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OrDieTrial'n

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  1. splatered: I'm gasser through and through, and share the same hesitation about electric, but there's just not a good fit for my sized kid. I'll try this out a year or two until he grows into something with some real fire in its pants. timdog: thanks! that's exactly the kind of information I was hoping to hear. The boy has a lot of fun on this bike for the first 20 mins or so when it has some life in it. If I could get that up to an hour that'd be spectacular. boost pack it is. carlos: for what it's worth I started my kid around 5 1/2 - 6. Could have probably started younger on a smaller electric bike but mom would've killed us both.
  2. Recently made the move to electric from a beta 50cc. Haven't found a ton of first hand experience with the mini electrics; thought I'd post this, maybe help someone else out. I've got an 8 year old. Weighs ... 60lbs?/30kg -- soaking wet. 4'4" ish, which is 135cm according to google. Loved his 50cc but was outgrowing it. Skill-wise. The centrifugal clutch really stunk when things got muddy or steep or generally needed to avoid spinning out the rear. That, and it was very heavy for him. All was great until it started to tip a bit. Really wanted something with a clutch, but no luck in his size. We drove out to see an 80cc Beta Junior but it was too big, not to mention exceedingly expensive (used!). Long story short: Beta 20 Mini Electric. Brand new. Had to wait a bit for dealer to do their thing. Anyway, half the weight of the gasser. Size fits him perfect. Still no clutch but at its highest power setting the front end picks up pretty fast/easy. My boy absolutely loves it. Only real downside: battery life. The manual says 2 hours at constant velocity but they must mean riding downhill. 36V sealed lead acid batteries last about 40-45 minutes... tops! Super fun the first 10-15 mins, then so-so the next 10-15, and limp home mode after that. For reference, my boy really likes fast steep climbs and (attempting) to wheelie. Both of those mean short high power bursts that likely do a real number on the batteries. So maybe 20 minutes of "real" riding. If you let it rest a bit you can get 5-10 more mins out of it. I am currently looking into Lithium packs. I read good things about them, but we just bought this new, and a good pack with charger is pretty spendy. That, and I'm a little skeptical. I'd hate to dump a lot more money for an extra 10 minutes of mediocre ride time. Hope this helps someone. Maybe adds some perspective. Kid loves the bike, real nice being able to throw it in the boot and not flood the carb (or my car), but ride time is a bummer.
  3. Just to close this out, we ended up with a Beta Electric 20. Mixed feelings. Will post a few thoughts in the Beta forum.
  4. There are 2 Rev 50's around, but so dang far away. We'll have to drive out to see one. Must be honest, in doing some digging, I'm really starting to like the new e-bikes. Oset or Beta 20. But I'm hung up on the no-clutch thing. Will I be shorting my boy starting him on a newer bike with no clutch? He (currently) really does like his kick starting, too.
  5. thanks all, really appreciate the feedback. as much as I like the TY's I don't think they're a good match for what my kid would like to do. There is a Beta 50 around that's getting its transmission 'redone', has a cable clutch. Will check it out but am worried a cable pull might be too hard on the kid, tire him out. And waiting to hear the price. Also found an ad for a gas gas '2 gear' txt 50 with clutch. the add reads 'high speed and low speed'. Never seen or heard of such a thing. It appears to be a shifter you push through the bike across the engine. Then I guess kick it back with your brake foot? It's a lot more expensive though. But your responses have given me some good leads, thanks!
  6. Hello all. Long time listener, first time caller. Great place you have here. Have been going crazy looking to upgrade my 8 year old from a clutchless 50cc Beta Minitrial to something with a clutch and more than two gears... but not an adult sized bike. Any ideas? I'm having trouble making heads/tails of models like "Cadet, Rookie, Boy" etc as I cannot find any real info/specs on bike/frame/tire size on the official websites. Unfortunately I'm not in an area with a lot of trials motorcycles or I'd go out and have a look myself. My boy is confident enough on his Minitrial, but wants to follow dad into places that little thing just can't get. The centrifugal clutch means the bike loses traction in all but the driest conditions. Not to mention the tires (even new) are hard as a rock and not very knobby. 50cc is still fine, he's light, and even electric would be great, as long as it has a clutch and real rubber underneath it. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!!
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