10 Best 50cc Dirt Bikes for Kids

Up first on our roundup is the 50 SX MINI dirt bike by KTM. If you have the budget and want a high-quality and high-performance dirt bike for your kid, then this one may be a great choice.

KTM boasts that this dirt bike is produced from top-quality components, just like adult bikes. Well, the appearance of this bike alone is pretty telling of the quality. And then you, of course, have the almost $4,000 price tag, which only a high-quality dirt bike can have.

This little guy is powered by a liquid-cooled 49cc 1-cylinder 2-stroke engine. The cylinder has a bore of 39.5m and a stroke of 40mm, which is pretty typical of around 50cc dirt bikes.

Since the engine is 2-stroke, this dirt bike is going to be pretty good when it comes to acceleration and power. With that said, it may be a little difficult for inexperienced kids to tame, which is important to keep in mind.

The transmission in the 50 SX MINI bike is single-speed automatic. Such a transmission should provide your kid with sufficient control over the bike’s power, and it should make riding this beast a little easier for your kid since they won’t need to worry about shifting gears.

The suspension here is also excellent – the front inverted fork has a whopping 8 inches of travel, while the rear shock absorber boasts around 5.8 inches of travel. This is much more than what you are going to see in many other 50cc dirt bikes out there.

Not only that, but the front and rear suspension here are both fully adjustable, which is great if your kid is looking for optimum performance in their dirt bike.

Remarkably, this dirt bike also has front and rear hydraulic disc brakes, so its braking performance should be excellent. Besides, the brakes of this bike will be much better than the drum brakes found on some of the dirt bikes we’ll see later on in the roundup.

The last thing to mention about this dirt bike is its short frame which makes the 50 SX MINI particularly good for younger kids.

• Pros:
• Fully adjustable suspension with plenty of travel.
• Powerful hydraulic disc brakes.
• Single-speed auto transmission.

Up next is the KTM 50 SX dirt bike, which essentially is a bigger variant of the 50 SX MINI bike we’ve just overviewed. As such, the core features in the two dirt bikes are the same, with the key difference between the models being the taller stature of this bike.

And due to the taller frame, the KTM 50 SX is a better option for older and taller kids, even though both 50 SX dirt bikes are advertised for kids aged from 4 to 10.

The technical specs in the 50 SX are exactly the same – you have the same 49cc 2-stroke engine with a single cylinder (39.5 mm bore and 40 mm stroke), the same automatic single-speed transmission, and the same disc brakes. In terms of controllability and performance, this dirt bike shouldn’t be too far off its mini variant.

The build quality is similar, though the 50 SX costs about $500 more than the MINI. And, of course, you have excellent suspension, though the rear shock absorber’s travel is around 7.3 inches, which is roughly 1.5 inches longer than in the MINI.

• Pros:
• Excellent long-travel suspension. 
• Powerful hydraulic disc brakes.
• Single-speed auto transmission.

The Honda CRF50F is a pretty good option if you don’t need a top-performance 50cc dirt bike. This isn’t the cheapest 50cc dirt bike out there, but it does offer a great balance between price and performance.

In this dirt bike, you have an air-cooled 49cc single-cylinder (39 mm bore & 41.4 mm stroke) 4-stroke engine. The good thing about the 4-stroke engine is that it’s going to be smoother and easier to control than the 2-stroke engines that the KTM dirt bikes come with. On the other hand, this engine isn’t going to be as good in terms of acceleration and power.

The CRF50F dirt bike also boasts a three-speed transmission. This transmission is going to require some skill to operate, but it could provide your kid with better control over the bike’s power band.

The 10.0:1 compression ratio of this dirt bike is also remarkable. This is a pretty high compression ratio, and what it basically means is that this dirt bike is going to be quite fuel-efficient. It also means though that you will have to use higher-octane fuel to uncover this bike’s potential.

The suspension here is solid, with 3.5 inches of travel in the front and 2.8 inches in the rear. This is far less than what the KTM dirt bikes are capable of, but it’s quite decent, especially when paired with the 5.8-inch ground clearance.

The brakes are drum brakes, so they aren’t going to be as effective as the disc brakes on the KTM dirt bikes. For the low price though, it’s difficult to complain. This is a great dirt bike for kids, and it has plenty of interesting features that make it a great buy for the money.

• Pros:
• Pretty inexpensive.
• Easy to control 4-stroke engine.
• 10.0:1 compression ratio.
• Decent suspension travel.

The Yamaha PW50 dirt bike is priced close to the Honda CRF50F dirt bike, but it’s quite a bit different.

The first difference to catch the eye is the air-cooled 2-stroke engine – it’s going to have more abrupt power delivery, and it’s going to be relatively difficult to tame. The cylinder here is slightly different as well with its 40mm bore and 39.2mm stroke.

