Minibike

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1997 Suzuki PV 50, Finland Suzuki PV 1997.jpg
1997 Suzuki PV 50, Finland

A minibike is a two-wheeled, motorized, off-highway recreational vehicle popularized in the 1960s and 1970s, but available continuously from a wide variety of manufacturers since 1959. Their off-highway nature and (in many countries) typically entirely off-road legal status differentiate minibikes from motorcycles and mopeds, and their miniature size differentiates them from dirt bikes.

Contents

Traditionally, minibikes have a four-stroke, horizontal crankshaft engine, single- or two-speed centrifugal clutch transmissions with chain final-drive, 4" or 6" wheels and a low frame/seat height with elevated handlebars. [1] Commercially available minibikes are usually equipped with small engines commonly found elsewhere on utilitarian equipment such as garden tillers.

History

A teen on a minibike in Thailand Teen on Mini-Bike - Yodakeng, Thailand (2490640847).jpg
A teen on a minibike in Thailand

While the minibike had precursors in machines such as the Doodle Bug and Cushman Scooters, which share smaller wheels, tubular-steel frames, and air-cooled, single-cylinder engines, those vehicles had larger seat heights and lighting that allow them to be registered for road use as scooters. In the 1950s, minibikes were hand-made by enthusiasts. These were first popularly used as pit bikes, for drag racers to travel in the staging-areas during races. One of these "Pit bikes" was received by brothers Ray, Larry and Regis Michrina in early 1959 from local car dealer and racer Troy Ruttman. [2]

1961 Honda 50 minibike, Honda Collection Hall transport museum, photographed in 2010 Honda Monkey Z100 1961 in Honda Collection Hall.jpg
1961 Honda 50 minibike, Honda Collection Hall transport museum, photographed in 2010

The Michrina Brothers would create the first commercial minibikes by drawing inspiration from this Pit Bike, delivering 3 prototypes to Troy Ruttman to sell through his dealership. The Michrina brothers are credited with creating the minibike but failed to patent the design or trademark the term when founding their Lil Indian brand in 1959. [3] [ full citation needed ] Lil Indian would go on to manufacture tens-of-thousands of minibikes in their 40+ years. From the mid-1960s into the 1970s, the popularity of said machines would see over a hundred manufacturers attempt to market machines, an inexpensive venture due to the absence of patents. So popular and simple was the design, June 1967 Popular Mechanics magazine included an article with plans. [4]

As the market for minibikes developed, a variety of cottage and major industries offered models, including Arctic Cat, Rupp, Taco, Heath, Gilson, and Fox. Traditional motorcycle manufacturers also released models inspired by aspects of minibikes, most famously Honda with the Z50A, [5] though this style was nicknamed a Monkey Bike due to its monkey-like riding position. [6] Sales peaked in 1973, with 140,000 units between manufacturers. [7] By 1976 the bubble had burst and fewer than ten manufacturers continued to make minibikes. Popularity declined steadily, but leveled off in the early 1990s. Currently,[ when? ] machines can still be found at various retailers for less than $800. [8] [ full citation needed ]

The wide availability of cheap, generic components manufactured in China has given rise to the popularity of home-assembled minibikes. These bikes typically have simple, boxy tube frames, small wheels, and are often built with some parts repurposed from Go-Karts, dirt bikes, or gas-powered tools. Bikes built this way can range from underpowered machines running on lawnmower motors up to extremely powerful ones capable of speeds up to 100 miles per hour. Despite not being road legal, recreational riding of these bikes, especially in large groups, has become popular in many cities in Southern California. [9]

Recently [ when? ] there has been a trend of adult sized electric minibikes. [10]

In some jurisdictions, it is not legal to operate minibikes in certain places or without regulatory-specified special equipment.

