Coleman BT200X Mini Bike Ultimate Shakedown
Sept. 18, 2023
UTVUG Staff
Hey guys today we’re going to shake down a 3-pack of brand new Coleman BT200X Mini Bikes. That’s right, Coleman - the company known for their massive line of camping products and green camp stoves has a kick-ass powersports division and they make a killer lineup of powersports machines! We’re gonna talk about all of that and more - Stick around - you’re watching UTVUnderground!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBbbWU4X81Y
You guys know that our roots run deep with UTV’s going all the way back to the Rhino days. But before that we rode quads, three-wheelers, and when we were REALLY young…little mini bikes. We had an old Honda Z50 back in the day we used to rip up and down the street. It was the most fun you could have back then and we used to dream about owning a badass go-kart.
Minibikes or “miniature motorcycles” began to pop up in the 1950s. They were hand-made by motorheads and motorcycle enthusiasts. These first appeared as pit bikes, for drag racers to travel to and from the staging-areas. One of these "Pit bikes" was received by the Michrina brothers in early 1959 who went on to produce the first commercial minibikes by drawing inspiration from the pit bike craze. The Michrina brothers are credited with creating the minibike - but failed to patent the design or trademark the term when founding their Lil Indian brand in 1959.
The Michrina Brothers would go on to manufacture tens-of-thousands of minibikes in their 40+ years, and from the mid-1960s into the 1970s, the popularity of said machines would see over a hundred manufacturers attempt to market machines, an inexpensive venture due to the absence of patents. So popular and simple was the design, the June of 1967 Popular Mechanics magazine included an article with plans to build one at home! Big brands like Arctic Cat and Honda began making minibikes and sales peaked in 1973, with 140,000 units between manufacturers. By 1976 the bubble had burst and less than ten manufacturers continued to make minibikes. Popularity declined steadily but leveled off in the early 1990s.
Coleman began manufacturing minibikes as early as 1971 and they remain one of the largest builders today, with eight models currently being offered ranging from $500 to $1000 retail. Taco, Trailmaster, Massimo, MotoTec, American Racer, and a slew of other mini bike manufacturers and builders are also part of the wide-reaching cult of the minibiker - and trust us when we say it’s a cult! Once you get one of these little bikes and start tinkering with it, be prepared to throw your hard-earned time, money and precious garage space at the hobby. It’s addictive! But at this stage of the game, we’re prepared to say that Coleman has a distinct advantage over most if not all of the competition. They’ve been doing it LONGER than most, so there is a VAST amount of knowledge on Coleman minibikes out there on the interwebs. Not to mention parts, and mods. We’re not going to delve too deep into either but suffice to say it’s possible to buy a Coleman BT200X and very quickly make it faster, with more torque, and lots of spiffy bolt-on parts. And frankly, their stuff is quality. Yes, much of it is manufactured overseas. Most if not all of the motors are Chinese Hisun - but that’s really the only way to keep them at the price range they are. If you want to race mini motorcycles, the crotch rockets that go 100mph - gods love ya, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.
The BT200X is 138 pounds dry and sports a one-gallon gas tank. They are recommended for kids 13 and up and rated up to 220 pounds although we all know much bigger humans that have ridden them safely.
You’re looking at a range of between 20 to as much as 70 miles on one tank of gas depending on your weight and the terrain. Currently, the BT200X comes in red, green, white, and camo plastics - which you can swap by buying extras on Coleman site - more on parts availability in a bit. The motor is a pull start like most minibikes - this is not a Honda scooter - so it’s all manual. Once you start these little guys up you just twist the throttle and go. They are a blast to ride!
The “BT” in BT200X stands for “Big Tubes” and you can see that when the husky big brother is sitting next to any other minibike. It’s tube chassis is at least a half-inch thicker in diameter - giving the bike a more adult-like look. Similar to the Honda Rukus or FatBoy scooters the BT just looks and feels a bit less “Peanuts”, when you’re riding it as a full-size adult kid. The wheels and tires are a bit bigger out of the gate as well. The front shocks are quite well made and there is a real metal headlight on the bikes - a nod to Colemans tradition of not cutting corners and making everything out of cheap plastic. The bikes will run up to about 20mph out of the box, but we’ve seen videos of them hitting 34mph with various hacks and engine mods. Just be careful with all of that. It’s easy to over strain these little motors and break them.
