Cop shows kids safe way to ride PB's

The little sport that's gaining speed Pocket bikes are growing in popularity, prompting an increase in racing events. And on a recent late summer weekend, while huge motorcycles roared in the background, an old parking lot witnessed a new phenomenon: pocket bike racing. Bennie Taylor, 7, and Colton Evans, 10, were among about 15 competitors at PIR to don protective gear, climb on their mini motorcycles and ride to the finish, mostly on spendy Italian-made bikes no higher than your knee. Pocket bikes became infamous over the summer, when many an overgrown kid scrunched up enough to haunt cul-de-sacs and sidewalks with the relatively cheap versions. But, as Bennie and Colton can attest, pocket bike racing isn't for amateurs. Their Bianchi Motor Sport bikes, measuring about 14 inches high and less than 50 pounds, are fine-tuned Grand Prix look-alike machines that can easily set a budding racer back a couple thousand dollars. And the 39cc, 4.2 horsepower Polini motor can hit freeway speeds under the right conditions. When most kids were timidly taking off the training wheels, Bennie, 7, hit 58 mph on his bike during a closed-course speed trial. Children as young as five have been racing pocket bikes for a few years, and Oregon followed suit last racing season. Mini racetracks are set up at PIR, McMinnville Sprint Track and Pat's Acres Racing Complex in Canby throughout the summer and early fall race season. Click here (http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/living/1096372913272560.xml) for the rest of the article.

58MPH... :leaving:

58MPH... :leaving: **** I can hit that on my buddies Poloni. A kid could probably do like 80...

atleast they are learning the right way to ride, on a closed circuit. lets just hope they dont try those speeds down the local city streets, like so many others do now.!!

Now that is some serious speeds on them. I have seen from time to time local kids riding them down the streets here in town. Lets see them try to race me. I'll keep it in first just for them. :D

That is way cool.. I wish I could have done **** like that when I was a kid..

That is way cool.. I wish I could have done **** like that when I was a kid.. yeah but unfortunately for most of us, when we were kids, they didn't have things like that - in fact, when i was a kid, we had big wheels and green machines - but i never had a battery operated jeep or bigfoot truck! :(

I wish they made adult big wheels, but with an extra strength skidbrake! :thumbs:

in fact, when i was a kid, we had big wheels and green machines - but i never had a battery operated jeep or bigfoot truck! :( I miss my big wheel. I saw one at Toys r Us and it was able to hold up to 160lbs and I figured what the hell and tried it. My son was getting mad and wanted me to get off so he could ride it. LOL I am still a kid at heart. :D

yeah but unfortunately for most of us, when we were kids, they didn't have things like that - in fact, when i was a kid, we had big wheels and green machines - but i never had a battery operated jeep or bigfoot truck! :( Dude, the Green Machine!!! I had one of those, coolest thing ever when I was kid!! man I forgot about those things!!

Dude, the Green Machine!!! I had one of those, coolest thing ever when I was kid!! man I forgot about those things!! the green machine was RERELEASED last year and was as bad as ever, but this time no plastic slippin' front tire - they put a pneumatic tire like a bicycle tire on the front! http://www.huffybikes.com/products/greenmachine.html and yes, it's made by huffy! how about green machine wallpaper http://www.huffybikes.com/products/greenmachine_dl.html and a green machine screen saver http://www.huffybikes.com/products/greenmachine_dl2.html

AH Man!! I gotta get me one of those..eerrr, I mean I gotta get my kid one of those!! :rolleyes: