looking at a motox bike. advice please.

[steve74]

hi, new to this forum. i have raced road bikes for 10yrs or more and im now keen to buy a 2 stroke 125 or 250 motox bike for some weekend fun. ie kx,rm,cr,yz. im looking around 1999 - 2005 models. were there any particually bad ones amongst them. are there some i should stay away from. i was looking at 4 stroke 250/400 but it seems they are expensive to maintain. any help would be most apreciated.

thanks, steve

[Motu]

I'm no motocrosser,so don't know pros and cons of each model - but by those years the 2 strokes were well and truely sorted,they make mega horsepower reliably with basic maintanence,and handling beyond the capability of most riders,you'll just have to tune the suspn to your weight and riding preferences.

[WRT]

I'd say get a CR, but then again, I'm biased . . .

Seriously tho, your not going to see that many differences between them. As Motu pointed out, it will just be a case of sorting out the suspension for your own style. All of the 250's make similar power, and are similar weight. Just shop around till you find one that is in good nick and at a good price and go from there - but be fussy in your shopping. There are some good bargins out there, search for one that has been looked after and regularly maintained. Your in the south island, so thats a good start, pity us poor buggers that have to pay Auckland prices! Go over any prospects with a fine tooth comb . . . look at all aspects of the bike, all the levers and controls, pegs, tyres, bearings (wheels, steering, etc), dents in the expansion chamber, bent bars/forks, and so on. Not only are these things to watch for wear or damage on, but they will also give you a good idea of how much use the bike has seen, and how well its been looked after.

Once you've found your bike, spend some time with the manual and get it set up to your own preferences. Also, if you are just getting into it, make sure you have all the protective gear, I cannot stress this enough. Bear minimum is helmet, goggles, gloves, boots and knee pads. The gear isnt too expensive (compared to road gear), and things like the knee pads are really going to save you. You are going to come off (and many times), and the first thing to hit the deck in a lot of cases will be your knee. A set of pads will be the difference between laughing it off and continuing your ride, or being laid up off work for a few weeks with a bung leg. If you are doing forest riding, also invest in some body armour. The proper long sleeve shirts and some padded pants go a long way too to save your ruining your jeans and t-shirts, plus I have seen some get some pretty deep cuts just from wearing short sleeves through cutty grass.

Apart from all that tho, get out there and have fun! And if you make it up to auckland, give us a yell and we'll get you out on some of the trails up here.

[White trash]

RM-Z450. Yummmmmyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuckin wickedist (is that a word?) bike I've ever ridden bar none.

[WRT]

Dunno about them, but I've got me evil eye on one of dem CRF 4-fiddy's for my next toy . . .

RM-Z450. Yummmmmyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuckin wickedist (is that a word?) bike I've ever ridden bar none.

[scumdog]

RM-Z450. Yummmmmyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuckin wickedist (is that a word?) bike I've ever ridden bar none.

WT ya bastid, clear some space for incomming PM's will ya?
Tried to send one and you system is full.

[steve74]

cheers guys, thanks for all ya help.

[cheese]

if you are over 80kg, you will hate a 125

[Coyote]

From the limited knowledge I have, stay clear of the 2003 KXF/RMZ250 as this was their first year of production and they suffered reliability problems and also the 2003 KX125 wasn't that great either (can't remember why) but the 2004 model was a huge improvement

[Mattyc]

buy a 2 stroke, bottom line !! from about 98 up most 250 2 strokes will be sweet, although id go as late model as you can, the kx's are nice and you shouldnt have to pay as much as u would with a honda - cause they dearer from new so ppl sell them for more