These are listed for $499 on Walmart.com and $559.99 at Campingworld.com at the time this article was written. Covid has done a number on this market like most sectors reliant on Chinese manufacturing but with the economy going cold it might be a good time to look to buy one soon. If you’re buying one of these bikes assembled just be aware that the assembly and pre-delivery inspection process is critical. When you buy from a powersports dealer they are vouching for the proper assembly and inspection of the machine. Stuff goes wrong, you take it back to the dealer and talk to the mechanic that put it together. They have parts on hand to fix things and they proactively communicate about recalls. None of that happens with Sam's Club. “Joe” the guy “in the back” might be in charge of assembly and he’s certainly not going to know much about pre-delivery inspections - not to mention replacement parts or recalls. If you are mechanically inclined and can read the manual you’re likely not going to have any issues with that. But if you’ve never replaced a spark plug or changed the oil of a motor - well you might be better off with a dealership. There’s no right way - just go into it informed.
THE SHAKEDOWN
We’ve been using these three BT200X minibikes for several months now both here on our ranch and out in the wild to suit a whole variety of needs. Everything from zipping around the yard to using them to get around in the pits at race. You know what we love? We love not charging any batteries like all the new-fangled E-bikes! We love the sound of a real motor. We love the look on people's faces when they see a full-grown adult male on a minibike. These things are just FUN. More fun than you can have on a bicycle, safer than a E-bike or UTV, and just an all-around blast to ride on with your friends. We’ve had so much fun on this Coleman minibikes and were considering adding some adult minibike races to the Mint 400 and some of our other races in 2023!
THE VERDICT:
So what’s the verdict on the Coleman BT200X? We love these little minibikes!! They are absolute solid contenders in the $500 price range. Coleman has found a really nice niche here that includes a well-established motor, some traditional analog tech, real forks, a real headlight, and lots of standard features that many mini bikes don’t include. From some of the other reviews we’ve watched and read it looks like the general consensus is these machines really hold up well on the farm, ranch, out at the track, in your warehouse or even the neighborhood. We’re excited to use them throughout the rest of 2022 and into 2023. Don’t be surprised if we host a few more minibike races in the coming year as well.
PROS
Summary
The Coleman BT200X is the perfect minibike for those looking to pick up a base model machine in the category. It comes exceptionally well equipped for the price and has plenty of power and utility. It’s a well built machine that is fun to drive in the sand, mud and rocks and has a good load capacity. This is the perfect minibike for a small to medium sized farm, ranch, or warehouse. You can pick these up direct from major box stores like Tractor Supply and Walmart. This is by far one of the best “value for price” minibikes on the market right now. Coleman is winning big in this category.
Appearance - 5
Ride Comfort - 4
Power - 4
Reliability - 5
Functionality - 5
Value for Price - 5
Top
Minibikes or “miniature motorcycles” began to pop up in the 1950s. They were hand-made by motorheads and motorcycle enthusiasts. These first appeared as pit bikes, for drag racers to travel to and from the staging-areas. One of these "Pit bikes" was received by the Michrina brothers in early 1959 who went on to produce the first commercial minibikes by drawing inspiration from the pit bike craze. The Michrina brothers are credited with creating the minibike - but failed to patent the design or trademark the term when founding their Lil Indian brand in 1959.
The Michrina Brothers would go on to manufacture tens-of-thousands of minibikes in their 40+ years, and from the mid-1960s into the 1970s, the popularity of said machines would see over a hundred manufacturers attempt to market machines, an inexpensive venture due to the absence of patents. So popular and simple was the design, the June of 1967 Popular Mechanics magazine included an article with plans to build one at home! Big brands like Arctic Cat and Honda began making minibikes and sales peaked in 1973, with 140,000 units between manufacturers. By 1976 the bubble had burst and less than ten manufacturers continued to make minibikes. Popularity declined steadily but leveled off in the early 1990s.
Coleman began manufacturing minibikes as early as 1971 and they remain one of the largest builders today, with eight models currently being offered ranging from $500 to $1000 retail. Taco, Trailmaster, Massimo, MotoTec, American Racer, and a slew of other mini bike manufacturers and builders are also part of the wide-reaching cult of the minibiker - and trust us when we say it’s a cult! Once you get one of these little bikes and start tinkering with it, be prepared to throw your hard-earned time, money and precious garage space at the hobby. It’s addictive! But at this stage of the game, we’re prepared to say that Coleman has a distinct advantage over most if not all of the competition. They’ve been doing it LONGER than most, so there is a VAST amount of knowledge on Coleman minibikes out there on the interwebs. Not to mention parts, and mods. We’re not going to delve too deep into either but suffice to say it’s possible to buy a Coleman BT200X and very quickly make it faster, with more torque, and lots of spiffy bolt-on parts. And frankly, their stuff is quality. Yes, much of it is manufactured overseas. Most if not all of the motors are Chinese Hisun - but that’s really the only way to keep them at the price range they are. If you want to race mini motorcycles, the crotch rockets that go 100mph - gods love ya, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.
