New Bike

[thorns]

Hi guys,

Myself and a mate are looking at getting dirt bikes. Now I have ahd some experince many moons ago when I used to have a DS80 (back in the early 90s lol). Now looking at teh bikes available and seeing whats about. Do you think a 450 4 Stroke MXer would be a bad idea for someone like myself who hasnt thrown a leg over a dirt bike in so long? The other options I guess are looking at a KLX300, DR350-400, but would they be a bit soft? I want to be able to ride MX tracks (not competitivley at this stage), but also be able to run some trail rides that are often organised in teh Canterbury area. So what would be th ebest option do you think at this stage? I am a bigger guy, about 6ft 3 and 110kgs if that helps.

Cheers

[noobi]

depending on what you prior experience is, i wouldnt recommend a 450 mx, there just a bit ballistic in the wrong hands, maybe a honda crf450x, a tame 450r but with electric start and plusher suspension, the equivelant bike is made by yamaha, a wr450, and made by kawasaki the klx450, ktm make a 450 enduro also, the 450excf
i think that the mx parts may be transferable between the enduro models and the mx models, so go fast mx parts in the future maybe
thats the four strokes, if you dont want a 250

then theres two strokes...

[Hazza]

I think you will be far better of on a 250 four stroke a 450 is likely to be a bit of a handful.

What are you going to be using the bike for trail riding or mx?

[B0000M]

if you like your bike to feel gutless, get a 250 4 stroke.

if you want to get tired quickly especially with lack of bike fitness, get a 450

if you want ultimate fun, speed, performance, ease of maintenance, cheap parts, get a 2 stroke 250

[kezzafish]

yeah what boom said except make sure it's a KDX. he'll agree with that too

[noobi]

if you like your bike to feel gutless, get a 250 4 stroke.

if you want to get tired quickly especially with lack of bike fitness, get a 450

if you want ultimate fun, speed, performance, ease of maintenance, cheap parts, get a 2 stroke 250

yea, fair enough, a newish 250 two stroke with a ffw and a pipe would be fine for trails and mx, just have to get use to the way the power comes on :baby:

boooom, if you dont mind me asking what have you done to your cr to make it more trail friendly if anything?

[honda_power]

i think a 450 is fine to learn on as they are smooth [and in my opinion somewhat boring].

i dissagree about a 250 2 stroke mxer... i think a 450 is much easier to learn on, the 250 has a way bigger power hit. but youl learn way more and pay way less bills on a 2 stroke.

[thorns]

Cheers for the suggestions so far guys. With a 250 2 stroke, do they require a lot of fiddling to keep running sweetly such as regular tuning and the like? I havent had much experince with anything like that, so am really after something pretty reliable as my first bike. I am looking to spend in teh region of 4k all up (including helmet, boots etc), so prob around 3-3.5k for teh bike. I have been scouting trademe, and theres lots to choose from it seems in taht price bracket.

[honda_power]

Cheers for the suggestions so far guys. With a 250 2 stroke, do they require a lot of fiddling to keep running sweetly such as regular tuning and the like? I havent had much experince with anything like that, so am really after something pretty reliable as my first bike. I am looking to spend in teh region of 4k all up (including helmet, boots etc), so prob around 3-3.5k for teh bike. I have been scouting trademe, and theres lots to choose from it seems in taht price bracket.

nah not really, more reliable than 4 stroke anyway. But being a MX bike it will require regular maintanace.

They do have quite a kick for begginers though... perhaps have a blat on someone elses as a test? You cant ride them slow either.

[barty5]

Shit only took booom 59 minutes to bag anything that is 4t must be havin a slow day. Personally id go with the 4t although a 450mx can be a handfull if your not use to it but onthe other hand a hell of a lota fun. Nothing wrong with the 250 4t dont know bout the others but with the WR250 you can fit all the mx parts for a bit more punch mate has just done it to his and it really impressed.

