What killed mini-bike production in the United States--LAWYERS. Plain and simple, same thing killed go kart production in 2005. Product liability got TOO expensive. Briggs in the 70's would not sell engines to any 2 wheel vehicle producer and then in 1999 they did the same to the go kart producers. Briggs was self insured and they just got fed up with all the law suits. This is America blame someone else for your own stupidity and sue. There are more lawyers around than sand on the beach. Look at the number of billboards around the highway just offering their service.
LAWSUITS killed the minibike craze. Most of the low end to moderately priced bikes had NO HORNS, NO HEADLIGHTS, NO TAILIGHTS, NO TURN SIGNALS, NO GEARS, "NOT STREET LEGAL". You rarely saw any advertising showing a kid wearing any kind of protective gear like shoes, long pants, or a helmet. Quite the contrary, the ads usually depicted the "freedom" of wearing flip flops, shorts and sunglasses. The marketing was geared toward fun and freedom.
Funny thing is, the majority of us that rode these didn't live on a farm, or have access to acres of mowed turf or trails on which to ride. That lead to street riding on rural roads in the neighborhoods we lived in.
Fast forward a few years for product saturation and quite a lengthy list of lawsuits for kids being injured and wah-lah. Some of those automobile drivers may have been more negligent than the kids who got tagged. I know speaking for myself, i always tried to stay clear of any car at all times.
As previously stated, once Horns, headlights, tailights, turn signals, and gears were added to accommodate the local law enforcement...the craze was over.
Of course, as i've previously posted, that's what made this spot in time the wild wild west. Ducking in and out of alleys, popping in behind a house and cutting your motor off, racing to a field that led to another subdivision where you knew you could evade being pulled over. All part of the fun!!!