How Fast Does a 50cc Dirt Bike Go?

As parents, you may have concerns about getting 50cc dirt bikes for your kids, worrying over their safety on these vehicles, afraid that high speeds may put them at risk.

However, the vast majority of 50cc dirt bikes don’t go any faster than 25mph to 40mph. This speed may appear to be dangerously fast, considering it is meant for young riders, between 4 and 7 years of age, but it really isn’t, as the children never actually reach anywhere near the maximum speeds. As parents, you can limit the speed that your child can reach on his/her dirt bike by setting a limit on the throttle and/or by letting them go no higher than second gear. Once you take these precautions, you should really have no concerns over your child’s safety on account of speed. Other things, like jumping the bike or riding on steep hills may still be a cause for concern, but speed certainly won’t be.  

Acceptable Speeds for Children Riding Dirt Bikes

There is absolutely no question of children riding dirt bikes at any speed at all if they are not wearing protective gear. Adopt an AGATT (all the gear all the time) policy when it comes to your children (and adults, for that matter). Make sure that your kids are wearing a helmet, chest protector, gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, boots, pants and a jersey every time they go out dirt bike riding.

Dirt bikes, even ones with smaller engines, may be capable of high speeds, but make sure your kids never get close to those speeds, keeping them safe. Even if you’ve got a 50cc dirt bike for your child, keep them in second gear, not letting them go any higher at any time. Perhaps it would be a good idea to not even teach them how to get into third gear, putting a secure limit on their speeds. Even in second gear, don’t allow them to go into full throttle.

If your children get into higher gears, it may pose a threat to their safety. New riders, on occasion, fall prey to what is referred to as “whiskey throttle,” when they roll back the throttle too far and freeze up, too scared by the extremely fast speed, not realizing that the throttle needs to be released in order to slow down, going full speed ahead until they collide with an obstacle in their path, making them fall. This, it should go without saying, is extremely dangerous. And, as we’ve said, a good way to avoid such a situation is by keeping your child in second gear, or by limiting the throttle on their bikes.

On the Yamaha TTR50, you can set the throttle limit simply by screwing in the bolt sticking out from under the throttle, preventing you from turning the throttle as wide.

The Safety of Dirt Bike Riding for Children

Any activity you undertake is bound to entail some level of risk. Riding in cars, swimming, even climbing a monkey bar, all can be seen as risky. Yet we involve our kids in all these activities, wanting them to be healthy and to live their lives boldly. Dirt bike riding likewise exposes children to some risks, risks like breaking a bone or spraining their wrists or ankles while dirt bike riding. They will obviously also scrape their arms and perhaps their legs and get a little beat up. All of these possibilities can come to pass during dirt bike riding.

As parents, we have to decide what our threshold for risks is. Normally, one would imagine that if the risks of their children getting seriously injured are high, parents would be unwilling to accept them. The risks of serious injuries permanent in nature, or the risk of death, have to be extremely low in order for an activity to be acceptable. After all, no one wants to put their children in a situation where they are susceptible to real harm. Therefore, before getting your kids involved in an activity like dirt bike riding, you will want to do your research properly to see what the risks actually are.

At first glance, it may seem that four wheeled ATVs are safer than dirt bikes, but actually the opposite is the case. Once you do the research, you will realize that dirt bike riding actually doesn’t pose a very serious threat of injury provided that you take certain precautions.

The first of these precautions, as we’ve said, is an AGATT policy, all the gear all the time. It doesn’t matter if your kids are going for a quick ride only, all the time means even for quick rides. A second precaution is not to ride on official tracks, rather to use dirt bikes off-road only. This is because over half of the serious injuries resulting from dirt bike riding occur at official tracks, where there are big jumps. Big jumps are the biggest culprits behind serious injuries. Lastly, keep your kids in the second gear right up until they are around 10 years of age.

Once you take these precautions your kids will be pretty safe. Hopefully, your children will love the experience of going dirt bike riding and it will prove beneficial to them. It will toughen them up, as they learn from falls and getting scrapes and bruises, inevitabilities when it comes to dirt bike riding. Dirt bike riding will challenge them, stretch their abilities, helping them grow. It will also impart confidence into them, making it a fun and educational family activity.

8 Best Dirt Bikes for Kids

Here we’re going to offer you a brief overview of 8 of the best dirt bikes for kids that we have researched, most of them 50cc.

Before offering you the list, we hasten to add that most 50cc dirt bikes out there are outstanding and indeed, the differences between them are few and far between. There are a few out there which you will want to steer clear of. In the end, the decision of which dirt bike to buy for your child will be determined, in all likelihood, by which dirt bike you can find near you at a reasonable or good price.