[B0000M]

its not about bagging 4t's. but seriously, 450s feel heavy to ride, and the way their power is pretty much all on, all the time, makes for very tiring riding.

the 250 on the other hand wont tire you out, but at 110kg, you will very quickly find that it feels gutless and that you need to continuously ring its neck to make it move

the 250 2 stroke has the option of the balls out power if you open it up, as well as the sedate smooth power down low. as well as being light weight and low(er) maintenance than a 4 stroke equivalent.

2 strokes when jetted correctly dont require any special tuning apart from if you go from riding in extremities of altitude eg sea level then 20,000ft. you may need to adjust your main jet.

most people tend to ride within their area, so this isnt a big issue and your bike will still run just fine, just not as well as it could.


as for mods to my bike, it has a fmf fatty pipe, a shorty muffler that gets re packed regularly with silent sport packing, boyesen fibreglass reeds.

for some reason it has a more bottom end power compared to others ive ridden, but not a huge amount more, so pretty normal CR.

[barty5]

I would agree with the heavy part when your talkin bout the new cr450f damm they feel very wide and heavy to ride wasnt impressed at all and the bulldozer blade of an exhuast across the front what up with that.

[Dent]

A 450mx'er is probably not a good fit for you, from what you have said.

A decent 250 4 stroke (eg WR250R) has a lot more power than the old XR250cc bikes from way back. Its also fairly tame in the low part of the rev range - good while your getting used to it, or really tired.
I personally am quite happy with a modern 2 stroke.

The biggest issue with MX bike on trail rides is the close ratio 5 speed gearbox (or even 4 speed on some). Its hard to find a balance that gives you a good 1st for the hills, and decent top speed. Suspension may also be really stiff, but you can re-valve to help that.

Whatever you look at, try riding it, at least a short distance. Also, as you've been away from bikes this long, you may want to take it to a shop for a check over before buying. Its not hard to spend several thousand fixing up a poorly maintained, or really hammered bike (which initially looks good as it has new plastics).

In chch I can suggest Dirt Action Services to check out the bike. Im sure there are other choices.

[honda_power]

I would agree with the heavy part when your talkin bout the new cr450f damm they feel very wide and heavy to ride wasnt impressed at all and the bulldozer blade of an exhuast across the front what up with that.

the long header pipes give more bottom end. I rode raglanash's 09 crf450 and thought it was bloody great, felt life a 250f in terms of handling and weight, in fact better than my 06 250 but each to their own. I think hondas are a little wider than most bikes, but i like that... prob due to riding them for almost 5 years.

[B0000M]

I would agree with the heavy part when your talkin bout the new cr450f damm they feel very wide and heavy to ride wasnt impressed at all and the bulldozer blade of an exhuast across the front what up with that.

lol i too thought the 09 was smaller feelign than the 08s etc, still heavy feeling tho compared to a 2 smoker

[clmintie]

yeah what boom said except make sure it's a KDX. he'll agree with that too

Couldn't resist..................

[Rupe]

love these threads, everyone will just tell you to buy what they have. Take it with a pinch of salt.

Go and see if you can blag a few rides on demo bikes, or mates to help you make up your mind.

By the way with your price bracket most of the mx 4strokes may not be the best to buy.

Also If you don't buy a 07 kx250f you're a loser.

[Rupe]

Couldn't resist..................

are you trying to say that kdx's handle like a pig??? I'd agree last time I rode one out a woodhill it was like trying to pilot a shopping trolley full of logs round the tracks.

[B0000M]

are you trying to say that kdx's handle like a pig??? I'd agree last time I rode one out a woodhill it was like trying to pilot a shopping trolley full of logs round the tracks.

lol, listen to rupe!

get a mx bike, you can ride a mx bike on a trail successfully

you cant successfully mx a trail bike

[green machine]

Boooom......why do you always tell new people asking about bikes that 250 4t's are gutless for bigger guys,while i'll freely admit they aren't as potent as a 250 2t(ivé riden a few of my mates)i weigh 100kg's and my bike has plenty of get up and go.True i only do trail rides and the odd practice day at MX tracks but for what i do it hauls arse.....as many of my 2t mad mates will agree to....as for the weight issue.....mines pretty light,got a mate with an 08 KTM 250SX and he swears his feels heavier than mine.

