Neighbor kid down the street got one of these Indian eFTR JR bikes in the spring. Our oldest (turns 10 this month) has ridden it a few times, and has been BEGGING for us to get him one for his birthday. I've been into motorcycles my whole life, and think it's a great idea. Wife is, somewhat surprisingly, 100% onboard as well. So we can scoot right past the "but it's dangerous" part of the discussion and move right to the "which one do I get" portion.
After tons and tons and tons of research. I settled on the Mototec 48V W Electric DirtBike. I have a tendency to slightly overbuy up front so that I don't have to worry about upgrading soon after the initial purchase. Most online reviews say that the speed and power controls are great, it's decently built, and fits my 10yr olds frame pretty well. I'm ready to buy.......but they're out of stock. Everywhere in the US, they're out of stock. I'm on waiting lists in like 14 sites. Seriously, it's worse than trying to find a new jetboat right now.
So I went out looking at what else was out there. I don't want to waste away his summer looking for the "perfect" bike, when he can still have a lot of fun on an "acceptable" bike right now.
Wife found a Razor MX500 one county away for $250. This is a full $750 less expensive than the Mototec unit I found online, and it looks (from the pictures) that it has never been ridden before. Now, this is only a 36V unit with a 500W motor, so it'll be down on power a little compared to the other one but should still drag him around just fine. I'm sure the Indian the neighbor kid is ridding is an MX500 (maybe a 650) in Indian marketing clothes. I've found a few upgrade kits online to move the MX500 powertrain UP to a 48V W setup, for under $600. Would be into a much faster/more powerful driveline this way, for still less money than the Mototec setup. HOWEVER, I'm unsure on component quality like shocks/wheels/tires/etc. I suspect Mototec is a chinese "knockoff" level bike, and the Razor is US made for cheap, so gut tells me it's probably a wash.
Wife also found a Razor MX650 on facebook for $425. Has a 36V 650W driveline with the same chassis as the MX500. But it's $200 more. Same issue on component quality concerns.
My gut tells me to go ahead and get the gently used MX500. Make sure the turkey actually rides the thing and doesn't get bored with it. If he likes it we can either replace it or upgrade it over the winter to make it go faster/further/etc.
If money and timing were no object (they always are right?), then I think the Volcon Runt would be my "go to" electric motorcycle. Sadly they still aren't shipping yet (just this morning has the "buy now" button appeared), and are largely unproven. Maybe this is next years birthday and the MX500 gets handed down to the then 4yr old?!?!
A few other thoughts. Can't go gas, or I would be plunking down money on a CRF100F instead of posting. We're in a suburban neighborhood, but happen to be on the last street that backs up to a 14acre hay field. Owner says he doesn't care if the boys ride back there, but doesn't want to deal with the cops getting called. We've seen some other bikes show up that are somewhat loud (uncorked 4strokes and a couple 2 strokes), and the cops arrive within minutes. So we're not going there, gotta stay electric. Here's the area they get to ride:
Anyone here have ANY experience with electric dirt bikes for kids? Any other makes/models to look at that I might have missed. Going tonight with cash in hand to see the MX500 (and bring it home if I can figure out how to get it in the Audi).
Had an mx500 for my daughter. She loved to ride around on that thing. Got tired of the electric though and dealing with replacing batteries, charging and limited ride time. I got rid of it and got her a honda crf50. That was much better. Teaches her how to kick start and gives her 3 gears, no clutch, so it gets her familiar with shifting. Much better choice all around than the electric. Size wise the 2 bikes are the same. For a 10 year old though with either one you are going to have limited years your kid will fit that bike. The crf though you can buy, ride for a couple few years and sell it for about what you bought it for. They hold their value extremely well. I think i had mine for 4 years and actually made 100 bucks when i sold it.
Thanks for the feedback.
I totally get the MX500 is a temp solution (maybe a summer or two). If he likes riding, I'll move him up to a 100cc-ish 4-stroke and we'll start hitting local trails and such.
How is the CRF50 on noise compared to the MX500? Obviously louder, but is it obnoxious loud, or whisper quiet? I might be able to swing a gas if I can make is whisper quiet, or at least more quite than a lawn mower. Any thoughts?