Old v new

[unstuck]

I have been thinking about getting a new dirt bike for some time now, and am kind of stuck, not so much by the choice of bike to get but wether or not it is really worth the $$$$.Dont get me wrong, I love the power and handling that most of the new bikes offer, but get really pissed off by the amount of times where somebody who i am riding with has had to be towed or pushed back to the truck on their new(ish) bikes.Now my old XL250 for example I paid $100 for it about 9yrs ago and it has always gotten me home.Granted some of the places we go can be really hard going, and the XL sure aint no looker nowadays. It is also very comfy(if a little heavy) at the end of the day.I am a bit worried that if i do spend x$$$ on a new bike, I will not want to take it to some of the places i love to go for fear of wrecking something that is expensive to replace.The old XL now,Im not worried about dragging it over a log or dropping it of a bank and adding a few more battle scars. Anyway, just thought i would make my thoughts global and see where it leads...P.S. Life is fuckin awesome.:yes:

[Edbear]

I have been thinking about getting a new dirt bike for some time now, and am kind of stuck, not so much by the choice of bike to get but wether or not it is really worth the $$$$.Dont get me wrong, I love the power and handling that most of the new bikes offer, but get really pissed off by the amount of times where somebody who i am riding with has had to be towed or pushed back to the truck on their new(ish) bikes.Now my old XL250 for example I paid $100 for it about 9yrs ago and it has always gotten me home.Granted some of the places we go can be really hard going, and the XL sure aint no looker nowadays. It is also very comfy(if a little heavy) at the end of the day.I am a bit worried that if i do spend x$$$ on a new bike, I will not want to take it to some of the places i love to go for fear of wrecking something that is expensive to replace.The old XL now,Im not worried about dragging it over a log or dropping it of a bank and adding a few more battle scars. Anyway, just thought i would make my thoughts global and see where it leads...P.S. Life is fuckin awesome.:yes:

Starting from the fact that you couldn't kill the XL250 with a big stick, you're going to be hard pushed to beat it for what it is.

A lot of the modern bikes are competing for performance and it's no longer true that a four stroke will be more reliable and cheaper to run than a two-stroke. Having said that, it's more about the type of trail bike you get. As with road bikes, many go for the GSX-R600 when a the GSX-F650 would be the better bike, simply for the pose factor. So a modern equivalent to the old XL should give good reliable service and be lighter and better to ride. Not sure how many "basic" trail bikes are made now, though.

[unstuck]

So what would be a good eqivelent to the old XL?? Any body bought a newish bike that they are really happy with and can throw about a bit and not break it everytime they go off the trail into the scrub,or is it just me that does that.:facepalm:

[krad_nz]

I started on an XL250R some time ago now. Great bike for learning.

Having said that you will never look back once you have a modern bike at your disposal. Get a KDX200, thats what I transitioned to. Good times.

I have to put mine up for sale on trademe soon actually :P

[unstuck]

I started on an XL250R some time ago now. Great bike for learning.

Having said that you will never look back once you have a modern bike at your disposal. Get a KDX200, thats what I transitioned to. Good times.

I have to put mine up for sale on trademe soon actually :P

Mate has one, he,s had a lot of eletrical problems with his,any issues for you. Spent a weekend on a KTM 450 last year and that wasnt bad but just felt too plasticky.Actually the stickers came off in the wet???:blink:

[MSTRS]

Sounds to me like you keep answering your own question...:innocent:

[kezzafish]

can't go wrong with a DRZ i recon. Super cheap brand new. Reliable as fuck 'cos they haven't changed since noah's ark brought them here. 250 or 400 if ya want more grunt. Very easy riding like the XL too.

All this assuming we are talking brand new yeah?

[unstuck]

Sounds to me like you keep answering your own question...:innocent:

Dont even know why i want a new bike, I Love my old XL.I think i may have IMAGE problems:crybaby: I feel a bit of a broken arse turning up to some rides with the old pig and everyone else on their nice shiny bling. :facepalm:

[Edbear]

Dont even know why i want a new bike, I Love my old XL.I think i may have IMAGE problems:crybaby: I feel a bit of a broken arse turning up to some rides with the old pig and everyone else on their nice shiny bling. :facepalm:

Then you casually ride on by while they're loading up their dead shiny bling onto the trailer... :innocent:

[unstuck]

can't go wrong with a DRZ i recon. Super cheap brand new. Reliable as fuck 'cos they haven't changed since noah's ark brought them here. 250 or 400 if ya want more grunt. Very easy riding like the XL too.

All this assuming we are talking brand new yeah?

