Being able to ride your dirt bike on the street sure kills two birds with one stone. You can kick up wheelies on the dirt and run errands on the street.
It all seems fun and almost too good to be true, and it is – almost. There are strict regulations in most cities about what specifications a dirt bike must meet to be deemed street legal.
There are factory options ready-made to be street legal, or you can make your own alterations and adjustments on your own.
To save you trouble, we’re going to introduce a few of the best street-legal dirt bikes on the market that are ready to rip up the asphalt. #1 Street Legal Dirt Bike Apollo 250CC Most Affordable APOLLO RFZ DB-X18 Best for Beginners RPS HAWK 250 ENDURO With superior power and comfortable ride, any biker would love the impressive performance of this bike—whether on the track or on the streets! Featuring a 4-speed transmission and 125cc of power plus an aesthetically pleasing exterior, this one is a great buy for such a low price! Focusing on comfortable performance, this bike has a high-performance exhaust pipe and fat tires that are amazing for newbies and beginner bikers. Check Today’s Price Check Today’s Price Check Today’s Price #1 Street Legal Dirt Bike Apollo 250CC With superior power and comfortable ride, any biker would love the impressive performance of this bike—whether on the track or on the streets! Check Today’s Price Most Affordable APOLLO RFZ DB-X18 Featuring a 4-speed transmission and 125cc of power plus an aesthetically pleasing exterior, this one is a great buy for such a low price! Check Today’s Price Best for Beginners RPS HAWK 250 ENDURO Focusing on comfortable performance, this bike has a high-performance exhaust pipe and fat tires that are amazing for newbies and beginner bikers.
3 BEST STREET LEGAL DIRT BIKE
Looking for a safe and smooth ride?
What makes it a superior bike is the rider’s comfort when you’re gliding over potholes and rough terrain.
Having tired that span 17 inches and a large wheelbase is the buffer between the bumps and thumps in the road. You’ll be getting a comfortable and smooth ride with this street-legal motorcycle.
The 5-speed manual transmission gets this bike going much more quickly and conveniently.
What’s great is all the necessary documents for registering your best street legal dirt bike come with your purchase for the minimum hassle!
All ready to go, these street legal dirt bikes are ready to go from their California warehouse.
With 125cc of sheer power, all that’s left for you to do is choose one in your favorite color.
The 4-speed transmission allows for a quicker start and the front and rear tires are much larger compared to other 125 models and which gives you a much more comfortable ride regardless of suspension.
There is a tiny bit of assembly required when you receive the product, but it’s nothing overwhelming. It’s the perfect dirt bike that fits adults and taller kids as well.
This is also a bike that comes in four colors of your choice.
At 250 cc, it’s a larger bike that comes with a high-performance exhaust pipe not only to improve the aesthetics but also the comfort of your ride.
It comes with fat tires to minimize the need for superior suspension. Who says you need big brands like Suzuki and Honda to create an ideal street legal dirt bike?
The seat was also built lower than other standard models to give the rider supreme control.
Again, there are minimal parts to be assembled when you receive the product, but nothing too complicated.
Best Street Legal Dirt Bike Buying Guide
Finding a street-legal dirt bike is quite easy, and larger more well-known brands in the automotive industry such as KTM, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, and even Husqvarna (a heavy machinery brand) can create amazing bikes.
Finding the right one isn’t about brand, you can find great deals for quality bikes anywhere. What’s important is to know what to look for.
To help you out, refer to our list below of considerations to keep in mind next time you’re shopping for a street-legal dirt bike.
Tires
Fortunately, this is highly customizable after-market. The front and rear tires should be wide to provide maximum comfort, control, and traction.
Just in the safety department alone, thicker tires win.
This is much more important when riding off-road, but when you’re on the street, the tires function as a cushion for the bumps and holes in the road.
Seat
The seat should be well-cushioned and soft.
Some believe that a lower placement will give the riders more control over the whole bike as their bodies are closer to the ground.
When looking at your next street-legal motorcycle, try to check out the seat in detail. Since you will be parking your caboose on it for a good stretch of time, you need to make sure you will be comfortable.
Head and Tail Lights
To be street legal, you need headlights and taillights. The benefits they provide in low-light conditions are quite obvious.
Most factory street legal dirt bikes already have these installed, but if you’re looking at converting your existing bike it could cause a lot of headache in terms of wiring.
Engine and Fuel Injection
4-stroke engines are recommended for street legal dirt bikes.
Sure, you will find a lot of two-stroke engines available at more attractive prices, but they are less environmentally friendly and do kick up quite the racket.
4-stroke bikes are easier to ride, great for beginners, and pack a lot of power. While they do require more maintenance which can be a deterrent, they do have a longer lifespan.
