Kids Motorcycle Gear

What we stock for kids and youth riders

The range splits into five jobs. Head, hands, legs, feet, torso. Plus one extra for the junior racers.

Kids and youth helmets. The entry point is the Nitro MX700 Youth at $99.95, a no-frills ECE 22.06 lid with a kid-specific shell. Step up to the Nitro MX710 Youth at $129.95 for better vent flow and graphics options, or the Shot FURIOUS Kids at $199.95 with an SRS Synthetic Reinforced Shell and lighter 1,150g build. The top tier is the Thor Sector MIPS Youth at $199.95, which adds a rotational impact liner that mimics the oblique-strike testing ECE 22.06 was rewritten around. MIPS is the closest thing to a second insurance policy for the brain inside a helmet.

Kids gloves. Shot Draw Kids gloves at $29.95 come in sizes 4/5 through 12/13 with multiple colour options, built on children's hand proportions, not a shrunken adult glove. Thor Sector Youth gloves match the price and fit. Both are seasonal-replace pieces. Palms wear out on kids the same way they do on adults, faster on dirt.

Kids pants. Shot Draw League Kids pants at $104.95 run age sizes 4/5, 8/9, 10/11 on a 600 Denier polyester chassis with spandex reinforcement at the crotch, knees and seat, and an adjustable micrometric waist buckle for 2 to 3cm of fit range. Thor Pulse Tactic Youth pants at $159.95 step up the armour readiness and cut. Jeans are not a substitute. Denim abrades through at roughly 1.5 seconds of slide at 30km/h before it lets skin go.

Kids boots. The Fusport XM1 Youth at $229 covers EU 36 to 38, roughly ages 7 to 12 depending on foot size, with inbuilt ankle, shin and toe protection inside a microfibre shell. The Thor Blitz XP Mini Kids at $189 runs smaller for younger riders. Growth-plate fractures in kids' ankles carry long-term consequences a clean adult break does not. Boots are not optional.

Kids body armour and goggles. The Shot Kids Optimal chest and back armour at $154.95 is a one-piece pressure suit sized for a child's torso. Goggles: Nitro NV-50 Youth at $27.95 in five colours. A kid's eyes at 40km/h on a dirt track meet the same gravel the adults do.

Shark Juniors race suit. For the junior road racers and minibike class kids, our Shark Momentum Junior race suit at $720 is designed in Australia on the same homologation paperwork that qualifies Shark Leathers as Australia's first FIM-approved race suit manufacturer. The junior suits are built to the same pattern standards that made us the chosen suit supplier for the FIM Ohvale MiniGP Thailand series and the FIM Asia R3 Blu Cru championship. If your child is racing minibikes or junior road classes, the Juniors line is the same cow we'd put one of our own in. For fully bespoke kids sizing, the Custom Kevlar Kids Race Suit at $700 is the made-to-measure alternative.

Kids gear and the reason we take this seriously

Our family started Shark Leathers after Matthew crashed in 2007, at 19, and was left a quadriplegic. Nearly twenty years on, every piece of kids gear we stock gets judged the same way. Would we put it on our own children?

That standard is not easier to meet because the head wearing the helmet is smaller. It is harder.

Kid skulls and adult helmet tooling do not mix. The EPS liner inside a helmet is calibrated to a specific head mass. Put an adult XS on a child's head and the liner will not compress correctly in a crash. More peak force reaches the skull, not less. Shot, Nitro and Thor all produce kid-specific shells with dedicated EPS tuning. That is a functional spec difference, not a marketing claim. The Thor Sector MIPS Youth goes one step further with a rotational impact system that addresses angular acceleration, the mechanism behind most diffuse axonal brain injuries in real crashes.

CE armour sized for growing bodies. The standard for motorcycle limb and back armour is EN 1621. Level 1 cuts peak impact force to under 18kN on the tested surface. Level 2 cuts it to under 9kN, roughly half the force transmitted through to the body. For kids, the trouble with adult armour is coverage, not the certification. A knee cup sized for an adult sits above a child's kneecap, protecting nothing. Kid-specific armour like the Shot Kids Optimal puts the pads where the joint actually is.

ECE 22.06 and what it actually tests. ECE 22.06 replaced ECE 22.05 in January 2024 and is stricter in two ways that matter for kids. First, oblique rotational impact testing, the mechanism behind most serious brain injuries. Second, multi-point impact testing on the same shell. Helmets that pass one hit but fail the second no longer pass. Every kids helmet on this page is certified to ECE 22.06 or newer. For road use, every Australian state and territory also accepts AS/NZS 1698. For junior motocross competition, check with your club or event organiser on the specific standard required for entry.

Sizing a kid for motorcycle gear without creating a safety risk

The parent instinct is to size up and let them grow into it. That instinct kills protection.

Helmets. Measure the child's head circumference at the widest point, about 2.5cm above the eyebrow line, with a soft tape measure. Compare to the manufacturer's size chart, not the age suggestion on the box. The helmet should sit level, press evenly on the crown and cheeks, and rock no more than 2 to 3cm when you push on it firmly. If it spins on the head or rocks forward freely, it is too big. A too-big helmet in a crash will come off or rotate in the impact. Both negate most of what you paid for. Replace when the next size up is needed. Do not try to extend a lid's life past the fit.

