Pit bike enthusiasts are growing more and more, let’s find out the reasons for such a thunderous boom in recent years. Pit bikes are road or off-road bikes, usually quite small, which were originally used to extricate themselves and move around in the pits or in the various parking areas during a motocross race .
Since the early years of the new millennium, however, things have changed, and real pit bike races have been organized: for obvious reasons, there are numerous similarities with motocross.
In the US , the success of pit bikes has been enormous, especially in the southern California area. When it comes to pit bikes, the reference can also be addressed precisely to the use of those mini bikes that are used for travel in various types of events dedicated to two wheels.
The first pit bike
This denomination dates back to the use of a Honda Z50 which made it possible to turn around the areas dedicated to the pit stops of many races or championships dedicated to two wheels organized in the USA.
Among the main characteristics of these species of mini bikes we undoubtedly find a rather low price and a remarkable ease of movement. It is therefore clear that they have been increasingly used in numerous events. Moving without problems in small spaces such as pits: this is one of the many problems that pit bikes have solved.
Subsequently Honda decided to rename this sort of mini bike, calling it XR50 in 1999, introducing a large number of modifications to relaunch it on the market. Among the most obvious changes, we find a petrol tank that has been made of plastic, the presence of a single shock absorber in the rear, a plastic seat and a structure that, more generally, has been completely overturned.
From that moment, therefore, accessories and spare parts for this kind of mini bike have also begun to spread. A market that has undergone a turning point in recent years, with the advent on the web of numerous specific portals, such as.
The two main categories of pit bikes
There are often two main categories of pit bikes on the market, namely the cross and the motard ones. The former are used above all by those who need to face off-road or dirt races and routes and, consequently: this first model can count on tires that are fitted with special studs to overcome all the pitfalls of the terrain.
The motard version , on the other hand, is developed to tackle asphalted tracks and is always fitted with track tires. It is suggested to start using the pit bike at an age between 10 and 11 , obviously also keeping an eye on the height.
It is also good to remember that this kind of mini bike is absolutely not made to be able to circulate on the road. In fact, these are vehicles that do not have the registration document, as well as the lights and the license plate and, consequently, can be used exclusively for races.
It is also interesting to note that in pit bikes, maintenance costs are often quite limited: the oil change is usually scheduled after a certain number of uses, while based on wear, you can proceed with the change of the brake plates. front or rear.