In case you’re unsure of the right size of the dirt bike you want to get your child, we recommend, as a general rule, that children between 3 and 7 years of age get 50cc dirt bikes. At the age of 8, you will probably want to graduate them to something a bit bigger. Having said that, a lot depends upon individual circumstances, circumstances such as the child’s strength and height. A child could also, conceivably, ride the same 50cc dirt bike from about the age of 6 to the age of 10.

KTM 50 SX (aka KTM 50 SX Mini)

• The KTM 50cc tops out at 37 mph

This dirt bike is for children who are extremely serious when it comes to dirt bike riding. It is also pretty expensive, so have to be sure that you have the cash to spare. It’d doubtable whether any dirt bike for kids can compete with the KTM 50 SX Mini, an astonishing bike, but one that demands its fair share of money in return for its quality. This dirt bike is a racing bike, so make sure that that’s what you want, and it will be an investment worth its weight in gold.

It comes with front forks that are inverted, a radiator with liquid cooling, handlebars that are adjustable, disc brakes on both back and front, as well as other cool features, making this dirt bike behave as if it were higher-end, except on a scale that it smaller.

It is a 2-stroke bike, requiring the mixing of oil at a 60:1 ratio. So, be sure that a 2-stroke bike is what you’re looking for before you make a purchase. Sometimes buyers don’t want to go through the hassle of mixing fuel, and therefore prefer 4-stroke dirt bikes instead. At the same time, 2-stroke bikes have their advantages, advantages including low-end grunt. Your child will love his/her experience on this.

Honda CRF50

• The Honda CRF50 tops out at 25 mph

The CRF50 and the Yamaha TTR50 are both in the same category, both extremely popular for children. The CRF50 is $100 more expensive. It comes with a kick start. Most kids can’t kick start a bike; that’s something that’s there for the parents to help the kids out with in case the battery should fail.

It is extremely reliable, priced reasonably and its controls are set up similarly to the controls of adult bikes, making it easy for kids to make the transition to the bigger bikes when they reach the appropriate age, physical attributes and skill levels.

One noticeable difference between the CRF50 and the TTR50 is that the former doesn’t have the speed of the latter: the TTR50 reaches 30mph, whereas the CRF50 reaches 25mph. It has a seat height of 21.8 inches.

Yamaha TTR50

• The Yamaha TTR50 tops out at 32 mph

This dirt bike for kids is extremely reliable, built well and priced reasonably. It will probably cost you somewhere around $1700 after taxes and registration and fees. It runs superbly, and your child will love it. Be sure to teach your children to turn the bike off using the key and to never make use of the kill switch. Should the child stop the bike using the kill switch, it will leave the battery on. This means that the battery will have died by the next time your child is ready to use the bike, and it won’t start. This bike doesn’t come with a kick start.

Suzuki DRZ-50

• The Suzuki DRZ50 tops out at 33 mph

Suzuki’s bikes are comparable to Honda and Yamaha’s. They are every bit as good. Like Honda, Suzuki’s bikes all come with electric start. The bikes are reliable and sturdy and excellent for your children.

Yamaha PW50

• The Yamaha PW50 tops out at 28 mph

The PW50is the TTR50’s twin. The bikes are quite similar to one another in many ways. The main difference between them lies in their engines. The PW50 has a 2-stroke engine, oil-injected, not requiring the mixing of oil and gas every time. On the other hand, the TTR50 has a 4-stroke engine.

The consensus is that the better of the two is the TTR50. It is slightly more expensive ($100) than the PW50. We recommend the TTR50 for slightly older kids (5-7 years of age) while the PW50 is probably better for the slightly younger kids (3-4 years of age).

The TTR50 is a bit heavier and faster than the PW50. The PW50 lacks the foot brake, meaning it won’t accustom kids to the controls of larger bikes.

SSR 50cc

• The SSR 50cc tops out at 28 mph

This is the cheapest of all the dirt bikes available, brand new models available for only $700. However, they’re not recommended for long term use. But them if you want a fun bike that you can crash. They require a lot of work and maintenance for their upkeep.

These bikes are good for people who are accustomed to fixing thing, are on a low budget and badly want to buy a new bike.

Yamaha YZ65

This dirt bike is excellent for slightly older kids, being in the 65cc range. It has a solid 2-stroke engine. This bike is really a racing bike and should be treated as such. It is highly reliable, comfortable and stable at high speeds. It has a balanced feel, and its breaks are reported to work marvelously. It is easy to ride, very fast and a delight to youthful riders.

The Honda CRF110F

• The Honda CRF110F tops out at 55 mph

This bike is great for slightly older kids, from 8-14 years of age, with a seat height measuring 26.8 inches. It comes with both electric and kick start, usually starting very easily. It is also highly durable. It also offers great power capabilities. You may want to keep your child in 2^nd gear for this one, unless you are riding on a long stretch of flat dirt road. You can implement a throttle stop too, preventing your child from going too fast.