Freestyle motocross took the lead in popularizing pit bikes thanks to jumping them, beating the bikes, and taking them on roadways all to make a sick video. Now, it seems like everyone and their mother has a pit bike they’re riding. Pit bikes are at the height of factory development thanks to the cult following they’ve received. The moto community as a whole even wants professional-level AMA-sanctioned pit bike races. Still, it would be so convenient if those weekend race bikes were able to ride on roadways legally.
Imagine having a 110 registered for road use, making it possible to fit literally anywhere you want. The riding opportunities available with a pit bike are so diverse that you can daily it to school or work and then hit a skatepark, MTB trails, or a motocross track all in the same day.
How Do You Make a Pit Bike Street Legal?
Standard Legal Motorcycle Parts
Transforming a pit bike to be roadworthy is a fairly simple task that can seem intimidating if you’ve never converted one. However, you won’t even need street legal parts installed to complete the registration process through the DMV – all that’s required are a few simple pieces of information:
Valid proof of ownership (Title, Transferable Registration, Bill of Sale, or Financed in your name)
Basic personal information (Name, Address, Birthday)
Sales tax (may or may not be needed, depending on the proof of ownership for the pit bike)
It’s completely possible to register a pit bike without any street legal parts installed. That doesn’t mean they’re not necessary, but the specific parts required depend on the state where the pit bike will primarily be ridden.
Insurance?
Having an active insurance policy is imperative if a pit bike is going to operate on roadways. Even if it’s only basic liability coverage, the key is to have the policy written to your home address, or wherever the vehicle is garaged. This is vital to ensure the insurance company will honor coverage since they were aware of the exact situation prior to any accidents.
Which Pit Bike is Best to Make Street Legal?
Pit bikes are more popular than ever before, but only a few manufacturers build reliably solid bikes. Sure, plenty of brand-new pit bikes are available from lesser-known brands for “good deals” – sadly, many of those deals are for bikes from B or C list manufacturers. Not all of these are bad, but none of them are great. Finding a reputable brand like Yamaha, Honda, or Kawasaki is vital if the goal is to purchase a long-lasting machine with minimal maintenance required.
The most desired CC size is a 110cc pit bike. They’re small enough to fit in almost any space while making enough power to hang with traffic or pull a rolling wheelie. Sure, they’re rather small bikes, but they accelerate faster than many street-legal motorcycles.
Even though 110cc pit bikes are the most common, there are a few other options to be considered when deciding which bike fits the best. Motor size and type are 2 big factors to consider when buying a pit bike. Smaller bore pit bikes are available, but the suspension will lack compared to a 110. Larger cc bikes are also available, but they come with a manual transmission instead of a semi-automatic.
Electric or Kick Start
Most any pit bike models newer than 2012 manufactured by a top company would come standard with an electric start. The only reason one would still have just a kickstart is if it’s an older model or the electric start is broken.
Unless an older pit bike is preferred for nostalgia, it’s likely that a deal was found if that’s the pit bike of choice. That’s not a bad thing – classic pit bikes run forever, and can be found in good condition, especially if it’s being sold by the original owner.
Reliability vs Performance
Buying a bike made by any well-known Japanese manufacturer almost guarantees the bike will last many years without major issues – as long as maintenance is kept up and it isn’t beaten to death.
Even if the bike is ridden hard and put up wet, there are a couple of brands that won’t have any issues handling the daily beating… they’ll run no matter how hard their life is. Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Honda are known for their reliability compared to other companies. Of course, Yamaha has the largest reputation for their strong power delivery while offering one of the most reliable bikes, but if reliability is the sole requirement, then look no further than Honda.
All the best pit bikes are made by companies that specialize in 250 and 450 motocross bikes, so it’s no wonder why their mini motos are superior to second rate brands that “specialize in pit bikes”. Companies like that make decent bikes, but it’s hard to beat a pit bike modeled after a championship-winning race bike.
Most Common Pit Bikes
If you haven’t guessed yet… Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Suzuki are the premier options for gas-powered pit bikes. Other companies just can’t compete. Except for Sur Ron – a Chinese company that’s taken storm of the market for high-output electric bikes.
