Selecting a dirt bike?

Question

need a little advice... seems everyone i talk to tells a diffrent story. i'm looking for a dirt bike. i will be using it to play arround in forestry, dunes, trails etc. i'm not looking to race, but it'd be nice to gas it and hit a jump. i'm only looking to spend about $1500.00 as this is my first bike and i'd hate to lay down a $5k machine. i'm looking at the 250's. i am undecided as to 2 vs 4 stroke and model. it seems hard to find a 4 stroke in my price range. i dont mind maintenence but i don't want to have to deal with adjustments while i'm on the trail. i just want a good bike i can play with... one that wont make me wish i had bought a diffrent or better one right away. weight range of the rider will be 160 lbs. the hardest part of selecting is that i have only ridden about 1 hour on a bike so i cannot got out test driving bikes as i wouldnt know what to look for.any non bias input would be great!

Answer 1

honestly you will have to look around and ask individuals or sales people. i had in the past a 2 stroke honda cr125, i loved it, now i have a 4 stroke suzuki dr250. basically a street legal dirt bike, it doesnt seem to have as much power as my 125 did but it does have equal power throughout the rpm range where as my 125 only had great power in high rpms during the powerband, all and all if it is trail riding and a little motocross and you want something cheap and easy to work on i would go with a 2 stroke, top end rebuilds are very easy to do, and there are plenty of shops around the country that work on 2 and 4 stroke motors. good luck!!

Answer 2

The 4-strokes are the current and the future of the sport, with the exception of freestyle. I don't ride freestyle(wish I could ride that well) but I am still riding a 2-stroke. You should be able to find a decent 2-stroke for that price. They are a lot easier to maintain doing the work yourself than a 4-stroke. The problem that you will run into is finding parts for the 2-strokes. They are getting phased out and not being heavily produced or marketed anymore. You will start having problems finding parts in the next five years. Keep in mind, its a dirt bike. You will drop it many times. They are made to fall over and take some abuse. It's the nature of the sport. The plastic is replaceable and you will have to do it eventually, like your rear fender after you start to learn wheelies and loop the bike a few times. The feild adjustments on newer bikes should be very minimal. Some suspension clicks and some fuel mixture adjustments should be all you need to do but as a beginner you won't notice that much of a difference anyway.
A 125 2-stroke would be a great starter bike for you. Be ready to upgrade in the next couple of years to a 4-stoke. Also be ready to work on your bike. I love that time in the garage at night. A little prevention goes a long way, especially when trail riding.
Have fun.

Answer 3

I asked myself the same questions a few years back.

These were the issues that I had

1) Can I do some basic repairs on a lonely dirt trail in the middle of nowhere.. or will I have to walk home?

2) How many moving parts to fail (2 cycle vs. 4 cycle)

3) Is it also street legal or will I have to tow / haul it around

4) When I dump it (and believe me I did... a lot) will I be able to pick it up and tug it around (and does the blood clean off easily - grin)

5) Parts.... are they easy to get

6) Gas (off road uses more gas then street/highway)

7) Exactly how well padded is that seat... you are going to be bouncing on it a lot


Anyway.. I ended up getting an old '75 MT250 (honda) for about $250. Its still running today although it's got a lot of scratches and the clutch handle has a unique recurved bend to it that sorta matches the knuckles of my hand (ouch).

Bottom line: I bought it used and running well...

> its a 2 cycle and I was able to field strip the carb to clean out the crap that it sucked in now and then using just the little tool kit that fits under the seat.
> It is also street legal (max's out at about 75 but thats enough) so I never had to worry about it in town and I had a spare vehicle if I need it
> About 200 lbs, but I could move or drag it around almost anyting.
> Gas tank sucked (1 gal.) but I strapped on a couple of fuel bottles used for camping (pretty indestructible) and I always had enough to get back to base camp (or close to it).
> Fits some really good knobs (tires).

So,,, my input.. hunt down a used 2 cycle that you can buy for a good price.. go try it and enjoy it before you plunk down any serious change. If you don't trash it you can always sell it .

.(my old MT is actually a classic now and I keep getting notes stuck on it offering to buy it.. go figure - must be the fancy clutch handle - grin)


.

Answer 4

Don't worry about the 2 stroke versus 4 stroke because you are correct, you will not find a 4 stroke MX bike for that price. You should be able to find a decent used KX, CR YZ or RM250 in that price range and you'll have a blast on it. Good luck.

Answer 5

you dont want to go with an 85cc because it would be a two stroke and a beginning rider with a two stroke is an accident waiting to happen. i would suggest go to the nearest dirt bike store and try out the crf 80 and the crf 150, they are both hondas and will be the easiest and cheapist to maintain. if you can fit on the crf 150 though that will be your best bike for the next few years. what is good about it is its very easy to ride so you wont have any problems being a beginning rider, and as you get better its also a junior race bike so you will still have plenty of power. as far as equipment goes dont half *** the pads if you decide you dont need pads because its to expensive you will probably end up hurting yourself real good. also i would suggest one of your parents also start to ride because you will have problems riding alone and you wont be able to go on long rides or go out to the desert. anyways best of wishes dude, GOOD LUCK!!! dirt biking is awesome