50 2-strokes a real headache?

[HajiWasAPunk]

A friend's son races a Cobra 50 and they've had tons of problems with it after buying it new, in just a few months. It seems a lot of people are cursing the 50cc 2-stroke bikes for lack of reliability. Anybody else experiencing this?

So far he's been through 2 clutches and had to split the case already to keep it running. And on top of that, they have to really limit the length of mottos to keep it from over heating?

Is this normal? I ride a 250F and my son has CR85 and there's some minor maintenance but it seems we can go months without anything serious happening instead of days or weeks.

 

[minifig]

what does a clutch have to do with being a 2 stroke??
Maybe your friend should give his wrenches to someone who knows what there doing.

 

[Chili]

Maybe your friend should give his wrenches to someone who knows what there doing.

Spoken like someone who's never had to maintain a 50cc racebike. I don't have much knowledge of the Cobra's as there is only a few racing here but I can say that keeping the KTM 50's and the LEM's running is a challenge. Those little auto clutches are so sensitive they tend to burn through them very quickly if the kid is any kind of fast, or it's not adjusted just right (which is a challenge). Ask most any parent with a kid on a 65 and they will tell you the happiest day of their life for racing is when the kid was done with 50's.

 

[Ol'89r]

Spoken like someone who's never had to maintain a 50cc racebike. I don't have much knowledge of the Cobra's as there is only a few racing here but I can say that keeping the KTM 50's and the LEM's running is a challenge. Those little auto clutches are so sensitive they tend to burn through them very quickly if the kid is any kind of fast, or it's not adjusted just right (which is a challenge). Ask most any parent with a kid on a 65 and they will tell you the happiest day of their life for racing is when the kid was done with 50's.

Spoken like someone who's been there. :cool:

Well said Chili. We went through all of the above and also KX's and Cobra's. Whatta pain. :bang:

Ol'89r

 

[FruDaddy]

Ah yes, I talked to a lot of people, and skipped that nightmare. I don't know if it's the bikes, or the kids, both everybody has to constantly work on the 50cc MX bikes, and it's not just Cobra.

 

[SteveinSpringHill]

All 50's are a nightmare and those clutch's are the main culprit. Yep best day was getting my kid on a KX65 darn thing seems bulletproof compared to what we went thru with the 50 KTM.

Later...........Steve

 

[HajiWasAPunk]

you guys are basically stating what we've heard from several people. The sooner he's on a 65 the better! Other than minifignewton, who thinks a CRF50 is no harder to maintain than a cobra/ktm/pollani. Now I understand why there's a 6-9 65 class!

 

[FruDaddy]

The CRF would be significantly easier to maintain, but it will not provide anywhere near the same performance.

 

[frankiewhipit]

Spoken like someone who's never had to maintain a 50cc racebike. I don't have much knowledge of the Cobra's as there is only a few racing here but I can say that keeping the KTM 50's and the LEM's running is a challenge. Those little auto clutches are so sensitive they tend to burn through them very quickly if the kid is any kind of fast, or it's not adjusted just right (which is a challenge). Ask most any parent with a kid on a 65 and they will tell you the happiest day of their life for racing is when the kid was done with 50's.

that could't have been said better, we did 1 season on a ktm & prematuraly moved up to a kx 65, now a couple of months into his 1st 65cc season everything is great :cool:

 

[karlp]

From my observations the KTM and Cobra 50's are a bit of a pain, to say the least.

I've got my kid on an air cooled Husky 50, '02 model. I think it is the Husky SR50? Neat little bike. Anyway, he has almost out grown it. It uses a wet centrifugal clutch, not the same style as the newer KTM's and such. I've never had a bit of trouble with it, and it performs quite well. The performance is no where near that of the LC 50's, but good enough to be a lot of fun for him. He did come in 7th in his first junior enduro running against 17 nearly identical KTM 50's.

It is kind of uncomfortable standing around with the other parents and they start talking technical problems with the kid's bike's. I've got nothing to say.

Karl

 

[MXGirl230]

The sooner he's on a 65 the better!

We hear this every weekend from our regular group we pit with at the races. Three of the familes have a kid on a 50. One rides a Cobra, another a KTM, and the other is on a Polini. They are always changing out clutches, changing the oil after every moto, constantly changing gearing. Seems like it's almost like being a factory mechanic, but for a 7yr old.

 

[theroyz71]

My son races a Cobra CM50 in the 4-6 class and the 50s will wear you out both physically and financially. Next year he will race a Cobra King in the 7-8 class in addition to his 65sx in the 65 7-9 class.