Another thing that’s different in this dirt bike is its off-road performance. The PW50 dirt bike has shorter 2.4-inch travel in the front and 2-inch travel in the rear, so it’s going to be somewhat worse than the Honda dirt bike off the road. Add to this the shallower ground clearance of 3.7 inches, and you get a bike that isn’t as good at overcoming obstacles.

This isn’t necessarily bad though. If you don’t want your kid to jump around too aggressively, the shallower clearance and suspension travel in this bike may make them more cautious about what they are doing and where they are riding.

What we also like about this dirt bike is that it’s around 20 pounds lighter than the Honda dirt bike, which may matter to some people.

The last thing to keep in mind with this dirt bike is its low 6.0:1 compression ratio. On one hand, you may use less expensive low-octane fuel to power this thing. On the other hand, it’s not going to be as fuel-efficient as something like the Honda dirt bike with its 10.0:1 compression ratio.

• Pros:
• Not too expensive.
• Weighs just 90 pounds.
• Single-speed auto transmission.

For a little more money, the Yamaha TT-R50E dirt bike is quite a significant upgrade from the PW50 bike. This doesn’t mean that this dirt bike is going to be better for your kid though.

The air-cooled engine here is 4-stroke, so it’s going to have smoother and more predictable power delivery, which is nothing new for us. The cylinder here is quite different though – it has a smaller 36mm bore and longer 48.6mm stroke, which implies a few interesting effects.

A longer stroke generally means better operation in a lower RPM range, increased torque & power, increased fuel consumption, and slower revving to max RPM. On the other hand, the smaller bore is going to tone down the fuel consumption of this dirt bike a bit, as well as reduce its power.

Overall, what this implies is that this dirt bike is going to be better at lower ranges. In other words, this bike should be better at overcoming obstacles and steep inclines.

The compression ratio here is pretty high – 9.5:1, to be exact. As we already know, such a high compression ratio implies better fuel efficiency, but you will need to use more expensive high-octane fuel.

The suspension travel here is decent – 3.8 inches in the front and 2.8 inches in the rear. Paired with a max ground clearance of 5.3 inches, this means much better off-road performance than in the Yamaha PW50 dirt bike.

One feature that should also be noted in the TT-R50E dirt bike is its electric starter. This feature allows you to start up the dirt bike with a push of a button. This isn’t something you must have, but it makes this dirt bike a little convenient.

One thing you may dislike about this dirt bike is its weight of 126 pounds. It’s pretty heavy – 36 pounds heavier than the Yamaha PW50 and 16 pounds heavier than the Honda CRF50F dirt bike. This isn’t a problem per se, but it may be a big issue for some people.

• Pros:
• Easy to tame 4-stroke engine.
• Not too pricey.
• Push-button electric start.
• 9.5:1 compression ratio.
• Decent suspension travel.

The Suzuki DR-Z50 dirt bike is a good alternative to the Yamaha TT-50RE dirt bike. More precisely, if you don’t like the idea of slow revving in the Yamaha bike, then the DR-Z50 bike may be a better option.

At the base level, the two bikes are similar. Namely, they both have air-cooled 4-stroke engines, and the compression ratio of this bike is pretty close to that of the TT-50RE – 9.7:1, to be exact. In terms of fuel efficiency and fuel requirements, the two dirt bike models should be similar.

The cylinder here is a more conventional one – it has a 39mm bore size and a 41.8mm stroke. With the much shorter stroke, this bike is going to be worse in the lower RPM range but better at the high end. The shorter stroke also means less fuel consumption, while the larger bore implies a little bit more power. 

The suspension travel in this dirt bike appears to be decent. Suzuki indicates that the travel in the front is 3.8 inches, but they say nothing about the rear suspension travel. The ground clearance is indicated at 5.3 inches, which should mean similar off-road performance to what Yamaha TT-50RE delivers.

The last thing to mention about this bike is its weight – while this bike is 7 pounds lighter than the TT-50RE, 119 pounds of weight still makes it a pretty heavy unit.

• Pros:
• Quite cheap.
• Easy to control 4-stroke engine.
• High compression ratio.
• Decent transmission travel.

The KTM kids’ dirt bikes we’ve reviewed at the very beginning seemed pretty rad, right? Well, the Cobra CX50 FWE dirt bike is even better! If you are ready to pay slightly over $5,000 for a dirt bike, then this guy may be the right option.

The engine here is liquid-cooled and 2-stroke, with the cylinder having a 39mm bore size and 41.7mm stroke length. Nothing special, even though the 2-stroke engine has great power and quick acceleration. In terms of engine power, this dirt bike is on par with the KTM bikes.

The brakes are also pretty similar – you are getting high-performance hydraulic disc brakes both in the rear and front. The KTM bikes again have this. The same applies to the transmission – you are again getting a single-speed auto gearbox, which is great for kids.