Canada

Minibikes can be classified as a competition vehicle if it is imported to Canada or restricted-use motorcycle that must have a Vehicle Identification Number. [11] Models for younger children are marked as ride on toys for they do not meet Transportation in Canada safety requirements. When caught ride a minibike on public roads you will be charged under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) and the Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act (CAIA). [12]

UK

It is not legal for Minibikes to be used on public roads or land. Further, it is not legal to use Minibikes on a property in proximity to a population if cited for noise pollution. [13] [ full citation needed ]

US

Whilst laws vary by state, Minibikes became unlawful for use on public through-ways[ when? ] due to lack of safety equipment, lights, and their diminutive size causing visibility issues. [14] [ full citation needed ] In 1977, the CPSC was unsuccessfully lobbied[ by whom? ] to add federal regulation to Minibikes. By 1979 in the US, Minibikes could not be operated on public roads, they could still operate in areas legal for use of other recreational vehicles, provided they had a specified set of proper equipment utilized at the time of sale, most notably a spark arrestor for the exhaust. [15] In many US states mini bikes can be made street legal.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All-terrain vehicle</span> Light off-road vehicle

An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat that is straddled by the operator, and has handlebars, similar to a motorcycle. As the name implies, it is designed to handle a wider variety of terrain than most other vehicles. It is street-legal in some countries, but not in most states, territories and provinces of Australia, the United States, and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Z series</span> Honda minibike series

The Honda Z series or Monkey Bike was a line of minibikes made by Honda which have a model number starting with the letter Z. The bike came to be known as a monkey bike because those riding them "looked like monkeys".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Types of motorcycles</span>

In the market, there is a wide variety of types of motorcycles, each with unique characteristics and features. Models vary according to the specific needs of each user, such as standard, cruiser, touring, sports, off-road, dual-purpose, scooters, etc. Often, some hybrid types like sport touring are considered as an additional category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorized bicycle</span> Bicycle with an attached motor or engine and transmission

A motorized bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor or engine and transmission used either to power the vehicle unassisted, or to assist with pedalling. Since it sometimes retains both pedals and a discrete connected drive for rider-powered propulsion, the motorized bicycle is in technical terms a true bicycle, albeit a power-assisted one. Typically they are incapable of speeds above 52 km/h (32 mph); however, in recent years larger motors have been built, allowing bikes to reach speeds of upwards of 113 km/h.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kick scooter</span> Human-powered land vehicle

A kick scooter is a human-powered street vehicle with a handlebar, deck, and wheels propelled by a rider pushing off the ground with their leg. Today the most common scooters are made of aluminum, titanium, and steel. Some kick scooters made for younger children have 3 to 4 wheels and are made of plastic and do not fold. High-performance kickbikes are also made. A company that had once made the Razor Scooters revitalized the design in the mid-nineties and early two-thousands. Three-wheel models where the frame forks into two decks are known as Y scooters or trikkes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Z50A</span> Type of motorcycle

The Honda Z50A is a small motorcycle with a 49 cc (3.0 cu in) single-cylinder four-stroke overhead cam engine and a semi-automatic transmission. It was made by Honda from 1968 to 1978 and it was the second generation of the Z50 series of minibikes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Z50M</span> Type of motorcycle

The Honda Z50M was the first Z50 Series of mini bikes produced by Honda. It was first made in late 1966 and released for sale in 1967 to the European, Australian and Canadian markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Z50J</span>

The Honda Z50J is a motorcycle produced by Honda belonging to its Honda Z series family of mini bikes. The j-series came after the m-series (1966–1969) but the very first Honda Monkey was the Z100 from 1961 made for the amusement park Tama Tech in Tokyo Japan. It was followed by the commercial version CZ100 in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Z50R</span> Motorcycle

The Honda Z50R is a motorcycle produced by Honda, in the Honda Z series family of minibikes. It began production in 1979 as Honda's answer to the increasing demand for mini dirt bikes to be used on the track, as opposed to their traditional trail bike used more for leisure, such as the Z50A and Z50J.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mini chopper</span>

Mini Choppers are scaled-down versions of custom-built motorcycles known as choppers. Commercially available Mini Choppers are available from various retailers, some utilizing similar production methods to Minibikes, while others use Scooter, Moped sourced parts/engines. Custom Mini Choppers are generally constructed from 1" steel tubing or 3/4" steel black pipe. The tube or pipe is bent and then welded together to get the desired angles and shapes of the frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda ST series (minibike)</span> Honda DAX

The Honda ST-series minibikes are known as the Dax in Japan and Europe, and the Trail 70 in Canada and the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underbone</span> Type of motorcycle

