A little guidance required

[Blagger]

Now that the ladies have spleened their inner choreographers a bit of reality can be added.
Do not buy a four stroke if you can help it,you will be bored to tears and joining a mens support group or worse...taking up golf (same thing really)in no time.

Every thing you say of two strokes is still relevant today and with the savings you can afford plenty of new rubber for those slippery hills.

This man is a High Court Judge

[Jay GTI]

Your right JayGTI i don't want to chase tails with a 2 vs 4 debate just trying to provide some balance.

I know that the sxf is a moto x bike and of course it can be punted hard on the trails but have you tried the 350exc or the other cross country model ?

I'd love to try the 350exc, but to be honest I'd prefer to swing a leg over the 350xcf, which I see as the best of both worlds. I've riden a couple of EXCs, plus spent lots of time with both WR250s and WR450s all fecking great bikes even if I am too fat for the WR250's suspension. I just find that for the kind of riding available in NZ, an enduro bike is not really necessary although they do obviously still work very well. Most trail parks and rides are open and fast enough that an MX bike is more than ok, the drawbacks of using an MX bike (hard suspension and snappy power delivery) are not as much of an issue as they are in other parts of the world. Certainly some of the really twisty, rooty sections in Woodhill Forest are a bit of a struggle, but the bike comes right in the more open sections and makes up for it.

The other issue with enduro bikes is there just aren't that many out there. You can buy a 250 4T MX bike for the OP's budget all day long and, with patience, find a really sweet one, but the enduro market is a lot, lot smaller.

But, after all that, another ride buddy has just bought a 2013 Husky 310TE as an upgrade from his 250EXC. That is supposed to be a real weapon, definitely want to borrow that for a loop or two.

[F5 Dave]

3-4k may bring you a little trouble. Dirtbikes are (KBrs excepted of course), sold by complete Muppets with a sideline in Butchery & the honesty of a used car salesman who somehow lost his real estate licence. I use 2nd hand dirtbikes as evidence of this. We've all been there.

All the talk of MX bikes for trailbikes has been covered, but still people seem to think they are a good intro into trail riding, search me why.

I'm biased (but so is everyone), but I'd buy another GasGas Enduro 2 stroke in an instant. They are easy to ride, you can get parts for them easily without them being discontinued at 6yrs old, & they don't cost the earth for them. On top of that they have a dreadful resale value as people don't seem to know what they are so you can get them cheap in the first place.

[Ayrtonsenna]

"Orange Friday!" has arrived!- 13th Sept- Popped into Superior motor cycles...got my self a helmet…..borrowed some boots…think I'm ready?
Great opportunity….2s v 4s…going to be interesting….its been awhile!

[Jay GTI]

Sweet, post back when done, would love to know how you get on with each bike and what you lean towards at the end.

[ktm84mxc]

Well you'd better be prepared to up the budget by 10g to get a new KTM, good 2nd hand can be had for 5-7g for a 2010+ model.
Me I love my 2 smokes, light weight, low maintenance costs, simple design etc.

[Banditbandit]

Evening Ladies....so then, I'm thinking about getting back into dirt bikes.

Tobe honest its been awhile, around 10years since I was ripping through a fire break outa control screaming like a little girl...and loving every second of it.
But I had the odd...error of judgment...three ops on my left Knee later...and my girlfriend saying those a mortal works "I'm pregnant"...and it was game over....sold the lot.

: well done that man ... How much did you get for her ?? Was she still carrying or had she dropped??

[Stylo]

Well you'd better be prepared to up the budget by 10g to get a new KTM, good 2nd hand can be had for 5-7g for a 2010+ model.
Me I love my 2 smokes, light weight, low maintenance costs, simple design etc.

Agree ...but you left out the fun factor component, I think they call it a powerband ..

[Ayrtonsenna]

Budget...yes ...well...I'm working on a more realistic figure as we...type

[Ktmboy]

Personally with your budget and a little more I'd be looking at a YZ250 2t. Why...
Proven bullet proof. You can MX it. Enduro it (add a fly wheel weight) and trail ride them. Plus you can make them real quick if needed.
And they retain their resale very well.

