Testing Amazon’s $750 Pitbike

Jeff Bezos and the all too easy to click “Buy Now” button got me again. Amazon seems to have everything from home essentials to motorcycles, and I know the essentials are just fine, so I thought, “What if I bought two cheap pitbikes online and used them to teach some friends how to ride?” Thus began the Amazon Pitbike Adventure.

It was January of 2020 and I was looking for a good deal on a dirt bike that I could use to teach friends to ride, so I searched online and found the 125cc TaoTao DB17. At the time it cost about $750 including shipping; it’s even cheaper now as I write this. After doing my research and watching a few YouTube video reviews, I committed. At that price I could buy two—motorcycling is always more fun with friends, right? I clicked that button and two TaoTao DB17 motorcycles were on their way to me.

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A couple of weeks later two large boxes arrived from the Tao Motor Company in the Zhejiang Province of China, by way of import through Texas. Tao Motor is known for making small-displacement and affordable recreation vehicles including ATVs, scooters, and dirt bikes. I found Tao was one of the few brands that provided origin paperwork and a spark arrestor on the DB17, allowing for red-sticker registration in California and meaning it can be ridden in off-highway-vehicle areas about half of the year.

After an hour of assembly it was time for a leg workout—as the little bikes are kickstart only. With about 30 kicks a piece, each DB17 started. The air-to-fuel mixture of the carburetor took some tuning to hold a smooth-running idle. I later swapped one bike’s carb for a larger 26mm off-brand unit, purchased for $32 on Amazon, which turned one of the pitbikes into an near-untamable monster (relatively, of course) incapable of engine-braking, but roaring with extra power from that little engine.

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Internet forums are still debating if the engine is a Kawasaki or Honda clone, and results are divided, as it isn’t exactly like either. The engine isn’t the only thing that’s a little perplexing either, as the seat height is a few inches taller than most 125cc motorcycles I’ve experienced. Cheap-feeling suspension is bouncy with inadequate compression or rebound damping, which makes the bike feel unstable at any speed over 15 mph, even though our top indicated speed in testing was only 30 mph. Even with air adjustments and trying to tune the rear monoshock, the ride resembles sitting in the center of a bounce house while kids around you are going nuts. For new riders without a reference point, this went unnoticed as the playful motorcycles offered a new adventure. The controls are cheap, kickstarting is rough, but though it may have been slow, the DB17 still managed to carry full-grown adults through sand on our local trails.

For about $1,500, I had purchased two 125cc pitbikes and now had the ability to teach friends to ride a motorcycle without much risk. I learned new mechanical techniques such as changing a carburetor and replacing low-quality parts with better ones. So I’ll admit I got my money’s worth and lots of smiles out of the little motorcycles. Will I buy another motorcycle through Amazon? No. I will be passing these two TaoTao DB17s on to new riders. They are small and affordable, so it was easy for new riders to feel comfortable on them without the intimidation of a larger or more expensive bike. So I thank the pair of pitbikes as they’ve created a few new riders who are now ready to step up to “full-size” motorcycles.

In the end, I paid very little to be able to bring several new friends into the sport and enjoy many fun afternoons in the local dirt lot. If you’re looking for a first bike to start riding and commuting on, this is not the bike. But if you’re looking for a fun pitbike or camping toy, the DB17 is a great choice that only requires minimal investment.

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