First Ride: Yamaha PW50

Ask almost any dirt bike rider what their first bike was and the answer will most likely be the Yamaha PW50. For over 30 years the Yamaha PW50 two-stroke minibike has remained virtually unchanged and for good reason, it has a low seat height, is easy to maintain and is very beginner friendly. Fixing up an older, used PW50 is simple and that is just what Senior Editor Adam Booth did with this 20-year-old PW50 off Craigslist. It had compression and spark, but would not run due to a clogged carburetor. Purchase price was $200 and with $200 in parts and elbow grease it looks close to new and runs great. Here is four-year-old Paxton’s first day on the PW50 after spending a year riding an Oset 12.5 electric trials bike. The throttle stop screw was adjusted on the PW50 to keep the speeds down and a little bit of drag was added to the rear brake to help slow Paxton down since his hands aren’t yet big enough to pull the hand brakes.