Are Mini Bikes Toys for kids ?

Every kid grows up and sooner or later either has a bicycle or dirt bike depending on what the parents could afford. Back in the old days when your choices where limited to the Big 4 manufacturers like Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki only the well off could afford hefty price tags of a few thousand to ride the beginner model pee wee 50 or 90. Back then some 10 years ago it was just too expensive for the beginner to get into motocross. The introduction of the Chinese Mini Bikes (Monkey Bike, copy of the Honda) it opened up a can of worms for the Big Japanese manufactures who had it sweet all this time with little or no competition in the bottom end range 50cc-100cc. The Chinese bikes flooded the market some six years ago in Australia and couple years earlier in the States. This basically cut out the low end market for the Japanese bikes and allowed newbie motocross riders to get into the sport at a entry level.

No real distribution channels were correctly setup because the Chinese would sell and anyone. Mom and Pop backyard operations sprung up like the plague all across America, Europe, Canada and Australia.

The Chinese pumped these out like hot cakes and thousands of containers of Mini bikes entered the shores. The Bikes were mostly made of reinforced mild steel for the frames, and recycled alloy hubs which were weak at he spokes. The finish was not great to begin and attention to detail took a back seat to pure volume.

Being that said the bikes were so cheap to get and the average kid could start on a 50cc or 110cc pit bike with all the protection and armor for under $1000. The bikes wouldn't last and basically became a throw away item. It was cheaper to replace the whole bike then it was to pay a mechanic to fix it. If the engine blew up you would rebuild it just throw away the old one and slam in a new one.

Kids and teenagers took to these bikes abused and destroyed them. They were not a machine to be serviced and maintained as they should but because they were so cheap they treated them like toys. Disposable toys like when DVD & MP3 players.

Why Pit Bikes Became so Cheap to buy ?

The Pit bike craze some 4-5 years ago when they were first released in the market took the traditional Japanese bikes by shock. In fact most Dealerships that carried Yamaha, Honda or Kawasaki didn't think they would stick but when everyone started buying them it sporned a epidemic literally overnight. A whole new market was born.

Here's where it went all wrong. See 99% of Pit bikes are made in China. Yes, that's the truth. They are made in china where 70% of the worlds goods are made. There was no real distributor channels setup because the Chinese in there infinate wisdom will do anything to make a buck so they sell to anyone who will "show them the Money". So basically you could source Pit bikes from China or steal your competitors supplier and start bringing them in yourself and sell them at a lower price. Cut your competitors throats and many flyby backyard operations killed the market big time. Now any Joe Blow can get the sames bikes work out of home and sell them dirt cheap. Back in the hay days I know several importers in Australia (who will remain nameless) that brought them in and sluted the market to make a quick buck.

They sold them on eBay by the hundreds of thousands. The number of eBay sellers who sold Mini Bikes quadrupled on both US and AU eBay. So all of a sudden everyone is flogging off these little puppies and making $25-$50 profit just so they could screw they're rivals. The some ebay sellers in Australia would sell 300-1000 bikes per month. Now if you check ebay under Dirt bikes>other , you'll see alot are listing them at Buy it Now or Starting at there lowest profit margin for example $599.

In the end everyone lost except the consumers. It was and still is a consumers paradise. They go so cheap that the supply out weighed the demand because every man and his dog had in sitting in the shed.

The demand is still and will always be there because a certain target market predominately blue color working class society needs entry level bikes to learn how to ride.

Gone are the days where importers would make 200-300% profit on a item, now its more like 30%- 50% after expenses. There are some small variables that influence the price over time like exchange rate , availability and seasons but most definitely it is Supply vs Demand.

BRAAAP MINI BIKES - High Class Mini Bikes or just over price chinese crap

Most of you who are in the Mini Bike scene have either seen or heard of Braaap,
if you haven't go to braap dot com dot au .

Basically they are a High end Mini bike. Their competitors are Terra moto (Formly Thumpstar), Motovert and Puzey to name a few.Seriously I think the name sounds a little gay but that's only my opinion.

The Braaap Mini Bike Company is based in Tasmania, Australia. They basically have 2 models of pit bike The 'braaapster maestro' and The braaapster Pro.

The braaapster Pro uses the older design A-frame swing arm but obviously with new frame, front and rear suspension etc. I think the old A-frame design is still the strongest although most riders buy the single swing arm setup because it looks way more cooler.

I want to talk more about the 'braaapster maestro' designed in Australia. First off the bike looks sic it needs to because of the price but readon. The frame is Aluminium and stands out like dogs ball on a mouse.:) They done a good job on the frame. Its CNC billet and tig welded. CNC meaning the frame is not poured into a cast its cut by a machine from a solid block of Aluminium then heat treated thats why it cost so much more. You pay for quality its that simple peoples.

Pic of frame click here
Pic of Swing arm click here
Pic of engine click here

The Maestros has plenty of other goodies on it to justify the price tag such as CNC Dress up kit, CNC kick starter, CNC triple trees, CNC Billet hubs, CNC foot brake etc. The Front forks are quality and fully adjustable. I like that so when I hit jumps hard you know my fat arse won't break the bike. It comes with a optional 140cc or 150cc engine upgrade. You don't have to buy the 125cc regulation run of the mill cornflake packet variety that every Tom, Dick and Harry already has. The 140 or 150 braaap© engine I suspect is a YX engine. Seriously are they going to invest thousands of dollars in a The braaap© engine especially made for them or easier to get a ready proven engine and put a braaap side cover on it. I tend to believe the later.

