Stroking, shifting the gear to one, while holding the clutch; stroking again quickly, shifting the gear to two while feathering the clutch; stroking again, and this time shifting gear to three while focusing on the clutch as well… and it goes on forever that can get you confused and perhaps, you end up going on foot.
Imagine you get a ride that will do all of this stuff by itself and you get to ride without any jibber-jabber?
Wish granted!
Automatic dirt bikes, my master.
However, whenever, you’d talk about having an automatic dirt bike, other riders might discourage you by saying “ hey, are you a chicken?”, “automatic is no good”, “these are toys”, and bla bla bla.
Don’t listen to them, if you want an unnerving bike that’s gonna make you happy, go for the automatic.
Here are some reasons that it’s a bad idea to get an automatic dirt bike:
- You don’t want one
- You care too much about what other people think!
That said, it’s time for a ride through some interesting facts about these bikes.
What Is An Automatic Dirt Bike?
An automatic dirt bike has an automatic transmission or gearbox through which the power is transferred from the engine to the drivetrain, which works to drive bike into motion. The purpose of automatic transmission is to automatically engage and disengage the clutch and ease the process of gear selection.
In short, it’s a bike that doesn’t require the biker to indulge in changing gears through conventional manual clutches. Therefore, these bikes are also known as “twist and go” bikes because a rider can simply twist the throttle.
These bikes are specifically designed for off-road bike junkies that don’t like to get confused with changing gears while having the qualities of a traditional manual dirt bike such as long-travel suspension, wide off-road tires, and other accessories for riding across unpaved terrain. Simply putting, in automatic dirt bikes, the automatic gearbox system does the job for the rider itself. It will not teach you how to use and change gears. Therefore, it is perfect for riders, especially kids who don’t want to or don’t know how to use gears.
However, by automatic doesn’t mean that they will go on by themselves as in an automatic transmission in a car. Rather, they have some of their parts automated and it’s appropriate to call them semi-automatic transmission dirt.
Unfortunately, professional riders don’t like the idea of having automatic transmission dirt bikes as these bikes apparently don’t give them the thrill and focus that they have on manuals. Therefore, these bikes are not that common or popular, and generally manufacturers supply these bikes in smaller sizes for kids use. Fully automatic dirt bikes for adults are very rare, though there are adults that love to ride on these bikes.
Should I Get a Manual or Automatic Dirt Bike?
It totally depends on what features your looking for and the budget. There is a misconception about automatic dirt bikes that they are for kids only. However, adults love to ride on these bikes as well. But we’d like to mention that manual dirt bikes are more thrilling to ride than automatic dirt bikes. Manual dirt bikes are sportful than automatic dirt bikes as they have superb speed, acceleration.
Pros and Cons of Automatic Dirt Bikes
| Pros | Cons |
| For a beginner dirt bike rider it’s easy to understand the bike’s mechanism | Acceleration is not strong, however, advancement in automatic transmissions is improving in this weakness. |
| Automatic transmissions/gearbox bikes are great for kids | They are huge in size and are heavier than a manual transmission. But don’t worry, it won’t be bothersome for you as it’s automatic |
| Dirt bikes with an automatic gearboxes are easier to handle | There are more components and riders can get confused sometimes, which means more that could potentially go wrong. |
| Their usage is easy to understand and less likely to get damage even under the hands of newbie | Some riders report that automatic transmission dirt bikes don’t provide the rider with as much control and can become boring after a while, unless you are intending to travel on a mountain for days. |
| Feathering of the clutch is done automatically | Automatic transmission dirt bikes are expensive as compared to manual transmissions. |
| A very comfortable ride not just for kids, also for adults. | Not as many varieties of this bike are available to choose from as in manual dirt bikes. |
| It takes more power from the engine making it inefficient power wise. | |
| Not fuel-efficient Not good for racing competitions |
Before You Ride Your Automatic Dirt Bike
Let’s begin.
Before you ride.
Safety Check for Riding an Automatic Dirt Bike
- Always wear proper protective gear such as:
- Put on a safety helmet
- Elbow pads, knees pads and wrist guards
- Long sleeved shirt, long pants
- Gloves
- Lace up shoes with rubber soles
Automatic Dirt Bike Brake Check
- Check the brakes to see if they are functioning properly or do you need quick bike brake adjustment.
- When the lever is squeezed it will slow or stop the rear wheel without excessive effort.
- When you apply the brake with the throttle on, the brake cut off switch should stop the motor.
- Make sure that the brakes are not rubbing against each other when the lever is not being squeezed.
- Do not ride the automatic dirt bike if the brakes are not functioning properly
Twisting Throttle to Turn On Your Automatic Dirt Bike
When the power switch is placed in the “ON” mode, twist the throttle to initiate the motor and the electric dirt bike will get going. Be sure that before the throttle is twisted you are in an open and safe area to ride—don’t do this in your room.
How Do You Start an Automatic Dirt Bike?
- When all of these are checked, it’s time to start the automatic dirt bike.
- Put your foot on the brake, which is usually on your right side, to turn the dirt bike on.
- Accelerate a little bit and give it some gas. You should be in first gear.
- Press on the pedal on the front of your left side and your bike will automatically shift the gear to the second.
- Let up on the gas, and the bike will automatically shift the gear to third
Automatic Dirt Bike vs Manual Dirt Bike
A manual or traditional dirt bike is bigger in size and the rider has to pull in the clutch with the left hand and then shift up or down with the left foot before releasing the clutch to change the gear. The release needs some feathering and skill or often you find riders popping the clutch or turning the engine off if it doesn’t have not enough power. Unless you have the bike in neutral, you need to keep the motor running with a manual transmission.
With an automatic dirt bike, this clutch and gear process is done automatically for you. Most of the little kids beginner automatic dirt bikes just use the gas and may not even have shifting options at all.
However, in adult/full size bikes riders can have a Rekluse installed so to be able to have the bike running while in gear and not holding the clutch in. And when starting or going up hills it does not turn off when the rider isn’t giving it enough gas or feathering the clutch because it is automatically doing. With a rekluse rider gets to manually shift gears with his foot to have more control.
