Tidbits About Pocket Bikes

Pocket bikes are fascinating smaller versions of Grand Prix motorcycles. Hence they look like miniature sport bikes and are also used for racing, but on kart racing tracks instead of original Grand Prix racing tracks.

These bikes have a height of nearly 50 cm and measure around 1 meter in length. The engines used in them are usually 39 to 50 cc two-stroke engines delivering a maximum of around 17 to 18 horsepower. Their speed generally ranges from 30 to 90 kmph. However, nowadays four-stroke engines are also being used in the pocket bikes to satisfy the stricter pollution laws, besides trying to improve the performance.

The pocket bike craze encountered its peak during the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States. With the first of their kind being casually built by bike-enthusiasts with just spare parts lying useless with them, they eventually went on to be built in the factories of many famous companies like Arctic-Cat, Rupp, Taco, Heath, Gilson, and Fox.

These bikes were first used as "pit-bikes" such as to be driven around in pits during races. In this field they gained rapid popularity due to certain characteristics of theirs like their capability of maneuvering well in tight pit roads, of fitting in spaces small enough for bicycles and having higher speeds than other available means of transportation. Soon there grew a market for these minibikes, as they are also called. This led to the blossoming up of a number of major and cottage industries which started manufacturing this these types of bikes.

Gradually, avenues widened for these types of bikes leading to the advent of newer sports like Pocket bike racing, also known as Minimoto or Mini GP racing where these bikes are raced around in kart tracks. Japan and Europe being the pioneers in this sport, it is currently gaining acclaim at all parts of the world.

For more information, visit easypocketbikes.com or luckyscooters.com. Both sites offer information on pocket bikes, as well as super pocket bikes.