10 Rider-Favorite Dirt Bike Brands You Probably Didn't Realize Existed

When you're on the market for a new dirt bike, there's a good chance you'll come across all of the major players in the industry. There are plenty of classic dirt bikes that paved the way for what off-roading motorcycles are today from major brands like Honda and Suzuki. Yes, even Ducati makes a dirt bike, and these are just a few of the brands that are the easiest to find whether you're buying from a motorsports wholesaler or getting something used from a private party. 

However, there have been numerous dirt bike brands over the years that have developed some truly spectacular feats of engineering. Even if you've heard of some of these before, these brands simply don't have the same kind of name recognition as Yamaha or one of the other top dogs. You may even need to do some digging if there's something specific you want, but dirt biking is a big community with a lot of resources for tracking down the perfect ride for you.

Whether you want something eccentric to add to your collection or something with raw power to take on the trails, these brands have something for everyone. Plus, you may learn a few things about dirt bike history by checking out these companies. 

Beta remains one of the most enduring names in all of motorsports. The company, which was originally called "Società Giuseppe Bianchi," got its start in 1904, and it's been producing all sorts of bikes in the century since then. It's never closed once, and Beta has stayed abreast of the times, getting into motorcycle production in the 1940s before moving onto dirt bikes throughout the '60s and '70s. 

Plenty of Beta dirt bikes have made impressions, and one of the coolest out there is the Beta 500 RS, which is capable of reaching speeds of over 100 mph, making it one of the fastest street-legal dirt bikes you can get. The bikes also regularly make headlines for winning races, which is precisely what happened when a Beta bike took home first place during the 41st Annual SCORE International Baja 500 in 2009. The bike in question was a Beta 450 RR, that stood up well to the intense heat of Paso Robles, California. 

Beta is a popular choice among dirt bike enthusiasts. The most upvoted comment on this Reddit thread discussing the best lesser-known bike brands showers praise on the company. "Beta is fairly large, but many people outside of trials and woods racing have no clue what they are," u/Junior_Article_3244 wrote. Plenty of folks posted similar comments, so while it may not be as well-known as some of the other brands, it's clear it has numerous fans. 

Maico has a unique history dating back to 1926. It produced plane parts throughout World War II and for a brief period in the 1950s, it developed what were known as "microcars." For many, the brand continues to be synonymous with dirt bikes, with the company focusing a great deal on off-roading bikes since the 1970s. However, the company began hitting rough patches throughout the 1980s and has switched hands numerous times over the past several decades to where the production of Maico bikes is currently owned by Axel Kostler. 

Despite a rocky history as of late, Maico dirt bikes enjoy cult status among collectors, as it can be pretty difficult to track down some of the older models. Redditor u/Yz250x69 summed up a lot of people's feelings concisely, writing, "Never owned one or seen one [in] person but who the f*** doesn't want a MAICO 700?" This appears to be a reference to the Maico 700 Enduro, which is fully street-legal and comes with an exceptionally powerful two-stroke engine that can hit up to 82 hp.

Limited quantities of the 700 are produced by Maico each year, and they sell out fast. For serious collectors who want a piece of dirt bike history, it can carry a high price tag, but it's worth it in the right hands. 

Spain has several dirt bike brands that have materialized over the years, and the first of a few you'll hear on this list is Rieju. The company was founded in 1934 but made its first motorcycle in 1953. Dirt bikes were next on the agenda, with numerous high-quality models getting produced over the years.

These days, Rieju bikes come equipped with Yamaha-built engines for a bit more recognizability, and the company pushing the limits of what's possible. In 2022, Spanish racer Alfredo Gomez joined the Rieju Enduro Team, and as he told Enduro21, a part of that was to get more people to pay attention to Rieju. "The idea of having a rider like me brings more visibility to the brand, along with better results at the races obviously," he said." We want to put Rieju at the top to make it known worldwide for both the racer and the Sunday warrior."

