Advice on Bike

johng723 · Jul 19, 2006

Hey guys I'm completely new to this so I need some advice on buying a bike. I'm planning on just primarily riding dunes and just for fun with some buddies. I like the looks of the kawasaki's but am open to any company really. My budget is around $2000 for a used one for now and of course am willing to spend more when it comes to fixing it up. I'm about 5'11, 170 lbs and this would be my first bike of course. Any suggestions?

johng723 · Jul 19, 2006

Sorry about that I didn't see this sticky. Well here's the answer to a few of those questions

1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
5'11", 170lbs

2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
I'm pretty active in terms of outdoor sports so I would said moderate

3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
Friends

4) Do you have any riding experience?
None

5) Do you think you will race ?
No

6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
Mostly

7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
I do like the color scheme of the kawasaki's but I'm open to any. I don't care about 2 or 4 stroke
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
Not sure
9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike?
For the bike itself, around 2-2,500

johng723 · Jul 20, 2006

Haha well I guess maybe there's not enough information for anyone to answer but I guess I should ask what CC I should be looking for as a beginner and around 170. I'm guessing 125cc for a 2 stroke but I'm not too sure what the advantages are between getting a 4 stroke and a 2 stroke. I would like to have a green sticker and I thought I read somewhere that the newer honda's were all able to get green stickers. Anyway Thanks for any input!

bikesnob · Jul 21, 2006

Hi
You mentioned green sticker, so are you from the Peoples Republic of California like myself. I believe all Honda four strokes are green sticker, the two strokes will be red sticker. As far as a bike goes do you want electric start or do you want kick start? Two strokes will require less maintainance and cheaper to work on than a four stroke.
I believe you can never go wrong with a Honda, I had a Honda 400XR a great machine, if you don't mind kick start. It might sound big to a beginner but it has a very nice usuable power. For you're size it should fit you nicely. You should be able to find a nice one in you're price range, perhaps a little more, you might be lucky and find one that's been Dual Sported.
Good luck, any questions let me know.
Steve

johng723 · Jul 22, 2006

Yup I'm from the land of crazy rules, but the 400 does sound a bit much. Someone told me before that I should start with a 125 2 stroke or a 250 4 stroke so I was actually looking into the CRF250 but I'll definately take a look into the xr400. I don't mind kickstart or elec. not sure which is better than the other.

IndyMX · Jul 22, 2006

Electric start doesn't envolve your leg!!! And them 4 Strokers can be a bear to get started when hot.

I'm 5'9" and 200lbs and ride a YZ85. Fast little bike.

Xtremesports445 · Jul 22, 2006

bikesnob said:
Two strokes will require less maintainance and cheaper to work on than a four stroke.

That's only if he gets a motocrosser, and personally i wouldn't recommend one for a beginner who's only going to be riding with friends. I'd recommend an xr250 or 400 like you said, or even honda's new crf230f, although it'd be a little underpowered. There's also kawasaki's kdx200 or 220, which are 2 stroke and have good power but don't require much maintence. Yamaha makes the wr's and then ktm makes a bunch of offroad models.
If i were u, i'd do a little research on some of the models i'm talking about. Personally, i think the best one for u would be a nice used kdx200 or 220 which could be found cheaper than most of the others and they're still super fun.

johng723 · Jul 22, 2006

I'm actually looking into the xr 250 or 400 now but do you guys think the 400 is a bit much for a beginner? I've never ridden a bike before so this would be the first time.

kdxtodd · Jul 22, 2006

Please do yourself a favor and dont buy an XR anything. They are slow heavy turds. For 2000 you can pick yourself up a nice used 96 and up kdx200. it is by far a funner bike and is almost as bulletproof as an xr 4-stroke. The KDX hands down is the best beginner bike made. You can start off slow and when get more experienced you just add a pipe and keep having fun. Go to the kdx forum and im sure you will be convinced. Ive owned 2 and its just a awesome bike.

johng723 · Jul 23, 2006

Well I guess there is a lot to choose from. I know a couple of people who have CRF250's but is it okay to get a crf250r and go trail riding? I know it was built for mx but the X's seem to be a bit more out of my price range.

johng723 · Jul 24, 2006

going off of what kdxtodd said I went looking for a kdx 200 but I only found 1 in my area and its a 1991 model. Here's what the add says.

1991 Kawasaki KDX 200, 2 stroke, Dual Sport, CA Street plates, battery, turn signals, switches, etc. Asking $1800. Runs great and sits low, so it's an excellent entry level Dual Sport or trail bike. I'm selling it because I upgraded to a KLX 400 and don't need two Dual Sport bikes. Corona/Riverside area.

Seems a bit pricey for that year but then again I don't really know. what do you guys think?

bikesnob · Jul 24, 2006

The bike is 15 Years old...Keep looking

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