Riding a dirt bike is a great adventure you can experience to cool down your mind and relax. Dirt bike is a sport that is popular amongst adults and it’s now heading towards kids too. If you want to give a dirt bike to your boy, but you are concerned with the safety and you don’t even want to compromise on the adventure too, you will be quite unsure what to get and what not to!
Basically, dirt bikes are machines and they have a CC capacity that is a short form of Cubic capacity which shows how well the bike is going to perform. Dirt bikes start from 49cc (technically 50cc) and they can go up to 1000cc (while 800cc is common) engine. Each engine has its own capacity, power, and pricing. If you are looking to get a dirt bike for your kids, you should start considering 50cc to 125cc max.
With the 50cc dirt bike under your boy, you will be asking yourself How fast is a 50cc Dirt Bike for safety concerns? Yes, you are genuinely suitable and you should worry too as you don’t want to put your kid in speed trouble so you should take an idea of this too. While we will show you how fast a 50cc mini dirt bike is and especially its top speeds. I will compare the top speeds of a couple of famous 50cc dirt bikes as well. Let’s take a look at this detailed guide!
How fast is a 50cc 2 stroke dirt bike
Well, there could not be a straight and accurate answer on how fast a 50cc dirt bike is because there are a lot of factors contributing to increasing or decreasing the top speeds of a dirt bike. Don’t worry, we will take a look at them as well, but later. For now, let’s stick to this question. How fast a 50cc dirt bike is, depends on what type of engine it has, what fuel you use, and what its brand and size.
Normally, a 50cc dirt bike comes with a top speed of 25 to 45 MPH. Again, you can see there’s a whole lot of difference between the lower and upper limits. Because, if you opt for the trail riding dirt bike, the speed would be different and if you consider multiple brands, the speed would still be so different even in that case.
Remember: We are talking about gas powered and manual transmission bikes!
As for the bike brands, there are several brands currently playing in the market and everyone has different speeds to offer with different other things. If you opt for the Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki dirt bikes, you can expect a top speed of 30 to 35 MPH or 50 to 60 Km/h at max limits.
You can achieve these speeds with the help of the right shifting, the right fuel and proper maintenance of course. The Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha dirt bikes are considered lightweight and they usually make great machines for beginners and kids too. If you don’t want to get a lot of speed for safety purposes, you can stick to these 3 brands but this still could be a high speed if you don’t put your boy on safety gear.
If you take safety seriously and let your boy ride under your supervision at a high speed, brands like Cobra, KTM and Husqvarna are masterpieces. With dirt bikes of these three major brands, you are supposed to get a top speed ranging between 40 to 48 MPH or 60 to 75 km/h even at the highest record. Although you will get a max of 40 mph it is still a great thing for the engine capacity.
How fast does a 50cc mini bike go (in KM and in MPH)
Again, how fast a 50cc goes depends on several factors including your riding technique, the fuel you use, the brand you have, the weight your bike has got and the tracks you are riding on. While 50cc is a little machine that comes with speed and power limitations can provide you with a speed of a minimum of 25 mph or 40 km/h and a maximum of 40 miles per hour equivalent to 65 to 70 km/h.
How fast is a 49cc dirt bike
Ideally, a 49cc dirt bike falls under the same league as a 50cc dirt bike and there is almost zero difference in terms of performance, weight and most important top speed. A 49cc dirt bike is equally fast as a 50cc dirt bike. The 50cc dirt bike generally performs better in 2 stroke engine while a 49cc dirt bike is likely to be in four stroke. If that is different, a 50cc will be faster than that particular 49cc.
How to make a 50cc dirt bike faster
Guys well, I personally think the 50cc dirt bikes come faster enough by default for the price and especially for the purpose. 50cc dirt bikes are mostly meant for kids under 9 years of age and these bikes already have enough speed for their age, control and manoeuvrability. Not even that, some brands provide speed limiters, reduction kits and throttle screws so you can limit that speed.
For example, if you get PW50 by Yamaha having a top speed of 45 to 50 km/h, Yamaha provides an adjustable throttle stop screw to limit it before the top speed. So, you can later readjust the top speed when desired skill set and experience are achieved. In actuality, there would be no need to make a 50cc dirt bike faster.
However, if you want to make your old 50cc dirt bike faster now, that is doable. What you need to do is, always fill the right fuel with the right ratio, maintain your bike regularly, tighten the screws and get your engine checked with the right mechanic. I don’t recommend aftermarket solutions.
How fast is a honda 50cc dirt bike?
Honda manufactures nice dirt bikes and 50cc dirt bikes are one of the most limited categories almost for any brand out there. CRF50 by Honda is a popular and entry level dirt bike giving a top speed of 35 mph or up to 55 km per hour. It’s a comparatively low speed due to the reason being a 4 stroke engine.
This one is a kick start dirt bike by the way, and some kids might not be able to start this way. So, make sure what your kid can handle and are comfortable with.
How fast does a Yamaha 50cc dirt bike go?
Yamaha can’t sit and watch when Honda is in the game of 50cc dirt bikes. Honda had CRF50 as the best 50cc dirt bike with a speed of up to 35 mph, Yamaha is here with the PW50 and TTR50 dirt bikes against honda’s one exclusive mini dirt bike. The PW50 is a two stroke bike that comes with automatic transmission and throttle limiter while its top speed is lower than CRF50 and which is 30 miles per hour or 50 km/h. Technically, it is good for kids under 4 to 8 years old.