Any well-known brand gained their reputation by producing high-quality machines that withstand obstacles thrown at them over and over again while never skipping a beat. Buying from a lesser known manufacturer can seem like a good idea; especially with a lower price point than other pit bikes in their class, but after components break or malfunction, and parts become a struggle to find, it quickly becomes apparent why paying a few hundred dollars more for a quality bike is so important.
The most common pit bikes today include:
Honda CRF110F
Kawasaki KLX110R & KLX110RL
Greenger G3
Yamaha TTR110E
Suzuki DRZ110
Purchasing one of these bikes is one of the best decisions when in the market for a pit bike. Especially if the plan is to build it to be street legal. Nothing compares to having the peace of mind knowing you can trust your pit bike to not leave you stranded.
All of these are a solid platform to register and ride on roadways. If you’re wondering “how can a pit bike be street legal?” Look no further than the guide below.
Honda CRF110F
Released in 2013, the first model CRF110F came standard with electric start and kick start. It’s a reliable machine that is the perfect size for a child to ride and has served as the flagship 110 model amongst its competitors since the release of the first year CRF110F.
Originally, the first generation came carbureted and weighed only 163 pounds. Even with a carb, the CRF110F was a force to be reckoned with in the reliability department. Present day, the 2013 models are still a great option – especially if the plan is to buy a cheap used pit bike for street legal pleasure.
Honda is known for their quality innovations, whether it’s cars, motorcycles, dirt bikes, or generators – it’s almost guaranteed your Honda will outlast any other competitor's machine even if maintenance is neglected past the recommended intervals.
The modernized 2023 CRF110F is unmatched in its class thanks to being the only 110 dirt bike with Electronic Fuel Injection. Not only does this greatly improve throttle response/control, but it allows for consistent starting no matter what elevation the bike is operating at.
With the MSRP starting at $2,599, the CRF110F gives you the most bang for your buck. It’s hard to go wrong with a bike designed to take beatings from kids and adults alike. Even with hard riding and without proper maintenance, they seem never to lose a step of reliability, making them a great choice for street use.
Kawasaki KLX110R/RL
The OG of 110 dirt bikes – Kawasaki paved the way with their kickstart motorcycles. While the original model may not be the most flashy or have an insane amount of technology, they are one of the most reliable 110cc pit bikes on the market. Today, their bikes come standard with a keyless electric start.
Just like modern-day keyless bikes, the original 2003 came standard with a push button ignition and on/off switch – no key required. Simply flip the switch, push the start, and it fires up every time. If an older body style KLX110 is available in good condition, it’s not something to pass on, especially if you’re already in the market for a budget pit bike to make street legal and ride on the road.
Sure, the suspension may lack compared to a newer model, and older models only have 3 gears, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad machine. Having a smaller gearbox means less shifting and longer gears, which results in higher top speeds than the newer models thanks to the wide-ratio transmission.
2010 brought a new decade and came with a redesigned KLX110R plus a taller version; the KLX110RL. This new bike was refreshed from the ground up. Longer travel suspension, a redesigned engine from the cases in, and an extra gear added to the transmission make this bike a large improvement over the thick 2000’s bodystyle. Buying a new bike, one can expect to pay $2,650-$2,850… it just depends on whether the R or the RL is purchased.
With the KLX110RL, taller riders gained more than just seat height. The main difference between the KLX110R and the KLX110RL is the RL comes with a clutch, larger rear wheel, and longer travel suspension than its smaller counterpart. The current KLX110RL is likely the best option to make street legal, especially since it sits higher off the ground making it easier for motorists to see.
Greenger G3
Whether you love or hate electric bikes, one thing is certain, they’re here to stay – creating almost endless options of dirt and pit bikes. The Greenger G3 is made with kids and adults in mind. This is especially evident with the 3 different stages of power: 1 – 18mph, 2 – 32mph, and 3 – 50mph, offering riders different top speeds to match their experience and skill level.
Pit bikes are usually built for kids, but the G3 has adults in mind too. With a lightweight aluminum frame, Greenger made a machine light enough for children to ride, with enough strength to hold a rider weighing up to 300 lbs while maintaining a plush ride thanks to the fully adjustable suspension.
Greenger is a new company to the moto world, but there’s no doubt their products will soon take off, especially with the collaboration between Greenger and Honda for the CRF-E2. Greenger isn’t set to release the G3 until summer 2023, but pre-orders can be placed if you have an account with them online.