NZ national Cross Country champ rides one ( Adrian Smith...actually his 2013 is for sale at 8.5k with a full factory rebuild at 50hrs and 2014 suspension) as does MX2 champ Ethan Martens.
Easy to rebuild and our riders are getting hundreds of hours(read 6-800) on a bottom end.

[takitimu]

Personally with your budget and a little more I'd be looking at a YZ250 2t. Why...
Proven bullet proof. You can MX it. Enduro it (add a fly wheel weight) and trail ride them. Plus you can make them real quick if needed.
And they retain their resale very well.

NZ national Cross Country champ rides one ( Adrian Smith...actually his 2013 is for sale at 8.5k with a full factory rebuild at 50hrs and 2014 suspension) as does MX2 champ Ethan Martens.
Easy to rebuild and our riders are getting hundreds of hours(read 6-800) on a bottom end.

Scotty Columb is also on the YZ250, they are mint bikes with a flywheel.

[browny]

a rmz450 08 model( for example) can be bought for about 4k, depends on weight and or skills but great bike heaps of power and cheap.

[Ayrtonsenna]

Well…..I survived!

Firstly I need to say a big thank you to the team from Superior, and KTM New Zealand for the opportunity.

A little apprehensive at first…given the fleet of Orange standing in front of me. With little said- it felt like a Le mans start….guys went for the favourites…with me standing back ground waiting for the left overs!

With thoughts of "We had to call the Westpac trust chopper last time" I decided to jump on a four stroke…..after fumbling around trying to sort the electric start….amateur….I was off!

Shit I thought…..this was ok….(250 EXC-F)….and it a bloody four stroke!

The two smokes were as I remembered - they felt light and nimble….with buckets of fast power…just point, and shoot. I can see why people are still drawn to them.
Talking to one of the guys out for the trial "Four strokes are shit mate" "I can't stand them…they feel sluggish" "Slow as pig shit" …..yeah I said WTF

After doing several laps on the sacred 350EXC and thinking…yeah this is really nice…I decided to head in and see what was waiting for me in the pits.

The 450…..and…..OMG……..this was what I needed! ………arrived back in the pits a little confused……went for another quick ride on the 350Exc again……great…….350xc felt a little better - more alive- but 450 left me smiling…..arrived back in the pits….time to stop and have a think (Suffering from Arm pump already)

Theres no doubt the 450 will hurt me at some stage…..where the 350xc will provide me with the platform I need...…..interesting.

Listening to the guys from Superior, the 350 EXC would suit me best, especially given my experience, and the type of riding I'm bound todo….I'll I could think -was- I want the 450.
"You can improve the 350EXC by sticking a better pipe on it"……450……"alot of guys Enduro the XC"….450

If I could explain it- Its almost like going out with the wrong girl because you know she's trouble…...your drawn to her because….

So……I'm getting closer to making a decision….its going to be four stroke- 350-450 I figure on going with my gut, at the end of the day…if I'm really struggling, and realises, I've made the wrong decision….Ill sell it…and buy something else….not a big deal.


Any last words of wisdom?


Ants

[Skiwi]

Now that the ladies have spleened their inner choreographers a bit of reality can be added.
Do not buy a four stroke if you can help it,you will be bored to tears and joining a mens support group or worse...taking up golf (same thing really)in no time.

Every thing you say of two strokes is still relevant today and with the savings you can afford plenty of new rubber for those slippery hills.

Hmmm? I can honestly say " boring" is the last word I would use to describe my 450 EXC








Nice piece of debate bait tho

[Jay GTI]

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to report back on how you got on, glad you had a good time and got to do exactly what you needed, spend time figuring out what will ultimately work best for you.

Any last words of wisdom?

Only this... you will be faster on the 350, especially over a day's riding when you're starting to get tired. BUT, there's something addictive about that abundance of horsepower so I can appreciate the appeal of the 450 (especially with the new single-cam motor). Logic and sense don't always win the argument...