Thumpstar Motorcycles For Sale near Columbus, OH

Thumpstar Pit Bikes

Pit bikes have gone from simple transport on the racetrack to racing machines in and of themselves. Riders have adapted this little bike to make it more race-friendly, admiring its unique features and off-road capabilities. One extremely popular manufacturer of pit bikes is Thumpstar, an Australian leader in the industry.

Motorcycle Maxx in Lewis Center, Ohio, is your local Thumpstar dealer, so we’ve detailed a bit of the history of pit bikes and how Thumpstar motorcycles came to be.

What's A Pit Bike?

Pit bikes or pit motorcycles originated as a means of transport for race staff who needed to get around the pit areas found in race tracks. They are relatively compact, agile and easy to operate in addition to being fairly inexpensive, so they’ve been used for years by photographers, event staff and racers themselves to get where they need to be on the track. The term was specifically used to describe Honda’s Z50 Monkey bike with its small frame and 50cc engine.

Starting in the 1990s and continuing into the 2000s, racers started to use these bikes for fun and for off-roading. Companies who manufactured pit bikes began to modify the original styles with monoshocks, redesigned frames, stronger suspension systems and plastic tanks. They soon found a niche as racing bikes in their own right among riders who enjoyed their small size.

Thumpstar Beginnings

Started in 2004 by Australian racer Timothy Hunter, Thumpstar bikes have risen up the ranks and become extremely popular and renowned worldwide. After Hunter discovered a pit bike at a trade fair in 2003, he decided to import it and modify it to make it his own.

The first models of Thumpstar motorcycles had higher-capacity engines from 90cc to 125cc, alloy frames and flashy designs that caught the eye of racers around the world. After only a year, they were the best-known manufacturer of pit bikes in the world. 

After some stumbles due to trademark infringement and a brief period producing under the name Terra Moto, Thumpstar regained its footing in the market in 2012. They’ve since produced a number of popular pit motorcycles with powerful engines and a variety of different models to suit different riders’ needs. Thumpstar has even produced junior and kids bikes alongside their competition and trail-riding models. This Aussie leader truly offers something for everyone, and their 40,000 sales in 20 countries proves their value.

Think you want to join the pit bike crew? We carry a wide selection of pit motorcycles at our Lewis Center location, including Thumpstar motorbikes, so pay us a visit today! Motorcycle Maxx proudly serves the Ohio cities of Columbus and Cincinnati.