Old v new

[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.

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.

[unstuck]

DRZ 400 looking good so far.

[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.

[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.

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...

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!"

[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!"

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. some of the trails i do are 5-6 hrs long,can a modern 2 stroke last that long on a tank of gas?

[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.