Dirtbike Questions(beginner)

ridden dirt bikes all my life. Sometimes you find a great deal, sometimes you get burned. 2 stroke would be way cheaper in the the long run maint. wise. IF you ever have a 4-stroke go "boom" your looking at $1500 min to fix.


the ideal used bike is BONE STOCK with original tires, chain, plastic, etc from a rider that just didn't ride much at all. A bike with fresh plastic to make it look "new" is the trick ALL the racers use when selling bikes at seasons end. Fresh motors after the season? Few and far between, most of the guys i ride with wouldn't be able to GIVE me thier bikes.. (clapped out but make em look nice to sell).

I have a 2-stroke 250 and 4stk crf450. Love em both for different reasons, would NOT recomend the 4t 450 for a brand new rider. Heavy, hard to start sometimes if you don't know what your doing, ATTENTION to maintinence issues like valve adjsutmet is critical, etc. Yes, the power is only there as much as you twist but it is simply more than a new or even intermediate rider will ever need. My 450 rarely sees the rev limiter for the woods/single track it usually sees.
crf250 is a great way to go, feels like a mini bike compared to the 450 even though frames are similar.

But.. for under $1200 a 4t would either be old, or simply a great find. A 98-01cr250 (2-stroke) would be the way to go. Near bullet proof motor, better frame/feel on the 00-01 so try for that 1st.

 

go with a 250 four stroke, best easiest bike to ride.

And I just bought an excellent condition 07 kx450f for only $2600.

PS- I have a buddy here in alabama that has an 04 yz250f for $1,500

 

I could not agree any more!! And I still have my 95 CR250 2 stroke for sale for $700.00 cash. It is a fun bike to ride and a great training tool for me

 

i been watching youtube videos of mx riding and shit..

why does everyone say 2 strokes are better than 4 strokes etc

yet 90% of people on here tell me to get 4 stroke?

 

I'm in the same boat. Looking to get something to play on. Saw a crf230 for a good deal, but heard this wasnt a great 'motocross' bike. I dont know what to get. And I dont know when/where ill ride it...

 

There wrong.Theres nothing better about a 2 stroke.I've raced or ridden for 20 plus years .4 strokes is the best thing thats ever happend for mx.You can ride or race one all year and never touch the topend.I know YAMAHA's are bulletproof anyway.The only people racing 2 stroke are guys riding yz250's.They can race them in lights or with the 450's.Theres no other reason to buy one.For trail riding nothing beats a 4stroke.

 

4t are much easier to ride on the mx track. Seat bounce it and you can clear most jumps even if your speed is a little slower. 2t you have to be a lot more precise, but they are all much easier to freshen up. All of the mx 250 2t bikes are going to be nothing but top end without mods to change the power delivery. 4t are much more "linear" compared but still have plenty of top end.

From about 01 to 05 Yamaha 250 4t were very tough and reliable motor wise as were the Hondas. Biggest difference between the 450 and 250 4t is the 250 rev out a lot higher which will mean more maintenance if you ride wfo all the time on the red limiter. The 2t won't be hurt'n if you over rev or hit the limiter.

Basically a 4t is easier to learn on because of the power delivery but a 2t is a whole lot easier service and cheaper. I learned how to ride on a YZ250. It was sketchy at first when it would hit until I got used to it. Learning how to ride that bike definately made me a better rider once I got my Ktm's. Most people either love a 2t or not. 2t for life

 

If you do buy a 4t from a stranger and they claim it has a fresh topend or similar, ask for receipts. If valves are out of spec or it's blow'n oil, it may start fine when cold but may not ever start when hot. I found out the hard way about valve adjustment schedules 20 miles from the truck in the woods.

 

bottom line.. 1st bike EVER.. ? get a 2t. cheaper out the door, cheaper maint., less expense if the motor goes, easier to start, etc. As you progress and get a chance to ride buddies bikes, you can decide if you want a 4t or not.

 

Well, I might up my budget to about 3k for a bike.

Now I cant decide on 2 or 4..

 

$3k will get you up to a good used 2007, even 4t. Don't be impressed with lots of aftermarket parts, a good well maintained bike is a better buy than a racers leftover with lots of "cool stuff" but hard hours.

 

I was in the same boat about 3 months ago, except I was mostly interested in trail riding. I ended up with a ktm 200 xcw which was a great choice for me. I got a 2006 for 2300. Plenty of power and you can adjust the power valve to your liking.