Modern Rieju bikes continue to impress, like the 2023 Rieju MR300 Six Days. The vehicle earned high marks from Dirt Bike Magazine, which assessed, "This bike is so loaded with top-of-the-line goods, it looks like a magazine hop-up project." Rieju's getting more attention on racing circuits, so give it a few years, and this is one brand that may become a lot more notable. 

Sherco is definitely a newer name in the world of dirt bikes, with its origins starting in the 1990s as opposed to pre-World War II. Even with that later start, the French company has made some major strides in the world of motorbike engineering. A crown jewel of the brand's line-up is the Sherco 50 SM-RS Silver, which is one of the coolest motorcycles you can't buy in the United States. The 50 SM-RS Silver boasts a 50cc engine, making it a rather small bike, but for people who are looking to whip around town or a course, it has the kind of power you need. 

But you don't need to take our word for it. Emma Bristow is a professional motorcycle trials rider who's been dominating numerous races for roughly a decade at this point. She's ridden on Ossa and Gas Gas brand bikes in the past, but she seems to be with Sherco for the long haul. When speaking with VC London, she explained what attracts her to the Sherco bikes. "They produce the best trials and enduro machines and now have MX models and 50cc road bikes," she said. "Plus they are very pretty blue and yellow machines, what's not to like!?"

Sherco bikes haven't had the same amount of time as other brands to make a name for themselves. But it's already developed a small but mighty fanbase.

In the competition for which dirt bike brand has the most fun name to say out loud, Gas Gas takes the cake. The company is also fairly new to the scene, having come around in the 1980s, but they soon made moves to show they could compete with the big dogs. This became evident quickly throughout the 1990s when Gas Gas got Jordi Tarrés, a professional motorbike racer who had previously ridden for Beta, to go on and win several championships on Gas Gas models.

Gas Gas has faced its share of financial troubles throughout the 21st century, eventually getting purchased by KTM in 2019. Meanwhile, another Spanish dirt bike manufacturer, Rieju, bought the rights to continue developing older Gas Gas models. Rieju's CEO, Jordi Riera, explained the rationale behind the purchase (via Motocross Action Magazine), saying, "This agreement allows Rieju an immediate presence in the off-road competition segment with larger capacity machines than usual for Rieju, as well as a significant expansion of our client portfolio, and important openings to new markets."

Even with so many changes of hands, Gas Gas bikes are still out there. The brand released a total of 16 new bikes introduced in 2024 that come with new engines, frames, and so much more. 

There's a lot of stiff competition when it comes to dirt bike brands. Numerous companies want to make a name for themselves, and there just aren't enough customers to go around. Sadly, Bultaco falls under the banner of motorcycle brands that aren't around anymore, but it made some awesome bikes in their heyday. The Spanish company got its start in the 1950s, enjoying great success with many of its off-roading models. Arguably, the coolest in this line-up was the Matador, which provided ample power whether going down the freeway or some dirty trails. It's one of several discontinued motorbikes that deserve a modern remake, but unless some other company steps up to the plate, that's probably not going to happen. 

Bultaco went under in the 1980s originally, but it tried to mount a comeback starting in 2014. The goal was to develop a new line of electric bikes, with everything being developed in-house, and the first batch of bikes getting sold in 2015. It wasn't meant to be, though, as the company filed for bankruptcy in 2018. If you want a Bultaco dirt bike these days, it's going to have to be vintage.

For those lucky enough to have one, they remain neat pieces. Redditor u/extreme39speed pointed to a couple of instances of people still enjoying their Bultaco bikes: "Have a friend that still has a bultaco. And one of the local shops is ran by someone that used to race them and has one mounted on the wall."

Many dirt bike enthusiasts look toward the past, wanting vintage bikes they can restore. However, Stark Future — another Spanish bikemaker — flips the script and instead looks toward the future (it's in the name, after all). The company made a huge splash in 2021 when it unveiled its new electric motorbike — the Varg. It's one of many radical automatic motorcycles that are actually worth riding. It's designed for optimal performance and speed with absolutely zero fat on the frame. 