With the suspension, things become quite different. The front suspension is fully adjustable and has around 8.27 inches of travel, a little more than the KTM 50SX. If this didn’t seem impressive enough, then what about the fully adjustable rear suspension with 9.76 inches of travel? A little reminder – the KTM 50SX had a “mere” 7.3 inches of rear travel suspension!

And when you combine the excellent suspension travel with about 9.65 inches of ground clearance, you are getting a dirt bike that’s an absolute monster off the road!

This thing, of course, costs accordingly. But if performance is key for your kid, then maybe this is the very best 50cc dirt bike option for their needs!

• Pros:
• Fully adjustable suspension with plenty of travel.
• Single-speed auto transmission.
• 9.6 inches of ground clearance.
• Hydraulic disk brakes.
• Weighs just 91 pounds.

The Cobra CX50 JR dirt bike is a little cheaper alternative to the CX50 FWE, and it’s got slightly worse off-road performance. With that said, if you think that the CX50 FWE is overkill for your kid, then maybe the JR variant will be better.

The engine and transmission in this dirt bike appear to be identical to what CX50 FWE has, so there’s not much to cover here. The same goes for the hydraulic disc brakes. What does differ between the two Cobra dirt bikes is their suspension, clearance, weight, and size.

CX50 JR has a slightly shallower clearance than the FWE dirt bike – 8.5 inches, around 1.1 inches less than in the CX50 FWE. Then, you also have rear and front suspension systems with less travel – around 6.7 inches for both. This is excellent, but it’s nowhere near what the CX50 FWE dirt bike has.

In terms of weight, the CX50 JR is on the top – it weighs 81 pounds, 10 pounds less than the FWE. Not that 91 pounds is too heavy, but if you care about weight, then 81 will be better than 91.

Finally, this dirt bike is a little smaller than the FWE – it has a seat height of 607 mm (680 in the FWE) and a wheelbase of 908 mm (990 in the FWE). Due to this, the CX50 JR may be a better option for shorter or/and younger kids.

• Pros:
• 8.5 inches of ground clearance.
• Fully adjustable suspension with solid travel.
• Single-speed auto transmission.
• Hydraulic disc brakes.
• Weighs just 81 pounds.

The CX50 P3 is the cheapest dirt bike offered by Cobra (though it’s not cheap by itself). It’s the smallest and least rugged Cobra dirt bike as well, but it still has plenty of things to offer.

Like it was with the FWE and JR, the engine, transmission, and the hydraulic disc brakes are very similar here. What differs is again the clearance, suspension, weight, and size.

The clearance, albeit the shallowest in Cobra dirt bikes, is very solid – 7 inches is no joke. The same applies to the suspension – about 5.1 inches (front and rear) are pretty solid, but it’s nothing special after the figures we have seen with the FWE dirt bike.

We can’t say the same for the weight and size though. The P3 weighs just 79 pounds, and it also has an 889mm wheelbase and 558mm seat height. So if you think that the CX50 JR will be too big for your kid, then this dirt bike may be the best option.

• Pros:
• 7 inches of ground clearance.
• Fully adjustable suspension with decent travel.
• Hydraulic disc brakes.
• Weighs just 79 pounds.

Finally, we have the SX50-A bike by SSR. This bike is marketed as a pit bike, which implies some differences from regular dirt bikes. However, a pit bike is still a dirt bike in the sense that it’s designed for off-road use.

With that said, there are some key features that make this bike very different from the ones overviewed.

First off, this pit bike has a 2-stroke engine, which isn’t typical of pit bikes. Pit bikes usually come with 4-stroke engines. Due to its 2-stroke engine, this thing is going to have less smooth power delivery and is thus will be a little more difficult to control.

The cylinder bore is 44.02 mm and the stroke length is 33.2 mm, which implies a good amount of power and quicker revving towards high RPMs. Whether this is good for your kid or not is up to you to decide.

The ground clearance here is great – 8.5 inches is more than what most dirt bikes we reviewed have. With that said, it’s difficult to say how this thing will perform off the road since SSR doesn’t provide information on its suspension travel.

But overall, pit bikes tend to be worse than dirt bikes off the road, which probably applies to this model as well.

The weight of this pit bike is pretty remarkable – 48.5 pounds is lighter than anything we’ve reviewed. Not only that, but this bike is actually the cheapest bike on the list, which isn’t surprising – pit bikes tend to be much cheaper than dirt bikes.

At the same time, this bike isn’t that much smaller than other models – it has a seat height of around 660 mm and a wheelbase of around 914 mm, so it may be a better option for older or taller kids.

While a pit bike isn’t a true dirt bike, the SX50-A small, lightweight, and not too powerful, which makes it a great option for children.  It may lack some durability compared to more rugged kids’ dirt bikes, but it’s an excellent option for a growing rider, especially for the money.

• Pros:
• Very inexpensive.
• 8.5 inches of ground clearance.
• Weighs just 48.5 pounds.