First Bike-Lots of Questions

[Frankf300]

Well, like the title says I want to get my first dirtbike and I'm so clueless to these things. I'm 17, I've been riding quads since I was a little kid and I've been riding snowmobiles for about 3 years now. Yea, they're fun, but I want something different, I want to take the jump to dirtbikes while still keeping all the other toys lol. BTW, do you think it would be to my benefit to take a class to learn how to ride a dirtbike even though I have the experience on quads and sleds?

1) your physical size (both height and weight are important) 5'6" 178lbs
2) How physical / aggressive are you ? Pretty aggressive, I never really had a sport quad, but I dealt with what I had and in turn the quad has got some pretty loose suspension because of me :nod: . Was never too good on big inclines though, I can say that was the only thing that would have me thinking twice on a quad.
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ????? More woods/fields type of riding, maybe the occassional home made jump.
4) Do you have any riding experience? About 9 years on quads and 3 years on sleds.
5) Do you think you will race ? Nah, probably not
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? Yes, most of it.
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? 4 stroke
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? Yea, the closest dealer is a Suzuki/Kawasaki dealer, both my quads were Suzuki and an Arctic Cat sled.
9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike? If it all possilbe, used and under $1500 unless you think new is necessary.
10) Do you live in California? No
11) anything else that you think would help form an opinion

I put four stroke up top because I felt I'd be doing mostly woods/trail type riding, so I figured a two stroke would be overkill for that, but than again I don't know much about them. As for brands, I'm open to anything...I don't favor one brand over another and I'm curious to hear what brands are good when it comes to bikes. Can't think of any other info that might help, but if there is anything else that might narrow it down, just ask. O yea, and I've never ridden a dirtbike ever, not even once. Anyway, thanks for your help.

 

[kawikiller]

crf 150 or 250 maybe?

 

[KX250Dad]

What size/technology is the Suzuki quad... $1500 used you could get 2001+- 125 2t however it most likely will be to small (power) and will require alot of feather. Same price range a 250T may be to much for a starter given your experience I wouldn't see any issues fieds/woods/trails. Used 250F would fit like a glove and most likely be the most fun but the dollars won't fit (opinion) Used 250F at 1500 wouldn't be worth the risk of purchase/post purcahse costs.
Good Luck

 

[kawicam250]

your at the right height for a 125, but you weight a little more than i do at 5'7'' :) . a 250 2T would be too much, especially for woods, and, like KX250Dad stated, a used 250F at that price would not be safe buying. i think youre best option would be a KDX200. its a Kawasaki 2T that is geared for trials and woods. it has very low maintenance, but it does weight more than a 125. look around at let us know what you find :ride: .

 

[Moparman1539]

Yeah, my guess for you and in your price rance would be a KDX200/220.

A great trail bike. It is a 2-stroke, low maintence. And close to your price range. It is made for trails like Kawicam250 said.

 

[2 strokes for life]

The best bike for you would be a KDX200 or 220 like stated.

 

["REV"]

Ok, I'll vote for the KDX!

 

[Frankf300]

Thanks for the input. Between what years should I look in if I were to start looking for a KDX? Any other possible 4 stroke options? Don't get me wrong, I love the power of a 2 stroke, like my sled, but I'm just curious if there are any other options both 2 or 4 stroke.

BTW, my quad is a 97 King Quad, bit of a snail. Most I could get it to was about 52mph on a good day. But, I took what I could get and I rode it hard and enjoyed every minute of it lol. Still wish I could have gotten a sport quad. The only thing I would need to practice a lot too would be learning the clutch, both the quads I had including this one were semi-automatic, no clutch.

 

[snb73]

Any 250F MX bike. Buy the newest bike your budget will allow.

 

[Moparman1539]

$1,500 for a used 4-stroke is gambling. Either it would be old. Or there is probebley something wrong with it. And it it wasn't maintained, don't even think about it.

 

[gwcrim]

Any 250F MX bike. Buy the newest bike your budget will allow.

I'm down with that. Toss on a flywheel weight and you're good to go.

