History of the trail-bike, mini-bike, mini-cycle, and cross-over

According to William E. Butterworth, author "Mighty Minicycles" (1976 Harvey House publishers),

"A minibike is a two-wheeled motor vehicle which is not a moped, or a motor scooter, or a minicycle, or a full-sized motorcycle".

Butterworth adds:

"The first ones were built in the 1930's by do-it-yourselfers, who welded together a frame, and mounted two wheels and some small gasoline engine on it".

"The mini-bike came about after World War II when small gasoline powered engines became a familiar sight helping people with their household chores such as mowing the lawn. As James C. Sparks notes in his book entitled Mini and Trail Bikes and How to Build Them Yourself,

“Fathers and sons tinkered with them [small engines] on weekends, became familiar with their workings, and often made working with them a hobby. Then the little engines were pressed into recreational use in a flurry of small, rideable vehicles with odd new names: GoKarts and mini bikes. Thousands of these machines were produced commercially as this motorized sport sprang up all around the country”.

These early mini-bikes were produced using mainly adapted bicycle parts and lawn mower engines. Eventually it was the commercial mini-bike produced by the Japanese that made it affordable and reliable.

The Complete Mini-Bike Handbook by Paul Dempsey details how this happened. Dempsey explains that Japanese research is responsible for the great power increase in small, mass-produced engines. The Japanese were willing to pay the price to get the additional power from 4-cycle engines. Honda engines utilized an overhead cam design that enabled their engines to rev to 9000 rpm, instead of the 7000 rpm’s of other designs. Honda’s superb craftsmanship made this possible . With the increased power and reliability the Japanese brought to the mini-bike, popularity soared. The mini-bike that was initially invented, now became a trail bike that was considered a small motorcycle."1

John W Malo has this to say about minibikes:

"There are no definite criteria that adequately define a minibike, but many general characteristics are recognized. Motors range from the simple souped-up lawn mower-type (2 hp), enabling the rider to reach speeds of 10 to 15 mph over level ground, to the refined engineering models (5.5 hp), having four gears and a manual clutch, with a top speed of 50 mph."

all=terrain adventure vehicles (All-Terrain Adventure Vehicles, 1972 The Macmillan Company)

I make no distinction on this site to exclude a vehicle that is not strictly a Mini-Bike. Trail-bikes, cross-over mini-cycles, Mini-Cycles and Mini-Bikes are all here.

As far as this author is concerned, to be featured on this site, the mini-bike needs to fit into one of four main classifications; Trail-Bike, Mini-Cycle, Mini-Bike or Cross-Over.

Admittedly, some are street legal, but most are not. The one thing they all have in common is that they are a blast to ride, taking the rider to places of adventure in a way no other vehicle matches.

From what I have gleaned, the ancestor of the modern-day minibike is really the Trail-Bike, like the venerable "Tote-Gote" by Ralph Bonham or the amazing "Rokon", developed by J.B. Nethercutt of Merle-Norman fame.

rokon Early trailbikes were largely used to haul animals out when hunting. Farmers most likely employed them to inspect acreage.

More will be written on these pages as the history of the minibike is discovered. Please feel free to e-mail me tidbits that help piece together the loosely documented history of the minibike; the community needs to unite and document this largely ignored historical record.

Mini-Bike Classifications

In order to properly classify all mini-bikes ever made, an agreed upon designation first must be established.

We shall begin by subdividing into four separate classes; Trail-Bikes, Mini-Cycles, Mini-Bikes, and Cross-Overs.

Next, an adequate definition for each class needs to be established. Therefore, and unless I hear great outcries from the Mini-Bike community, the definition for each class shall be as follows:

Trail-Bike

"A Trail-Bike is a two-wheeled motorized vehicle which is not a moped, motor-scooter, mini-cycle, mini-bike, cross-over, or a full-sized motorcycle and is clearly intended for off-road use only. Said vehicle may have a rigid, partial or fully suspended frame, but typically it would be fully suspended. A Trail-Bike is engineered for the adult rider. Engine horsepower rating will generally not be less than 4 hp." An example of a Trail-Bike is the Tote-Gote. This class shall include Trail-Scooters.
Mini-Cycle

