Mini Moto Maintenance

As a continuation of our guide to mini motos, today's post will be dealing with the maintenance of your mini moto and how to keep it it in good working order.

Knowing what actions to take and how often to keep your bike running is essential to ownership. Some general pointers to mention first:

• Read the manual! This cannot be stressed enough. The manual will be your first port of call for diagnosing any problems with your bike. Using the manual, help to familiarise yourself with the locations of the parts of your bike. Take heed of any precautions or special routines you must do before first running your bike.
• Mini Motos will not run on straight petrol, you will need to make a mix of petrol with special two stroke engine oil at a ratio of 25:1. Failure to do so can cause a lot of damage to your engine. Have some pre-mixed to take with you when riding your moto.
• Having at least a basic working knowledge of your mini moto will help you to diagnose and prevent problems. If possible, have someone with experience on hand to help you work on your moto.
• Know how to properly start your mini moto. Not following the correct start up procedure could result in damage or premature wear to certain parts. Read your manual for the correct procedure.
  

Prevention is better than cure, as the saying goes. Therefore it makes sense to have regular check ups of certain parts and systems on your mini moto. We have outlines some maintenance checks below which you should find useful.

Very frequently, ideally before every ride, you should be checking the following:

• Check all cables, especially the brakes. Are there any signs of fraying or corrosion? Are they taught? If you suspect any problems replace the cable as soon as possible.
• Brakes; do they feel worn? Has any mud or other debris got onto the braking surface? Don't forget to check the brake leavers also, are they correctly adjusted according the manual.
• Are all the nuts and bolts sufficiently tight? A loose nut or bolt could be potentially dangerous. Do not over tighten.
  
• Check the tyre pressure. Under inflated tyres will wear the tread quickly. Mini moto tyres are very small and so wear qucikly and need to be monitored closely.
  
• Clean your air filter; dry it thoroughly again before use.
• Last but not least, wash your moto regularly. Debris, dirt and mud getting into mechanical parts can prevent them from working properly and decrease their working life.

Less frequently, but still on a regular basis:

• Clean your chain properly, then lube it with good quality oil. This will help keep your ride smooth and extend the working life your mini moto chain and sprockets.
• Remove and clean out any debris from the carburetta.
• Look at and check the steering and engine bolts, make sure they are tight and secure. Also, check your wheel and steering bearings to see if they are worn.
• Check the clutch pads, adjust the clutch accordingly if necessary.

These pointers along with any other specifics mentioned in the manual should help you to get the most out of your mini moto. If you need to replace any parts we stock a range of mini moto spares on our website.

Mini Moto Guide

To assist those who already own a mini moto, or for those looking to purchase in the future, we are providing a short guide for those new to this exciting world of mini motos!

An introduction to Mini motos:
Mini motos are scaled down racing bikes, between 15 and 18 inches high and weighing between 15 and 25kg. Mini moto racing is a popular sport for both children and adults. They can be a lot of fun to ride, and offer relatively cheap thrills when compared to a car or motorcycle. Despite looking like toys, they are fully functional and need to be used with the proper safety precautions, covered later.

They come in two sizes, mini and midi motos. There is no formal distinction between either, however midis are normally around 10% bigger than minis. Due to this, many people prefer the extra comfort and features offered by a midi, although there is a trade off in agility.

Technical features:
For those who do not yet own a mini moto, we have compiled and listed some interesting facts that you may find useful:

• The average max speed of a mini moto is about 39MPH. This is one reason why mini motos should not be used on the road (unless privately owned).
• Despite having a low max speed, motos are tuned to give lots of low down power and instant acceleration, which can come as a surprise to some!
• Mini motos are rear wheel driven by a chain connected to an axle.
• They will fit in most average sized family cars such as an estate or 4x4.
• Mini motos will not run purely on common unleaded petrol alone, a mixture of 50 parts petrol to 1 part oil is required (30:1 before running the engine in).
• All mini moto bikes are automatic (a twist throttle on one side of the handlebar and brake on the other).

• They are capable of carrying up to an average weight man safely.
• Many aftermarket upgrades and spares are available. We at Fun Bikes stock mini moto spares

Safety precautions:

• As with other motor vehicles, mini motos can be dangerous; you will need to wear the necessary safety equipment and clothing. Here is an overview of what you will need:
• Firstly and most importantly, a well fitting, good quality motorcycle helmet.
• Standard motorcycle gloves, flexible and armoured.
• Full body motorcycle leathers, or if possible, a specifically designed mini moto suit.
• For knee protection when cornering, knee sliders are essential.
• Good motorcycle boots.
• Kids will need their own protective safety jacket.

