Beta Mini 50 Vs Oset

[mrturtle]

My boy of 6 currently has an oset 16 which was great for him starting out on 6months ago but I'm thinking that his riding now is limited due to the battery power or rather lack of it after short duration. this is mainly due to him getting more confident on the hills and after 15 or so minutes power drops off rapidly so he ends up either sitting down and paddling up the last bit of the hill or going so slow he falls off. we always take 3 sets of fresh fully charged batteries by the way. Don't really want to go down the lithium route as the 16 is a bit small and the 20 is expensive imo

so my questions are has anyone got experiences of the Beta mini or opinions on getting him onto an engine (proper)bike at 6yrs old. i plan on taking him to some trials later on in the summer after his baby bro arrives but its just play riding and fun at the moment.

cheers folks

[lineaway]

You are correct about the electric vs the gas powered bikes. The real bikes can run from sun up to sun down. I started my boy on a mini trial at 5 years old. He was a big boy. It lasted for a year. The autos are the same as the electrics, as after stopping not going again. It was a step up for the boy, but we ended up on TY80`s until he was big enough for a full wheeled 80. The trick on the TY was to gear it down enough the clutch did not matter. The Ty was then strong enough to pull any hill. Good luck with your son, it`s well worth keeping the boy riding. My son and I are loaded up and ready to leave in the early am for a weekend of trials. He is now seventeen and enjoys trials almost as much as I did at his age!

[scottwitting]

My eldest lad has a Oset 16 which we've just converted to LiPo. They really do make a big difference, shave about 8kg off the bike, bringing the bike/rider weight ratio much nearer that of an adult on a full sized petrol but also the charcteristic of the batteries to maintain voltage even at high current draw means the bike is very zippy (but can be easily tamed to suit the rider using the speed/responce dials).

We went to an Oset cup round last year and I was amazed watching some of the older better riders playing about on some hills near the car park on LiPo'd 20's, amazingly zippy and the riders were fearless! I've no expereince of modern 50cc petrol bikes but remember my old Honda 50 and it never had the 'go' that these had.

I'd seriously consider a second hand 20 and LiPo's. LiPo's aren't as expensive as they first seem if you do the research and buy what you need from Hobbyking and the bike resale value will stay quite high. I know they have to make the elec -> petrol jump some time but these electric bikes are so much fun and it's great being able to ride them on the local common without having to worry about the police turning up and taking away your bike!

[Cookiemonster]

hi lineaway

been thinking about getting a TY80 to get my grandson interested in trials, it would be his first bike so I am concerned about how he'd cope with gears so I'm interested to hear more about your comment

'The trick on the TY was to gear it down enough the clutch did not matter'

he's 7 & big for his age so I'd rather avoid going down the route of an auto only to trade up pretty soon for something bigger, I look at some of the prices knocking around for other bikes & a TY80 is better value plus we might get to work on it together more especially if I buy something needing work

thanks, Lee

[turnypatriot]

Hi I've just got both of mine betas,the youngest a rev n go 50 7yo. The oldest a geared beta 80 11yo. My thinking is by Xmas oldest will be ready for a 125 and the youngest will be ready for the geared bike. I feel that a Rev n go is ok but after a few months they will be used to it so I wuold always pick a geared bike if possible.as long as they are big enough to get there feet down and hold it up. Kids learn quickly so I don't think clutch control will come to hard,just make sure they have a lanyard fitted for when they fall off