Yeah(newish). I do like the drz400,felt really nice to ride:woohoo:But can they take a beating, dont know anyone who has had one long enough to find out.

[waynzz7]

can't go wrong with a DRZ i recon. Super cheap brand new. Reliable as fuck 'cos they haven't changed since noah's ark brought them here. 250 or 400 if ya want more grunt. Very easy riding like the XL too.

All this assuming we are talking brand new yeah?

I agree..I have a 06 drz400 and it is great for what it is designed to do..be super reliable, good power, easy and cheap to maintain and with all the abuse I throw at mine it just keeps trucking on..What it is not is a high performance bike designed to win any race or be competitive..
The only thing it will win is the chunkiest heifer award..coming in at around 130-140 kg wet..Unfortunatley like women there is no bike that is great at everything, just find one that meets your needs the closest..

[kezzafish]

yeah, i've had two and my bro has one (400's). they're bullet proof mate and well known for it. Dunno what the 250 is like but you'd be pretty safe assuming that they're the same. As wayne says, they're no race machine but have plenty of grunt and are well capable of making people on flash bikes look silly at trail rides. My brother makes me look silly when he rides his. Pretty hard bike to beat when it comes to value for money and they seem to hold their price quite well second hand... probably due to their hard-ass reputation. Have a look on trade me.

Someone once said to me: "the quickest way to get faster is to buy a better bike" :shutup: There's some truth in this for sure and the newer the bike the better & faster they are. just because of how quickly technology advances seem show themselves in bikes.

This doesn't apply with a DRZ so you might as well buy a well maintained 03ish one for $3g and biff it off some banks and not worry about it

[unstuck]

I agree..I have a 06 drz400 and it is great for what it is designed to do..be super reliable, good power, easy and cheap to maintain and with all the abuse I throw at mine it just keeps trucking on..What it is not is a high performance bike designed to win any race or be competitive..
The only thing it will win is the chunkiest heifer award..coming in at around 130-140 kg wet..Unfortunatley like women there is no bike that is great at everything, just find one that meets your needs the closest..

Im not interested in high performance or winning races or doing triple somersaults with a 360 thrown in.Just want something that is reliable and can take a beating(like me) and keep on going.And maybe is going to make me look a little cooler in front of all the other grandads.:rockon:

[meteor]

Get a KDX200...
I have to put mine up for sale on trademe soon actually :P

Plus 1 for the KDX but if you like 4 strokes... the XR250 is a great bike... funnily enough I have a mint 2001 for sale...

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=363768069

Yeah I know... shameless!

[takitimu]

Sounds to me like a wr250f would be the go after an xr, they go good as long as you don't kamikaze into trees at warp speed, otherwise they seem pretty damn reliable.

[Ocean1]

Im not interested in high performance or winning races or doing triple somersaults with a 360 thrown in.Just want something that is reliable and can take a beating(like me) and keep on going.And maybe is going to make me look a little cooler in front of all the other grandads.:rockon:

DRZ400 or KLX400 (same bike) are a damn good choice if you don't expect to get too aerial. I had a KLX for a couple of years, was a good multi-purpose tool. They're very robust and there's plenty you can do to "improve" them. If you need a road legal one they are a tad porky but the "E" spec versions aren't too bad in that regard.

[Leyton]

So what would be a good eqivelent to the old XL??

CRF230F :)

Modern built on old technology, however suspension and brakes are limiting but if you are used to simple suspension then it would be a good reliable 4-Stroke solution.

However.. the KDX200 is much better all round. They are more reliable and alot more solid then the CRF230. I would have one myself if I did not have a bike for the Mrs to learn to ride and me to trail ride on.

[unstuck]

Have decided to do a bit of shopping around and see what i can sniff out. Would be interesting to see how the likes of drz, kdx,crf,s are going in 20+yrs. They just dont seem to build em like they used to, wether that is a good thing or not i dont know. Should never of gotten rid of my xr600r, now there was a bike.:scooter::woohoo:

[unstuck]

DRZ 400 looking good so far.:yes:

[Spearfish]

I like the one in the front..

Is there a slightest chance you could look back and wish you hadn't sold the xl?

[Latte]

Yep keep em both for a while, see which one gets ridden the most in 6 months time

[unstuck]

Im a hoarder from way back,I dont really ever sell anything just collect things. Had to sell my 91 XL250R and my XR600R back in 95 and it was heartbreaking.Both awesome bikes.I will be keeping the Xl, DR and AG even if i do get anew bike,you can never have too many bikes.Got 7 here at the moment.:sunny:

[Spearfish]

Im a hoarder from way back,I dont really ever sell anything just collect things. Had to sell my 91 XL250R and my XR600R back in 95 and it was heartbreaking.Both awesome bikes.I will be keeping the Xl, DR and AG even if i do get anew bike,you can never have too many bikes.Got 7 here at the moment.:sunny:

Yeah your right, selling your stuff is like shooting your best dog....after it gave you "that look"....lucky there are some cruel bastards around or there would be nothing on trademe.