If being used regularly, it is a good idea to take mini moto spares around with your bike such as sprockets, foot pegs and brake pads, as well spare fuel, type pressure gauge and tool kit. Hopefully you have found these tips to be useful, if you need more advice in choosing your next mini or midi moto, please contact the team at Fun Bikes.

Quad Bike Buying Tips

Deciding on which Quad Bike to purchase can be quite a headache, features and specifications vary widly from bike to bike. To assist in the buying process, we have come up with a list of some useful pointers;

• Firstly, where is the quad going to be used; off-road, on-road or both. This is very important to know. If the bike is primarily for road use, it may not be necessary to have a bike with four wheel drive (this will affect fuel consumption and overall cost). You may find an automatic gearbox more appropriate for road use; a manual gearbox will suit off-roading as it allows finer control of power being used.

• Choosing engine size will depend on where the bike is going to be used. For on-road use, a bike with a larger engine capacity may be easier to use as torque will be higher, making more power available lower down the rev range. This would provide more pull and a smoother experience on the road, where comfort is important.

• Who will be riding the bike? If it is for a child, the bike should have the physical dimensions to suit a child, as well as a small engine size, such as our FunBike Mini Quad range. The specifications for the bike should include the carrying capacity; this will be a good guide as to whether the bike is suitable for an adult or child.

• For children, the quad bike should have an enclosed foot-well for added protection.

• If possible, ideally test-drive a range of bikes that you or your child is interested in. Check that it is comfortable, is fit for the intended purpose, and suits your riding abilities.

• Make sure spare parts are readily available for your model. We sell a full range of Quad Bike spares for our Bikes.

Hopefully you will find these tips useful when it comes to purchasing a Quad Bike. Please check our range of Quad Bikes for the latest deals and offers. Contact us if you need any further assistance.

The New KXD 50 Mini Dirt Bike & KXD 125R Dirt Bike

The KXD 50 is one of the latest mini dirt bikes from Funbikes. Available in a variety of colours these stylish mini dirt bikes are designed for kids 10 years and up, and hold a weight of about 13 stone safely (they can also be ridden by adults within the weight limits). This bike is great for stunts, wheelies, doughnuts etc.

There are 2 different models, one with smaller wheels the other with larger wheels but otherwise performance is the same for both styles. Each has a newly designed frame and big bore exhausts, adjustable rear shock absorbers, upside front forks, front and rear disc brakes and chrome handlebars.

Safety feature include a retractable throttle and rocker style kill switch.

The engine is identical to an air-cooled mini-moto, though the dirt bike has more low down pulling power with instant acceleration, and fantastic wheelie power. What’s more it has no gears, it's fully automatic - just rev n go.

The bikes dimensions are 56cm (height) and 112 cm (length.)

What’s more if you buy from funbikes then you get full after sales service and free technical backup, and of course we stock all the spares and repairs you may need for your KXD mini dirt bike, as well as a great range of performance parts.

If a mini dirt bike isn’t your thing then we have the KXD125R dirt bike. This full sized adult dirt bike is built on a heavily developed race winning chassis. The engineers have fitted a 125cc Lifan high performance engine, to give you power to match this dirt bikes cool looks!

Like its 50cc counterpart, the KXD 125R dirt bike comes in several colour schemes and each of these 4-stroke bikes can hit the 60 mph mark.

Other features of this dirt bike include:

> 125cc High Performance 4-Stroke Engine
> All Up N-1-2-3-4 Gearbox
> Unique KXD Frame
> Big Bore BBR Thumper Exhaust
> Mikuni Carb
> Pro-Link Style Rear Suspension
> Upside Down Oil Filled Forks
> Twin Pot Brake Calipers
> Fold-back Clutch and Brake Levers
> Alloy Gear Lever
> Adjustable Rear Shock
> Extended Rear Swing Arm
> Engine Bash Plate
> High Strength Gold Chain
> 14 Inch Front Wheel / 12 Inch Rear Wheel
> 80 cm Seat height

Whats more we are currently selling these bikes at £100 off the price for the first 5 of each colour sold, but when they are gone they are gone and it’s back to full price I’m afraid.

Remember that like our mini dirt bikes these full size 125cc dirt bikes have the same after service and technical help that all Funbikes products have.