 

[Frankf300]

Sorry to bring this one back up, but I had a few more questions. Yesterday while I was out doing some things I decided to swing by a Honda dealer by me just to talk to a salesperson. Anyway I told the guy I would be riding for the first time and asked him what he would reccomend. Well he pulls out a CRF250, I'm assuming it was the X and not the R since I told him I'd be doing mostly trail riding. So, he hands the bike over to me to check out and starts talking to another guy. I'm standing there looking at this thing and thinking :whoa: . So he says c'mon throw a leg over it, see how it feels. Anyway, moral of the story...the bike scared the s*it outta me. The seat was sitting at about my mid-stomach, so I didn't get on out of embarasement of what might happen if I even tried lol. My question: is that really realistic for me? I mean I didn't sit on the bike so I don't know, but I can't see how my foot could even touch the ground on something so high. He said I'd be bored out of my mind with a 125 four stroke in a day and maybe 2 weeks with a 125 2 stroke. I see why he reccomended the 250 just like you guys said, but crap that thing is scary lol. Is there any way to get a 125 sit height with a 200-250 engine? I didn't look up the specs on that KDX you guys reccomended, but I guess I'll check that out. I still plan to buy used, but I just wanted to speak with a salesperson and see what these bikes are all about, plus it was so nice yesterday all I could think about was riding.

One more thing, I plan to take one of those MSF courses before I make a move on buying a bike, has anyone taken one of those? How was it? I hear that they use a lot of Honda 125s regardless of size. I guess the bigger framed 125s. If they were to hand me a 125, should I ask if there was a 250 available to learn on since that would be closer to the size that I would eventaully be buying? Just some things I've been thinking, thanks again for the help. :nod:

 

[Jordy_H_]

heyy, my names jordan, i cant really tell you much, but i drive a kx100 and the seat height, when im standing next to it, reaches about a little over my belly button. The thing is when u sit on it, u want ur feet to be barlet touching, atleast for MX, maybe trails its good to have more stability when on the bike. but also when u sit on a bike like that the suspension tends to compress a little when u sit on it, making the seat lower. id say go for a 125 2 stroke or a 250 4 stroke, or else ull be bored. if on those two bikes i mentioned you are hell bent on getting a lower seat, cut the foam or subframe, then when you become more expeirience u dont have to go bie a new bike, and also if you go to the MX track, you wont be a turtle with ur kdx.
hope a helped a little.

 

[Pro-Pain]

i started similar to you, i rode quads a lot then got into bikes, the first bike i ever tried was a honda 230 - rode it up and down a street once and it was crap, the first real riding was on a cr 250 (2-stroke) and it seemed at least adequately fast, wasnt too much power or anything, you dont have to totally rev the bike out every time you ride.

you have offroad experiance, bike will be a lot different but you are much better off than starting from nothing. i would suggest somethng bigger than a 250 4stroke, like a 400cc trail bike.

the power is all in your hands and you can control it, just start off easy and practice on some flatter areas and eventually move up.

you can lower the suspension to suit your height better, it will help a lot

anyways, good luck

 

[Blackcat]

You didn't even sit on it. Cmon you have to at least sit on the bike. When you do sit on it the suspension on a motorcycle is nice and plush and will usually compress right down for you. Also if your used to riding quads you should be able to just jump right on a bike. So get the bike that would make you the happiest.

 

[oilspot]

I'm new to riding, and love my suzuki 250rmx. Everyone I've talked to that has or had one, has a lot of good things to say about them.

 

[bully_23]

Don't worry about seat height too much buddy, your main concern is having the bike with the right power for you. I am your height and ride an Rm125 2 stroke which is the same size as a 250 4T it seems big at first but in a week or two it wont bother you at all as long as you can balance the bike while on 1 foot to start it you will be fine once you get going it doesn't matter if your feet cant be firmly planted on the floor. and if you are still pondering over which bike to get I recommend a 125 two stroke Mx bike lots of fun. very light not like a big heavy trail bike and has plenty of power if you keep it on the pipe. also maintenance is fairly simple as rebuilds are simple to do and not that expensive. you could pick up a decent 125 with $1500 and you still have the option of racing down the track once you become more experienced which I highly recommend its a heap of fun. They also perform fairly well in the trails and woods with a few modifications. so thats just my $0.02