Buying first bike! Need Help!

[joymarie627]

1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
Female, 5'10", 120lbs
2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
Once I get the hang of it, I am as daring as anyone!
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
MX/SX tracks, woods, and fields, pretty much anywhere I
can ride.
4) Do you have any riding experience?
Yes, but not much on a dirt bike. More on an ATV.
5) Do you think you will race ?
Would like to!
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
Somewhat
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
Honda or Yamaha, either stroke
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
yes, all brands
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike?
No more than $2,000
10) Do you live in California?
No
11) Your age?
22
12) anything else that you think would help form an opinion
Been driving anything on wheels that has a motor since I
was old enough to walk. I ride just as hard as the guys
do. I have ridden all kinds of motorcycles before but not a
lot.

 

[RM85rider123]

click- http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=108916

 

[joymarie627]

Nobody has any advice for me! :think:

 

[jackflack44]

well, id say a 125 2 stroke

 

[RM85rider123]

A 125 is perfect, but it will be tough to get the hang of it because you are so light. I say a 125 2 stroke.

 

[fatcat216]

joy marie-

It's a holiday weekend. Most of the women here won't be back til the weekdays. They are out riding.

I wouldn't dare to give anyone bike advice because most of the women here are cut from different material than me. Your height opens a lot of possibilities. Dirt is a bit different from the road, but if you've atved, and you've road biked, you'll be fine.

Here's a compilation of thoughts directed toward women, in case you missed it.
http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=99796
It's unfortunately more directed towards those who find bikes too tall. You won't have that issue. But it discusses power differences and starting issues. Take a look at it.

Of the racers- the little people favor the 125 2 stroke. After that I'd say some of the woman racers are handling 250's okay. Some of the trail gals have more weight to fight the bike with, otherwise your weight is comparable to those racing. Not an obstacle. There's a few riding even bigger bikes and loving the extra power. Power hogs. ;) I'd say work your way up. I like the fun factor to be in it, but also have a huge preference for light. I'm pretty much outnumbered on that issue, so you'll have to use some judgment there.

Do you understand how power handles itself differently from a 2-stroke to 4? I'm assuming it won't be an issue from your bio, but something to consider in your riding style and preferences and terrain and in the learning curve. You don't want too many surprises.

Be patient. The real women riders will be back on line tomorrow. High Lord Gomer is a stones throw from you, so maybe he'll pop in with a word too. Or maybe have some ideas where you can test out a few dirtbikes.

Good luck.

 

[medwaste]

Joymarie- You're good to go size wise because of your height. There's a lot of choices out there but basically you've got to choose between 2 stroke or 4 stroke, woods bike or mx bike. I'd say get two bikes.

 

[joymarie627]

Joymarie- You're good to go size wise because of your height. There's a lot of choices out there but basically you've got to choose between 2 stroke or 4 stroke, woods bike or mx bike. I'd say get two bikes.

If you'll pay for the second one then I'd be happy to get two of them! :) Even though I've been around atv's and motorcycles, I'm not sure about the difference between the 2 and 4 stroke. I want to race mostly but will ride it on the trails around my house also. If I did go for the 125, will it be to short for me? Is there a good bike in-between the 125 and 250 that I could look at. I like the 250s but I know myself and I probably shouldn't get something with that much power to start off with! I'll end up hurt! lol!

 

[fatcat216]

Honda makes a 150 in both categories, trail or mx. The Hondas (crf r (racing), or f (trail)) all have a much lower seat height at around 32 inches, until you bump up to the 250. The (Yamaha) YZ 125 (a two stroke) has a seat height of 39 inches. For a trail bike in Yamaha you'd be looking at a TTR 125 or 230 or you could go up to the wr250f. The TTRs sit lower too.

You can go to both web sites and look at seat height info to compare and get an idea of what is what. Honda even has a little thing where you can compare a bunch of Hondas side by side to see the differences.

For learning a 4 stroke trail bike is much easier, although heavier bike. The power comes on slower (less all or nothing). You are less likely to stall out, or have a run away bike. It's not going to require constant maintenance in the same way an MX bike needs tlc. They forgive you when you ignore them a touch. Depending on how much seat time you get, you may outgrow it faster. But, they are easy to sell, and move on to the next bike.

 

[joymarie627]

I have been looking at the Honda and Yamaha 125 off road bikes. I am going to try and swing buy one of the dealers around here tomorrow and sit on one and see if it's going to be too small for me. I have really long legs and a shorter upper body so I'm worried about my legs being too long.