 

I chimed in earlier on this thread and recommended a YZ250 without really knowing what you were looking for.

As an old guy that's been riding dirt since they had 2 shocks, IMHO the perfect bike for you would be an XR250 or an XR400. I've got both of them plus the YZ. The power delivery on either of them is subtle enough to not spook you at first but they have enough grunt to get the job done. You could pick either of them up for about a grand, ride it for a year until you feel like your ready for something stronger, and sell it for a grand.

Bullet-proof machines that get the job done.

 

I paid $1200 for a 99 KTM200MXC two years ago. I assume I could sell it for about the same if I were trying. I think it is a perfect woods bike. It has a heavier flywheel and pipe tuned for letting the engine lug in the woods rather than for max power. I settled on a KTM200 2-stroke because of reading tons of threads like these. The idea was I'd get the top end of a 125, with the bottom end of a 250. From what I've read, 125 2T make poor trail bikes, due to their inability to bog down, and the constant need to work the clutch to overcome it. I settled on 2T's for two reasons: weight and repair costs. I'd read many places from people that preferred their 2T's in the woods because they were easier to manage, less weight to control, etc... I also knew that if I blew the engine, I would not be in a place anytime soon to spend $2500 rebuilding a 4T motor, but I could scrape the cash to rebuild a top/bottom end on my KTM. Personally, I don't think I'd ever buy a 250f bike, at least not one of the higher strung race bikes. I think I'd end up riding it harder because I could. If I were to buy a 4T race bike, it'd be a 450 because I know I wouldn't be able to ring out that often and I think it would be less likely to fail. I like the idea of the slower, more mid-range focused, more reliable 4T's, but the ones I saw when I was bike shopping were all labeled as being too heavy to be great as trail bikes.

Disclaimer: I'm very green to dirt riding, and most of my experience is research rather than practical.

 

Stay away you think?

I know its a 450.. I just came across this thats 20 mins from me, I was just seeing opinions on the bike. Most likely getting a 250 anyway

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004...ed-race-ready-/250688309875?pt=US_motorcycles

 

How long of riding time do you guys think it would take to even be able to race? Im not talking pro racing, but local amateur races etc? I know it could vary depending on your talent, but on average.

Also, living in South Jersey, thier isnt much tracks around here, alot of small trails, nothing big though where I could really pratice for jumping, cornering etc. How does one train for racing naturally without this? Can you at all?

 

I would check out these races and see how well/serious the riding is. How long is up to you. I raced when I was young (hint Bob Hannah was still racing) and when I came back in my 30's the tracks had become A LOT more difficult, higher jumps with greater distances between doubles...etc. I ditched the idea of racing again. Trail riding will not get you up to speed for racing unless you go an enduro route but certainly will get you started. There are motocross tracks in Jersey, that's where you'll learn how to deal with the obstacles and other rider traffic.

 

i would worry about getting familiar with the bike/physics of dirt before worrying about mx racing.

it is crazy how much different roadracing versus dirt racing is. you will get punted off track at the first turn, you will get your fingers smashed by bars, you will get kicked mid corner, there is so much more contact. granted, speeds and crashes are less impactful (well crashes can do more damage- but the speed is much safer, not many people die in dirt racing comparitively)

but spend a season getting used to the bikes before you think about racing.

 

True, Atco is the closest to me(62 miles away).

I googled motocross tracks in NJ and only 4 came up..1 is the wildwood event in september which is only for 2 days so shouldnt even count..chatsworth is listed but shut down this year..englishtown which is 2 hours from me, and one is whitesboro that is closed down.

I might buy a bike, learn it first, do some basic riding, and than go for a practice section at atco.

 

I rode my bike about 3 times on trails before I entered my first hare scramble. I thought I was doing pretty well for the first couple of miles (into a 2 hour race). Judging by how long it took the rest of the beginner class to catch back up to me I had a good 20-30 second lead. I figured this out while I was stuck in some heavy vines and trees after missing a corner. This ability to ride quickly was completely erased by my utter lack of trail riding knowledge. After that first crash, I repeated mistake after mistake, until I was so exhausted (in the 105* heat) that I couldn't continue. Honestly, I needed more experience before I went out in a race, but it was a good learning experience. Hopefully, I'll get some more hours in the saddle this fall, in hopes to try hare scrambles again next year.