When it comes to dirt bike modifications, the possibilities are endless. From upgrading the suspension to adding new wheels, there’s a lot you can do to customize your ride.
With that said, some people go to the extreme.
Whether it’s some strange model a manufacturer cooked up or a ridiculous rider modification, there’s no limit to the imaginations of those willing to venture out into the world on two wheels. We’ve found some of the craziest mods you can perform on a dirt bike and listed them for your enjoyment.
Some of these are quite innovative and took a lot of balls. Others should just be avoided at all costs. Let’s see what you think.
1. Christini AWD Military Edition
This bike is not a stock bike, but the American manufacturer Christini does offer it for custom orders with a 50% deposit.
And yes, it’s actually all wheel drive.
It’s based on the AWD 450E and AWD 450 DS but has a long list of added parts for longevity and protection. Since each bike is custom-built by the company it’s hard to list what accessory parts come on each model, but it ends up looking something like this.
What we do know about this lineup is that it’s used by Special Forces and the Navy Seals when overseas. We also know that it’s powered by a liquid-cooled 450cc four-stroke and comes complete with a perfectly tuned suspension and all-wheel drive for maximum traction, stability and handling.
What you do with it may remain classified, but those looks certainly won’t glide under any radars.
Some of the optional equipment available with the Christini AWD Military Edition includes:
Z-Start pro auto clutch
high-capacity stator
power-flow radiator
Boyesen super cooler kit
swing arm protection kit
GPS navigation system
rear rack system
LED headlights
MOLLE covering and camo
If you added on all the optional equipment, you would be looking at an extra $7,400 in parts alone. And while the base price isn’t advertised, we expect it to be something like $15,000 to $20,000 before add-ons.
Just check out these bikes in the terrain they were made for. It’s truly awe-inspiring.
2. Zero MMX
While we are discussing military mods for dirt bikes, it makes sense that the Zero MMX would also make our list. After all, this is one crazy mod that looks badass. It’s nearly silent thanks to the electric powertrain and designed specifically to enable special ops agents to sneak up on fools on two wheels.
Zero created this bike through a US Special Operations Forces defense contract. This high-tech, blacked-out assassin allows for speedy, stealth movement through rough terrain. It leaves almost no heat signature and operates in virtual silence.
This crazy mod was built on the company’s MX platform to military specs. This includes keyless start, a special dash with toggle switches, removable power packs, and a total blackout mode. It’s even able to operate while submerged in over three feet of water.
That’s a submersible electric vehicle, ladies and gentlemen. Don’t try that in a Tesla.
The electric motor is capable of delivering up to 100 percent of the torque at any time. That’s 64 pound-feet of torque, to be precise. Plus, it pumps out 54 horsepower and utilizes regenerative braking to recoup some lost power.
What’s great about this design is that Zero ended up with a number of innovations that were usable in the civilian models. Whether you look at their street-legal FX or off-road MX, you will find tech that blows your mind. Military funding, baby.
If you want to learn more about this stealth dirt bike, be sure to watch the YouTube video above for more specs and information.
3. Hayes M1030
While we could probably make an entire list of military-style dirt bike mods, we only have room for one more. That’s why it seemed fitting to share with you the Hayes M1030.
When you consider the challenges our military must face on a regular basis, one of the first things that you think about is a fuel supply. After all, when you are fighting the enemy in a remote location, where are you going to get your gas?
The Marines came up with a great solution: build an engine that could run on multiple fuels.
They turned to Hayes who used the KLR 650 platform to design something entirely new. The resulting M1030 runs on biodiesel, diesel, JP-8 jet fuel, plus an additional four fuel types. That’s why it’s referred to as a mountain goat of a motorcycle; because it eats anything and goes anywhere.
When running on diesel, the engine is incredibly efficient. In fact, it can achieve 96 mpg while cruising along at 55 mph. That allows it to reach 400 miles before it needs more fuel. If the zombie apocalypse was taking over and fuel was hard to get to, this bike would take you a long way.
You have to check out this video to see how the parts for this bike are made. It’s informative and might just give you a new love for dirt bike manufacturing.
4. Sidecar Racing
Here’s a quick reminder that this article is about crazy dirt bike mods in general, not just hardened military-spec war machines.
If you didn’t know that racing with a sidecar was a thing, then you haven’t seen the FIM Sidecarcross. Yes, that’s pronounced “side car cross.” It’s where all the motocross bikes with a sidecar race on a motocross course. They take the jumps and everything, all while toting a sidecar. Pretty impressive, right?
