Complete beginner looking for advice

[Xander87]

I have always wanted to get into dirt bikes but have never had the money until now. How would a complete newbie go about learning how to ride, what bike to get, where to go etc?

[B0000M]

how big are you, how old are you, what kind of riding do you think you are interested in, have you ridden anyone elses bike before? if so, how much riding have you done?

[tommorth]

if you are a complete beginer my suggestion would be a xr200 as they are indestructable light and cheap then find a large paddock to get used to the brakes ,changing gears , using the clutch etc

[slimjim]

have a look in www.silverbullet.co.nz..as it has all local events... go along to one of the motocross or trail events and ask around..cause the people there are ONLY to willing to help.......also look in local paper as some times its in there too..offering free rides to upandcoming riders to wish to find out if its their thing or not... all the best..

[Pierce]

if you are a complete beginer my suggestion would be a xr200 as they are indestructable light and cheap then find a large paddock to get used to the brakes ,changing gears , using the clutch etc

Best advice right there plus there a honda

[crazyxr250rider]

XR200R or a Farm bike of some description is the best place to start for the younger beginer. If your a bit older and have some experience youd be heading towards a KDX200,XR250,DRZ250, KLX300 sort of bike.

[CRF119]

All my mates have started on CR125s we have had 1 start on a XR250 and 2 months later wants a CR125. Depends on your size and age. Also 125 parts are cheap and easy to maintain and you also get disk brakes front + rear and some nice suspension.

[Atomic]

Yep, depends on what you wanna do. TRAILS or Motocross.

If your a quick learner and dont plan on riding like a nana for long. Get something decent that you can grow into. Dont muck around with some boring sack with sloppy suspension, rancid brakes, no power and 200kg of steel framing to pick up.

I learnt to ride on an 07 RMZ450 MXer. I almost started on a KLX300...I thank god every day that i didnt make that mistake. Remember that you dont need to use all the power of a grunty bike but its there when you are ready and having good suspension/brakes are paramount, they are what keep the wheels on the ground and the bike out of the bush!

[Hemex]

I have always wanted to get into dirt bikes but have never had the money until now. How would a complete newbie go about learning how to ride, what bike to get, where to go etc?

Im an absolute newbie too... best thing I'd say is if you have friends who have bikes... ride a few different ones... I tried a KX125, 250 SX, KXF250 and finally felt most comfortable with my height and weight and the power on the KXF250...went and had a look at YZF250, RMZ250 and finally bought a KXF250.. I asked around here on KB and some extremely helpful souls... barty5, rupecopp and cheese have taken me on a couple of rides and are more than willing to help me and give me tips on what I should and shouldnt do...
Do the same...search for people around your area and ask..the most you'll get is a no..
Being a beginner... be prepared to fall and fall hard even...dont go with the pre conceived notion that if you ride careful its all good...

Ive never been happier starting anything else... you'll never regret this!

[B0000M]

Im an absolute newbie too... best thing I'd say is if you have friends who have bikes... ride a few different ones... I tried a KX125, 250 SX, KXF250 and finally felt most comfortable with my height and weight and the power on the KXF250...went and had a look at YZF250, RMZ250 and finally bought a KXF250.. I asked around here on KB and some extremely helpful souls... barty5, rupecopp and cheese have taken me on a couple of rides and are more than willing to help me and give me tips on what I should and shouldnt do...
Do the same...search for people around your area and ask..the most you'll get is a no..
Being a beginner... be prepared to fall and fall hard even...dont go with the pre conceived notion that if you ride careful its all good...

Ive never been happier starting anything else... you'll never regret this!

what he said. dont bother starting on a shitter.


if you buy an old shitter, youre likely to be put off bikes by the fact you will be constantly replacing broken / worn out parts. as well as your bike looking , feeling and performing like a shitta.

spend a bit of money - im not saying buy brand new, but somewhere around the 4-6k mark, get yourself something decent, youll feel good riding it, youll feel good cleaning it, and you wont feel too bad spending money on it as it wont feel like your tipping money into a hole in the ground.

the kxf, crf, yzf, rmz option seems to be really popular around here as a first bike as they are good for pretty much anything, you can nana them around, or you can race them, they are good on trails, nice an light and they have good suspension and brakes. if you find that a 250 isnt enough for you theres always the 450 option.

personally i wouldnt reccommend anyone attempted to learn on a 125.

i also wouldnt reccommend trail riding a 125 anywhere serious, unless you know you're going to have a clear run all day.

[Hemex]

So true what BOOOM says... buy yourself a bike which is going to last you well through your learning phase but not a piece of crap that's got you worried if its going to crumble under you everytime you go out...
If you've got the money then probably nothing like buying brand new I'd think...
Go to your local dealer or ask a friend on what to look for while buying a used bike...

[cheese]

And if it has a luxury exhaust, leave it alone!

[secondfield]

Depending on your budget, its not out of the question to find a used mid/early 80's enduro bike to learn on.

Get someone in the know to check it out, and then go thrash it without having to worry too much about expensive mistakes ...

Im thinking mid 80's IT175 - 200, PE175, XR200/250. Low maintenance, bulletproof machines.

If you ride these to start with, once you gain confidence you get to move up in the world and spend bigger bucks on better machinery, and the improved performance and handling that these bikes inspire. Youll feel the improvement as well.This will buzz you out and then youll get a feel for different types of machines as well.

If you start with a fine race machine, you wont progress as fast as you would on a 'lesser' machine (very few people out there can ride these things to their fullest capacity anyway.. we kid ourselves). Its fun too buying old bikes and doing them up, learning the ropes on an old two stroke first can make you a better rider (plus give you the impression your working the bike harder) when you move to a newer four smoker...

There is a psycholgical factor involved here to get the most enjoyment out of our sport.

Dont buy a 450 right off the button. Itll scare the shit out of you off road.

[Hemex]

Dont buy a 450 right off the button. Itll scare the shit out of you off road.

Completely agree with this!!!!

I had to go to a 'reserve' to test out the 250SX and it was during Winter... Bike almost left me behind while I thought I creamed myself with the power it threw out...
But make sure you do try out differnet ones... you might be fine with the power being thrown...

[B0000M]

i dont know if this is done throughout the country, but the honda dealer here is holding a CRF ride day at a local track, gives people to oppurtunity to come and have a go on the entire range of CRFs, and theres pretty much something in the CRF range to suit anybody of any size or ability