The Simple Joy That Every Kid in Oklahoma Should Try

Every family has that one uncle. The one who brings the fun, the stories, and in my case, motorcycles. For my family, that was Uncle Eddie. From my earliest memories, he always had a bike ready for someone to ride. At four years old, it was little 50cc dirt bikes in the pasture. By my mid-30s, it was still the same deal... he'd still toss you a key and say, “Hop on, let's go.”

Looking back, so many of my best family memories are wrapped up in dirt bikes. Riding homemade tracks on the farm, racing under the lights on Friday nights, even the painful but funny crashes that everyone eventually walks away from.

Aspiring to be the fun uncle for my nephews, we made it happen for them too. Dirt bikes and plenty of trail riding to boot. Of course, they'd rather go goon-riding with their buddies now rather than their old Uncle Kelso, but that's OK. As long as they put down the screens and go out into the wild braaapping along and annoying the neighbors.

For a teenager in 2025, that’s a small miracle.

That’s why I’ll say it outright: every Oklahoma kid needs a dirt bike.

People always throw excuses. “There’s nowhere to ride.” Sure, Lawton isn’t exactly motocross heaven, but there are options. Pettijohn’s in Rush Springs has tracks and trails. The river offers plenty of riding spots if you know where to look. Even that old track southeast of town still opens from time to time.

And yes, bikes can be expensive. But like any hobby, it’s only as expensive as you make it. Marketplace is full of fixer-uppers, and half the fun is learning how to bring them back to life. Pit bikes are especially cheap, and while they’ll test your patience with repairs, they’re perfect for kids to cut their teeth on.

The other, and likely biggest risk is, will your kids like it?

As much as I want to tell you "Every kid loves a dirt bike," I know kids are different now than they were. More adept and comfortable locking themselves away and pretending to have a life online instead of getting out and living one. I get it, video games are a blast... when the sun goes down and you have to come inside.

Luckily, you don't have to guess at it. Your chance to let your kids try it all is coming to Lawton in a week and a half.

Lawton Motorsports is hosting the Suzuki Ride Experience on October 3rd and 4th at their shop - 52nd and Cache Road.

Both days, you'll be able to introduce your kids - and big kids (adults like fun too) - to the glory of riding motorcycles. Whether it's a dirt bike, sport bike, cruiser, adventure, or anything in between. Who knows, maybe this will be the next addiction the entire family develops.

Also, and it's really worth mentioning, even though we're not even close to Halloween, Christmas is coming. If you’re tired of watching your kid disappear into a screen, maybe think about putting a dirt bike under the tree. Four-wheelers and go-karts are also a fun substitute, but nobody tells an epic story that starts with, “So I was driving my go-kart and…”

Get them a bike, get them outside, and enjoy something the entire family can get into. Just don’t skip the gear—helmets, gloves, and good boots aren’t optional. Looking cool isn’t worth ending up like Gary Busey.

Now go ride.