The Blata Elite is a minimoto model of Blata, the Czech motorcycle company based on the outskirts of Blansko. Blata has built pocket bikes since 1991 and also makes folding motorcycles and quads.
Blata Elite at a glance
| Maker | Blata, Blansko, Czech Republic |
|---|---|
| Class | minimoto (pocket bike) |
| Typical length | about 1 m (class figure) |
| Typical height | about 60 cm (class figure) |
| Seat height | a little over 40 cm (class figure) |
| Typical weight | just over 20 kg (class figure) |
| Engines used in the class | 39 or 50 cc two-stroke, 90 cc four-stroke |
| Cooling | air in Junior classes, liquid elsewhere |
| Typical power | 2–3 hp and 6–7 hp air-cooled, 11 and 14–15 hp liquid-cooled |
| Model specifications | not published |
No published technical data for the Blata Elite was found. The figures in the table describe the minimoto class in general, as given by the Italian Wikipedia article on minimoto; they are not claimed as the specifications of this model.
History of the Blata Elite
Blata takes its name from Pavel Blata, who worked from 1974 as a test rider for the engineering firm Povázské before building his first minimoto in his garage in 1991. The company that grew from that machine is based on the first outskirts of Blansko, in Moravia, and describes its products as minibikes, folding motorcycles and quads.
In 1992 Blata built 554 minimotos and began developing a scooter. Exports to the USA and the EU started in 1994, together with the BLATA CUP minibike racing series; the company then had twenty employees and had produced 2,200 minimotos and scooters. The Elite belongs to this minibike side of the range.
A minimoto is a very small motorcycle for circuits and private ground, not for the road: normally about one metre long, sixty centimetres high and a little over twenty kilos. Most use 39 or 50 cc two-stroke engines, with 90 cc four-strokes also accepted, and power runs from 2–3 hp for air-cooled Chinese units to 14–15 hp for liquid-cooled Italian ones, and up to 18 hp in major championships.
Design and features
- Minimoto class: a machine for circuits and private ground rather than the road.
- Compact size: about one metre long and just over twenty kilos in the class.
- Liquid or air cooling: the class uses air-cooled Junior engines and liquid-cooled units elsewhere.
- Czech maker: built in Blansko by the company Pavel Blata founded after his first garage-built minimoto.
Blata Elite versions
- Blata Elite: the model described on this page.
- Blata pocket: the pocket-bike model of the range.
- Blata 2.5: a small minibike of the same family.
- Blata Minimotard: the minimoto-style version.
- Blata Blatino: another small Blata.
Other Blata minibikes are the Blata pocket, the Blata 2.5 and the Blata Minimotard. More in the Blata collection.
Video: Test Blata Elite
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Blata, Italian Wikipedia: company history and products
- Minimoto, Italian Wikipedia: dimensions, engines, cooling and power
