Bike for noob

[Garvani]

Hey..

Just joined, found through googling.. Ive got a question, im new to all this, im 22, 6ft, 80kgs.. im after my first mx bike, i want something with some grunt, ive got a gsxr250rr so i like a bit of speed... so im looking at a reasonable 250, ive found a couple i like, and read a couple of reviews, i would like some of your opinions...
2002 kawasaki kx250

I really like the look of the kawasaki, probably not the best thing to rate a bike on tho!! lol.. It has a fmf power pipe, pro taper bars (btw wtf is that?)

Then there is the honda cr 250

From what ive read these are great bikes...

So yeah thats the two that ive found that i like and are in my price range... I plan on trail riding, jumps etc then id like to get into a bit of racing once i get some skill.. on that note where the hell can i ride around here, i live in blenheim.. anyone got any suggestions??

Cheers

[Motu]

I have no experiance with these modern MXr's,they are just way too fast for me.Andyadams is a recently retired MXer,hopefully he will give you some input.They are both extremly capable bikes,far beyond the abilities of mortals,a bit exteme for learning on - but a mate with almost no off road experiance who did a few months on an old old TT250 went onto an alloy framed CR250 for trail riding,no worries.

[Krusti]

Get yourself an RMZ, KXF, CRF 250. Great 4 strokes, easier to manage power. Cool bikes.

BTW Got one for sale if you want it.......hehehe

[Garvani]

Cheers for the reply.. your probably right it is a little extreme to learn on but in saying that my first bike was my 90 gsxr250rr.. scared the living @#$* out of me at first but you get used to the power and want more!! so i figure one of those two will be a good place to start, and i wont get bored after a couple of months :-)
Look forward to what everyone else has to think

[Krusti]

Cheers for the reply.. your probably right it is a little extreme to learn on but in saying that my first bike was my 90 gsxr250rr.. scared the living @#$* out of me at first but you get used to the power and want more!! so i figure one of those two will be a good place to start, and i wont get bored after a couple of months :-)
Look forward to what everyone else has to think

RMZ etc will kick 2 strokes butt.....Son went to one from 2stroke..Most guys racing these days are going the 4stroke way. A 250cc 4 stroke races in the 125cc 2 stroke class. 450cc 4 race in 250cc class.

You need to ride them to see.

[XTC]

I had a 97 YZ250 2 stroke and could ride that hard for about 5-10 laps of an mx track then it started to beat me up and wear me out...And I had lots of offroad experience and had had 4-5 trail bikes before this. Still I wasn't 22 and 6ft either.
When I bought the YZ250F four stroke I found I was actually quicker on that than on the 2 stroke and could ride hard laps for nearly all day and still have energy to drive home. I love that bike (bloody ankle!).
You have not mentioned what sort of riding you intend to do - That could make a difference.. And where? Forest, MX track, Hare scrambles etc. 250 2 strokes are fun and if you're fit enough to handle them you can do well. But if you're learning you may be better off with a YZF250. (CRF and RMZ/KXF are ok but still have reliability issues). Riding off road is in no way at all like riding on the road. The gear/brake/clutch levers and throttle are all in the same place but thats as close as it gets. You wwill have to learn a whole new set of skills for off road. Learning these skills can be more difficult on a 55hp monster that wants to spit you off at every obstacle. Hope this helps.
P.S I had no problem beating lots of guys on 450 4t/ 250 2t bikes on my YZF but then there were plenty who could beat me too Off road is all about the rider not as much about the bike.
Either way you'll have fun.

[Garvani]

Well i plan on doing all sorts of riding, fire breaks etc at first, then ill move onto tracks.. Im in reasonable condition going to the gym etc, best start working on the stanima/endurance now i guess... well youve given me some stuff to think about, i wasn't even considering a 4 stroke as my gsxr is a 4, im after that agressive acceleration, guess i need to jump on one and give it a blast :-) now just to find a yz250f to have a ride...

[Oscar]

Well i plan on doing all sorts of riding, fire breaks etc at first, then ill move onto tracks.. Im in reasonable condition going to the gym etc, best start working on the stanima/endurance now i guess... well youve given me some stuff to think about, i wasn't even considering a 4 stroke as my gsxr is a 4, im after that agressive acceleration, guess i need to jump on one and give it a blast :-) now just to find a yz250f to have a ride...

Get yourself a ride on a KTM EXC 400/450, or a Husaberg 450.
These are the finest Trail/Enduro/Woods Bikes available today.

[XTC]

Oscar do you sell KTM's and Husabergs??? :sly:
That's quite a statement to make.....

[XTC]

Well i plan on doing all sorts of riding, fire breaks etc at first, then ill move onto tracks.. Im in reasonable condition going to the gym etc, best start working on the stanima/endurance now i guess... well youve given me some stuff to think about, i wasn't even considering a 4 stroke as my gsxr is a 4, im after that agressive acceleration, guess i need to jump on one and give it a blast :-) now just to find a yz250f to have a ride...

Try what ever anybody will let you ride. 250 2 strokes are definately fun and have that explosive power you are looking for. You could try a KTM250EXC (2 stroke woods weapon) but would probably be dissapointed with an enduro bike on the MX track.

[Oscar]

Oscar do you sell KTM's and Husabergs??? :sly:
That's quite a statement to make.....

Nope. It's based on the opinions of Me, Vege and John Nick.

[Garvani]

Try what ever anybody will let you ride. 250 2 strokes are definately fun and have that explosive power you are looking for. You could try a KTM250EXC (2 stroke woods weapon) but would probably be dissapointed with an enduro bike on the MX track.

yeah thats what i was thinking.. enduro's have there place but not on the mx track!
im going to try and get a ride on some bikes, only problem is the bikes i want to buy arn't local, a good 5 hour drive and i don't know anyone local that rides :-(

So out of interest, what of those 2 bikes at the top would you pick? anything against that kawasaki? and is the honda as good as the reviews ive been reading suggest?

[XTC]

My pick of those two would be the honda. I've ridden one of those and it was good. The CRF450 was better but they cost a bit more. Kawasaki ok.

[clint640]

Coupla things:

The new breed of 4 stroke MX & Enduro bikes, while nice to ride, cost much more to run than their cheaper 2 stroke cousins.

If you haven't done much dirt riding the CR & KX are going to beat the shit out of you unless you soften up the suspension. Enduro bikes are typically softer sprung and a bit less animal therefore better to learn on. I like the EXC KTM's too, my pick for an adult learner bike would be a 200EXC KTM, or maybe the 300 for a bigger more aggressive person.
Once you start finding the limits you can always change to an MX bike.


Cheers
Clint

[Katman]

One thing to bear in mind, late model mxers are sooooo finely carburetted that the mere thought of twitching your throttle hand will launch you off the trail and into the bush. Not a pleasant feeling when you're trying to brake and hit a bump that makes your right wrist twitch. My advice, if you want a 250 two stroke (and man are they fun) to learn on would be to go for a slightly older model that allows for that fraction of a second between moving the throttle and 'lift off'. Be warned, 250 two stroke mx bikes aren't for the faint hearted!