 

[justalonewolf007]

I have been looking at the Honda and Yamaha 125 off road bikes. I am going to try and swing buy one of the dealers around here tomorrow and sit on one and see if it's going to be too small for me. I have really long legs and a shorter upper body so I'm worried about my legs being too long.

Sorry! I was out riding!

Fatcat, I know and *love* the fact that I am a little power monger...at least...when it comes to dirtbikes...

I have a 2002 Honda CR 125 (it's a 2-stroke)

I am 5'2" and about 120 with my gear on.

I really struggle with the height of my bike at this point. I haven't modified it in any way, and literally CANNOT touch the ground while sitting on it. Don't ask me how I start and stop without tipping over every time, because I really don't know how I manage it!

My cabana boy (okay, okay, my pretty regular boyfriend) sat on it, and has to stretch for the ground even though he is a burly construction worker.

A lot of the 125 riders are your height.

As far as power goes, I can't give an honest opinion just yet. I know that it will lift the front wheel off the ground in second gear while going up a sandy hill...it does the same in third gear too. It's not running too well at the moment, so I don't know the full extent of it's power.

I do know that you have to be pretty doggone careful in not coming off the back.

If you're easily intimidated, it's probably not the bike for you. If you like excitement, you'll LOVE it!

It won't be quite so forgiving if you accidently roll the throttle on too hard, or drop the clutch...But given you use your head, that won't be a common problem.

 

[Deadohiosky39]

If you are wanting to race then i would really stay away from all the trail bikes that he was mentioning. Id say either the CR125 or YZ125 since you said honda or yamaha. You can't go wrong with either of them.

 

[250girl]

A YZ125 would be awesome. It'll be a little tricky in the woods, but fun. You'll get the hang of it.

 

[joymarie627]

What about a 2003 CBR230. I found one on craigslist for sale. It seems to be in really good shape by the picture. I sat on a new 230 today and liked how it felt. I also sat on a 125 and was flat footed on it. It just felt too small for me. Any pros and cons of the 230. Like I said before I would love to race eventually but it probably won't happen any time soon so I've been looking at the trail bikes.

 

[fatcat216]

Fatcat, I know and *love* the fact that I am a little power monger...at least...when it comes to dirtbikes...

naaah. That wasn't directed at you at all. I've been waiting for you to move up so you can get some more of that neato hardware. I was referring more to the 450 and up as power mongers. You were more than ready for that 125. That's just being competitive! Besides, in either instance I'd be doing the EXACTLY same thing if human shell, time and opportunities allowed.

Joymarie: Do you mean you sat on the crf230f?

Can you post your Craig's List link?

 

[joymarie627]

I sat on the ttr230 and the crf150. I like the feel of the 230 better than the 150. The 150 seemed heavier to me than the 230. This is the link but I called him and he said that a guy is supposed to come buy it tomorrow but if not he would call me back.

http://greenville.craigslist.org/mcy/808656595.html

 

[joymarie627]

What about this one? Don't know much about this bike.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/808742905.html

 

[Coach2Ride.com]

Joy, please call or email me!

We are professional dirtbike/mx instructors and motorcycle consultants. And we are women! We understand how hard it is to pick the right bike. Give me a call so I may help you pick the right one for the riding you want to do. Two-stroke is not the way to go these days, and if you want to race along with trail ride, there are more options. Call me at 858-382-1515 or email at coach2ride (aol). Check out our website (coach2ride) and read our articles too, good stuff. Feel free to email us any time with any questions you may have. We have an article in the new edition of women's Hot Pipes magazine about getting started racing and being a woman. I will have it posted in our articles section of our site hopefully tonight :^)
Andrea.
coach2ride

 

[fatcat216]

The crf230f is a trail bike. The XR is pretty similar.

I have a couple of suggestions. If the guy selling the cfr230f would let you-and is near to you- you could go over and try to start it up, and test ride it a bit. He might be amenable to that, even if he is planning to sell it to someone else.

My other suggestion is that you keep a notebook to make sure you are keeping your bike names straight. It will be a good resource when you are scanning Craig's List, as well.

Both the bikes you sat on weigh about the same (at least the more recent models do). I'm going to speculate the crf150f felt heavier because it is a little lower. At your height you noticed it as weight (harder to push around standing still). The crf230f is bit heavier than the two bikes you were on. All three bikes are reliable trail bikes.

