Most Kids' Electric Dirt Bikes Are Junk. These 6 Aren't.
A kid's electric dirt bike almost never dies because the battery gave out. It dies because a $40 part broke and nobody on this continent sells that part.
Your kid has already picked out their bike — same three YouTube channels, forty times, and their buddy down the street already has one. Now you're the one who has to figure out which of the two hundred nearly identical bikes on the internet is the real one.
I've been importing and selling dirt bikes for 15 years, and I've walked the factory floors in China where most of these get built. Most of them I wouldn't sell to my own family. Whether your kid wants to line up at a motocross gate next spring or just wants to be outside with you on a Saturday, the same five things separate a bike that gets ridden hard for three years from one that's a garage decoration by August. The six that pass are at the bottom.
1. It's Going to Break. That's Not the Question.
Every dirt bike breaks — gas or electric, $700 or $7,000. That's dirt biking, not a defect. The question is what happens the next morning. With most bikes sold online, here's the answer: you email an address that never answers, the part doesn't exist in this country, and the bike sits in the garage for three months waiting on a box from overseas. By month two your kid has stopped asking about it.
2. Most "Electric Dirt Bikes" Are a Mountain Bike With a Motor Bolted On
Take the plastics off the popular ones and you'll find a bicycle underneath — bicycle frame, bicycle brakes, bicycle spring suspension. Fine for wheelies in the cul-de-sac, but never for riding on dirt. The brakes are the part that bothers me most: they're flimsy and underpowered. Put the weight of a dirt bike and a rider on a steep descent and those brakes fade and overheat right when a kid needs them most. The other big issue is cheap spring suspension — every rock goes straight into their hands, and twenty minutes in, nobody wants to ride next Saturday.
Not sure what size your kid needs? Three questions, sixty seconds.
Find my kid's bike →3. Every Bike Has Power Modes. Almost None Have a Lock Your Kid Can't Undo.
Yes, most electric dirt bikes have three power modes. What the spec sheet won't tell you is that on most of them, those modes are a button on the handlebar. You set it to beginner in the driveway; your kid sets it back to full ninety seconds after you're out of sight. You want a limit your kid can't reach. On the RFN Warrior bikes — E5, E8, E15, E15 Plus — power settings live in an app on your phone. The E500 uses a hidden switch on the bike. KICKIN bikes use a locked control box. Either way, you decide how much power it makes, and the decision stays decided.
4. The Cheap Bike Is the Most Expensive Bike You'll Buy
"But this other one is $1,200 cheaper." Then the first real ride happens. The suspension bottoms out on the first whoop, so now you have to upgrade the suspension — on a full-size bike that's around $2,000 for forks and a shock that actually work. The brakes fade on the first hill, so now you have to upgrade the brakes — another $800 or so for hydraulic calipers and rotors that can stop the thing. That's $2,800 in parts on top of the $1,200 you saved, which means the cheap bike ended up costing you $1,600 more than the better bike would have on day one — and you're still riding a frame that isn't a dirt bike. On the smaller bikes the numbers are smaller, but the math lands the same way every time.
And when your kid outgrows it, you're stuck with it: a no-name bike with no parts behind it is worth nothing used. A real bike with a real dealer network sells in a weekend.
5. You'll Size It Wrong — and It'll Be Too Small
The mistake I see most: a parent sits the kid on the bike, checks whether both feet go flat on the ground, gets nervous, and buys a size down. That test is wrong — nobody rides a dirt bike with their feet flat. You ride standing on the pegs. Look for tippy-toes instead, then stand them up on the pegs, hands on the bars, and see whether the bike fits their body. Buy the size that still fits in two years and turn the power down while they grow into it. The only real way to get sizing wrong is buying too small.
Why I Put My Name on These
I'm not neutral here — I'm the Utah and Idaho distributor for RFN, and I flew to the factory and watched these get built and tested before I agreed to sell one. RFN Warrior bikes are AMA certified, which means your kid can race them in AMA races. Not every electric bike can say that. A Warrior Pro finished Top 10 at Red Bull TKO, and they're beating gas bikes at hard enduro races around Utah.
If your kid is training for motocross, that's the part that matters. If they just want to be outside with you on a Saturday, it matters differently: a bike built to survive a race weekend will shrug off anything a kid does to it in the foothills. We supply 18 dealers across Utah and Idaho, roughly an hour from anywhere in either state, with every part for every model in our Lehi warehouse. That's the whole answer to #1.
The Six Bikes That Pass — Find Your Kid's Size
Smallest to biggest. Rider height is the number that matters; the ages are just a starting point.
The first real dirt bike. Light enough that a kid can pick it up alone, with a hidden power switch you set and they don't touch.
The next step up from the E500 — for the kid who has outgrown their first bike but isn't ready for the E5 yet. Not in stock yet; ask your dealer, or take the quiz below and we'll point you at the right size in the meantime.
A true 5,000-watt motor and an adjustable seat that buys two extra seasons before the step-up bike. Power control from the app on your phone.
AMA certified for the 65cc class — this is the one the motocross parents buy. 8,000 watts, 37 miles of range, hydraulic brakes front and rear.
Full 15,000-watt Warrior Pro power on 19"/16" wheels, so a teen can get a foot down sooner. 50 miles of range, hydraulic moto brakes, fully adjustable suspension.
The E15 on full-size 21"/18" wheels. Top 10 at Red Bull TKO. Big enough that you're going to want a turn on it.
Is RFN Out of Your Price Range?
KICKIN Bikes is the RFN distributor for Utah and Idaho, and we build our own line too — high-quality dirt bikes at an affordable price, for a beginner who doesn't need the full motocross ability RFN offers. Same company, same warehouse, same parts on the shelf. Different price point.
- KICKIN EXV PRO 36v 800wAges 4–7 · $999
- KICKIN EXV PRO 48v 1600wAges 8–10 · $1,199
- KICKIN EXV PRO 60v 2000wAges 9–13 · $1,499
- KICKIN EXV PRO 8000 72v 17/14Ages 14+ · 5'3"–6'7" · $2,799
- KICKIN EXV PRO 8000 72v Big WheelAges 16+ · 5'3"–6'7" · $3,099
Still Not Sure Which One Fits Your Kid?
- 18 dealers across Utah and Idaho, each with a demo bike
- Every part stocked in Lehi, Utah — ships same day
- AMA certified, so your kid can race it
- Parent-controlled power on every bike we sell
- Financing available with Affirm
P.S. — Before you buy any electric dirt bike, do three things: squeeze the front brake, bounce the suspension, and ask where the replacement parts are stocked. If the seller can't answer the third one, you already have your answer.