It could have come with some Kenda tyres and Pro Taper bars as standard but you can't have everything boys and girls.

The braaap is a proven bike it has sucessfully won titles in Victoria and Nationals under Motard and Super Motocross class respectively.

The easy payment payment plan from $24 bucks a week or out right $3599 for a 125cc, $3899 for the 140cc and $3999 for the race kitted 150cc. I think that's a funny sales pitch as see on Tv they should throw in some free steak knives too lol. The customer either buys or gets insulted, I like it.

If you think I'm a bit hard on the bike I'm only giving you the hard facts how it is no sugar coating my friends. But in saying everything above if your just starting out pit bike riding don't buy a braaap.

If you getting into Mini bike racing and want something with a bit more quality that won't break in a hurry then definitely buy a braaap. If you a big kid like me that should be riding bigger jap bikes like a 450cc but won't let go of your youth then go buy a braaap.

So are braaap mini bikes High Class Mini Bikes or just over price Chinese crap in my opinion they are worth every dollar. Maybe the guys at braaap could make it a little more affordable dropping the price say $250-$400 they would sell alot more. But out of the high end bikes the braaapster maestro is my choice. Thumps up guys keep up the good work. :)

braaap.com.au
terra-moto.com
motovert.com.au
puzey.com.au

How to get your pit bike going faster

If you want to beat your friends racing on your pit bike then keep reading below

If you have a 125cc Pit bike or 140cc oil cooled pit bike and want to go faster then the best and cheapest way to gain instant power is by hooking up a Nos kit to it. You will gain 4-5 bikes lengths (depending on your carbi setup) instantly. I mean most people who see the Nos kit in store or advertised on ebay don't believe it works. Let me tell you it does and it’s friggin awesome.

Ok basically here’s how the system works.
You have the trigger mechanism that contains the 16gram Nitrous Oxide bottle (4 sec burst). This typically is fasten to the handle bar. Depending where your left or right handed is where you want to fit it. It comes with a Velcro strap which holds it firmly to your bars. Now the line taps into one end of the trigger mechanism and goes into your air filter. Note the trigger mechanism holds the nitrous bottles under pressure so once you put the bottle in and screw on the top it pieces the bottle. You can not take it out after this. You could die and tap a thread into your manifold (bendy piece between carbi and engine) but not necessary. Make sure the line is secure and fittings are firm so no leaks. The kit pictured above is excellent and works well. For maximum effect have the line as close as possible to the carbi inlet when hook it up. You don't want the distance too great because the foam filter can absorb the Nos before it enters the carbi or try tapping it into the manifold if that make sense.

NEVER hit Nos in low gear always 3rd or 4th or you'll blow the piston right out of you engine

NEVER hit Nos going around corners. I know a guy that did and his face and the road became friends

NEVER hit Nos going over jumps unless you want your knee to look like a Double Whooper Burger

NEVER use Nos continuously you need a rebuild in no time. You engine will only take so much


Always hit Nos when your mate try’s to race you.
Always hit Nos when your trying to get away from the cops (only kidding)
Always hit Nos when chicks are watching

Have fun don't be a idiot on the road or track

Try ebay.com.au if you want to buy them

Post comments on your experiences

Where to buy mini dirt bikes?

If your in Australia the BEST Place to buy mini dirt bike cheap is ebay.

Always if your skeptical about ebay then atleast research the market.

Ok if you not familiar with ebay or confident in buying on the internet then that's no problem.

What you want to do is research the market and models out there by going on ebay and looking up information on mini dirt bikes.

I am refering to chinese dirt bikes.

Go to ebay.com.au

click on the catagory

• Home >
• Buy >
• Cars, Bikes, Boats >
• Motorcycles >
• Not Specified>

(The sub catagories may change in time but you get the idea)

Pay close attention to the brand names in the china dirt bikes such as Pitpro, Atomik, BSE

These are all good manufactures. The quality is stable and product is made from the bigger and more established suppliers.

Don't always be focused on price. Pay $700-$800 for a pitpro, atomik or BSE with specs like
upside down forks, Lifan engine, billet style 32 spoke rims, trelace or 2 bar(SDG) frame.

You can't go wrong. He's a good pic of a solidly build bike yet looks awesome, jump rated and won't break the bank. RRP $899

Happy hunting

Why You should buy a Pitpro Dirt bike?

Hi Peoples,

Just a quick post.

In my opinion the Pitpro Mini Dirt bikes are the better quality Pit bikes out of China currently on the market.

Although they changed manufacturer several times either of these suppliers have good reputation in China and over 4 years+ experience making dirt bikes. This shows in the final product.

I highly recommend the Pitpro or BSE dirt bikes.

cheers

Nigel

Monsoon Pit bike Test ride by Johno - Reviewed

Jono he's a Legend. Jono test drove this bike for me. This bike was very popular and sold over 800 pcs in 2006. Still popular in 2008

125cc Lifan Engine (15 tooth front sprocket)
12/12inch steel rims
Reinforced Single bar frame
USD Forks 46mm thickness
Alloy handle bars
Alloy fuel cap
Alloy rear swing arm
Alloy Bash plate
37 tooth rear sprocket
32 spoket billet style rims (stronger design)