While the TTR50 of Yamaha is a four stroke dirt bike with 3 speed transmission and it is faster too. Because it is designed for slightly experienced kids who know how to control and don’t mind riding at speed or even jumping a cliff. It is technically a 49cc dirt bike and features an electric start instead of a kick.
What factors Affect the Speed Of Dirt Bike
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Type of Engine and Gear Ratio
The type of engine your dirt bike is equipped with is the very major thing that affects the speed of dirt bikes. There are two types of engines in dirt bikes that are two and four stroke engines. Two stroke engines are generally and technically faster when compared with four stroke engines. The combustion inside the chamber only needs 2 strokes to happen in a 2 stroke engine making it faster but they are not economically good and may need more fuel and that too mixed ratio.
The gear ratio also affects the speed of your bike but you can change the gear ratio yourself. An engine comes packed in a bike that you can’t change but the gears are sort of adjustable by relating the size of gears on front and rear sprockets. Smaller gears will speed up the bike while bigger gears will slow it.
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Tire Pressure and Fuel Quality
A contributing factor that many people ignore unconditionally. The tire of your dirt bike is directly in contact with the ground and it has the measuring unit of PSI which is pounds per square inch. It shows the pressure in pounds your bike has per square inch of your tire. Anything between 8 to 16 PSI is considered good to run your dirt bike at but it is not a rule of thumb. It will vary with each case.
If you set the tire pressure too low, the bike will lose traction and if you set the pressure higher, you will lose your control and there’s a chance of bursting as well. Other than that, this thing will directly affect your engine as it may need more power to run in that condition and if your bike is unable to provide that, you will be on low speed, with little to no power left by your engine.
Other than tire pressure, fuel quality and mixture matter too. If you use unofficial or blacked or any third class fuel, it will not just fade your bike’s performance, it will also ruin your engine and everything. Consider using high octane fuel which is healthier for engines that let your bike produce more power and speed. In the case of a two stroke engine where fuel mixture is needed, mix with a ratio of 40:1, 50:1 or 60:1. This is about 20 ml of oil in every litre of fuel. Otherwise, go for four strokes!
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Transmission and Cooling or Exhaust
Mainly, there are two types of transmissions in dirt bikes, manual and automatic. If shifting gears requires manual effort and engagement of the clutch, it would be manual transmission and if you don’t need to do it by yourself, it’s automatic. Automatic dirt bikes are an easier way to start learning dirt bikes than manual bikes.
Other than ease, the transmission also plays a role in enhancing the overall performance of your dirt bike. With the automatic dirt bike, you will get full ease but they usually have less speed. However, manual bikes do require some effort to manoeuvre, but they are generally faster and more powerful. So, if you need to choose between a manual or automatic 50cc dirt bike considering speed, go for a manual one. This will be a default speed booster for your dirt bike.
Similarly, not just the transmission alone is enough for wonders, there are a couple of other things too. For example, how well your engine cools down and how nicely the exhaust is incorporated. Remember, a dirt bike is a machine consisting of an engine and it uses fuel and fire through combustion to move the bike.
Meanwhile, heat and friction are produced and it should be let out so your bike can go smoothly and the engine doesn’t overheat frequently. If it does, you wouldn’t be able to push the throttle to its limit as the components inside would never work efficiently.
The air intake should be higher or at least normal if you want to get the best of its horsepower that you can later convert to its top speed. Most dirt bikes come with air cooled engines and you don’t need a water cooled radiator. Although it is more efficient in cars only. The dirt bike has an open body.
How to Limit the Speed of A Dirt bike?
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Throttle limiter and kill switches
This is by default the best thing you can utilize in order to stop your kids from touching top speed. It is a good thing for new riders and especially kids riders on mini dirt bikes so they can’t reach the top speed even by mistake. This lowers the chances of accidents caused by speeding as they might not be able to control their bikes at speed for now. It shortens the turning radius of the throttle and you have to return back from a quarter of its speed as both speed and power are locked now.
You will find this next to the throttle grip on your kid’s dirt bike. Thankfully, you can adjust the throttle limit as per your needs as well. Just unscrew it to remove the covers, see the hole where the bolt is and now locate the bolt to any other hole. The throttle limiter is a common thing in 50cc dirt bikes while the kill switch is an advanced option for higher engine capacity dirt bikes out there.
You will get a horsepower reduction kit in KTM, Husqvarna and Cobra while Throttle limiters are mostly available in bikes from Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki.
What is an acceptable speed for a dirt bike for kids?
Better call it “Safer” instead of acceptable speed, if your kids are not wearing any kind of protective gear or not wearing them properly, even the 0 speed could be dangerous then. Yes, that is no joke but it is true. Whether you are an adult or a child, you should wear all the gear all the time no matter what speed you are into.
Wear at least DOT approved Helmet, gloves, knee pads, chest protector, pants, elbow pads and proper attire. Other than safety gear, if your bike has a high speed, then it should be limited with a throttle limiter. Generally, a speed of 25 to 30 mph is safe enough if you take care of safety gear as well. If the speed limiter is not present, teach your kids to ride in 2nd and 3rd gear only.
How Much Maintenance Will a 50cc dirt bike require?
Well, it depends on the type of dirt bike engine, how you ride, what fuel quality you prefer and what are the riding conditions. If you take care of fuel, gas, oil, lubrication, tire pressure, and valves and clean its air filter, batteries and tires, your 50cc dirt bike will require low maintenance. Well, they already require minimal maintenance and taking care of everything will let your bike last for decades. Also, protect your dirt bike from rusting and corrosion.
