Best 50cc motorcycles (2024)

There’s been a long tradition of starting out in motorcycling at 16 and the same is still true today. And although many choose to wait until the age of 17 for the larger, more exciting choice of 125cc machines you’re then eligible for, there’s still a decent choice available of 50cc/30mph restricted machines 16-year-olds, under the current AM licence restriction, are eligible for.

So, whether you’re after a sexy sportster, a saucy supermoto, a fashionable hipster-style retro or simply a straightforward and affordable roadster as a start to your life on two wheels, now’s the time to put away the PS5, switch off Netflix, ignore Instachat and do something far cooler and more exciting instead. 

To help you here’s our latest, updated choice of the 10 best 50cc machines currently available, chosen for their specification, style and value and summarised in ascending price order:

WK Colt 50: £1899+otr

If the Colt 50 from Chinese manufacturer WK Bikes looks familiar, we’re not at all surprised. Launched in 2017 and clearly inspired by Honda’s hugely popular Grom/MSX125 monkey bike, the Colt is an ultra-cute, easy to ride minibike powered by an air-cooled four-stroke engine and with a tubular lattice-style frame and an LCD dash. Not much good, admittedly, over any sort of distance and without the Honda’s quality and detail but it is temptingly cheap.

• Engine: 50cc, single cylinder, 4-stroke, air-cooled

• Seat height: 760mm

• Fuel tank: 12 litres

• Weight: 107kg

Bluroc Heritage 50: £1899+otr

Another mini or ‘monkey’ bike style 50 with small 10inch wheels, so it’s great as an around town fun bike and, with folding handlebars, can even be fitted in a car boot – but is restricted over longer distances. It’s from Belgian/Chinese brand Bluroc (formerly Bullitt) and is styled akin to the original 1970s Honda Dax but with a more modern fuel-injected, air-cooled, four-stroke, single-cylinder engine with four gears, LCD digital dash and comes in three different colours. Bluroc also do a more conventional, full-size, retro-scrambler style 50 called the Hero which starts at £2799.

• Engine: 50cc, single cylinder, 4-stroke, air-cooled

• Seat height: 720mm

• Fuel tank: 5.5 litres

• Weight: 85kg

WK Scrambler 50: £1949+otr

Also from established budget British/Chinese brand WK Bikes is this retro scrambler style full size 50cc roadster. It’s called, rather unimaginatively, the Scrambler 50, comes in grey or black, is powered by a familiar, air-cooled, 50cc four-stroke, single-cylinder engine, has a conventional, ‘low tech’ tubular steel, twin shock chassis but also has a low 780mm seat height, making it unintimidating for novices. There are also LED lights, LCD digital instruments, steel braided brake lines and a two-year warranty.

• Engine: 49cc, single-cylinder, 4-stroke, air-cooled

• Seat height: 780mm

• Fuel tank: 11 litres

• Weight: 128kg

Yamimoto CK50: £1999+otr

When it comes to full-size, affordable, 50cc geared motorcycles, Chinese/British brand Yamasaki (which also brings in the Yamimoto brand) is the undisputed kings with currently five different offerings. It’d be unfair to include them all here, but it’s most affordable is the £1699 F30, a simple commuter, while it also offers the MB50 Phantom, a stylish ‘naked’ for £2099. But we’re first picking out the CK50, another stylish ‘naked’ that’s even more affordable, has an air-cooled, fuel-injected, four-stroke single cylinder engine returning a claimed 120mpg+, disc brake, digital clocks and very tempting price tag.

• Engine: 49cc, 4-stroke, air-cooled

• Seat height: 800mm

Yamimoto DB50: £2199+otr

The second bike we’re featuring from Yamimoto is the new-for-2023 DB50 brand-new 2023 Yamimoto DB50cc – a smart, Supermoto-style trail bike (who’s upright, nimble riding position makes it great for novices) with an air-cooled four-stroke engine, regulation 30mph top speed, five speed gearbox and lots of neat design touches such as alloy wheels, front and rear disc brakes and digital clocks.

• Engine: 49cc, four-stroke, single cylinder, air cooled

• Seat height: 900 mm

Mash Fifty 50: £2199+otr

French firm Mash is one of the leading examples of a new wave of fashionable European brands that import affordable, Chinese-built lightweights but with currently trendy, retro British styling. The Fifty 50 is its cheapest 50 and features a basic, air-cooled, single cylinder four-stroke engine, four-speed manual gearbox and big 18” wheels that give it some big bike presence. Not particularly dynamic or cutting edge in any way it’s at least cute and affordable.

• Engine: 49cc, four-stroke, single cylinder, air cooled

• Seat height: 780mm

• Fuel tank: 11 litres

• Weight: 105kg

Yamasaki YM50RE: £2299+otr

Currently the only true sports style geared 50cc motorcycle available in the UK, the YM50 is a great-looking, full-size sportster with a racy full fairing, twin front discs, digital dash and more, enough to make you the envy of all your school friends. The 50cc single-cylinder engine has fuel injection and a four-speed gearbox, there’s LED lights all round, disc brakes front and rear, a stainless-steel twin outlet exhaust and a 12-months parts warranty.

• Engine: 49cc, four-stroke, single cylinder, air cooled

• Seat height: 800mm

• Fuel tank: 16 litres

• Weight: 125kg

Mash X-Ride 50: £2699+otr

If you want your first 50 to be a full-sized bike but don’t fancy a sportster or roadster this trail/scrambler style machine also from Mash should be on your wish list. It’s powered by a fuel-injected four-stroke single but this time in a full-size, trail-cum-supermoto style retro chassis with upright bars, long travel suspension, 17-inch wire Supermoto wheels and retro styling borrowed from Mash’s larger X-Ride 650 – so it looks great, is easy to ride and has plenty of nice details – even if it’s not quite as cheap as some.

• Engine: 49cc, four-stroke, single cylinder, air cooled

• Seat height: 820mm

• Fuel tank: 10.5 litres

• Weight: 115kg

Rieju MRT 50: from £3349+otr

Spanish brand Rieju are specialists in lightweight 50s and 125s and its MRT trail bike-cum Supermoto remains among the most stylish and modern of 50cc machines available. In contrast to the fairly ‘old-tech’ Chinese offerings, it’s powered by a liquid-cooled Minarelli two-stroke engine with six-speed gearbox, has decent quality, adjustable suspension and twin spar frame. The range currently starts with the supermoto style MRT 50 LC SM with 17in road wheels starting at £3349 but there’s also the upspecced SM Pro with inverted front forks from £3849 and the top of the range MRT Trophy 50LC Pro at £4149.

• Engine: 50cc, Single cylinder 2-stroke, liquid cooled

• Seat height: 870mm

• Fuel tank: 6.3 litres

• Weight: 85kg (dry)

Fantic XM50 Competition: £3999+ otr

Another saucy Supermoto 50 from an established European brand is from Italy’s revived Fantic. Like the Rieju, the XM50 is powered by the Minarelli two stroke engine with six-speed gearbox yet is fully Euro5 compliant and boasts a steel perimeter frame, 17inch wire Supermoto wheels, stylish inverted front forks, a monoshock rear and bags of style. There’s even an upspecced Performance version, too. It’s not the cheapest or, possibly, the easiest to learn on – but it’s the one that will be the envy of all your mates!

• Engine: 48.9cc, Single cylinder 2 stroke, liquid cooled

• Seat height: 875mm

• Fuel tank: 7.5 litres

• Weight: 95kg