Pants. The Shot Draw League range at 4/5, 8/9 and 10/11 goes by age. The adjustable micrometric buckle gives 2 to 3cm at the waist. Check against the child's actual waist circumference, not their general clothing size. Pants that sit too low drop the knee armour below the joint, and knee armour that misses the knee is a sticker. Shot publishes a 350g weight for the size 4/5 Indy Blue pant, which is a genuine reference point when comparing alternatives that do not list weights.

Gloves. Shot Draw kids gloves are age-sized 4/5 through 12/13. Gloves should be snug across the palm with the fingertips reaching the end of the glove, not leaving 5mm of empty glove past the nail. Loose fingertips bunch inside the palm on grip and create hot spots on a long ride.

Boots. The Fusport XM1 Youth runs EU 36 to 38. Do not size up for growing room. A boot that slips at the heel will twist the ankle in a crash and the ankle protection fails. Fit snug to the current foot. When the next size is needed, replace the boot. The cost of a new boot is smaller than the cost of a growth-plate fracture that heals wrong.

Growing out of gear is the cost of racing kids. Budget for it. A helmet that fit perfectly at 8 may be too small at 9 and a half. Check every piece at the start of each season, and again mid-season if the kid goes through a growth spurt.

Parent buying frameworks by riding type

Match the gear to the job. Cutting the wrong corner creates the injury.

Pillion and short passenger rides. The minimum is a correctly-sized ECE 22.06 road helmet, gloves, long pants, and closed boots. A kids MX helmet is not a road helmet. No visor, no road-vision certification, open peaks that catch wind at highway speed. For pillion use, the right lid is a road-certified kids helmet. Check with us on current road-legal kids options if this is your use case.

First bike, backyard or paddock, PeeWee 50 or similar. Starter setup: Nitro MX700 Youth helmet ($99.95) + Shot Draw Kids gloves ($29.95) + Shot Draw League Kids pants ($104.95) + a long-sleeve jersey. That is $240 for head, hands and legs covered. Add Thor Blitz XP Mini boots at $189 once the bike starts doing more than walking pace. Full starter with boots: $429.

MX training and club days, 50cc to 85cc class. Step the helmet up to the Shot FURIOUS ($199.95) or the Thor Sector MIPS ($199.95). Add Shot Kids Optimal body armour ($154.95). Fusport XM1 Youth boots ($229) for a proper ankle structure around real speeds. Full kit with pants and gloves sits around $720. That is the floor for a kid riding a proper track on a proper bike.

Junior road racing and FIM Ohvale MiniGP class. This is where the Shark Juniors range earns its place. The Shark Momentum Junior race suit at $720 meets the same homologation standards as our adult FIM-approved suits. Shark is the chosen supplier for the FIM Ohvale MiniGP Thailand series and the FIM Asia R3 Blu Cru, both global feeder programmes for MotoGP. Junior road racers get the same leather sourcing, seam architecture and CE Level 2 armour positioning as the adult line. If you need made-to-measure, the Custom Kevlar Kids Race Suit at $700 is the bespoke build.

Trade-off to know: Kids MX gear is built for off-road and closed-course. It is not road-legal protective gear under Australian road rules and is not EN 17092 certified. If your child ever rides on public roads in the small number of AU contexts where that is permitted, the gear requirements shift. Check your state road authority before that first road ride.

Frequently asked questions

What age can kids start riding motocross in Australia?

There is no single national age minimum on private or closed-course land. Most junior MX clubs accept riders from age 4 in PeeWee 50 classes, with the typical bike capacity brackets being 50cc under 8, 65cc age 6 to 10, and 85cc age 9 to 14. Public road riding has separate state rules and usually requires a minimum age of 16 or 17 for a learner permit. Confirm with your local club and state road authority before race day.

Can I buy an adult helmet in a small size for my child instead?

No. The EPS liner in an adult XS or S is calibrated for an adult head mass. On a lighter, smaller head the liner will not compress correctly in a crash and peak force transmitted to the skull goes up, not down. Every kids helmet on this page uses a kid-specific shell and EPS tuned for a child's head mass. That is a functional spec difference, not a marketing claim.

Should I size up kids gear to let them grow into it?

No on anything protective. Helmets that rock or spin, boots that slip at the heel, knee armour that sits above the knee, all of these fail in the exact moment you need them. Fit snug to the current body. Replace when outgrown. The cost of a new helmet is smaller than the cost of the injury a loose one lets through.

How often should a kids motorcycle helmet be replaced?

After any crash. After any drop from head height onto hard ground. At 5 years from the manufacturing date stamped inside. And whenever it no longer fits due to growth. The fit rule has no timeline. Check sizing at the start of every season.

Are Shark Juniors race suits actually the same standard as the adult suits?

Yes. Designed in Australia to the same homologation paperwork that made Shark Leathers Australia's first FIM-approved race suit manufacturer. Shark is the chosen suit supplier for the FIM Ohvale MiniGP Thailand and the FIM Asia R3 Blu Cru Series. Same leather grade, same seam architecture, same CE Level 2 armour positioning, sized on a kid pattern. Not a scaled-down adult suit.

What is the cheapest complete kit for a kid just starting out?

Nitro MX700 Youth helmet ($99.95), Shot Draw Kids gloves ($29.95), Shot Draw League Kids pants ($104.95), Nitro NV-50 Youth goggles ($27.95). That is $262.80 for head, hands, legs and eyes covered. Add Thor Blitz XP Mini kids boots at $189 for a total under $460 once the kid is riding anything faster than a paddock pace. Do not cut the helmet out of the budget. Everything else can be phased in.