Are Dirt Bikes Made Just For Dirt?

Question

Hi well i want a electric scooter but then i saw dirt bikes and wanted one of those instead but my dad says that they are made for dirt not to just ride on the road or something like that but i say that it can also be used to ride on the road. Which is better and safer a electric scooter or dirt bike and why? ( also plz answer my question about if u can ride dirt bikes on the street )

Answer 1

A dirt bike is street legal if you have turn signals and a horn. You can get them customized at a bike shop. I would prefer a scooter though if I were you.

Answer 2

A dual sport motorcycle is a streel legal dirt bike.

An electric scooter is made for the street, so it will handle better (street tires) on the street. A dirt bike can be ridden on the street, but it is not legal unless is has plates.

Dirt bikes are a lot more fun to ride. It will have more power than an electric scooter and will not have to be recharged.

Answer 3

Short Answer: Yes.  

Dirt Bikes are designed to achieve torque quickly and maintain that torque across a larger range of engine RPMs.  This combined with knobby tires and a high riding stance makes it a prime candidate for dirt only riding.

However...

Dirt bikes can be altered to be street legal.  This would require the following: Headlight, taillight, brake light, turn signals on front and back, license plate w/light, and possibly extra emissions requirements.  Most of that work can be done your self if you are electrically or mechanically inclined.  It would then need to be registered as a street vehicle.

Some other things you would want to change would be to replace your brake system with front/rear disks (some dirt bikes come with only drums or discs on front only,) new dual-sport or motard tires, and a stiffer suspension.  Also, most dirt bikes don't require a key to start, so an ignition upgrade may be in order.

My recommendation is to buy a dual-sport; but if that is not possible, borrow someones as a reference for additions to a standard dirt bike.

Answer 4

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail....

top speed: 60 mpg: 90

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail....

top speed: enough :D mpg: 55

a dirt bike is far superior to a scooter... a scooter is made for the road, but in a crash or if a car is behind you or turning on you, what you need is being able to A) turn quickly. B) pull off the road and do a lil off roading C) slow down

a scooter will stop about the same as a dirtbike, but will not turn or go off roading near the capability of a dirtbike.

They hold races in which dual sports go racing around a track which has dirt ramps and corners, along with pavement corners. they hit the corners around 120 lol... 90 degree 2 lane turns.

A Dirtbike, is one that doesnt have the lights and is made more for either trail, or motocross and whose engine and frame are listed as Off-Highway vehicle. a Dual sport is registered as a road >legal< vehicle and under the same classification as a sport bike and scooter. therefore the tag and registration is just as easy.

As far as tires go its about the knobbies. The more road ready tire you have, the flatter it will be (less likely knobbies will break off) more off road, bigger the knobbies. Just think of dual sport tires the same as when you see a big redneck truck go by  on the road with 44 inch tires. :D same basic thing.

What the others are talking about is taking a say like mine, a kawasaki 250f made for racing motocross, and getting lights, a battery, strater, key lock mechanism and flatter knobbie tires. Then going to vermont or somewhere and getting it tag, then swicthing it to my state (FL) Only worth it if you already have a dirt bike, or want a powerful dual sport, as my engine is made for racing and revs of 14,000 constant, while dual sport is like 5-8k and idles much better, gas efficient. We have a dual sport honda 250 and mine. the dual sport 250 gets 90mpg while mine gets around 40-55 mpg.

In any case, wouldnt it be better when you travel if you could go off road too and not have to worry about it, take a side road to see something or anything.

Answer 5

look at enduro bikes, theyre dual sport dirt/road bikes. theyre street legal and u can get some with 50/50 (dirt/road) tires that work well on all terrain. i have one and its great, cause if ur on a road and see a nice dirt road, u can just go for it woth no worries.

Answer 6

a dirt bike is for dirt

if u try it on gravel then ull stop out of nower and ull fall and hurt ur arm

my friend did it

and an electric scooter is better and safer cuz u can use on dirt and gravel and stuff and its safer cuz they can slow down if u want them too

just turn off the motor and use the scooter normally

and to make it faster just keep ther motor on and use the bike normally at the same time(tho i wouldnt suggest it much unless ur a pro)

and there u go = ) : ))

Answer 7

a scooter is for the road and would be more safer but its slower and you look like a dork.



a dirt bike is for mosty off road thats why thay call it a DIRT bike its for dirt and its alot more fun and cooler than a stupid scooter.

but you can get a dual sport, endero what ever thare just as fun as a dirt bike but street leagal. good luck.

Answer 8

Dirt bikes have tires that are designed for the dirt and will wear out faster on the street.  In addition, most dirt bikes, unless they're dual sport, do not have the necessary equipment to make them legal for public roads (lights, turn signal, horn).

I don't think that a dirt bike would be any safer than a scooter.  Both require you to ride like a motorcyclist and constantly be on the lookout for cars, etc.

Answer 9

No, many people are using dirt bikes on the street as commuter vehicles! I'm one of them. Do a search for SUPERMOTO. You will find dirt bikes with racing slicks on them, seriously. They handle better than a sport bike.

It varies depending on state you live in for how hard it is to make a dirt bike street legal. As posted above there is the Kawasaki KLR 650 and 250. There is also the Suzuki DRZ400 (SM), DR650, Honda XR650L and XR230L, Yamaha WR250X, TTR... All bikes just listed are dirt bikes that come from the factory 50-state street legal!!! You can also make your choice of dirt bike street legal with some work.

Forget about the electric scooter...

Answer 10

get a dual sport bike, they are basically street legal dirtbikes. i have one and i have no problems at all when riding on the road! scooters are fun too but they're way too slow to be riding on the road!! i personally think a scooter is more dangerous because most of them can't even keep up with traffic unless you get one that is 100cc or higher. alot of scooter riders around here ride them in the breakdown lane!! you will still need a motorcycle license for both vehicles. i'd go with the dirtbike! you can always change the tires to a 50/50 street dirt ratio. good luck!