Buying pants, shirts, jackets and shoes on line need not be hard.

The same can be said when looking for dirt bike riding gear. MotoSport sells all of the necessary protective gear - helmets, pants, jersey, gloves, goggles, boots, and more - that riders need to safely operate a dirt bike. But the one sticking point for buyers, especially parents when shopping for youth riding gear, comes from properly sizing the product.

We want excitement to brew for you and your child when the MotoSport box arrives at your door but little else bursts a riding day bubble when the gear you bought doesn't fit. Therefore, whether for Christmas, birthday or just because, let us provide you with some tips to help in making the right purchase the first time and eliminate any broken hearts from a super excited kid who just wants to ride.

1. Measure Your Child

Whether boy or girl, age 5 or 8, measure your child. All humans come in different shapes and sizes and really no such thing as "average sized 5 year old" exists. Grab a measuring tape and measure just like at a tailor shop. Measure the following:

  • Chest
  • Sleeve
  • Waist
  • Inseam
  • Hands
  • Head

How To Measure Your Child for Dirt Bike Riding Gear

Well, that's all good and well but I don't work at a clothing store so how do I go about measuring, you might ask. Use a soft tape measure and follow the same measuring process as you would casual wear.*

Sleeve: With the elbow slightly bent, measure from the center back of the neck, over the shoulder, over the elbow and down to the wrist.

Waist: Measure the circumference at the waist's natural bend or where the pants will be worn.

Bust: Measure around the broadest part of the chest, 1 inch below the armpits.

Inseam: Measure down from the crotch to the feet. Stand straight and relax when taking the measurement.

Gloves: Measure the total circumference of your child's dominant hand, across the palm, just behind the knuckles - do not include the thumb. If your child's hand falls in between measurements, choose the most comfortable size - order the next size larger for looser fitting gloves or get the smaller size for a tighter fitting glove.

Head: Wrap a soft measuring tape around your child's head about a half inch above their eyebrows and ears, and around the back of their head at the largest point. For more information read Dirt Bike Helmets for Kids Buying Guide.

Feet: Same size as regular shoes.

* - not all companies follow the same measuring process. For example, O'Neal measures the inseam from the crotch to the ankle but Fox Racing measures from the crotch to the floor. Find any measuring variations noted under the sizing charts. Well, where do I find the sizing charts? Keep reading!

Other than gloves, don't buy oversized gear expecting your child to grow into it, especially with helmets. Loose fitting gear does not provide adequate protection and can actually interfere with riding.

Now that you have measurements you can start shopping for riding gear.

2. Find the Right Sized Youth Riding Gear

Narrowing your search becomes important at this point because each manufacture has their own size charts and sizing requirements. If you have sized for an Alpinestars pants, jersey and glove combo but like a combo from Fly Racing don't think because your child sized "small" for Alpinestars he or she will size "small" for Fly Racing. That rule applies to ALL manufacturers for ALL types of riding gear.

Therefore take the individual measurements from your child and match accordingly to the manufacturer's size chart.

Youth Riding Gear Size Chart

Compare the following size chart for Fox Riding Youth Pants with that of Fly Racing Boys Pants:

As you can see Fox and Fly don't exactly match up and Fox uses a youth size guide which covers boys and girls while Fly has specific charts for boys and girls. You will find these differences across the board for every piece of riding gear. Fox even includes specific measuring instructions which differ just a bit from the traditional measurements as noted above.

Troy Lee Designs does things just a bit different and calls out the model line specifically in the sizing:

We cannot emphasize enough - when deciding on a specific product, take note of the particular sizing chart for the individual piece of gear and any additional instructions on how to size based on the manufacturer's recommendation.

Where To Find the Riding Gear Size Charts

You will find all size charts on each product page. When looking at the price, features and specifics for a helmet, boots or pants, etc. simply scroll down a bit further to find the appropriate sizing requirements for the individual make and model of protective gear.

Don't Pull Your Hair Out

Understand, some irregularities exist which get ironed out the more you and your child get into riding dirt bikes. For example, Fox Racing boots tend to run on the small size and every helmet manufacturer has their own idea on head shape from long oval to round. Therefore, MotoSport offers a "free first exchange" program so in the event those boots you bought indeed fit a bit too small or large, we will replace them with no extra shipping and handling charges. And, as always if you have any questions on sizing your kid for riding gear give us a call at 888-676-8853 and one of our Gearheads will help.