I bought this little dirtbike for my son a few years back. He was 6 years old at the time and had been riding a bicycle for almost 2 years so I figured the next logical step was something like this. With a little instruction he got on it and took right off like he'd been doing it forever.I will say this - it says on the box for kids 12+ and I think thats bad advertisement... my son enjoyed it for about a year and then I had to upgrade him to a gas powered bike so he could ride on a little rougher terrain and go up hills. He can still ride the razor but its better suited for flat paved surfaces. A 12 year old would have fun on this thing for about 1 hour - its just not powerful enough to lug them around.That being said our bike was reliable and has lasted through two kids learning. Its awesome for beginners and thats really all it should be bought for. Make sure to buy helmets and pads too - I see too many kids on these things with no protection. Teach them young.