MSRP for the Greenger G3 is $4,099 with additional fees for destination ($200/unit) and freight ($100/unit). While this is a higher price point than comparable gas-powered pit bikes, it’s actually a good value for what the machine offers. After positive spotlights from accredited moto magazines like Vurbmoto and Vital MX, there is nothing but green lights ahead for the California-based company, especially if you ride one on the street.
Yahamaha TTR110E
Not to be left behind by Kawasaki, Yamaha released their first generation TTR110E in 2008. While the bike was – and still is – carbureted, it came standard with an electric start, leading the 110 frenzy in innovation.
Over the past decade, Yamaha hasn’t needed to update their TTR110. The same plastics, engine, carburetor, and brakes mean over 10 years of development on the same parts. The only difference between 2008 and 2023 is the design and color of the graphics.
Yamaha did wonderfully with this machine… it has one of the longest wheelbases on the list while weighing in quite a few pounds less than its competitors. Looking at the machine, there’s no wonder why this bike hasn’t needed a mechanical update since 2008. Plush suspension and reliable power are two of the biggest reasons people choose Yamaha over its competitors.
It’s hard to go wrong with a blue cru bike, especially one that’s grown a cult following without ever needing to change the bike. In the future, I’m sure we will see Yamaha update the TTR110 with fuel injection, but only time will tell. In the meantime, all that simplicity means the TTR110 is dead reliable, so you can make one street legal and pile on the miles without worrying about having to fix it.
Suzuki DRZ110
An identical twin to the first-generation KLX110, the DRZ110 is an absolute tank. Suzuki and Kawasaki merged in 2002 with plans to help each other design better bikes with brand-specific tweaks on bigger race bikes. Only a few years later in 2006, the merger came to an early end.
While the goal of the merger was to increase innovation, that portion wasn’t prioritized in the smaller, non-race bike line of mini motos. The 2000s DRZ110 and KLX110 especially showed their similarities with the only differences being plastics and gas tank color.
The stock form of the DRZ110 is good, but there’s always room for improvement, especially with the known potential these bikes offer. Even with production ended for the drz110, these are still an extremely solid platform to build a powerful pit bike that will be reliable enough to operate on roadways.
Which Bike Is Most Reliable for Road Use?
All of these machines, besides the Greenger G3, have proven their reliability for years now. Look at the DRZ110 – even though it’s no longer in production, the DRZ is still a highly sought-after pit bike on today's used market, especially to make one street legal.
The biggest downside to an older bike is the lack of technology and a lower quality of comfort unless the bike is modified. The price point is also important, but electric bikes just can’t compare to the value packed into a gas-powered pit bike with such a low MSRP.
Even out of all the new pit bikes, only one is the full package. Of course, it’s a gas one, simply because of how easy it is to refuel at any gas station instead of needing to find a plug to charge your battery. Plus, this bike has fuel injection and comes with an electric start managed by a key ignition.
If it’s not obvious already, the Honda CRF110F is the most reliable and offers the perfect combination of offroad and on-road capabilities while having the best throttle response of its competitors with electronic fuel injection.
How to Register Your Pit Bike for Road Use
Surprisingly, only certain states allow pit bikes over 50cc to be registered for street use without laughing at the idea of it. It’s odd though… residents of states that will register offroad bikes to operate on roadways are amazed when they discover how strict other states are, and in some cases, the drastic measures law enforcement uses to prevent bikers from riding on government roads.
While it’s necessary to have a motorcycle license to ride pit bikes on roadways, a motorcycle license isn’t required to register a pit bike. In fact, a normal driver's license isn’t even needed. You can register your pit bike and receive a title, license plate, & registration with no proof of ID required.
How is this even possible? So many states don’t allow pit bikes to be registered, there’s no way this applies to all 50 states, it must be too good to be true… Right?
Wrong!
Whether you’re on the West Coast or the East Coast – even if you’re in Hawaii… it’s possible to make a pit bike street legal. The key is registering your pit bike in the correct state. A handful of states offer this, but even fewer issue a license plate and registration for pit bikes without an inspection completed first. But, how can a pit bike be registered in a state you don’t live in?
It’s actually quite simple to register a pit bike out of state. All that’s needed is a bit of guidance.
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If you make your pit bike street legal, you won’t have to worry about Johnny Law raining on your stunt parade.