Fuel injection capabilities will give the rider a smoother trip on the road and a more consistent and reliable throttle response.
They are able to handle more X factors and Suzuki is a brand that has mastered the fuel injection bikes.
Starting Transmission
Many experts suggest an electric start as it’s easy and reliable.
However, you are able to find ones with kickstart and electric and you will never really understand the important benefit until you are stranded somewhere.
If the battery does drain, you will still be able to start your bike.
Size
It’s important not to overwhelm yourself with a large and heavy bike that you can hardly control.
Your height, weight, and strength matter when you decide on a new street-legal dirt bike.
The seats on most bikes should be adjustable, but it’s still a good idea to try out the bike.
What to Avoid:
Now that you know what to look for, here are a few tips we have on what to avoid.
These are traits that are undesirable in a street-legal bike in terms of performance.
Air Cooling
It’s not a problem on the open terrain, but once you transfer onto the street, then you are at risk of stalling traffic.
An idle dirt bike with air cooling will easily overheat. With environmental laws becoming more stringent by the year, this could pose a huge problem.
Kickstart Only
It’s easy to run out of juice on a converted dirt bike. The battery needs to flow and power the head and taillights, the horn, and other things.
To avoid draining your bike, or it affecting you in the middle of the road, you should make sure you have a kickstart and electric start.
What Dirt Bike Can Be Street Legal?
Many dirt bikes can be street legal, it’s just a matter of conversion.
Converting your dirt bike and following regulations is where the difficulty lies. The rules can vary from city to city, state to state, and country to country.
Here are some of the crucial considerations when making your dirt bike street legal
- Fuel tank – Altering a dirt bike to become street legal requires a ton of approvals obtained by the Department of Transportation or similar entities in your country. Make sure they approve of your fuel tank (the construction material might be regulated).
- Approved tires
- You need a horn, rearview, side mirrors, turn signals, headlight, tail light and brake light (battery powered),
Bear in mind that the rules and regulations for each may be different depending on your location.
Before you get started on conversion, do your research and make sure that your bike can accommodate all that’s required. Some local authorities may even need proper documentation to prove all the right modifications have been done.
It does take a lot of time so buying a factory-made street legal dirt bike is your best option. Or if you have some extra cash to burn, you can hire someone to do it all for you. In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at what is required to modify your bike.
Since you need electricity, your electrical system may require an upgrade. Take a look to see if your bike even has the proper wiring. You may need professional expertise for this part, so be sure to take your bike into an auto body shop qualified to make these enhancements.
Your headlight will need both high and low beams (much like a car). This is for safety reasons and the switch should be easy to reach. You need a mounted battery to power the tail and brake lights for at least 20 min to reach legal standards. Think LED lights as they require less power to operate.
Turn signals may be optional for some places, but we suggest installing them anyway since you’re doing a major overhaul. They make notifying your fellow drivers of your direction much easier.
There are smoke and sound regulations (although quite loose) in most states. The great state of California has stricter regulations about the exhaust. In general, it needs to be functional, in good condition and made with sturdy materials.
You have more leeway with the rearview mirrors. As long as you have two and they are angled correctly for a clear view, then you’re good to go.
Next up, make sure you have a horn to alert everyone of your presence and to express your discontent with bad drivers on the road.
Since you’re updating almost everything about your motorcycle, we would suggest going for an electric one as a hand-squeezed horn won’t do much on the loud streets.
Department of Transportation approved tires are the basic requirement for newly commissioned street bikes. You can easily pick out approved tires from lists online.
In order to not exceed the speed limit and earn yourself a ticket, we would suggest installing a speedometer. Funnily enough, not all places require this.
Also, since we’re talking about speed and motion, you also need a kickstand to rest your bike when you make stops.
Once you have passed all the obstacles and can now successfully ride your new bike on the street, then your next step would be to add a license plate holder.
Display your plate in full view unless stated otherwise by your local authorities).
There is also another way around all this troublesome research and reading. There are tons of bike conversion kits readily available online. They include everything we stated above in one comprehensive kit.
Conclusion
You can still enjoy the luxuries of having a dirt bike and a street bike. They can also be the same bike if proper modifications are made. In our case, we would much rather purchase one of the options we provided.
We hope our list contributes to your search and remember to do your research before you commit to a full overhaul, or look into one already on our list.
The 250cc 4-speed manual transmission bike has everything we are looking for.
From larger tires to an easy start-up, this wonderful and all-inclusive street motorcycle gives you a comfortable ride.
Not to mention, it comes in multiple colors for you to choose from. You no longer need to settle for a boring black, but a sporty blue or racy green will look good too with your new bike.
