I purchased a 2016 Oset 20.0 48v electric trials bike two years ago for Aden (my son) to hone his skills on around the house. Little did I know how much fun one of these suckers would be, not only for him, but for me as well. In those two years the Oset 20.0 has been a mainstay in our backyard, at local motocross tracks and the occasional desert trail ride. Plus, haven't you ever just wanted to ride right out of your garage or build a makeshift course in your backyard? Well, Oset bikes has made this possible without getting bitchy, non-friendly dirt bike people in an uproar. The version we have is the 2016 Oset 20.0 48v Racing Electric Trials Bike that was originally designed for 8-12 year old’s (but that didn't stop me from trying it out, even if I am 25-30 years older). It is powered by 48v battery system (four 12 volt batteries) that has lasted us up to 2.5 hours per ride time, depending on size of rider and how it is ridden. The Oset 20.0 bike comes with a 48v wall charger that takes up to four hours to charge when unit is fully drained. Yes, that is the downside to this machine! The charge times!!
Our older 2016 model came with three fully adjustable power settings (speed, power, and response). Each setting can be adjusted via a knob near the front of the machine. What I have learned is that “speed” is the overall top speed the Oset 20.0 will go, “power” is much like a torque adjustment similar to bottom end on a gas powered machine and “response” is how quick you want the throttle to hit (or delay) when accelerating (similar to rpm response on a gas powered machine). For those in the target age range, the Oset 20.0 is a machine, which is a lot of fun, provides incredible opportunities for gaining skills and the bike can be ridden in any park or backyard – without upsetting grandma and grandpa next door. The Oset 20.0 machine is configured with front and rear disc brakes controlled by hand levers, like a mountain bike, a twist throttle like a motorcycle and the direct-drive electric motor means there’s no transmission, so no shift lever or clutch.
My now 12 year old son Aden Keefer has been riding an Oset machine since he was six years old. His first was a 12.5 version that lasted him until he was almost nine years old. The only problem we ever had with the 12.5 was when he would crash, break the throttle housing and of course the occasional flat tires. Don't fear though as Oset Bikes has a US office based out of Montrose, Colorado and has plenty of replacement parts in stock and ready to purchase. The highlight of Aden’s childhood has been riding in his backyard after school with his buddies and building obstacles to get over cleanly. Good clean fun!
The cost of a new 2018 Oset 20.0 48v electric machine is $2999.00, but our 2016 version was $2899.00, so the cost has only increased a small amount in a couple years. Without a gas engine to keep supplied with fuel, oil, filters, etc, the Oset is fairly easy and cheap to own. The lifespan of the four batteries is going to vary a lot on usage however, but if the bike is used constantly we would suggest investing in batteries every year or so. We installed a set of lithium batteries on our 2016 unit and it not only lightened the Oset up almost six pounds, but increased lifespan of each ride by almost 30 minutes! Oset will sell you replacement batteries at $41.95 each, which isn’t a lot considering that yearly cost is probably less than the fuel alone for your gas powered-driven machine. However, my suggestion is to invest in some lithium-ion batteries so the kids can have a longer duration of fun.
Throttle response is awesome when the knob is turned near high and the electric motor makes great torque, so even if a skilled rider (like dad) gets on, he can loft the front wheel easily, which is essential for trials. The riding position is made to stand upwards and the purpose is for the rider not to really sit down, especially on a trials bike, so there’s no seat. Aden from time to time will sit down on the plastic just for the pure fact that his little 12-year-old chicken legs are getting tired, so it can be done. Having your young child’s brain wired into standing up most of the time will teach him or her very good foot placement on the pegs (for weight distributing) and also give them strong legs for when they graduate to a motocross style gas powered machine. All of these fundamentals that are key for riding a dirt bike can all be taught easily on the Oset 20.0 with minimal danger. If you look at any really good technical motocross rider, all of them have had some sort of trials bike or background growing up. The Oset 20.0 can teach anyone (not just 8-12 year old’s) the importance of balance on a motorcycle.
I have played with the “speed” dial a lot over the past year or so and have clocked this sucker going 36mph at full speed. Now this isn't something that is important to this type of bike, but it’s nice to know that you’re able to take your kid trail riding and you’re not going at a snails pace. Now that Aden has become more accustomed to the Oset, the “Power” knob has been set to almost wide open. Damn, kids! The great thing about having all these control setting options is that you can monitor your child’s improvement and it’s easy to see it first hand. Having these control settings can also make it very easy for a parent’s mind to be at ease when watching their child ride on a daily basis. Less risk, more reward.
The fork and chassis remind me more of my mountain bike than a motorcycle, primarily because the Oset 20.0 doesn’t need the size and heavy-duty nature of a typical dirt bike suspension. The fork can be adjusted with air just like your typical mountain bike and also has a rebound adjustment for a slower or faster feeling (almost all of our settings are set to stock). Oset gives the customer an option to go to a heavier rear spring (which we have installed) for my larger frame. With my 170-pound body on the Oset, I felt the heavier rear spring was adequate enough for aggressive trials type obstacles (and Aden didn't notice a thing). If you’re trying to hit jumps with the Oset, I recommend checking the bolts on the plastic because they have and will back out fairly quickly.
We got Aden that 12.5 racing version back in the day so he could learn the technical skills that he needed (in a safe way) before jumping into a pipey, aggressive, somewhat intimidating 65cc pre-mixed burning motocross machine. Over the course of those few years Aden has learned to be smoother, has better technique and doesn't get as much whiskey throttle. All of those important skills has to do with him riding and beating the crap out of the Oset 12.5/20.0 electric trials bikes. Getting your child to learn how to use a clutch is easy compared to getting him or her to learn the proper way to ride. In order to keep our kids safe they must learn the correct way to twist their right hand, know how to use the brakes and weight their pegs (for balance). The Oset has taught my son all of those things and even though he rides his 2018 Kawasaki KX85 more than his Oset now, that doesn't stop him from coming home from school to work on his technique silently in the backyard! Not to mention having an Oset 20.0 in your garage is almost like purchasing a small slice of heaven because it can get your child to get their homework done, chores completed and even say “please” before they ask do it. Boom! Suck it X-Box and Playstation! #KeepKidsOnDirtBikes
If you have any questions about this test please feel free to email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com