The model that was first introduced in 2021 could produce 60 horsepower, but even then, there were grander ambitions to get it up to 80. As for getting your own Stark Future dirt bike, you're in the driver's seat in more ways than one, as you can completely customize the features so that it's precisely how you want it. 

Seeing as the brand is still new, it's understandable Stark Future isn't a household name yet. But those who have seen Stark Future bikes like what they've ridden. Redditor u/DeniedNetwork kickstarted a whole thread praising the bike. "Had the opportunity to try out the Varg for 2 laps yesterday and my god was it amazing. I generally understand the people who just enjoy the sound, smell, etc of a gas powered bike, but people who just straight up don't agree with an electric bike without even trying, I think are missing out," they wrote. With zero emissions, Stark Future dirt bikes may change the game. 

Husqvarna's roots date back to the 1600s in Sweden when it manufactured muskets. The company expanded massively throughout the centuries, adding numerous other products to its lineup, including motorcycles and dirt bikes. When it came to off-roading, Husqvarna genuinely changed the game in the 1980s with its new design, which was lighter than other models and came with air-cooling. In 2019, Husqvarna reached a huge milestone by earning its 100th world championship title when Mattia Guadagnini took home the top prize for the FIM 125cc Junior Motocross World Championship.

Husqvarna is still around, although its motorcycle division has undergone various ownership changes. But plenty of high-quality bikes are still getting made with the company's logo on them. In fact, the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 is a recent addition to the line-up, which is an excellent bike for beginners. And owners of these dirt bikes appear to be pleased with them, as Redditor u/thejackcutts had this to say on a specific Husqvarna thread: "I have owned 2 and ridden the hell out of both while racing and [riding], never had a manufacturers based problem with them."

A company tends not to stick around for over 300 years if there's no quality behind it. Husqvarna may not have the same recognition as Suzuki or Yamaha, but it can compete up there with the best of them. 

Based out of Italy, Cagiva began manufacturing motorcycles in the 1970s, with motocross bikes soon following. A big push was made to get Cagiva bikes into races to show off its engines, and that was a big part of the appeal for motocross rider Pekka Vehkonen, as he told Motocross Action Magazine, "I had to choose between KTM or Cagiva for 1984. Cagiva had the strongest bike in my opinion ... The bike came straight to the first Grand Prix, and I finished on the podium in that race."

Cagiva has actually owned other motorcycle brands, such as Ducati and Husqvarva, throughout its tenure. Sadly, the company went under in 2012, but it took less than a decade for talk to emerge of a resurgence, this time focusing on electric bikes. However, old-school Cagiva bikes remain a fan favorite for many who enjoy their vintage appeal. One Redditor showed off their Cagiva Elefant, with many others chiming in to also praise the bike, like u/SloggyDonkey. "Finally found one of these after lusting for a while," they wrote. "A beast indeed. Everything about the Elefant makes it a pleasure, but the sound of that L-twin is like nothing else."

Christini is another dirt bike brand that's fairly new to the marketplace, but there's a good shot riders will hear a lot more about it in the years to come. The first Christini prototype got underway in the 1990s, and major strides have been made in that short time. For starters, the company won a contract with the United States military to design AWD motorcycles for the Air Force. CEO Steve Christini spoke about how such a contract would benefit everyone, including non-military riders. "This significant Air Force order validates the safety and performance benefits our AWD motorcycle technology provides to riders of all skill levels," he said.

As if that wasn't enough, the company's dirt bikes were awarded the Bike of the Year designation from Dirt Rider Magazine. And those who have gotten a chance to ride a Christini AWD dirt bike seem to love what they see. When discussing the best dirt bike brands people may not have heard from, Redditor u/BettyBob420 exclaimed, "Got [a Christini AWD motorcycle], absolutely love it. It's fun in the dirt, but it's probably the most fun ever with supermoto wheels on it."

The world of dirt bikes is wide and expansive. Numerous brands are out there, often coming with their own specializations that may be better suited to your needs than what other companies offer. Then again, you may just want an older bike to show off in your collection, so make sure not to overlook anything.