Do you know where you will be riding the most, and with whom? (Meaning what are they riding on.) edit: I see that you've got an invite to call an expert. I'd be all over that if I were you. Being able to talk out these things live is very very helpful. I can't say that salespeople were very helpful to me in choosing my first bike at all.

Ultimately, a lot of decisions are about your level of determination, access to seat time, and other life commitments. For instance- which is closer, track/trails? Do you have buddies to ride with at either/both? (Tracks always have people around, trails can be pretty desolate. Riding alone comes with different concerns/risks.) Just some things to think about. It absolutely wouldn't hurt to read up some more, and talk to the women who know.

 

[joymarie627]

The crf230f is a trail bike. The XR is pretty similar.

I have a couple of suggestions. If the guy selling the cfr230f would let you-and is near to you- you could go over and try to start it up, and test ride it a bit. He might be amenable to that, even if he is planning to sell it to someone else.

My other suggestion is that you keep a notebook to make sure you are keeping your bike names straight. It will be a good resource when you are scanning Craig's List, as well.

Both the bikes you sat on weigh about the same (at least the more recent models do). I'm going to speculate the crf150f felt heavier because it is a little lower. At your height you noticed it as weight (harder to push around standing still). The crf230f is bit heavier than the two bikes you were on. All three bikes are reliable trail bikes.

Do you know where you will be riding the most, and with whom (meaning what are they riding on)? edit: I see that you've got an invite to call an expert. I'd be all over that if I were you. Being able to talk out these things live is very very helpful. I can't say that salespeople were very helpful to me in choosing my first bike at all.

Ultimately, a lot of decisions are about your level of determination, and access to things and other commitments. For instance- which is closer, track/trails? Do you have buddies to ride with? (Tracks always have people, trails can be pretty desolate, and come with different kinds of risks when you ride alone.) Just some things to think about. It absolutely wouldn't hurt to read up some more, and talk to the women who know.

First of all, no he doesn't really live near me so that wouldn't work.

Second, I would probably end up on tracks more than trails. Just because I have no one to ride with and want to meet people who ride too. I will be riding with my fiance when I do ride trails and he will be on my honda fourtrax 250. And I did call the expert and she helped a lot. (Thanks again Andrea!) And after talking to her I am leaning away from the trail bikes. I would really love to race, I just don't know where to begin cause I don't know anyone in the business. She recommended a 250 because of my height.

Now my only problem is that I can only spend around $2,000. It's going to be hard to find a good bike for that price.

 

[joymarie627]

Ok, I have decided on a yz 250. I am going to call about this one and see if it is still available. Any advice on what I should look for?

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/816612685.html

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

First suggestion is to wear boots or at least a hard soled shoe when you go look at the bike. Let the seller start it up when you get there, see how many kicks he takes to bring it to life. Then after it has been off for 10 minutes, you try to start it. This is where the hard soled shoes come in, you don't want to be doing this in tennis shoes.

The bike looks good in the picture and the price is right.

Rod

 

[joymarie627]

Nevermind on that bike. I wasn't paying any attention to it being a 2 stroke and I am looking for a 4 stroke. So, I'm still looking if anyone knows of one around Spartanburg, SC.

 

[justalonewolf007]

Ok, I have decided on a yz 250. I am going to call about this one and see if it is still available. Any advice on what I should look for?

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/816612685.html

I would also suggest asking a few things such as:

- When the engine was last gone through (they should mention something about a "top end")

- What kind of maintainance was done (and whether it was done by a shop or not)

- How often the oil was changed

- What ratio did they mix the gas at (this isn't as important)

- How long they have owned the bike

- Why they are selling it (if they say "it needs a new crank" it will require some pretty involved work, and an additional 3-400 dollars in parts).

- Ask if it was raced, and what kind of racing it was used for

- Then ask for any additional information they might have for you (any quirks the bike might have etc.)


Some of these questions may bring up red flags. If they say they never changed the oil, or appear to have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, then I'd suggest that you wait around for another bike (yes, there will be more for that price).

Other things you can look at are how scratched the plastics seem to be. At that age, a fair amount are normal, but if there are an excessive amount (if the bike looks like it has been dragged down a highway behind a car) it's okay to ask about how they happened.

If they refuse to tell you, then they very well may be lying about everthing else too...(happened to me unfortunately).

 

[justalonewolf007]

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/823182547.html

See if the owners would be willing to bargain with you on the price?