250cc Dirt Bike Suggestions Please.

[DMcCoy]

I'm a 28yr old male, been riding on the street for about 4 years now. Switched from sportbikes to my DRZ400sm this past year and love it. Sold my sport bike and track bike and now after getting a tast of some motard offroad exploring action I want to get a dedicated dirt bike.


1) your physical size, I'm 5'11 about 165.
2) How physical / aggressive are you ? I am a dirt newbie so not really sure but I imagine I will be aggressive. With the DRZ400SM I spend alot of time exploring urban hooligan spots and jumping things....
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ????? I'm not really sure, I would like to do some MX but I have a bum knee so not sure how much I can do...I've never ridden dirt before other than exploring light stuff on my SM... I would like to ride some trails and at least jump some smaller stuff...
4) Do you have any riding experience? Been riding on the street for about 4 years, I get in some track days throughout the year also
5) Do you think you will race ? nope
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? I will do all my own maintenance and work. I am mechanically inclined.
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? This is what is confusing me. I have been told don't get a 2 stroke because of the power delivery... but I'm mostly concerned with maintenance and engine rebuilding and cost. From what I gather a 2 stroke is cheaper to maintain and rebuild compared to a 4 stroke? NOt sure how often either need rebuilding.... cost is an important factor.
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? I'm going to be buying used and will order my parts online so this doens't really matter to me.
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike? I would like to buy a used bike under 2k$ dollars.
10) Do you live in California? Nope
11) Your age? 28
12) anything else that you think would help form an opinion:

I imagine it's a little difficult to suggest a bike because I'm vague on the use. But I figure I will do some trail riding, and would like to do some MX even if its some light stuff (Bum knee). I'm having a hard time deciding 2 stroke or 4, and also if I should get a MX bike or trail..... I want it to be light, and be powerful enough to do hooligan wheelies. Thinking a 250cc might work...

I appreciate the opionions if anyone has some suggestions and some advice on 2/4 stroke and maintenance/cost and also what type of bike to get. I have heard alot of good things about the yz250f........

 

[voodoo-rider365]

Two strokes no matter how you ride them will need a top end job often. As in if ridden hard 20-40hrs. If not then more, but my brother has had a 4 stroke for 2.5 years and not had to do a top end job. and its been ridin hard. I would recommend a 4 for something reliable. 2 strokes also foul plugs. I am in the same situation and was sure about getting a 4 stroke and now people say the 2 strokes are less maintenence and i need some convincing.

 

[DieselNuts]

Two strokes no matter how you ride them will need a top end job often. As in if ridden hard 20-40hrs. If not then more, but my brother has had a 4 stroke for 2.5 years and not had to do a top end job. and its been ridin hard. I would recommend a 4 for something reliable. 2 strokes also foul plugs. I am in the same situation and was sure about getting a 4 stroke and now people say the 2 strokes are less maintenence and i need some convincing.

The amount of time between rebuilds all depends on how hard and often you ride. I had an RM125 about 12 years ago. I owned it for a year and a half and only rebuilt the engine once. I raced the bike once, but was really just getting used to the then new world of 2 strokes to me. Being 14/15 while owning this, you can imagine I rode the piss out of it.

If you are mechanically inclined and don't mind getting dirty, I would recommend getting a 2 stroke if you aren't trying to be the fastest rider on the track.

A 250 2 stroke will cost you less than $300 to rebuild if you do the work yourself. 4 strokes are much more complicated and I have seen bills upwards of $1k for a rebuild.

If this were the sole deciding factor in MY decision, I would go with a 250cc 2 stroke.

What exactly do you mean by "hooligan wheelies"?

 

[longtime coming]

It's all about # of hours and severity of use, but I think most guys would go a season on a 250 2 stroke top end. It's an easy job to replace a topend on a 2 stroke (and probably a 4 stroke too; I just haven't done one yet to know). $200.00 for 250 2 stroke top end parts. $100.00 for 125 2 stroke top end parts.Everyone should try both 2 and 4 stroke bikes at some point. A 250 2 stroke makes a nice trail bike. A 125 2 stroke is the funnest bike made, but lacks power at low rpms for trail work(and requires more motor maintenance). Good luck might buy a decent 4 stroke for $2000.00. Or not. You are more likely to get a good 250 2 stroke for $2000.00 IMO. :)

 

[voodoo-rider365]

I might be trading for a KTM 250 2-stroke and i looked on ktm.com and it costs $850 for a rebuild kit. Thats tooo much. Where do you find it for less than 300?

 

[longtime coming]

that rebuild kit must include the crank, rod, and associated bearings, not just top end parts. It's about $200.00/year for normal 2 stroke top end maintenance (once on 250's and twice on 125's). This is based on about 6 months of riding. If you ride all year long, double that. For good performance, 125's require new tops about every 10-15 hours(15 hours wide open is a lot). 250's go about twice that amount or better.

Back to the "what bike" thing: If you will primarily trail ride at moderate speed (sounds probable, no?), then there are some bikes like Honda XR400's and the Suzuki DRZ400 that are good, solid trail bikes. They will have too-soft suspension for jumping big. Small jumps will be fine. Motocross bikes, like the YZ250f that you mention will be a lot stiffer ride and more stable at speed. They will also require a lot more engine maintenance as they are tuned for much more performance. They will also be more demanding to ride (they work better at speed). The aforementioned "trail" bikes will require almost no engine maintenance, other than oil and filter changes. They do not MX well, however, except in experienced, smooth hands. I get the feeling you want to trail ride, so I vote for a trail bike. The KDX220 or 200 is a good 2 stroke trail bike in your price range, and it is quite a bit lighter than the xr and drz. It also has just enough power to make life interesting.

voodoo dude, you're hijacking this thread!

 

[DMcCoy]

Thanks for the input, I will look into the kdx200/220. I currently have a DRZ400SM, and thought about getting dirt wheels for it for the trails, but after comparing prices I found that I was just as well off getting a dedicated dirt bike (used)and leaving the SM wheels on my 400.

 

[lucapachin]

for 2000 you can get a well maintained 250f with aftermarket parts (pipe, bars...) The other thing you will need to look at is riding gear because that wont be cheap depending on what you get. I have heard the rebuilding of a 4 stroke is not cheap or easy although never done it