After you watch a few races, you have to wonder who signs up for this crap. Maybe the passengers are actually handcuffed inside the sidecar and we just can’t see it? Either way, it’s a wild ride and something that could be modified on your own dirt bike, if you were crazy enough.
As of now, this type of racing isn’t known well in North America, yet. We think it will eventually become bigger here, but Europe doesn’t keep it a secret. In fact, it’s been going on there since the 1950s.
We have some videos you can watch that might inspire you to add a sidecar to your dirt bike. In all fairness, these videos are binge-worthy and could quickly take the place of Netflix. If you find yourself still watching videos in an hour, don’t be mad at all. We gave you a fair warning.
5. Seat Delete Mod
Trials courses require that you ride your bike slower than you walk. If you’ve never tried that, give it a shot and you will see just how difficult it truly is.
These runs happen over natural terrain covered in rock walls, streams and logs. For North American competitions, the rider must follow the course while being watched by a judge. During that time, the rider must stay on the bike at all times. If they touch the ground, they gain unwanted points.
The rider with the least amount of points at the end is the winner.
Because they don’t need powerful engines, trials bikes feature single-cylinder engines and small displacements. Usually, the bike only has a 125 to a 250cc engine, but that can go as low as 50cc.
The major element of this type of riding is light weight. It must be as light as possible which is why the bike is stripped of everything that makes it civilized. You won’t find aerodynamic fairings, cruise control or a seat on one of these bikes. In fact, they really shouldn’t weigh more than 200 pounds to be competitive.
That’s lighter than almost every production dirt bike currently made. Almost.
Related Article: 7 Of The Lightest Dirt Bikes Of The Modern Age
As you are scaling a boulder or making your way over a log, you need to give your bike just the right amount of throttle to push you over without spinning out your rear wheel and losing traction. If you move too fast, that log will fly out and you’ll land on your back.
What riders need to master is how to relax, even if you feel like you are in a crisis. Your arms must remain at ease while your bike does the work. Without a seat, you are required to have an intense focus. It’s a whole new mental zone that only a few people will ever master.
You can purchase a trials bike already made to spec. Companies such as Gas Gas produce a bike that’s ready to go. The trouble with that is you’ll spend over $8,000 for a decent bike.
Instead, why not just remove the seat yourself and take off any unnecessary equipment? Sure, it’s a crazy mod, but you should really try everything once, right? And while you’re at it, why not make your trials bike street legal?
Once you’ve stripped down your bike and got it ready for trials racing, you should check out this compilation of pretty rad stunts.
6. Dirt Bike Underglow
Just like with your Corolla in Need for Speed Underground, the options available for dirt bike underglow are extensive.
And just like that Corolla, just because you could buy strip lights or pod lights for your dirt bike doesn’t mean you should.
First, you have to get it to stick properly, which can be a real pain in the ass. Then, you have to make sure the lighting is waterproof, especially if you ever forge through streams or treat your dirt bike like, you know, a dirt bike.
Another aspect that makes this one of the craziest dirt bike mods ever is the fact that cheap lighting can literally start a fire.
That’s lit 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Sure, they don’t use that much power, but for reasons known only to science they can still get super-hot. If there’s a short circuit somewhere, you are in trouble. Is a little blue (or green, or whatever you choose) light worth burning your bike to a crisp?
There’s something else to consider regarding this modification. If you plan to make your dirt bike street legal, you might have trouble with the LED lighting. In many states, it’s illegal. Whatever you do, don’t buy a lighting kit that changes colors and ride on public roads that way – that’s just weird and unnecessary.
If you are dead set on installing dirt bike underglow, at least make sure you do the job right. Here’s a how-to video that might help you out. That, or it’s a snuff film of someone destroying their dirt bike. However you see it.
7. Stripped Exhaust
Don’t confuse this crazy mod with using a silencer. That’s s common modification that doesn’t hurt your bike in any way.
Of course, using a silencer might cause the engine to perform badly since the engine has been tuned to certain specs. If you want to run a silencer, you might need to re-tune the engine to help it run smooth and powerful.
What we are talking about here is stripping your dirt bike of the entire exhaust system. This isn’t a crazy mod you want to do, and not only because it makes your bike louder than Satan singing screamo.
Removing the exhaust pipe, silencer, expansion chamber and manifold can cause serious damage to your engine, especially if you run a four-stroke.
