Mini Bikes And Predators: First Impressions

JTSpeedDemon

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So I was at a friends house today, and I got to ride their kart and minibike(two other bikes, a Doodlebug in pieces, and a Baja Warrior buried in the garage, but we didn't get to ride them).

The minibike was a Monster Moto 80, with a SMOKIN' 2 HP!!:lolgoku:

Even though my dad won't let me have a minibike, I took this chance to ride one. First time ever, so I decided to share my first impressions.

I gotta say: for only 2 HP, it scooted pretty well! Better than a 2 HP kart due to less weight and rotational mass. Takeoff was a little slow, but after kicking along a bit, it got up to a comfortable governed top speed of about 20-25 MPH! The brakes worked great(I think they were hydraulic).

As I expected I would, it felt a little scary leaning every time I wanted to make a turn, as it didn't handle as well as my bicycle.
On the topic of handling, the forks don't turn that much, maybe a 1/4 of a turn! It was a little scary, but by leaning and turning the forks to the max I got a respectable turning circle.

And as I expected, the twist throttle wasn't comfortable to me, having my wrist down wasn't that comfortable, and since it was low power, I was in that position almost the whole time.

So overall, I think mini bikes are fun and cool, but even with a high power one, I'd rather have a kart.



PS - Their kart was an old bodied kart with a Dr Pepper NASCAR body(love the drink), that they had transplanted a Predator 212 non hemi onto.
I was not impressed with the Predator. The pull start felt heavy and dull, and the engine never ran right. I suspect a dirty carb, but it always wanted a little choke. I know this was just this particular engine, but anyways. And the 212 was physically much larger than a Briggs.
I could get full speed out of it, but only by gassing it, then flipping off the choke. With the stock jackshaft and gearing, top speed was maybe 18 MPH.


In short, I'll stick to Briggs-powered karts! Glad I got to experience Predators and minibikes though. :cheers2:
 

J.S.@SMS

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Yeah, you've never used a twist throttle before. The trick is to start with your wrist all the way up, so that while you're at WOT, your wrist is almost level (maybe a slight bit down). And see if your friend can get that Baja going. Those handle pretty well (or at least mine does). And I'm not sure what type of area you live in (suburbia, rural America, mountains, etc), but around me (rural) there are some spots I can get to on my minibike that even our quads can't go, let alone my karts.
 

JTSpeedDemon

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Suburbia around here.

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to remember that!

The Warrior does run, but it was out of gas and buried.
 

JTSpeedDemon

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:roflol:

Yeah, I'm not impressed with stock Predators, but modded ones.......:devil2:

Another thing about the mini bike I found a little irritating, was the exhaust blowing on my leg! :roflol:
 

J.S.@SMS

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That's another nice thing about the baja's. They come with a little stamped piece of sheet metal that directs the exhaust down, and even if that falls off, the exhaust goes straight back. And I have one stock predator that'll throw you back in the seat, hard, with 4.8:1 gearing and 11x6-6 slicks. And once the clutch locks up it'll spin the tires on demand.
 

Budget GoKart

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My stock 212 hemi with stock streaker gearing hits 40 governed with the throttle screw backed out. It wont spin the tire though yet itll climb a hill easyily.
 

karl

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The minibike was a Monster Moto 80, with a SMOKIN' 2 HP!!:lolgoku:

I bought a new Monster moto 212cc "7.5hp" bike, the fancy one with torque converter. Its quite nice out of the box, I think Ill actually leave it stock. Lots of fun, big step up from the 80 :thumbsup:
 

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jmaack

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a stock predator and a torque converter on a baja bike will fly. on a moto monster it will be a death trap and I am currently on the hunt for one to put another predator on.
 

jmaack

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this has been on letgo for weeks. I am tempted to offer 100 and just RIP the engine off.
 

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Budget GoKart

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I have been hunting for a decent baja warrior for the longest time. Still havent had a good enough one to keep they have all been clapped out or missing the tanks?
 
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