Guess what? another "what bike" thread!

[Underzcore]

) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
6'2" between 180 and 190 lbs. (depends on the time of year)

2) How physical / aggressive are you? To start, probrably not very much, but i have a tendency to become so quick.

3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ????? Mostly with friends/family, riding trails, woods, and fields.

4) Do you have any riding experience? 3 years on a harley, 3 more on a 600 Sportbike

5) Do you think you will race ? Not in any arranged competitions, but the likelyhood exists, eventually

6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? I will be doing all my bike work.

7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? No preference really, but i like the idea of power down low.

8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? many dealers, all brands

9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike? 1000 to 2500

10) anything else that you think would help form an opinion? I like going fast, and pushed my 600 to the limits from the day i got it, wrecked on several occasions but got right back on. I love the twisties, but alas, i cannot ride on the street for a while. I feel i need something that can take a lot of punishment and keep on going, low end torque etc. Top end speed isn't a factor for this beginner yet. I was thinking something like a 2002 yamaha wr250f becuase i am not the smallest guy around

 

[2 strokes for life]

A KDX could be a good bike but a used YZ250 with a flywheel weight would serve you well.

 

[Underzcore]

A KDX could be a good bike but a used YZ250 with a flywheel weight would serve you well.

What is a "flywheel weight"? Is that the same as a lightweight flywheel? (pardon the dumb questions)

 

[Okiewan]

A flywheel weight makes the flywheel have to spin more weight, slowing it down (initially) and making power delivery less abrupt/controllable.

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

A flywheel weight is the exact opposite of a lightweight flywheel: it is intentionally adding weight to the flywheel.

It slows the throttle response a little bit, as the engine has to use more power to spin the additional weight. But when you get into a situation where you are slipping the clutch to fight your way up a hill you get to use that energy that was stored in the flywheel weight.

There are two questions that I wish would be included on that sticky form:

What state do you live in?
Is riding at night an issue?

If you live in California then you have to be concerned about the "red" vs "green" sticker. That 2002 wr250f would be a good choice for California as the 2002 and older bikes get the desired green sticker automatically.

If your riding area is the desert where it can be 130 degrees when the sun is up in the summer then you might enjoy night rides. In this, a bike with a light is highly desireable. Again, that wr250f should have you covered there.

Unless your family are all MX riders then you won't need a MX bike for riding the fields. "Trails" mean different things to different people. A trail to some is a road you could drive a golf cart down, while to others a "trail" is a set of tire marks heading off over some ridiculously insane hill. Another modification to that form might be to ask if your idea of fun is to keep trying harder hills until you find one you can't climb.

If you would rather keep the rubber side down and just enjoy the ride the wr250f would be a great bike. On the other hand, if you are going to keep charging that hill until you make it to the top and need the bike to come up running after it has cartwheeled down the hill you might want to go for a MX bike, like the Yamaha YZ series.

Rod

 

[Underzcore]

Thanks for your info. I live in Alabama, not really sure on the emission regs here, i just moved. But from what i hear, the worst is Cali. I wouldn't imagine i would be doing much night riding, but the possibility always exists. Again, thanks for your help and info.

 

[4thGearAndPinned]

I would check out wr250's and 250cc 2stroke mx bikes, a la kx250 cr250.

 

[Underzcore]

What about a 125 2-stroke? Would those fit me? I am not really concerned about having a TON of power, but mostly i am trying to get a bike that fits me, that is big enough to where i won't get cramps in my legs just by sitting on it, etc. I am 6'2" and 190lbs + or -. any help appreciated. Just trying to get started, to learn you know?