biker newb has some questions

[bumstah]

hello everyone im 19 yrs old and i have around $2k with me and i'm thinking of purchasing a dirt bike. I'm totally new to the biking scene, none of my friends do it, i was just in cali one day and saw a couple of offroad bikers cruising around and immediately i was hooked. the prob is that i dont know much so it'll be great if you guys can answer my questions.

1. Whats the difference with a Motocross and a off-road bike?

2. Whats the average lifespan of a dirt bike?

3. What do you recommend for a starter bike?

4. I'm looking for a bike that i can offroad with, yet go on the road casually too. Should i get a dual purpose bike (i.e. KLR650?)

5. I live in Vegas and sometimes i might wanna head down to Cali (prolly 300mile distance)..is it ok for me to ride the dirtbike down to Cali? Or is it too much distance for the dirtbike to cover?

6. Whats the difference between a 4 and a 2 stroke?

I'm 5'9, 150 lbs btw.vegas is all SAND and DIRT so thats the type of terrain ill be riding in. these are some general, yet critical questions i have. thx guys for ur time.

 

[flyingfuzzball]

K i can help you with some of these

1) a motocross (MX) bike is a very high strung racing machine. i would not get one if i were you because they are not street legal (or even close). also the maintenance is very high. they are also made for closed circuit use only and do not meet any EPA regulations. these are race bikes made to race. an offroad bike is a more mellow bike (though they are becoming high strung...yamaha's WR or hondas CRF-X) they are better for trail riding etc. not so good for MX tracks. their suspension isnt as good as MX bikes because it is not made to be cushioning you from jumps like an MX bike. the off road bikes are (usually) easier to get dual sported though each state is different. they are heavier too.

2) depends if you do maintenance. if you maintain the bike is will last a very long time.

6) 2 strokes and 4 strokes are different types of engines. in a 4 stroke the piston does 4 strokes before starting over (intake, compression,power,exhaust). 4T made much more toque but (in a perfect world) only produce half the power a 2T does per CC. a 2T does all 4 strokes in 2. the 4 stroke engine is what your car is the 2T is a chainsaw. 2 strokes need to burn a premix of oil and gas. the oil lubricates the cylinder so that it doesnt sieze. the oil you mix with the gas is NOT engine oil. 4 strokes use straight gas.

hope this helps

POST SCRIPT i did this right after i woke up so if i goofed something up let me know.