Blata Mini-Bikes   by Michael Kamrad

Blata Mini Bikes What do you get when you cross a 916 Ducati with a remote controlled toy? You get a screaming, red, rideable miniature motorcycle. Sound too cool to be true? Well, come with me, as I review a Blata mini motorcycle that is capable of grown-up fun. Our good friends at Bloomington Motor Sports set us up with two of these minibikes, a freshly tarred parking lot, and let us go. Our smiles grew larger from then on. From the moment you get on one of these scooters, you realize this is not a toy, but a tiny, high-tech motorcycle. Blata makes two models. Both are 40cc. The "beginner" model, Minibike 2.5, is capable of 35 mph. The souped-up Elite 10 reaches an amazing 50 mph. At 11 inches off the ground and eight inch tires, this is fun gone serious. I goosed the throttle at 30 mph, and the front end was off the ground. This taught me two things. 1. You really need to know how to ride a motorcycle well before jumping on one of these things. These bikes immediately expose a rider's skill level, so wear a helmet. 2. Blata created these for real performance. You get your money's worth. Just like any race replica, you can modify the Blatas to increase performance. The Elite 10 has a larger carb, bigger porting, and a trick exhaust system making this model a miniature rocket. The crew at Bloomington Motor Sports is trying to sell enough of these to start a local racing league. With a big parking lot, you could replicate the layout of any racetrack in the world and have at it. Hey, when the race is over, you don't need a trailer to get the bike home. Just bungie it on the back of your full-sized motorcycle. In keeping with their racing heritages, the Blatas sport dual disc brakes up front, a single disk in back, sticky little tires, a Ducati-ish trellis frame and a wind-cheating superbike fairing. These motorcycles fall into the fun class, and fun is what the sport is built around. We enjoyed riding the minis, and others seemed to enjoy watching us ride these things. In the two hours we road them at least twenty cars stopped to check out the action. The only stickler I have is that the Blatas sound like chain saws. Too many trips up and down your block will certainly drive your neighbors mad. They're not legal for the street, anyway, so keep them in the abandoned parking lots. You'll be safer there. Cross breeding a 916 with a remote controlled toy is possible, and I can say this for sure. In the twelve years I've been riding motorcycles, the time on the Blatas was as fun as any I can remember.   M.M.M.