An underbone is a type of motorcycle that uses structural tube framing with an overlay of plastic or non-structural body panels and contrasts with monocoque or unibody designs where pressed steel serves both as the vehicle's structure and bodywork. Outside Asia, the term underbone is commonly misunderstood to refer to any lightweight motorcycle that uses the construction type, known colloquially as step-throughs, mopeds or scooters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric motorcycles and scooters</span> Plug-in electric vehicles with two or three wheels

Electric motorcycles and scooters are plug-in electric vehicles with two or three wheels. Power is supplied by a rechargeable battery that drives one or more electric motors. Electric scooters are distinguished from motorcycles by having a step-through frame, instead of being straddled. Electric bicycles are similar vehicles, distinguished by retaining the ability to be propelled by the rider pedaling in addition to battery propulsion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocketbike</span>

Pocketbikes are small, two wheeled recreational vehicles approximately one-quarter the size of a regular motorcycles, and are powered by two-stroke internal combustion engines of between 40 and 50 cc. Pocketbikes maintain the look of full-sized sport bikes and are known outside of North America for racing on specialty tracks designed for small Power Sport machines. These specialized models, designed for competition, produce up to 17 hp, and have front and rear suspension akin to larger sport bikes. Most consumer models are far less powerful, usually below 3hp, and do not feature suspension, relying on the tires alone for shock-absorption. Weight for most machines are approximately 50 lb (23 kg). The usual height is less than 50 cm (20 in), and up to 1 m length.

A pit bike is a small motorcycle, used primarily for recreational purposes, stunt riding and motocross racing. Pit bikes are characterised by small, air-cooled engines, and are rarely used for professional racing, instead being intended for use in the pit lanes of racing events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scooter (motorcycle)</span> Class of motorcycle

A scooter is a motorcycle with an underbone or step-through frame, a seat, a transmission that shifts without the operator having to operate a clutch lever, a platform for their feet, and with a method of operation that emphasizes comfort and fuel economy. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motor scooters have been made since at least 1914. More recently, scooters have evolved to include scooters exceeding 250cc classified as Maxi-scooters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of motorcycles and motorcycling</span> Overview of and topical guide to motorcycles and motorcycling

The following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Z50RD</span> Honda Z50RD motorcycle

The Honda Z50RD, also known as the Christmas Special or the Chrome Edition, is an all-chrome Honda Z series minibike released in 1986. A limited edition of the Honda Z50R, it is considered to be rare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Z100</span> Hondas 1961 prototype minibike

Honda Z100 was a prototype Honda Motor Company minibike which was introduced at the Tama Tech amusement Park in Tokyo, Japan in 1961. The Z100 minibike was never meant to be produced and sold to consumers. The success of the Z100 prototype convinced Honda to produce and sell the minibike to consumers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda CZ100</span> Hondas first production minibike

Honda CZ100 was the Honda Motor Company's first minibike which was sold to consumers. The CZ100 minibike was first introduced in 1963 after Honda saw how well their Honda Z100 prototype was received at The Tama Tech park.

References

  1. "Minibike Definition". FreeDictionary.com.
  2. "'Lil' Indian is a Survivor". Crains Detroit Business. 29 March 2006.
  3. "'Lil' Indian history". Allied Leisure Corp.
  4. "Build Yourself A Minibike" June 1967, p160, Popular Mechanics
  5. "Honda Monkey Bike History". Cool Material. 13 June 2018.
  6. "What the Heck is a Monkey Bike?". Motorcycle.com. 12 July 2013.
  7. "Commission denies petition to regulate small motor bikes". CPSC.
  8. "Coleman 212cc Minibike". ruralking.com.
  9. "Exclusive: Mini bike street takeovers lead to mayhem on the roadways - CBS Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  10. spinningmagnets (2019-10-10). "The Electric Mini-Bike Craze, 10 Models". ElectricBike.com. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  11. "Motorized Scooters and Other Devices". Canada Safety Council. 4 January 2018.
  12. "Toronto Staff Report" (PDF). Toronto.ca.
  13. “Vehicle Type Approval”
  14. "Legality of Mini Bikes". Popular Mechanic.
  15. "Commission denies petition to regulate small motor bikes". CPSC.