Ever since I watched my first live Supercross event, I have been guthooked on all sorts of dirt bike->ke295/motocross sports, and I realize that some of the best riders started out at a very tender age. So does KTM->ke1954. Introducing the 2016 50 Mini; KTM's absolute bottom-tier motocross trainer designed to ease brand new riders into the sport as safely (safety being a relative concept, it is still a motorsport) as possible. In spite of its size, this is no “toy bike,” and is built for serious (if adorable) competition.

Continue reading my review of the 2016 KYM 50 SX Mini.

Design

What we have here is a dirt bike for munchkins, and it looks the part. KTM took the most essential features and scaled them down for riders around four feet tall. The rider triangle carries roughly the same relative proportions as the big-boy bikes, just scaled down; so as the riders grows into bigger bikes they will keep the same body position to which they are accustomed. As with so many other sports, there is a muscle-memory component involved in motocross, so body position is a fairly important issue.

Chassis

In spite of the fact that this ride doesn't exactly have to deal with what you would call “bone crushing” forces, the factory built it around a strong, double-cradle, central-tube frame built with ease-of-handling in mind. The Austrian engineers list the steering head angle at 67.4 degrees, but that is from the horizontal plane. On our side of the pond (and elsewhere) we measure from the vertical, so we would call it a 22.6-degree steering head. No matter what you call it, it's set up for quick flicks and agile cornering.

WP suspension components buoy both ends of the bike with 35 mm, inverted front forks, and a coil-over monoshock on the swingarm. Is this overkill on such a small bike? Probably so, but it speaks to the attention to detail by the factory, and introduces the kids to a brand of suspension they will see the rest of their dirt-biking lives. The front suspension has just a hair under 4 inches of travel, with 6.73 inches of travel in the rear and 7.24 inches of ground clearance – plenty for the cute little whoops and jumps on the kiddie courses.

Laced rims provide much the same energy-absorbing flex present on bigger bikes, for the same reasons – just another feature that gives riders a continuity of feel as they move up in size -- same as the grippy Maxxis knobbies. Front and rear hydraulic brakes complete the rolling chassis with Formula components. Not only do the Wave brake discs dissipate more heat than conventional round discs, the shape acts as a self-cleaning mechanism to prevent brake fade from grit between rotor and pad.

Drivetrain

A little, 49 cc, two-stroke engine drives the Mini, and the factory kept it as compact as possible while keeping the center of gravity low for easy handling, and quick recovery when dropped. The engine is kickstart only (make the kids sing for their supper, eh?), which saves on weight and simplifies the wiring. Relatively large radiators draw off waste heat, and the engine water jacket extends to cool the cases as well.

An adjustable “KTM clicker system” centrifugal clutch and single-speed, automatic transmission carries power to the rear wheel sans clutch lever or shifter, so this really is a “twist it and forget it” drivetrain – perfect for rank beginners.

Competitor

I wanted to compare the KTM 50 SX Mini against an established foe, and given its long history in the beginner MX sector, Honda->ke291 made a natural choice.

As far as the overall design goes, there isn't much to choose between the two. It's the same with the engine, though it's worth pointing out that the Honda CRF50F is air-cooled, while the KTM is water-cooled. Personally I prefer the simplicity of air-cooling, but arguments can be made in favor of either system.

Both bikes are clutchless (no lever at least), but where the KTM runs an automatic transmixer, the Honda has a three-speed tranny with toe shifter, which conditions the kids to think about usable powerband. While I am loathe to overwhelm the tykes with too many controls, they will have to learn to shift sometime, and the earlier the better.

KTM definitely wins the brake game with its wave-disc hydraulic system over Honda's mechanical drum-brake setup, but again, arguments can be made. Drum brakes require frequent adjustment, but they more-or-less seal out the grit. Disc brakes are open, and more vulnerable to contamination, but the self-cleaning aspect goes a long way toward mitigating that particular aggravation.

Price is the one category where the Honda stands head-and-shoulders above the KTM; the CRF50F starts out at a low, $1,399, while the KTM costs over twice as much at $3,699. This is a pretty big difference, and will likely tipple all but the most hardcore “Orange” fans (or more likely, their parents) over to the “Red”.

Price

MSRP on the KTM 50 SX Mini runs at $3,699, and comes with a one-month limited warranty.

He Said

“Absolutely precious! As a parent, I get anxious thinking about my kids on a dirt track; but as a rider, I really smell what KTM is cooking over there, and I like it. This looks like a right-proper little training bike that is sure to help develop a new generation of 'superstar larvae,' and realize some teeny-tiny podium dreams.”

She Said

My wife and fellow writer, Allyn Hinton, says, "I'm expected to say something technical and authoritative here, I know. I should critique the bike on its merits for both hardware and performance, but instead I'm putting on my "Auntie Allyn" hat and talking about the riders. The dudes and dudettes riding these mini-moto bikes are just about the most fearless kids. I do love watching them get after it when the gate drops and away they go tearing off in the dirt. I want to wait at the finish line and pinch their cheeks (and I'm old enough to get away with it, too.). It's only when they get older and move up to more powerful bikes that it starts to get scary -- scary for me, not for them"

Specifications