The BT200X is 138 pounds dry and sports a one-gallon gas tank. They are recommended for kids 13 and up and rated up to 220 pounds although we all know much bigger humans that have ridden them safely.
You’re looking at a range of between 20 to as much as 70 miles on one tank of gas depending on your weight and the terrain. Currently, the BT200X comes in red, green, white, and camo plastics - which you can swap by buying extras on Coleman site - more on parts availability in a bit. The motor is a pull start like most minibikes - this is not a Honda scooter - so it’s all manual. Once you start these little guys up you just twist the throttle and go. They are a blast to ride!
The “BT” in BT200X stands for “Big Tubes” and you can see that when the husky big brother is sitting next to any other minibike. It’s tube chassis is at least a half-inch thicker in diameter - giving the bike a more adult-like look. Similar to the Honda Rukus or FatBoy scooters the BT just looks and feels a bit less “Peanuts”, when you’re riding it as a full-size adult kid. The wheels and tires are a bit bigger out of the gate as well. The front shocks are quite well made and there is a real metal headlight on the bikes - a nod to Colemans tradition of not cutting corners and making everything out of cheap plastic. The bikes will run up to about 20mph out of the box, but we’ve seen videos of them hitting 34mph with various hacks and engine mods. Just be careful with all of that. It’s easy to over strain these little motors and break them.
These are listed for $499 on Walmart.com and $559.99 at Campingworld.com at the time this article was written. Covid has done a number on this market like most sectors reliant on Chinese manufacturing but with the economy going cold it might be a good time to look to buy one soon. If you’re buying one of these bikes assembled just be aware that the assembly and pre-delivery inspection process is critical. When you buy from a powersports dealer they are vouching for the proper assembly and inspection of the machine. Stuff goes wrong, you take it back to the dealer and talk to the mechanic that put it together. They have parts on hand to fix things and they proactively communicate about recalls. None of that happens with Sam's Club. “Joe” the guy “in the back” might be in charge of assembly and he’s certainly not going to know much about pre-delivery inspections - not to mention replacement parts or recalls. If you are mechanically inclined and can read the manual you’re likely not going to have any issues with that. But if you’ve never replaced a spark plug or changed the oil of a motor - well you might be better off with a dealership. There’s no right way - just go into it informed.
THE SHAKEDOWN
We’ve been using these three BT200X minibikes for several months now both here on our ranch and out in the wild to suit a whole variety of needs. Everything from zipping around the yard to using them to get around in the pits at race. You know what we love? We love not charging any batteries like all the new-fangled E-bikes! We love the sound of a real motor. We love the look on people's faces when they see a full-grown adult male on a minibike. These things are just FUN. More fun than you can have on a bicycle, safer than a E-bike or UTV, and just an all-around blast to ride on with your friends. We’ve had so much fun on this Coleman minibikes and were considering adding some adult minibike races to the Mint 400 and some of our other races in 2023!
THE VERDICT:
So what’s the verdict on the Coleman BT200X? We love these little minibikes!! They are absolute solid contenders in the $500 price range. Coleman has found a really nice niche here that includes a well-established motor, some traditional analog tech, real forks, a real headlight, and lots of standard features that many mini bikes don’t include. From some of the other reviews we’ve watched and read it looks like the general consensus is these machines really hold up well on the farm, ranch, out at the track, in your warehouse or even the neighborhood. We’re excited to use them throughout the rest of 2022 and into 2023. Don’t be surprised if we host a few more minibike races in the coming year as well.
PROS
- Inexpensive but well-built.
- Comes with a thicker frame, bigger wheels and tires, a headlamp, and front shocks!
- Lots of parts and accessories to choose from!
- Easy for any novice to assemble.
- Requires mods to get above 20mph.
- Rated for 220 pounds max - sorry big dudes!
- May be underpowered for large people.
Summary
The Coleman BT200X is the perfect minibike for those looking to pick up a base model machine in the category. It comes exceptionally well equipped for the price and has plenty of power and utility. It’s a well built machine that is fun to drive in the sand, mud and rocks and has a good load capacity. This is the perfect minibike for a small to medium sized farm, ranch, or warehouse. You can pick these up direct from major box stores like Tractor Supply and Walmart. This is by far one of the best “value for price” minibikes on the market right now. Coleman is winning big in this category.
Appearance - 5
Ride Comfort - 4
Power - 4
Reliability - 5
Functionality - 5
Value for Price - 5