best 85

[swamprat]

Durability, Ease of maintanance , Nine year old rider,fast on a KTM 65 long legged and 95 pounds. Likes the kind of power a KTM puts out and stays on the pipe. Leaning toward a Yamaha but all suggestions/ opinions greatly valued.

 

[HiG4s]

They are all good, depends on the rider's preference. If the KTM 65 was a hit, why not he KTM 85?

 

[MikeS]

Yep if he can wait the KTM 85 should be mighty fine.

If he likes to ride it pinned all the time then the YZ is a good match. All the 85s are competitive. The RM and then the KX has the wider power bands making them more forgiving when you get into trouble. The YZ and CR likes to be riden. All the bikes make comparible power, the rider makes the differnce.

 

[HiG4s]

Actually the YZ85 is pretty forgiving even if you don't keep it pinned. My son short shifts his all the time. I added FMF torque reeds so the power comes on a little sooner and he is fine with that.

 

[minifig-phil]

It depends on the color you like
If you like red, get a Honda
If you like yellow, get a Suzuki
If you like red, get a Honda
If you like blue, get a Yamaha
If you like red, get a Honda
If you like green, get a Kawasaki
If you like red, get a Honda
If you like orange, get a KTM
If you like red, get a Honda

I guess you can tell what color I like.
There all the same just pick a color and enjoy.

 

[swamprat]

Color means nothing to me, just looking for the most maintenance free 85. The rider can do the rest. Thank's for all of the input so far but would still like more info to get a consensus;. We will probably look hard at the KTM 85 after all of the bugs have been worked out. I try to make it a rule not to buy the first or even second year of a new bike. The TM ( not KTM ) is looking interesting for when he gets larger.

 

[Fark]

Maintnence free and dirtbike don't belong in the same sentence! :)

I find preventive maintence the best way to be maintence free, if you know what I mean.

 

[RanMan]

My son went form an XR100 to a YZ85 for woods racing and hasn't had any problems adapting. Bike has proven (so far) to be very reliable and fast. I was thinking about the RM, but when I got ready to buy, I couldn't find one locally. No regrets here. It doesn't have a whole lot of down low power, but it's an 85 so don't expect much to begin with. Only thing I changed so far has been the gearing. I went with 13 front and 48 rear. I have ordered CarbonTech LT reeds for it though to try and help with jetting inconsistancies. I am pretty religious about the preventative maintenaance though. Keep air filter clean after every ride, change tranny fluid often, and keep chain clean and lubed. As stated earlier, I don't think there is alot of difference between any of them. There is one thing I noticed though when I looked at the KX, didn't seem to have as good as suspension as the YZ. Kx didn't have the fully adjustable suspenders like the YZ and looked cheaper made (to me) and was a little more expensive.

 

[nikki]

If you're already leaning Yamaha, it would probably be a good fit. I have a 10 year old buddy who races both a KTM 65 and a YZ 85. He is always a top 3 racer on the KTM and still on the smaller side. They first got an RM 85 then he rode a YZ 85 and liked it much better than the RM - mainly the power delivery and ergos. He looked tiny on the RM compared to the YZ. So they switched to the YZ and he is much happier and has no problems picking up wins on both bikes.

As far as maintenace, they are all about the same. On a YZ - I think the keys are to get the jetting sorted out, maybe some aftermarket reeds, and keep an eye on the clutch.

 

[flying W]

If you want to do any trail riding do not get a CR. They have no low end power.

 

[Fark]

Originally posted by flying W
If you want to do any trail riding do not get a CR. They have no low end power.

Might be fine for a 100lb rider.. me being 145 in gear, forget going up a hill from a standstill with the CR at my weight. The power hit's hard on that bike and you need momentum if you rider is heavier.

 

[Philip]

I am going with a CR for Josh. The power is a little weak on the bottom and would fit him better. He is coming off a XR70 and not used to too much power. I would suggest the YZ for you it is a good bike and sounds like riding it on the pipe is not a problem for you. As for maintenance our friend has one and he is a start and ride guy, neither him or his dad or PM guys and it has held up good. He has burned a clutch so as mentioned by Nikki I would keep an eye on it. There are only two adjustment points on the YZ so when you maxed those out you will have to change the clutch. Have Fun, Be safe. :thumb:

 

[Fark]

Ease of maintenence; someone stated in another thread the CR85 is a touch quicker to to a top end on, as there isn't an exhaust valve.

Plus, you can't get a Yamaha in a big wheel version. Might keep your kid's interest longer as he can grow into it.

 

[KTMBell]

My sons on an 02 CR80, an although its not much down low, he enjoys the power (even though he hasn't found it all...Yet!). His buddy rides a KX 85, and it seems much smoother on power. A lot (and I mean A LOT) of the kids locally ride the YZ 85. Don't think you'll go wrong there. BUT, being a KTM man myself, I would love to see how the 85 SX shows itself. Not sure when they're suppose to arrive in the states. Check out the link if you want a picture.
www.razzo.cz/ktm_85_sx_2004.htm
Good Luck

KTMBell
01 KTM 200 MXC
02 Honda CR 80

 

[KenR]

My boy sounds like he has a similar build to yours. He finished his desert racing season last year on a KTM 65SX and we're putting him on a YZ80 until the new KTM 85 gets here (we've been told it'll be March for ours). We took a weekend and sat on all the major manufacturers 85's in their showrooms. We found that, for my son, the RM and KX tanks were a bit bulbous around his knees. The CR fit him best ergonomically - real slim, but I suppose he'd get used to just about anything he'd be riding.

We decided to rebuild his older brothers 1994 YZ that hadn't been ridden much in the past year (big bro moved to a 250). We've done a frame-up rebuild, including splitting the cases, repairing anything that looked worn. We're only into the whole project about $500. and it was raced hard for two years in the desert.

With minis it's all about the maintenence. Our YZ hasn't given us any problems at all, but it had a pretty thorough maintenence schedule.