because you will be back doing this again before long.

Comparing across shops matters more here than almost anywhere, simply because you will be buying replacements regularly. Work out the size and type you need, compare the live price across the UK stores, and keep an eye out for genuine clearance on last-season children's ranges, which is usually where the real value hides.