Lee Hill
Motorcycles especially designed for riding off-road, usually on rugged and irregular terrains, are known as Dirt Bikes. You can call these bikes the undisputed off-roaders of the world. They are ridden on surfaces that are generally not paved.
They are made to handle riding cross-country over rough terrains like dirt, mud, and even harsh weather conditions. These bikes have rugged tires to withstand adverse conditions and suspensions for durability and flexibility.
You can easily ride them on normal roads and pavements, but the real fun begins when used in loose dirt, mud, or gravel. These bikes are made for hitting trails and going deep.
Dirt Bikes With Electric Start
These days to keep pace with technological advancement, the market is flooded with dirt bikes with an electric start. These bikes serve the same purpose as off-road biking and are made to be ridden on rugged terrains and harsh weather conditions. The only difference is these bikes have an in-built electric start, which eliminates the need for a kick start mechanism. They have a subtle design and tend to be emission-free, which justifies their eco-friendly nature.
KTM 300XC-W
One of the latest dirt bikes with an electric start is KTM 300XC-W, a two-stroke engine and a noiseless design. Its motor was redesigned with a counterbalancer. Also, they added an integrated electric motor for convenience during off-road cruising.
HONDA CRF450X
The other popular bike in the list of dirt bikes with an electric start is the HONDA CRF450R, the modified version of the HONDA CRF450X, which became irrelevant in the past few years. This iconic beast will never fail to win the hearts of riders and biking enthusiasts. It is a highly anticipated dirt bike with all the latest features, including a full electric start system and a high-tech battery.
Razor MX350
The Razor Series of Electric Bikes for Kids and Adults is another great option. The Razor MX350 is the most popular edition meant for kids and smaller riders.
Apart from this, there are various options you can choose from, including KTM Freeride E-XC, Electric Motion Escape, Cake Kalk OR Electric Bike, and many more. Other manufacturers such as Honda and Yamaha have also shifted their focuses to electric bikes.
These bikes are mindfully designed to have a sleek and noiseless structure and can be smoothly ridden on various terrains. You can speed up to 20-22 miles per hour on an average for your light to heavy off-road cruising desires.
Adding an Electric Start to a Dirt Bike
Technology has made everything possible.
Maybe it’s time to add a little more convenience to your dirt bike and make it on par with an electric dirt bike. Although the market is flooded with various electric dirt bikes, if you already have a dirt bike at your disposal, it can easily be transformed into an electric one.
This whole idea has its advantages as well as disadvantages.
Focusing on the brighter side, your struggle with the kick start mechanism will be eliminated. This will help the cases where you are stuck on a muddy road and kick start your bike. An electric start can be beneficial as all it requires is a single push button.
How Can You Add an Electric Start to Your Dirt Bike?
Yes, you read it right! You can easily add an electric start to your existing dirt bike for the sake of convenience.
Adding the parts to give the bike an electric start is pretty simple but getting the right parts is a bit difficult. It is hard to find spare parts or aftermarket electric start kits. Even when you find one, make sure it is from a reputed company and add to your dirt bike’s value. After all, you are adding an electric start to enhance the bike’s performance. Thus this should be the consistent motive.
Also, one should always correctly go through the manual of his/her dirt bike to find the scope of modifications. If the bike is too old, making unnecessary changes is never advisable.
The entire system has to be altered to add an electric start. Adapting a generic electric start to a kick start engine can be difficult. Thus, a new engine should be ideally installed so that it fits the desired frame.
The clutch, transmission system, and generator will also undergo a few minor and significant work following the bigger battery.
Advantages of Adding an Electric Start to a Dirt Bike
Everything has its pros and cons, so does this idea of adding an electric start to an existing dirt bike.
Some of the pros are as follows:
- The struggle of kick-starting your bike gets eliminated. Just one button push and you are ready for your ride.
- Electric starter bikes reduce emissions considerably, thereby proving to be environment friendly.
- The typical noise constraint also gets eliminated as battery-operated dirt bikes tend to have a subtle design.
- Depending on the scope, if you manage to get the throttle mode, your ride becomes much more convenient than before.
- Electric starts make riding hassle-free and four strokes easier. It solves the problems of bad ankles.
- Electric Dirt Bikes are entirely weather sealed. They require no air intake, which makes them capable of even going underwater if required. They can be ridden easily in the rain without any impact on the engine or electricity. Everything from suspension to wirings can withstand rain.
- If you plan for some recreational events like motocross racing, then having an electric start would help a lot.
Disadvantages of Adding an Electric Start to a Dirt Bike
Following are some of the downsides of adding an electric start to a dirt bike:
- Your dirt bike is made to be ridden in harsh weather and irregular terrain amid the mud and dirt. The electric motor system might get easily worn off with heavy wear and tear usage.
- Electric bikes will require a battery to be operated, which adds to the bike’s weight and cost.
- Also, these batteries and electric start systems require high maintenance as compared to the kick starts.
- Dirt bikes with batteries that are to be ridden in cold areas require special care, or else the batteries will quit on you anytime.
- The process of adding an electric start is not as easy as it seems. There is a lot of hassle involved, including modifications of other parts such as clutch and transmission systems.
Alternatives to Adding an Electric Start to a Dirt Bike
You might be wanting to save on some money by adding an electric start to an existing dirt bike, but in actual practice, you may end up spending twice as much as you have planned. Also, getting the parts might take up much of your effort. In the end, there is no assurance of the reliability of how long it would last.
However, there are always other options you can go for. Buying a new dirt bike that comes with an electric start will help you in the long run.
Conclusion
It is always a good idea to change your existing methods. If you are confident about adding an electric start to your dirt bike, you can always go with it. The parts need to be carefully replaced as any loose part can create a problem in the future. Also, the cost of labor, parts, effort, and time should be thought of well as the reliability will never be very high in these cases. Thus, one should always look for the various options regarding dirt bikes with electric start.