"A Mini-Cycle is a two-wheeled motorized vehicle which is not a moped, motor-scooter, mini-bike, cross-over, or a full-sized motorcycle and is designed primarily for dual use. Said vehicle must have at least a partially suspended frame but it would typically be fully suspended. A Mini-Cycle is engineered for the young rider. Engine displacement shall range from 49cc to 125cc." An example of a Mini-Cycle is the Yamaha 80.
Mini-Bike

"A Mini-Bike is a two-wheeled motorized vehicle which is not a moped, motor-scooter, mini-cycle, cross-over, or a full-sized motorcycle and although is typically intended for off-road use, it may be designed for light duty/around the neighborhood use, but could never be street-legal. Said vehicle would typically have a rigid suspension but may be partially or fully suspended. A Mini-Bike is engineered for the young rider. Engine horsepower shall range from 2hp to 8hp." An example of a Mini-Bike is the Rupp Rascal.
Cross-Over

"A Cross-Over is a two-wheeled motorized vehicle which is not a moped, motor-scooter, mini-cycle, mini-bike or a full-sized motorcycle. It is designed primarily for off-road use but may be street legal with the appropriate equipment fitted. Said vehicle would have a fully suspended frame. A Cross-Over is designed for any rider. Engine horsepower shall range from 4hp to 8hp+." An example of a Cross-Over vehicle is the Arctic Cat Screamer .

We could have further categorized by subdividing dirt-bikes, enduros, mini-enduros, etc. But for our purposes the above classes are adequate and each machine that we need to classify can be put into an existing class with minimal strain.

Photo/text credit: 1 http://www.apurnell.com/cs1readings/SamplePaper3.htm

All content not credited or previously copyright, is copyright minibikeclub.com/jaycronen.com. Photo/text credits given when available. Images may be edited for clarity. Content derived from Internet is assumed public domain unless otherwise stated at time of acquirment. All material on this page is deemed copyright minibikeclub.com/jaycronen.com. Provide written request for removal or alteration pertaining to content that may infringe on any previous held copyright, is objectionable, or incorrect, along with supporting evidence of such claim.

