Short answer: buy the 50cc if your kid is roughly 5 to 8 or short for their age. Buy the 60cc if they are 9 or up, tall for their age, or if a parent or an older sibling is going to ride it too. Speed is not the deciding factor, because both bikes have a governor screw that caps them anywhere you want.
Here is the whole comparison, and then the ten second test that settles it.
Side by side
| 50cc | 60cc | |
|---|---|---|
| Price shipped free | $300 | $380 |
| Engine | 50cc two stroke | 60cc two stroke |
| Exhaust | Single | Double |
| Top speed | 32 mph | 35 mph |
| Seat height | About 24 in | About 27.5 in |
| Max rider weight | 170 lbs | 220 lbs |
| Ages | About 5 to 13 | About 9 and up |
| Transmission | Automatic | Automatic |
| Speed governor | Yes, adjustable | Yes, adjustable |
| Brakes | Front and rear disc | Front and rear disc |
| Frame | Steel | Steel |
| Fuel | 25 to 1 mix | 25 to 1 mix |
| Colors | Black, blue, green, red, yellow | White, black, red, blue |
The thing most people get wrong
Almost everybody shopping these two compares the engine size and the top speed, decides the 60cc is the faster and therefore scarier one, and buys the 50cc for safety.
That is the wrong way round, and here is why.
Both bikes have the same adjustable governor screw on the carburetor. Turn it in and either bike tops out at a walking jog. Turn it out a quarter turn at a time over the first few weeks and it opens up as your kid earns it. So the top speed on the spec sheet is a ceiling you set, not a speed the bike forces on anyone. If you are worried about speed, that is a screwdriver problem, and it is about a two minute job.
What you cannot adjust is size. A bike that is three inches too short for a kid stays three inches too short, and that is the thing that actually causes the crashes.
Why a bike that is too small is worse than one that is too fast
When a kid is cramped on a bike, their knees come up level with the tank and their weight sits back behind the pegs. They cannot stand up to absorb a bump, they cannot lean the bike properly into a turn, and they tend to sit down and steer with the handlebars only. All of that makes them slower and less stable at the same time.
Going the other way is also a problem: a bike that is too tall means they cannot get a foot down at a stop, and the first tip over at zero mph does more for a kid's nerve than any amount of speed. So the target is not big or small, it is right.
The two foot test
Sit your kid on the bike in riding shoes. They should be able to get the balls of both feet flat on the ground at the same time, with a slight bend in the knee. Flat feet on both sides with the legs straight means the bike is too short. Tiptoes on both sides means too tall.
That test beats going by age every single time, because two 9 year olds can be five inches apart in height. If you want the actual height ranges written out, they are in the sizing guide for 6, 8 and 10 year olds.
Cannot sit them on a bike before you buy? Measure their inseam, barefoot, crotch to floor, and compare it to the seat height. A rider whose inseam is within about two inches of the seat height will be able to touch comfortably. 24 inches of seat on the 50cc, 27.5 inches on the 60cc.
Buy the 60cc if any of these is true
- Your kid is 9 or older, or tall for their age. Three and a half inches of extra seat height is a lot on a mini bike. A tall 9 year old on the 50cc will outgrow it inside a year, which means buying twice.
- A parent wants to ride it too. The 170 lb limit on the 50cc rules out most adults. 220 lbs does not.
- It is going to be shared with an older sibling. One bike that fits a 9 year old and a 14 year old is cheaper than two bikes.
- Your kid has already ridden something. A rider coming off a smaller bike, a quad or a pit bike does not need to start over on the smallest thing available.
See the 60cc double exhaust, $380 shipped free.
Buy the 50cc if any of these is true
- Your kid is 5 to 8, or short for their age. Confidence is the whole game in the first month, and confidence comes from being able to plant both feet.
- It is their first bike with an engine. Smaller and lighter is easier to pick up, literally, when it goes over.
- You want a specific colour. Five to choose from instead of four, and each colour page says what that colour is actually good and bad at outdoors.
- The $80 matters. It is the same frame, the same brakes, the same suspension, the same way it arrives. You are paying for engine and size, not for quality.
See all five colours of the 50cc, $300 shipped free.
What is actually different about the double exhaust
Two pipes instead of one, and a slightly bigger engine behind them. The 3 mph of extra top speed is not something a rider notices. What they notice is the pull off the bottom, because a 60cc gets out of its own way harder from a standing start.
That extra pull is a plus for a heavier rider on soft ground and a minus for a nervous beginner, which is another reason the governor screw matters more than the spec sheet. Set it low for the first week either way.
What is identical
Worth saying plainly, because it decides a lot of the questions people text us:
- Both are automatic. No clutch, no gears, nothing to learn but throttle and brakes.
- Both are pull start.
- Both run a 25 to 1 gas and oil mix, about 5.12 oz of two stroke oil per gallon. Mixing it correctly is the single most important thing you will do for either engine.
- Both have front and rear disc brakes, inverted front forks and an adjustable rear shock on a steel frame.
- Both arrive sealed in the factory crate, about 90% assembled, with the tools in the box. Figure 20 to 30 minutes on the front wheel, handlebars, a few bolts and the fluids.
- Both ship free to all 50 states, out the same day, normally there in 2 to 5 business days.
- Both are off road use only. Not street legal, and neither comes with a title.
Because the engines are built the same way, everything you learn about one applies to the other: the break in, the air filter, chain tension and what to check when it will not start.
What about electric instead?
If nobody in the house wants to mix fuel, that is a fair reason to look at electric. The trade is price and ride time: our electrics start at $975, and when the battery is down you are waiting hours, not two minutes at a gas can. We laid out both sides in gas vs electric for kids, and the bikes themselves are in electric dirt bikes. For a rider under about 10, gas is still usually the better first bike on price alone.
Questions people text us
Is a 60cc too much for a beginner? Not with the governor turned down. The controls are identical to the 50cc. Set the screw so it tops out at a jog for the first week and open it up from there.
My kid is 9. Which one? Sit them on both if you can. At 9 it genuinely goes either way, and height decides it, not the birthday.
Can I make the 50cc taller later? Not meaningfully. Seat height on a mini is set by the frame.
Will a 60cc hold an adult? Up to 220 lbs, yes, and plenty of parents have taken a lap. It is still a mini bike, so you will look ridiculous, and you will have fun anyway.
Where can we ride either one? Private property, tracks, OHV parks and designated routes on public land. Never streets or sidewalks. Here is the 50 state guide and how to find legal trails near you.
What gear do they need first? Helmet, goggles, gloves, boots over the ankle, long sleeves and long pants, every ride. The full list is here.
Still stuck
Text us at 623 320 8984 with your kid's height and weight and we will tell you which one fits. If the answer is the cheaper bike, we will say the cheaper bike. We are a small family run shop in Tempe and we get back to you the same day.
Off road use only. Neither bike is street legal and neither comes with a title. Plugged by 50CC is an independent retailer. We do not manufacture, assemble, modify or service the bikes we sell.