With the sudden influx of pocket bikes, many Americans may believe that this is a new sport. But small motorized bicycles have been around since the 1950s. They appeared shortly after mechanized racing go-karts became common. There were silly contests like “jousts”. Two cyclists rode against each other while holding rolled up newspapers and trying to pop a balloon tied to their opponent’s helmet. After the 1960s, minibikes became relatively rare in the United States.

During the 1970s, minibike racing became a serious sport in Japan. They used cheap, low-tech bikes for racing. In the 1980s, the Italians took the sport to a higher level and began racing better quality, high-tech bikes. Still, the bikes they first used were powered by relatively weak motors with no more power than an electric screwdriver.

By the late 1990s, the sport had spread throughout Europe. In 1996 the Swiss Pocket Bike Championship was created. This championship grew to include other pocket bike clubs to eventually become one of the largest in the world. More than 120 people compete in 8-11 races each year. The races, which take place on different circuits, are divided by age and gender of the participants, as well as by the type of minibike (junior, stock or racing).
Minibike racing remains one of the fastest growing sports in Europe and is also spreading to other countries in Asia and North America. In certain European countries the races are even televised. Italy is still the number one producer of Minibikes, although the machines they create are now much more powerful than previous models. The Chinese have recently started making the bikes, which although of much lower quality than their Italian counterparts, are much less expensive.

Many of the best motorcycle racers learned their sport for the first time on a Minimoto. Among the world champions who started with minibikes are Valentino Rossi (Italian), Loris Capirossi (Italian), Nobuatsu Aoki (Japanese) and Daijiro Kato (Japanese). However, an English motorcycle instructor named Alec Tague holds the ultimate land speed record. Alec, who is 39 years old and 5-foot-10, hit 78 MPH on his 12-inch bike. The old record, held by American Dave Myers, was 63.888 MPH.

Modern minibikes that have not been upgraded typically have between 4 and 14 horsepower. Entry-level bikes produce 3 to 4 hp, while racing models can be rated at 11 to 12 hp. Most bikes weigh around 40 pounds and cost anywhere from $200 for a low-end Chinese model to $5,000 for a top-of-the-line, well-designed Italian bike.