Minibikes Minibike Club Minibike History For Sale Minibike Gallery Rare Rides Minibike Resources Forum Contact	History of the trail-bike, mini-bike, mini-cycle, and cross-over According to William E. Butterworth, author "Mighty Minicycles" (1976 Harvey House publishers), "A minibike is a two-wheeled motor vehicle which is not a moped, or a motor scooter, or a minicycle, or a full-sized motorcycle". Butterworth adds: "The first ones were built in the 1930's by do-it-yourselfers, who welded together a frame, and mounted two wheels and some small gasoline engine on it". "The mini-bike came about after World War II when small gasoline powered engines became a familiar sight helping people with their household chores such as mowing the lawn. As James C. Sparks notes in his book entitled Mini and Trail Bikes and How to Build Them Yourself, “Fathers and sons tinkered with them [small engines] on weekends, became familiar with their workings, and often made working with them a hobby. Then the little engines were pressed into recreational use in a flurry of small, rideable vehicles with odd new names: GoKarts and mini bikes. Thousands of these machines were produced commercially as this motorized sport sprang up all around the country”. These early mini-bikes were produced using mainly adapted bicycle parts and lawn mower engines. Eventually it was the commercial mini-bike produced by the Japanese that made it affordable and reliable. The Complete Mini-Bike Handbook by Paul Dempsey details how this happened. Dempsey explains that Japanese research is responsible for the great power increase in small, mass-produced engines. The Japanese were willing to pay the price to get the additional power from 4-cycle engines. Honda engines utilized an overhead cam design that enabled their engines to rev to 9000 rpm, instead of the 7000 rpm’s of other designs. Honda’s superb craftsmanship made this possible . With the increased power and reliability the Japanese brought to the mini-bike, popularity soared. The mini-bike that was initially invented, now became a trail bike that was considered a small motorcycle."1 John W Malo has this to say about minibikes: "There are no definite criteria that adequately define a minibike, but many general characteristics are recognized. Motors range from the simple souped-up lawn mower-type (2 hp), enabling the rider to reach speeds of 10 to 15 mph over level ground, to the refined engineering models (5.5 hp), having four gears and a manual clutch, with a top speed of 50 mph." (All-Terrain Adventure Vehicles, 1972 The Macmillan Company) I make no distinction on this site to exclude a vehicle that is not strictly a Mini-Bike. Trail-bikes, cross-over mini-cycles, Mini-Cycles and Mini-Bikes are all here. As far as this author is concerned, to be featured on this site, the mini-bike needs to fit into one of four main classifications; Trail-Bike, Mini-Cycle, Mini-Bike or Cross-Over. Admittedly, some are street legal, but most are not. The one thing they all have in common is that they are a blast to ride, taking the rider to places of adventure in a way no other vehicle matches. From what I have gleaned, the ancestor of the modern-day minibike is really the Trail-Bike, like the venerable "Tote-Gote" by Ralph Bonham or the amazing "Rokon", developed by J.B. Nethercutt of Merle-Norman fame. Early trailbikes were largely used to haul animals out when hunting. Farmers most likely employed them to inspect acreage. More will be written on these pages as the history of the minibike is discovered. Please feel free to e-mail me tidbits that help piece together the loosely documented history of the minibike; the community needs to unite and document this largely ignored historical record. Mini-Bike Classifications In order to properly classify all mini-bikes ever made, an agreed upon designation first must be established. We shall begin by subdividing into four separate classes; Trail-Bikes, Mini-Cycles, Mini-Bikes, and Cross-Overs. Next, an adequate definition for each class needs to be established. Therefore, and unless I hear great outcries from the Mini-Bike community, the definition for each class shall be as follows: Trail-Bike "A Trail-Bike is a two-wheeled motorized vehicle which is not a moped, motor-scooter, mini-cycle, mini-bike, cross-over, or a full-sized motorcycle and is clearly intended for off-road use only. Said vehicle may have a rigid, partial or fully suspended frame, but typically it would be fully suspended. A Trail-Bike is engineered for the adult rider. Engine horsepower rating will generally not be less than 4 hp." An example of a Trail-Bike is the Tote-Gote. This class shall include Trail-Scooters. Mini-Cycle "A Mini-Cycle is a two-wheeled motorized vehicle which is not a moped, motor-scooter, mini-bike, cross-over, or a full-sized motorcycle and is designed primarily for dual use. Said vehicle must have at least a partially suspended frame but it would typically be fully suspended. A Mini-Cycle is engineered for the young rider. Engine displacement shall range from 49cc to 125cc." An example of a Mini-Cycle is the Yamaha 80. Mini-Bike "A Mini-Bike is a two-wheeled motorized vehicle which is not a moped, motor-scooter, mini-cycle, cross-over, or a full-sized motorcycle and although is typically intended for off-road use, it may be designed for light duty/around the neighborhood use, but could never be street-legal. Said vehicle would typically have a rigid suspension but may be partially or fully suspended. A Mini-Bike is engineered for the young rider. Engine horsepower shall range from 2hp to 8hp." An example of a Mini-Bike is the Rupp Rascal. Cross-Over "A Cross-Over is a two-wheeled motorized vehicle which is not a moped, motor-scooter, mini-cycle, mini-bike or a full-sized motorcycle. It is designed primarily for off-road use but may be street legal with the appropriate equipment fitted. Said vehicle would have a fully suspended frame. A Cross-Over is designed for any rider. Engine horsepower shall range from 4hp to 8hp+." An example of a Cross-Over vehicle is the Arctic Cat Screamer . We could have further categorized by subdividing dirt-bikes, enduros, mini-enduros, etc. But for our purposes the above classes are adequate and each machine that we need to classify can be put into an existing class with minimal strain. Photo/text credit: 1 http://www.apurnell.com/cs1readings/SamplePaper3.htm
All content not credited or previously copyright, is copyright minibikeclub.com/jaycronen.com. Photo/text credits given when available. Images may be edited for clarity. Content derived from Internet is assumed public domain unless otherwise stated at time of acquirment. All material on this page is deemed copyright minibikeclub.com/jaycronen.com. Provide written request for removal or alteration pertaining to content that may infringe on any previous held copyright, is objectionable, or incorrect, along with supporting evidence of such claim.