Suzuki JR50 reviews

This isn't too bad. I did no research before I bought it. I found it on sale by accident and went for it. It has been very reliable and is very simple to work on. For performance though it could be better in my opinion meaning; in a flat grassy field it's great but as soon as I took my 6 and 8 year old to the pee-wee track it would not go through sandy or soft ground or do the table top hills very well at all. That is easily overcame though with a few inexpensive after market parts. As far as quality goes my only complaint is the gas tank fairings are only held by four tiny screws through ity bity 2 cent brackets. One side broke loose on the first wipe out. LESSONS LEARNED: I would not recommend this for an 8 y/o (too small of machine). If they can't ride a bicycle yet, get that down first. Show less

Overall, I think this bike is a great beginner bike. I do not see any major faults or signs of poor craftsmanship. The bike is not intimidating to youngsters like some other bikes can be. It by far is not the fastest 50 out there, but who cares when your trying to teach your little one how to ride? It's not about speed. It's about fun. Show less

Was a gift from Gramps for my son's 5th B-day. My son had never been on a motorcycle before but gave up his pedal bike's training wheels a couple months before his 4th B-day. On first day we had to remove the exhaust restrictor and throttle stop to get enough power on hills. Even still it was pretty anemic and soon needed more. After some researching I found that there is a low gear that has been locked out but can be enabled with some Dremmel trickery (see upgrades). Reliability: Good, can be a little tricky to get started after a spill. Performance:Ok, heavily choked with restrictors but very reliable when kept upright! Comfort: Kid doesn't complain. Quality: Well built, nice fit and finish. Takes abuse. Show less

Bought one for my grandson back in May for his birhday. Rode it the first day without training wheels but fell twice. After that I bought training wheels to allow him to control the throttle and brake. Now he is riding without them and hasn't looked back. Bike can be hard to start on hot days and cannot be bump started due to the automatic transmission, but once warmed up it is easy for a little kid to kick start himself. I strongly suggest removing the restrictor (washer) in the exhaust manifold (used to keep the power limited). It is a major reason for the plug fouling out when new. The bike is adjustable to ride height and allows for and additional 2" seat and handlebar as the child grows. Show less

I bought this JR50 for my son who will turn 4 in the end of Sept. His feet touch the ground easily and the bike is light enough to hold up. After explaining how to use the hand brake and foot brake, I pushed him along a few times with the motor off and told him to stop, making sure he understood how things worked. He already knew how to work the throttle since he had an electric scooter. I kick started the motor, handed him the bike and away he went! *WARNING* Your kids will develop temporary deafness when you try to signal them to bring the bike back to go home and will seemingly NOT hear you shouting at then to stop even though they are waving and smiling as they whizz past. Show less

I'm a life long RM rider due to Suzuki's high-tech combination of speed,& durability. The JR 50 was a no brainer for my five year old to learn, but it's higher maintenance than my 2000 RM 250. From the factory, the JR 50 has two restricter plates that have to be removed in order to maintain an idle. The exhaust pipe is ridiculously restrictive as well (1 1/2" dia.) and I've looked into an after-market pipe but to no avail. If anyone has any info on a pipe please forward. The spark arrester is also feeble and heavy, the JR 50 continuously fouled its plug due to the oil injector. I have since had the carb modified to use pre-mix. The rear suspension is circa 1975 (dual shocks) & needs to be updated but this is the cheapest 50cc around. Show less