Another Which bike thread, :)

[RedPoint]

Hello all, I'm new to forums obviously, and looking to head to dirt. However I know nothing about them and never ridden one. Some expertise would be very useful.

1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
5'-11" 145lbs

2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
somewhat agressive at times.

3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
woods, freinds, ORV parks, forest roads, where ever I can

4) Do you have any riding experience?
BMX or sportbike count???

5) Do you think you will race?
Nope

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

7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
Prefer a 2-stroke.

8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
buying used prolly off CL, lol

9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike?
1000-1500

10) Do you live in California?
Nope, Washington

11) Your age?
29


My only riding experience is the 25k miles I've put on my '05 GSXR, never been on dirt before.

Was looking into a '99 Suzuki RM 125 for $1000, possibly a 250. However I sat on a 125 and the damn thing felt huge. I felt way high off the ground, unlike my gixxer.

Should I be able to touch the ground with both feet while at a stop?

What should I look for when buying a used bike?

I have other questions, but Ill stick with that for now. Thanks :cool:

 

[_JOE_]

A 125 2 stroke sounds like a good fit. Don't worry about being able to touch, once you're moving it doesn't matter. If you decide you want more power after getting comfy on the 125 you can sell it and move up. For what you want to spend you could likely make your money back when you sell it.

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

It is certainly nice to be able to touch both feet to the ground, but tip-toe is enough.

Keep in mind that dirt bikes come in several different flavors. The MX bikes are built for racing and don't usually come with any extras, such as kicks stands, headlights, etc. Their engines are also built for race and need frequent maintenance, and this is true fo both two strokes and four strokes. The maintenance on a two stroke is a lot easier, however.

Note that "maintenance" includes fairly frequent rebuilds of the top end. A full out racing bike will have its top end rebuilt every 20 hours or so. If you ride it gently you can push that interval a fair amount but you can't just ignore it like you do low performance engine.

All of the two strokes made in the last 15 to 20 years are going to be MX bikes. Examples of MX bikes are Yamaha Yz-xxx , which come in both two and four stoke models.

Another flavor of bike is the "off road" models. Cheaper, heavier, less performance, less suspension travel. The engines are low compression so they will run just fine on 87 octane gas and if you change the oil frequently they will run a long time. The off road models often come with kickstands and many come with electric start. They also tend to have much lower seat heights which is good for shorter riders. Great bikes to learn on but you will probably tire of it fairly quickly and want to move on to a MX bike for the performance.

Example of off road models would be the Yamaha TTR series, such as a TT-R230.

"Enduro" bikes are generally MX bikes with a headlight, battery, a bigger gas tank and often with electric start. Some are even street legal. Examples are Yamaha WR450 or the KTM 450exc

"Dual Sport" bikes are closer to the "off road" models with the extra equipment to make them street legal. A big problem with dual sport bikes off road is that you often come back from a trail ride missing mirrors and turn signals. And street legal tires suck in the dirt and good knobbies don't last long on pavement.


If you are intent on starting off on a two stroke then a 125 would be the preferred choice. Two strokes are a bit more difficult to ride due to their power delivery characteristics: RPM drops too low and you have close to nothing, then all of the sudden you hit the power band and you have too much. They also tend to be a lot more finicky on the jetting and if you aren't pushing them hard enough they will foul plugs like crazy.

At 5'11" you should be properly sized for a 125 or 250 two stroke (they will both be about the same height). Your budget is about right for a 10 year old 125.

Rod

 

[RedPoint]

Hey, thanks for the info and so quickly. Probably due to my limitations on dollars, I'll be forced to an older 2 stroke.

How's the bottom end? Any maintenance there, or is that pretty solid, assuming to you change your fluids often.

What about parts, are they still readily available for a late 90's early 00's bike?

Would it be worth borrowing a compression tester to take along with whatever I get? Although, Im pretty sure I know the answer to that, lol..

 

[jb_dallas]

I know I sound like a broken record to many of the folks who frequent this forum, but this is important. Be sure you know what you are looking for when buying a $1000 bike...or take someone who does. You can really get screwed in the $1000-$1500 range if you dont know what you are doing. With that being said, I would probably recommend a 125 2 stroke. However, keep in mind that a 125 is a poor woods bike because they have little low end and the power is very peaky. I sold mine a few months ago for that exact reason...but 99% of what I ride is trails.

To answer your questions 1) you can still get parts for late 90s and early 2000 bikes. 2) hope the bottom end is good because they are expensive to repair. About all you can do is listen for noise, take a look at the oil, and shift through the gears...should be smooth.

 

[Chili]

Since time on an MX track did not get any mention for you I'd suggest you could find a really clean KDX to fill your needs within your budget. Something like this one http://www.armca.org/bb/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=14729&posts=2

 

[RedPoint]

Are the KDX's 2 or 4 strokers? Or does it depend on the year?

That's a nice bike in the pic. Looks well maintained. An '03 too... Out here we got people trying to sell '93 KDX's for that price. Wish that was close!!!

 

[Chili]

KDX = 2 stroke, KLX = 4 stroke. I've been toying with the idea of trying some Harescrambles but I don't really want to thrash my 09 KX450F in the trees until I'm sure that's where I want to be so I considered picking that bike up for just that reason.

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

How's the bottom end? Any maintenance there, or is that pretty solid, assuming to you change your fluids often.

Bottom end usually refers to the crank and bearings, which on a two stroke are oiled by the gas/oil mix. Usually the bottom end lasts a long time, but having your top end fail can cause damage to the bottom end.

On a two stroke the oil that is changed is for the transmission. The clutch operates in this same oil so all the friction material that comes off the clutch ends up in the oil that is lubricating your transmission bearings. Friction material and bearings usually don't mix well so it is important to change the oil frequently.

What about parts, are they still readily available for a late 90's early 00's bike?

I have a Yamaha 1986 YZ-125 and a Yamaha 1997 WR-250 (two stroke). Basic parts, like engine rebuild parts, clutch levers, control cables, sprockets, gaskets etc. are easily obtained for both bikes.

After market parts, such as pipes and silencers are very hard to come by for the '86 YZ but reasonable for the '97 WR. OEM plastics (fenders, side panels, etc. ) are available but the after market versions are not. Some parts, such as radiators, you will only find on Ebay.

My first bike (which I bought about 5 years ago) was the '86 YZ-125 and I paid $600 for it. I still have it and enjoy riding it. An old bike that has been maintained can have a lot of life left in it. On the other hand, a newer bike that has been neglected can become a parts bike really easily.

Would it be worth borrowing a compression tester to take along with whatever I get? Although, Im pretty sure I know the answer to that, lol..

It could help, but you would need to know what compression reading to expect in order for it to be of any value.

Rod

 

[DieselNuts]

At 5'11" you should be properly sized for a 125 or 250 two stroke (they will both be about the same height).

Nice post. The only thing I would like to add is that the 125 will be plenty of power considering his experience and weight. The 250 can wait a while.