That’s because the exhaust valve pressure is higher than atmospheric pressure. This pressure is lower at the end of the combustion process and even more so in engine braking or low load conditions. When this pressure is very low, your engine might suck in hot exhaust gases from the pipe. Normally these charged gases don’t damage the engine because they are at a temperature relatively close to what the exhaust valve and combustion chamber are already at.
If you don’t have an exhaust pipe though, your engine can suck in fresh air from the atmosphere. This air is much colder than the engine’s internals which leads to thermal shock to your exhaust valves. It’s also possible for the oxygen to ignite anything combustible in the combustion chamber as well, like carbon.
Not to mention, that hot exhaust could now be shooting right out at something sensitive like your leg.
If there’s enough exhaust pipe to contain the right amount of gases and prevent fresh air from being sucked in, you won’t have a problem. That’s why hot rodders have at least a small exhaust pipe on their vehicles, not nothing at all.
With a two-stroke engine, you have a lot less chance of causing damage from cool air. That’s because there’s no exhaust valve, but that doesn’t mean the exhaust system is just an accessory. It is still needed for optimal performance.
Whatever you do – don’t be this guy who wants to learn how to shoot fire out the tailpipe. Although, he does have a pretty amazing setup at his house, don’t you think?
8. TM 250 Cross in Barbie Pink
What in the world was the manufacturer thinking when they performed this mod to an otherwise glorious dirt bike? It’s got to be one of the ugliest dirt bikes ever to exist.
It’s so bad I can’t even imagine buying it at Wal-Mart. It was made by Blazier, who is an Italian motorcycle creator, but they missed the mark on this one.
Today, the TM is a mainstream bike, but in the early days, they were just strange. This TM 250 shows you exactly how quirky they could be during the early 1990s.
Because they never had high production numbers, TM used plastic components from other companies. In this case, they used the front fender and radiator shrouds from a 1993 RM and then molded it in Barbie Pink in what must have been a serious manufacturing accident.
Adding to this crazy mod, some insane cartoon graphics further convince us this bike is actually made by Fisher-Price. This color scheme should be completely illegal on dirt bikes. It’s the epitome of ugly, period.
9. Shaved Saddles
If you are a little short for your bike, this simple, yet crazy mod might be just what you need. Cut down your seat!
Even an inch will make a big difference in helping you get closer to the ground. Most modern dirt bike seats can be taken down two inches before you start to notice the frame tubes from under your butt.
But at its core, cutting up a stock dirt bike seat is a pretty crazy concept.
It really shouldn’t take you more than a couple of hours to complete the task and you can do it right in your garage. Take the seat off your bike and turn it upside down. If it is a metal base, the seat will be glued on. If you have a plastic base, then you are dealing with staples instead.
Take the cover off and then, start by cutting back the foam with a hack saw blade. Try to keep your blade flat the whole time or you might end up with an uneven cut. Make sure you figure out how much you want to take off. If you are able to almost reach the ground when you are sitting on the bike, then you don’t need to take off much.
If you take off too much, you might not have room for more padding, or you’ll have to revert to crazy mod #5 instead (no seat!). Once you are done, you might need to use a wire brush or wood rasp to smooth it out. Then, put your seat back together and use contact cement or a staple gun to secure it.
Finally, enjoy being able to place two feet (or one) firmly on Terra Firma.
Here’s an in-depth how-to guide done by Dirt Rider if you need a little more guidance to complete this crazy dirt bike modification.
10. Dirt Bike to Dirt Trike
Ending our list of the top 10 craziest mods is to turn your dirt bike into a trike. This could be a big yes or a big no depending on how you do the job.
If you hack your bike apart and rig it back together, we can’t recommend doing this to your bike. If, however, you take your time, put forth the effort needed to get it done right, then we say – hell yeah!
You are going to need to do a lot of modification, make no doubt about it. If you don’t feel equipped to handle this type of change, do yourself a favor and find someone that does. There’s just too much that could go wrong when you attempt to turn your bike into a trike, and there are a surprising number of folks out there who seem to be well-versed in this crazy dirt bike mod.
And a few who aren’t.
With that said, this guy does do it right and provides some inspiration for anyone crazy enough to tackle the mod themselves.
What crazy dirt bike mods can you come up?
Show us some crazy mods you’ve done, whether they were good or bad. Tell us what you learned from the process and if you would recommend the modifications to others. Who knows – you might just end up on a future list we publish at Dirt Legal.
Travel back to the days when red was king and styling was unrestrained. Which vintage dirt bike is your favorite?