When we used to talk about mini bikes for kids, we were talking about a small scale frame with a lawn mower type engine on it. They typically ran at the 3. 5 hp range and sported motors that you saw on the family lawn mower. The mini bikes were very basic and usually had no gears, just a centrifugal clutch to get the little machine rolling.
Today we are speaking of a totally different animal; they come in many different shapes and sizes as well as ways that they are powered. This article is going to take a look at the several different varieties that these sized down motorbikes of today come in.
We will start with the Super street bikes. These are a scaled down imitation of what we call the Japanese “crotch rockets” we see breaking the speed limit every day, if not wheeling by us in traffic. These can also be turned into “Super Pocket Rockets” that we will talk about later.
There are Chopper mini bikes that are (you guessed it) just scaled down models of the custom street cruiser bikes we see on the road every day. These are the fastest growing facet of the mini bike industry today. You can customize these bikes in many different ways, just like the full size bikes.
When we talk about mini dirt bikes, we are probably talking the closest to the old fashioned mini bike. There are versions of the old style mini bike, but with better qualities. Most of the mini dirt bikes are just scaled down versions of the dirt bikes we see at the motocross races. These mini bikes are designed to be ridden primarily in the dirt on rough terrain.
For the competitive natured riders there are the Super Pocket Rockets. Again, most of these are just scaled down versions of the Japanese Crotch Rockets. The fact that these are mini bikes is not something that means they are slow. These bikes are built for speed and can be customized to go very, very, fast.
There are also the electric versions of all these mini bikes for kids; however these are not nearly as fast or as sturdy as the others.
No matter how small the bike is, you should always be concerned with safety and make sure your child wears a helmet, gloves and other safety gear.