Trademe seems very low on bikes and bits for sale at the moment.

[CRF119]

The only way of having a reliable new 4 stroke is buying a brand spanker or buying it from some body that hasn't go penis fingers or was slack with maintenance.

When i brought my 2002 CR125 in 2005 which took me forever to save for as i was still in school it looked mint and ran perfect but when i went to replace the chain guide around the swing arm because it was nearly worn through i was shocked to find that some body had already worn through a chain guide and half through the swing arm and bearings but simply put a new guide over the mess. Which was a mission to fix it needed alloy welding and then re machining to bearing tolerances + i had to fork out for new swing arm bearings.

After that bike i brought a brand new 2008 CRF450 in October 2007 because i didn't want nasty surprises. Well its been faultless and when you buy a new bike they come with so many spare parts pistons rings gaskets enough for about 200 hours of riding. Ive just used my last set so i need to pay for my first top end rebuild next time and i might look at doing valves.

On the other hand i wouldn't buy a new bike again because the money id save is quite large and that can be spent on suspension improvements and other cool shit.

So id say second hand anything is fine if you no what your buying and what to look for. When you look at a bike don't just take in the condition of the bike talk to the owner see how he/she presents there garage them selves if the shed is a mess and the person seams like some body with penis fingers or is to tight to maintain a bike then don't buy. Also every brand has had a faulty bike through the years faulty bikes still come from all major players now. There is the Suzuki kick start issue where it damages the crank case when it locks up unsure what year. The brand new KTM 350 has bearing issues.

Hope this helps

[scott411]

There is the Suzuki kick start issue where it damages the crank case when it locks up unsure what year.

it was 08, and they never got released here until they were fixed, and they were recalled everywhere else,

[Jay GTI]

The brand new KTM 350 has bearing issues.

Hope this helps


A small number of the new 350 SX-Fs have had bearing issues, most have been fine, mine included. Gotta love it when net rumours get stated as fact...

[NordieBoy]

Then you casually ride on by while they're loading up their dead shiny bling onto the trailer... :innocent:

Or as they're loading up at the end of the x-country race, you're strapping the fuel can to the back and riding off home, shouting "You'se all trailer trash, ya bastards!" :scooter::yes:

[Stylo]

Or as they're loading up at the end of the x-country race, you're strapping the fuel can to the back and riding off home, shouting "You'se all trailer trash, ya bastards!" :scooter::yes:

Unstuck , there aint too many bad bikes our there at present so it's your call,

4 Stroke if you want to conform ..sorry, ...yaaawn . But, if you want to have fun ...buy a 2 Stroke , less noise , more power, more reliable , less weight and, less moving parts......the X Factor is the powerband ...hoo hooo ! Yaaaaaaarp

5 Cents

[unstuck]

Unstuck , there aint too many bad bikes our there at present so it's your call,

4 Stroke if you want to conform ..sorry, ...yaaawn . But, if you want to have fun ...buy a 2 Stroke , less noise , more power, more reliable , less weight and, less moving parts......the X Factor is the powerband ...hoo hooo ! Yaaaaaaarp

5 Cents
Love the powerband,but 2 strokes always used to go through a lot more gas than 4 strokes,are they any better these days. The only two stroke i have at the moment is an old AG175 that only gets used by learners i take riding.Had a PE400 years ago and that used to drink more than me.:drinkup: some of the trails i do are 5-6 hrs long,can a modern 2 stroke last that long on a tank of gas?:blink:

[Jay GTI]

Love the powerband,but 2 strokes always used to go through a lot more gas than 4 strokes,are they any better these days.

Not really, my '05 RM250 was pretty thirsty once I developed big enough kahunas to open the throttle properly. On a decent ride I'd go through 2 tanks easy, where as my mate's 250f would be fine on one tank for the whole day. Seems to be often forgotten when talking about the cost of ownership difference between 2T and 4Ts, the extra gas and premix oil you use with a 2T soon adds up if the bike is used regularly.

[ktm84mxc]

My choice Honda Xr400/250 circa mid 90's , $2-3g. Built proof easy maintance & lots of parts available.
Next Yam TTr 250 same era as above & you get elect start & were still avail new.
Why you ask under stressed design & if a farmer can't kill them nobody can.