[B0000M]

Boooom......why do you always tell new people aslking about bikes that 250 4t's are gutless for bigger guys

because, as a bigger guy, i find them gutless, and have to ring the shit out of them to make them move. i also gain several seconds a lap around a 90~ second mx track by riding the 4t instead of the 2t.

i ride both. though i do ride the 2t more, you can certainly feel the lag, especially trying to go up hill etc on the 4t.

just trying to offer my most helpful advise possible.


furthermore you can get a reasonalbe 2 stroke for $3500~ , i wouldnt buy a 4 stroke this as old as $3500 would buy due to reliability / age issues

[B0000M]

as for the weight issue.....mines pretty light,got a mate with an 08 KTM 250SX and he swears his fells heavier than mine.

yea the 250 4t's feel light, its the 450s that have the heavy feeling

[green machine]

Fair enough......guess it depends what type of riding you want to do......and fair point about the price side of it
I'm lucky that i don't have a wife and kids sucking me dry so i can buy brand new..........hahaha

[B0000M]

Fair enough......guess it depends what type of riding you want to do......and fair point about the price side of it
I'm lucky that i don't have a wife and kids sucking me dry so i can buy brand new..........hahaha

yes, you certainly are.

so my request of you is to make sure you maintain your bikes well, and upgrade regularly so that the rest of us can get good cheap well maintained used bikes!! :2thumbsup

[Ktmboy]

[QUOTE=honda_power;2029513]i think a 450 is fine to learn on as they are smooth [and in my opinion somewhat boring].

What... are you thinking, the guy has only ridden a DS80. jeez.

I see so many who buy the big bore 4t bikes as novices just to look and sound cooooool..
Well, their riding suffers big time as a consequence and they never get to learn the basic skills. Thus it puts them off certain events. Learn from the bottom up. There are no short cuts.
We need to provide sound advice to beginners on their experience, not on our experience.

[thorns]

Again, thanks for the replies and entertainment ;)
I think I will look for a 250 2stroke at this stage, and try get a demo on one at some stage.

Still gotta sell the car first, anyone want a Turbo Mr2? :2thumbsup

Also, is it a case of buy as new as possible? As I see alot of mid 90's bikes on there, would it be best to steer clear? Or is it a case of if its been well looked after, it would still be a good buy?

[honda_power]

[QUOTE=honda_power;2029513]i think a 450 is fine to learn on as they are smooth [and in my opinion somewhat boring].

What... are you thinking, the guy has only ridden a DS80. jeez.

I see so many who buy the big bore 4t bikes as novices just to look and sound cooooool..
Well, their riding suffers big time as a consequence and they never get to learn the basic skills. Thus it puts them off certain events. Learn from the bottom up. There are no short cuts.
We need to provide sound advice to beginners on their experience, not on our experience.

my point is a 450 is easier to learn on than a 2 stroke 250.

im not basing on my experience... i dont think a 450 or a 250 2 stroke would be the right bike, but everyone else seems to think so. i know people with 250 2 stokes who have been riding for years and are still scared of them

[Atomic]

[QUOTE=honda_power;2029513]i think a 450 is fine to learn on as they are smooth [and in my opinion somewhat boring].

What... are you thinking, the guy has only ridden a DS80. jeez.

I see so many who buy the big bore 4t bikes as novices just to look and sound cooooool..
Well, their riding suffers big time as a consequence and they never get to learn the basic skills. Thus it puts them off certain events. Learn from the bottom up. There are no short cuts.
We need to provide sound advice to beginners on their experience, not on our experience.


My first ever dirt bike was a 2007 RMZ450, and I think I learnt just fine. I traded across to a 2008 RMZ250 18 months ago and have a lot more fun on it as the 450 was boring. My advice would be to buy a MX bike if you plan on doing any MX, mean suspension, mean brakes etc etc. I would not feel comfortable getting air or nailing some whoops on a KLX300. 2t, 4t, small or large capacity doesnt really matter, use throttle control until your ready to give it everything.