'00 KX 250 or '00 WR400 for spirited trails

[OldassKDX]

Hey guys and gals,
been lurking and not posting for a while, but bike buying time is upon us. Looking at comparable (and good) condition bikes. The KX is 1500 bucks and the WR is 1800. The way I figure, once a spark arrestor (and possibly a FWW) is in the mix its almost a wash. The WR is uncorked. Hope you guys can help.

1) your physical size (both height and weight are important) 6'1 and about 230 (but to be fair to myself I'm cutting weight very effectively and expect to be in the 200 lb range this summer)

2) How physical / aggressive are you ? compared to a pro MXer? Hardly. I'm not slow, but I focus on being smooth.

3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
Lots of woods! I don't care how it does in the fields and any MXing would be strictly messing around

4) Do you have any riding experience? Lots when I was 12-17 on an old KDX. Rebuilt the KDX last summer, but have mostly ridden a 2000 YZ 250 that I liked a lot. It was faster than I needed, but not uncontrollable at all (and it handled awesome!)

5) Do you think you will race ? Maybe a poker run. Nothing serious

6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? Yup
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? I'm a bit nervous about 4 strokes, but I've heard good things about the early WR 400's being pretty bulletproof compared to some of the newer offerings.

8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? Any and all bikes within a few miles

9)how much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike?

10) Do you live in California? Nope

11) Your age? 26

12) anything else that you think would help form an opinion. As far as I know both these bikes are solid, but I'm mostly looking to see if there are any real issues that a total dirt bike nerd might miss. I'm also curious about the handling of these bikes. I doubt I'll get a chance to hit some berms in these guys' front yards.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[OldassKDX]

After looking at both, I just couldn't take my eyes off the KX. This was a really well taken care of bike and I picked it up for way under market value considering how clean it is.

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

IMO, good choice. I prefer a 2-stroke mainly because it suits my riding style. Ridden for years with mostly 4-stroke guys.....many had the WR400. Caughing and dying was a hard thing for them to get dialed in and/or use to........the newer 450 carbs seem to do a much better job. It was pretty much mandatory to go with a slimmer aftermarket tank/seat combo on the 400's and 426's too. You were forced so far back on the seat with the stock set-up that the front-end wouldn't want to stick.
Enjoy.

 

[OldassKDX]

Thanks!
If both bikes were new I think I'd have picked the WR, but after searching for bikes the past few months I can tell you there is a HUGE difference in how people take care of them, and yet not a huge difference in price. The WR just looked more beat up (a lot actually) and the owner wasn't sure on the maintenance. The KX looks like its a few months old, has a new top end, x-ring and sprockets, etc. and has a few goodies to boot. It also had a spark arrestor, which saves me another 150 bucks. Plus I exchanged numbers with the guy who sold it to me to go riding together. (he bought a new KTM 505 and like me can't find too many riding buddies in the Seattle area)