Complete beginner looking for advice

[Badger8]

Hey guys,
Another complete off-road noob here (Bought tommorth's KDX200 off him actually, heheh)
Just wondering some good places around to get my learn on off-road? Thinking of checkin out the beginners trails out at 'the sandpit' labour weekend. Suitable for a complete off-road and 2-stroke noob?
Would ideally just like some open paddocks or something for a kickoff, but dont really know where to find em round aucks.
any help and/or pointers appreciated!

[glice]

I spent alot of time on a CR125 and i have to disagree. The 125 teaches clutch/throttle control, those that find them to hard id just say have gotten lazy with the new 4 strokers.

You also dont have to speend 4-6k to get a good one 2002-2004 125 should cost no more then 4k and are very light, very easy to maintain and you should be able to go almost anywhere on it wth practise!

Also when it comes to rebuilding the top end its simple as there is no valves/cams etc so even a monkey can do it and not have to pay your local shop $60-$80 a hour to do the rebuild!

I'm thinking of gettint a 125 and will prob use it for everything. I'm not a full noob, did the wires track yesterday. but are they very hard to ride? how often do they need to have a re-build, and what is the cost in terms of parts?

[Taz]

I can highly recommend the KDX200. Excellent value for money and very very capable off road bikes for learners and experts alike. But most of you will end up getting a MX bike as they are cooler......

[honda_power]

seriously... reccomending a motocross bike to a newbie... lets alone a 450?! Are you crazy?

Forget even 250fs. I own 2, nothing but trouble, dont get one unless your going to race mx.

I think...

Late model Kawasaki KDX200. Bulletproof. Fast enough. Decent Suspension. Dirt Cheap. Water Cooled is a bonus.

Honda XR250. As Above, but 4 stroke. Air cooled.

Suzuki DR-Z250. 4 Stroke, Very good beginner bike.

Yammi TTR250. Same as Above, 4 Stroke.

All very good Novice - Int bikes. Personally i think KDX is the best option, as its a great beginner bike, but i have seen many with experts on them and winning, so it will take you further. This is all presuming you are big enough for a full sized bike.

[krad_nz]

I recently got a 2006 KDX200 and I love it. Not sure if I would recommend it as a good bike for a complete noob though?
It does have a pro-circuit pipe which is meant to make a huge difference and I've not experienced the bike with the factory exhaust.
Maybe its more noob friendly with the factory setup?

Another option is the KLX300. It has a slightly lower seat height too which may be important for some people. Cheap and reliable.

I've ridden both and the while the KDX200 is easily much quicker the KLX300 seems a more forgiving. Having a bike thats forgiving of mistakes can only be a good thing for a beginner.
Also, the KDX has an expansion chamber that is more vulnerable to damage when the bike is dropped. Don't have to worry about that on the KLX for obvious reasons

[B0000M]

I'm thinking of gettint a 125 and will prob use it for everything. I'm not a full noob, did the wires track yesterday. but are they very hard to ride? how often do they need to have a re-build, and what is the cost in terms of parts?

i probably wouldnt reccommend them as an all rounder. pretty much good as a race bike. high maintenance, youd want to be doing a top end rebuild at least every 30 hours or less, as well as all the other mx consumables- clutches, which you have to hammer on them to keep them reving etc.

as a noob allrounder, probably best with something like a kdx if you want low as maintenance, but i tend to disagreee with the previous comment about the CRFs etc, eg a crf250x is an awesome all rounder for a novice with low and easy maintenance, and with an abundance of easily obtained and replaced parts to make it faster as you improve.

as ive said so many times lately, got my mrs a 04 crf250x, shes 5'3 or something really short around there. lowered it down a bit with the forks inthe clamps, and wound the spring down, cut the seat foam a bit. she loves it! good amount of power, good suspension, good brakes, not too bad to work on.

however i got bored so decided to put a whole bunch of crf250R parts on it to make it faster
loves it more now

[glice]

yea a crf250 etc, would be good but then I need to spend a bit more money. I do like 2strokes, but a 250 will be too fast and I want something light cos I'm sick of picking up my whale (klr). Does a top end re-build cost much? in terms of parts because I could probly do it myself.

[Ktmboy]

yea a crf250 etc, would be good but then I need to spend a bit more money. I do like 2strokes, but a 250 will be too fast and I want something light cos I'm sick of picking up my whale (klr). Does a top end re-build cost much? in terms of parts because I could probly do it myself.

Top end on a KDX- Base Gasket(take off the bore and the head in one piece)
Piston set, H2O/Antifreeze and some new oil.

Couple of hundy max
Couple of hours
Couple of beers.

Good reason to get into the garage

[B0000M]

as a general rule the newer the bike you buy the less things you will need to replace. older bikes it feels like one thing after the next you have to replace, and then you spend thousands on bits and pieces, knicks and knacks, and after all that you still have an old bike.

my suggestion to anyone trying to get into dirt bikes is dont try entering the sport unless you have at least 5k to spend on machine and safety equipment.

if you cant afford to cough that up to get started, then dirt biking isnt for you / your budget

its not a cheap sport. attempting to skimp on costs only makes it cost more in the long run.

on that note, somewhere around $200-250 should get you all you need for a 125 top end build.

250cc 2 strokes arent as scary as people make them out to be. i have a mate whos only 65kg with a cr250, he's just started riding and he loves it. - food for thought. they only go as fast as you twist the throttle

[glice]

Top end on a KDX- Base Gasket(take off the bore and the head in one piece)
Piston set, H2O/Antifreeze and some new oil.

Couple of hundy max
Couple of hours
Couple of beers.

Good reason to get into the garage

Yea any time in the garage is good time. should be pretty easy.

[glice]

as a general rule the newer the bike you buy the less things you will need to replace. older bikes it feels like one thing after the next you have to replace, and then you spend thousands on bits and pieces, knicks and knacks, and after all that you still have an old bike.

my suggestion to anyone trying to get into dirt bikes is dont try entering the sport unless you have at least 5k to spend on machine and safety equipment.

if you cant afford to cough that up to get started, then dirt biking isnt for you / your budget

its not a cheap sport. attempting to skimp on costs only makes it cost more in the long run.

on that note, somewhere around $200-250 should get you all you need for a 125 top end build.

250cc 2 strokes arent as scary as people make them out to be. i have a mate whos only 65kg with a cr250, he's just started riding and he loves it. - food for thought. they only go as fast as you twist the throttle

I'm still leaning towards the 125. I know I could ride the 250, but I like to work my way up and learn how to punt small bikes before I get bigger ones. I'm a bit under 60kg so a 125 shouldnt be too slow with my weight on it.

how often do they need the bottom end done. that would cost a bit more would'nt it?

[B0000M]

bottom ends need doing when they have too much play. this time varies, but you should get at least 100 hours out of a bottom end. crank kits can be bought for not too much on ebay if its not an urgent repair (freight delays)

as long as you're keen to thrash and feather the clutch plenty youll be fine on a 125

[glice]

bottom ends need doing when they have too much play. this time varies, but you should get at least 100 hours out of a bottom end. crank kits can be bought for not too much on ebay if its not an urgent repair (freight delays)

as long as you're keen to thrash and feather the clutch plenty youll be fine on a 125

cheers, thanks for your advice. I'll see how I go with my finances. I'm trying to start road racing so things are pretty tight. but I love riding bikes in dirt too, so I'm sure I'll find a way.