Do I have the right bike?

[vellis]

I have a 2001 Yamaha TTR250 and have been riding it for the last couple of months. This is my 1st motorcycle other than a minibike back in my youth. I am wondering if it is the right bike for me or if I need something else.

I ride with my 2 boys (8 years old) and have enjoyed doing a few jumps and navigating the MX track. I'd like to do more jumping, but I doubt I'd ever race or try to do a double (at least not for some time).

43 year old male.

1) your physical size; Approximately 6'2'' and about 225lbs.

2) How physical / aggressive are you? I'm pretty active and an aggressive individual who is willing to push it as much as a 43 year old would.

3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or? FIelds and MX/SX tracks, but probably not racing.

4) Do you have any riding experience? Last couple of months and in my youth (minibike).

5) Do you think you will race? Possibly way in the future.

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

7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? No, but I am not really aware of the value of the trade offs.

8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? Everything.

9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike? Thinking used and <$ 2500.

10) Do you live in California? No.

11) Your age? 43.

12) anything else that you think would help form an opinion; DO I have the right type of bike and will I tear it up if I keep working on jumps? I am riding 1 time a week and trying to get more and more air. If my bike is not suited for what I am doing, what is?

Thanks.

 

[airsick]

when you can't keep up with your kids, then its time for a new bike.

I think you are too big for the bike you already have. When the time comes, you might think about a 2 stroke 250 or a bigger 4 stroke motocross bike.

I have a old bike, 2000 kdx 220 and like it, but have owned a rm250 and others.

Take it easy.
steve.

 

[vellis]

Thanks Steve. I bought the TTR and bikes for my 2 boys (PW80 and TTR90) from the same time, so the TTR for me was more of a convenience buy. Do to my experience, it is working out fine, but now I'm wondering what "ideal" would be. I don't want to be riding it in a manner that trashes it out or keeps me from progressing while I learn.

If I were to be thinking about a next bike, any suggested models?

 

[sparta4188]

some models i would look at is more of the motocross bikes like instead of crf x do a crf r

you have a ttr i would get a yz 250f, you could get a wr 250, it does have better suspension then your ttr, how big are the jumps you go off?

 

[FruDaddy]

I'm pretty active and an aggressive individual who is willing to push it as much as a 43 year old would.

That's funny. I know a 60+ year old man that races regularly. I also see Darrel Bell (over 50 and probably over 200 lbs) put most of the 20 somethings to shame on a regular basis (he's not even in their class). They are both on 450s.

I think that a 250 would make you happy, either 2 or 4 stroke, whatever you can find in good condition and your price range.

 

[airsick]

my experience

Thanks Steve. I bought the TTR and bikes for my 2 boys (PW80 and TTR90) from the same time, so the TTR for me was more of a convenience buy. Do to my experience, it is working out fine, but now I'm wondering what "ideal" would be. I don't want to be riding it in a manner that trashes it out or keeps me from progressing while I learn.

If I were to be thinking about a next bike, any suggested models?

The best way to find out which bike to get is to ride them. (I know, easier said than done) If you have other rider friends, try their bikes, and get their opinions. A shop near me will let me ride used bikes, even the kdx I ended up buying.

How to trash a bike: Put it up muddy and dirty, never lube or tension chain, no oil or air filter changes, let the plastic fall off after the bolts loosen, and never check coolant. Unless you are bottoming out the suspension on jumps now, I would not worry about trashing the bike while riding it.

For casual track and trail riders like us, almost any recent motocross type bike will do. These bikes are built to race, so they have awesome power and build quality. For me, I strongly prefer two stroke for the acceleration, lightness and fun factor. Others prefer four strokes.

Unless money is no object, I would recommend a clean, used bike. There are millions of them out there.
2 strokes:
any cr, kx, yz, rm 250, kdx220 (My bike).
4 strokes:
wr250 - since you may already like Yamaha. I had a yz125 years ago and loved it.
crf250x - A great bike
crf450x - a big bike but great Honda quality.
KTM - great bike but do not know much about them.

Personally, if I were you, I would get a 250cc two stroke motocrosser in clean used condition. You have room to grow, and so much more power than your Yamaha you won't believe it!

I would bet the chance of you liking the 2 stroke 250 is far greater than most 4 strokes. (I remember going from the XR250 to the RM250. I was so happy I thought I was gonna die.)

One more thing, if you are like me, you won't just have owned one or two bikes, but many. As you ride more, you just get a better idea of what you like in a bike. Don't worry yourself to death about getting the ideal bike, your "ideal" will change, trust me.

Let us know how you do.
Steve.

 

[sikair]

I've rode 4 strokes all my life and just got a kx100 and love it!I will never go back to a 4 stroke.

 

[vellis]

Sparta - I probably go 5-8' long and 2-3' high. Taller hills, but only with a sloped/tabletop on back....

FRU - I probably should have added "novice, out of shape" to my 43 year old comment......

Steve - Thanks for the suggestion. The TTR seems a little bulky right now, so I think a YZ250 may be it.

Sikair - That is what I'm starting to think as well. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[2 strokes for life]

vellis, a 250 2 stroke or 4 stroke would be good. Seeing how money is tight i would not recomend a new age liquid cooled DOHC 250 or 450 MXer. Personally i love jumping my old IT175 with 7 inches of travle both ways but thye power dose not transfer to the ground very good so i dont get enough speed up to anything. Any bike can be jumped the size your talking about but some will do it better then others.

If you wanted a really good learning bike a 125 2 stroke is the way to go. The reason i say that is because with a 125 you dant have hardly any bottom end power (TT-R90 is about the same) witch teaches you to ride in a more aggresive way. They are also really cheap to fix and own.

So, to break it all down.
your bike. It will be harder to ride the things you want to do then on a 250 2 stroke or 125 but you dont need to buy a new bike.
250 2 stroke. Cheap to own and operate and is really good for a lazyer rider that dose not like to ride aggresive.
125 2 stroke. Cheap to own and operate and is a great bike to hone your skills on and are super fun to ride.

 

[FruDaddy]

250 2 stroke. Cheap to own and operate and is really good for a lazyer rider that dose not like to ride aggresive.

Or a big guy that needs the torque to pull him up hills. Also, the bigger bores tend to last a little longer between top ends due to their lower operating engine speeds.