10 Reviews: Best Dirt Bikes for Adults (Apr 2024)

The Apollo DB-36 Adult Dirt Bike has all of the amazing features seen on more costly Japanese dirt motorcycles at a fraction of the cost! Electric and kick start are standard on the Apollo DB-36, as are front and rear disc brakes and improved suspension. The DB-36 is built on a heavy-duty steel twin-spar frame with massive 54mm inverted forks up front and an adjustable mono-shock in the back, as well as a full-size 21-inch front wheel with exceptional ground clearance and ease of handling obstacles and off-road terrain.

A high-revving, light-weight (just 38 lbs!) 125cc single produces a ton of torque and plenty of horsepower. The complete bike weights under 192 lbs dry, with an 8L gasoline tank, and is mounted in a chrome-moly steel frame with a carbon fiber rear subframe. The TC125 MX isn’t a toy, featuring a Brembo wet multi-disc hydraulic clutch and Brembo brakes both front and rear, WP competition suspension, and a 38mm flat slide Mikuni TMX carburetor. This is a genuine competition bike that can handle anything from local dirt track practice to flying over the finish line at the World Championships and everything in between.

In the realm of supercross, the 2021 Kawasaki KX 450 is in a class by itself. Since the 450SX class was formed, Kawasaki has had more victories and championship riders on its 450s than any other manufacturer, and if that isn’t enough, the fact that they arrive pretty much ready to compete is another significant bonus. For a bike that weighs 246 lbs wet, the 449cc four-stroke single is liquid-cooled and produces a muscular 33 lb-ft of torque and around 53 HP. The bike is propelled by a rugged and ready 5-speed gearbox, and the 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels assure performance and control.

The Yamaha is the greatest since it boasts a fantastic engine based on the 249cc racing four-stroke found in the aforementioned YZ250F. It is a 223cc four-stroke engine with two valves, a single overhead cam, and delivers around 14 lb-ft of fairly linear torque at any rpm range. Basically, it adheres to the “keep it stupidly simple” principle while simultaneously promoting fuel injection, dependability, and a near-indestructible track record. It’s also exceedingly simple to ride, weighs just 250 pounds wet, and costs less than $5,000 USD. It can handle almost any terrain and has a massive 2.1-gallon gasoline tank for all-day pleasure.

This bike sports a redesigned frame, a hydraulic clutch, HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) steering and suspension geometry, and a revamped engine management system, making it the best big displacement enduro this year. The 449cc single’s engine was reworked to include a decompression mechanism that helps to minimize engine stalls while rock crawling or employing engine braking to help with a steep descent. The hydraulic clutch also helps to extend the torque and power bands, allowing the rider to have the low-end, on-demand torque needed to pass hill lips and bigger obstacles.

KTM is widely regarded as one of the top off-road manufacturers in general, and the 2021 KTM 250 XC-F lives up to that reputation. While it may not be the largest or most powerful enduro, it does provide a wonderful balance of lightweight and maximum power. The engine management system on the 249cc four-stroke single enables on-the-fly map swapping through a handlebar switch. This enables the programming of numerous maps for various conditions, such as a high-torque, low-HP map for hill climbing, and a balanced map for flat-surface riding. The addition of WP shocks, competition brakes, and a Brembo hydraulic clutch coupled to a 6-speed gearbox only adds to the over $10,000 USD asking price.

For many years, KTM ruled the off-road-capable ADV market with the 790 Adventure, a bike that had all you needed, plus a few more, to cruise both on and off the road. This model features an 889cc four-stroke parallel-twin engine with eight valves and 105 horsepower and 73 lb-ft of torque. It also features a completely reprofiled crank, new springs, revised valves, and a superior intake system, enabling the displacement increase to be surpassed by the increase in performance. In addition, the engine is now a stress-bearing element of the bike’s chassis, providing rapid throttle response and linear, but not overwhelming, torque on demand.

When you search up the phrase “bulletproof” in the dictionary, you’re likely to come across a picture of the Suzuki DR-ZX400S from 2021. This is mostly due to the fact that it has been built since cavemen moaned about the bike, and its 398cc liquid-cooled four-stroke single can withstand being slammed with a sledgehammer and still operate nicely. With 39 horsepower and 29 pound-feet of torque, this legendary beast can propel even the heaviest and biggest riders down the road, and with a foot of ground clearance, it can also transport them over obstacles on trails. The DR-Z400S’ road manners are owed to its suspension, which is widely regarded among riders as one of the most nimble dual-sports ever built.

The KTM Freeride E-XC, which will debut in 2021, is the first electric off-road motorbike designed particularly for competition, whether in Rally-E or Motocross-E. The bike’s electric motor is approximately equal to a 125cc engine, with a maximum output of 24 HP and a cruising output of 18 HP. A 3.9 kWh lithium-ion battery provides enough power for around two hours of cross-country riding or 45 minutes of strenuous ridings, such as motocross or pure hill climbing. Racing suspension, a rapid charge system that works with any voltage between 110 and 240 volts, and Formula brand brakes have been added for 2021 to offer the bike even more stopping power.

The 2021 FX is pretty much the pinnacle of what Zero has to offer in the dual-sport arena. Despite being the lowest rung on the Zero bike ladder, the FX’s performance is nothing to scoff at. If you choose the 3.9 kWh model, it provides 78 lb-ft of torque from 1 RPM and weighs just 247 lbs. Even if you choose the 7.2 kWh model, you’ll be riding a bike that weighs just 289 pounds. This is a dual-sport that you can ride to the trail, trash the trail, and then ride home with a smile beneath your mud-caked helmet, with a top speed of 85 MPH with torque totally and fully everywhere on the clutchless direct-drive engine with only one gear.