I tried searching for the thread from awhile back that talked about them, looking for the good/bad/ugly, but couldn't find it. Looking for a bike to do a bit of trail riding, some MX here and there, and possibly even a hare scramble or two. Are the new fuel injected bikes worth the price of admission over the older carb'd bikes? Budget is $3k-ish, looking at 250's (2 and 4 stroke) and 450's, anything ~05 and newer that's not totally beat to hell and back. Any particular models and years to totally avoid?
250 two stroke. Any older mx style 4 stroke (which is what your budget will allow) is a time bomb unless you spend $1500 and rebuild it right away. And real men ride two strokes.
I picked up an '03 KDX-220 a few years back. Rebuilt the shock and put a set of triples/forks from a KX on it. Perfect dirty bike for what I do. If I had it to do over again, might go with a KX-250 or KTM-300, but I've got less than $2k in what I have and it's fun.
If you plan to ride year-round where the seasonal temperatures vary widely, or your riding takes you through elevation changes in excess of 1000 feet, I'd get a FI bike...which mostly means 4 stroke. The idea that "any" older 4 stroke is a time bomb is just wrong. A 4 stroke 250 ridden by a testosterone-riddled teenager in competition may be a time bomb, but anything else, adult owned, shouldn't be discounted. For what you want, I'd get a WR. A pure MX bike will not be friendly in the woods unless you re-do the suspension and possibly some engine mods like heavier flywheel and Rekluse clutch, depending on your ability. I have an '00 YZ426F on which I've never had to adjust valve lash and I've checked on numerous occasions...it's absolutely reliable. It's carb-ed, so winter riding is kept to a minimum. (I have no desire to re-jet for the rare-to-infrequent fun in the snow). This bike has seen MX, SX, desert and woods. It's a bear in the woods. I keep procrastinating about re-doing the suspension for woods/trails/scrambles even tho' it will likely never see 150' triples again, or any triples for that matter. (I'm 55...I bounce just the same as an 18 year old but the recovery can be painfully slow). The '07+ WR250 is FI and a good one can be found in the $3K range....don't know what year the WR450 went FI. The suspension was made for the type of riding you want to do, the engine(I assume) is as bulletproof as my 426 and it comes with a headlight that can be quite valuable when you find yourself looking for a way home if darkness sets in. I would not even consider a Honda. Way too many head issues, even from responsible riders. Other brands are not to be discounted but, when considering parts availability and price, it's real difficult to ignore the Yamahas. MX-ing a WR is doable if you're not spending a lot of hang-time in the air...the suspension isn't designed for those types of landings. Whatever you choose to look at, make sure you look at with severe scrutiny. Grab the bike by the handlebar and give it a shake. If it wobbles on it's wheels and doesn't feel solid, it's likely been neglected and the suspension/wheel bearings and bushings are shot. Imagine that same lack of maintenance to pervade the engine. That bike will nickle and dime you to death.
Agree on the 250 or 300 2 stroke. The KTMs are pricey but that 300 is soooooo much fun. Right now I am lusting after one of these though. 2016 YZ250 set up for the woods? Yes please............ https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport/models/yz250x
Yeah, definitely not know the 4 stroke time bomb wagon. I have a 2007 CRF250X that I can't bring myself to part with because its freakin awesome for trails and hare scrambles. Real men know how to ride a 4 stroke properly.
I guess the interwebs lied to me. I looked and found info saying the '07 was so... In light of my first paragraph, a carbed bike isn't unthinkable...just requires adapting to environmental changes.
If you're doing more woods than moto I'd go for a KTM 250 or 300xc 2-stroke. $3kish would get you probably a 2010ish year. If you can find another grand you can get into the 2012's or so which are essentially the current bike. The resale on these are quite good depending on area so you won't get one cheap unless it has issues. The 2-stroke just feels so much lighter in the woods and are very low maintenance. These newer 2-strokes have great bottom end too so you can lug them. The YZ250f's are good too-the 5 valve heads are quite reliable and have great stock suspension. You will probably need to revalve the suspension but its not very expensive compared to road race stuff and you can put a bigger tank and all that on them too. I raced one for a few years but man, the magic button sure is nice, plus the 4-strokes have a tendency to flame out at the wrong time which is very aggravating when you're going over a log or something. I have a 2012 250xc now that I do hare scrambles on and I've found there is a good reason that probably 75% of the field is on these bikes.
I'm really not seeing that unless you send the whole motor off. I picked up a 2006 YZ450F up a couple months ago and have gone through the thing for less than set of tires and expenses for a weekend at the track on the big bike. I could be eating those words, but hey, you never know, I've only put 18hr on it since I bought it (total of 178hr on the bike).
I have an 06 yz450 I bought in 08. No idea how many hours are on it, but it's many - absolutely zero drama. Valves in spec, runs perfect. Previously I had a 98 YZ400 - same story.
My opinion is go with a 4 stroke and I support what the other WR/YZ owners say about reliability. I've got a 98 first year WR that I raced the Mid South Winter and summer series on for about 5 years. It has countless hours on the engine with zero problems. Still has original piston and I've had to adjust the valves 2 times. Bullet proof. I'd also picked up a XR 250 with a 280 kit and a couple of trick things and it was a blast to ride and never made me as tired as the WR. If your woods riding you cant go wrong with an old XR 250 or 400.
^And the power band is so broad on the trail oriented 2s bikes that they almost always are. I'm really on the fence about getting a 300xc for the spring and racing some enduros. The reason why I suggested staying away from the used 4s is that so many people that are weekend warriors think they don't need any maintenance. Air filter never gets cleaned and clearances are never checked. Fi shouldn't be an issue, I ride in temps that vary from -5c to +35c and don't need to touch my jetting.
Instead of starting a new thread, what is the new version of the XR100? Like if I wanted to go get a new dirt bike just to play around on, slide around and stuff like that, what would be the new/modern version of the XR100? Something fuel injected and easy to ride. Im not going to race it or anything like that. Just looking for something to practice what we did at the American Supercamp.
I've found some KTM 200/250 and 300's all for decent deals. Found one the guy just completely rebuilt, older guy with too much money, he sold it in an hour.
I have an older YZ 250 that do a little MX and woods riding on. I live in MT so I have massive elevation changes on some rides. It runs a little rich when I get up high, but really this is not a significant issue. People have ridden carbed bikes for years - they still work. If you are a top tier rider competing then the carb adjustments will be important, but if you are less midland or less, I don't think you will ever have to stop in the middle of a ride and change a jet! at most a small turn of the fuel/air screw will do it.