10 Dec 2010 11:46
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Originally pit bikes were used for moving around the staging area or pit of motocross races (hence the name), however, since 2001 pit bikes gained a racing class of their own. The Honda Z50 was the original pit bike for accessing pit facilities during racing events. In 2001, a popular dirt bike movie, Crusty Demons of Dirt 3, depicted how the Z50 pit bike could jump bicycle ramps. Honda meanwhile was revamping the Z50 model to XR50 which sported a plastic fuel tank, single rear shock absorber, spoke wheels, and the redesign of frame and appearance. As the popularity of pit bike motocross grew, business interests began upgrading aftermarket parts to make the pit bike more comfortable and powerful for heavier riders. Some of the parts include heavy duty suspensions, tall handlebars, larger seats, and big bore kits. Kawasaki created the KLX110 in 2002 for the adult rider and had a greater top speed than the Honda XR50. Since it was created for the adult rider, it does not require the upgrades as the Honda, making it more economical and popular among the motocross enthusiasts. The sport now has pit bike race series throughout the United States. The leading contender in this series is Derek Costella, 2 time champion of the MiniMoto SX. Production pit bikes became available in 2003 when the SDG Speed Mini was introduced by Xtreme Motor Corporation. In late 2004 USA Motortoys imported a bike called the Pitster Pro. Other companies currently offering pit motocross bikes are SDG Pit Bikes, SSR Motorsports, G2 Moto, Motovert TDK, and Piranha. Aftermarket parts are available for these bikes, too, from Fun Bikes. Fun Bikes has an Internet based catalog (http://www.funbikes.co.uk/sc-Pit_Bike_Spares-14-0.aspx Pit bike) with a large selection of aftermarket parts for motocross pit bikes such as: • Air filters • Bearings • Brake Calipers, pads, and disks • Chains and sprockets • Engine casings and covers • Exhaust parts • Gear levers and kick starts • Pistons, rings, and cylinder heads • Suspension frames and forks • Wheels, tires, and inner tubes The range of pit bike performance parts, spares and accessories makes Fun Bikes specialist suppliers of spare and performance parts for pit bikes. Free delivery and fast order filling makes our parts available to the motocross enthusiast within 24 hours in most situations. |