Height, Aftermarket Extras and Progression?

[new bea]

Hi All,

1) your physical size (both height and weight are important).
6'4", 210lbs. Inseam is 34 inches. I'm 24 yrs old, so won't be growing taller any more! (thankfully)
2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
If the bike can comfortably take the terrain, i'll do it. I'd rather be mild and save the bike from getting majorly beaten up than breaking a part on every ride by trying to ride up impossible terrain. I can be an agressive rider, but not at the severe cost of the bike. Read the above as: I have brains AND balls :)
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
Trails only, never MX. I'll be riding in Colorado trails - forests, rocky/muddy trails. I want a bike that isn't dog slow, but also will be comfy to ride and has enough power to get me up steep hills.
4) Do you have any riding experience?
No. I can pick up techniques quickly. Snowmobiled, ATV'ed before.
5) Do you think you will race ?
No.
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
Yes, all own work. No hardcore engine stripping though, unless there's decent (reasonable to do) paperwork for doing it. I'm not nervous about dismantling/working on things, but certainly would need walking through it with manuals or books).
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
4 Stroke. I hear Hondas are reliable?
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
Most brands (Kawi, Honda, Yamaha)
9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike?
Around $5,000. (Dealership New)
10) Do you live in California?
No, Colorado.
11) anything else that you think would help form an opinion

I'm looking for a bike I can progress with, I don't have the money to keep trading and upgrading every 6 months or 1 year as I progress. I will take things easy and use common sense, so getting a bigger bike than normal for learning on won't be that insane.

I'll ride trails and woods, jump some, find steep inclines and expect to get dirty :nod: . Preferably buying a bike that isn't dog slow, but also will be comfy to ride and has enough power to get me up steep hills.

I want to buy a brand new from the dealership bike - the reason is this. Not knowing how well a used bike has been maintained, or if the previous owner(s) have been brutal to the bike over the time they've own it is a big risk. I don't have any mechanic friends and relying on the seller to give me their honest opinion isn't the smartest move. I want to buy the bike new, so I can maintain it well, ride it well and not treat it poorly so it will last.

Being tall - 6ft 4 inches (34" inseam) will this be an issue riding? I've been seriously looking into the Honda CRF 250x. I know you can do modifications to raise the seat height and handlebars if I'd need to...

Any help you can give would be sincerely appreciated and let me know if there's any more information I can provide to help you help me.

Thanks! :cool:

 

[Chili]

The CRF250X is a good option at your size and weight I might even consider the CRF450X. A similar bike is available from Yamaha in the WR250/450F.

 

[new bea]

Thanks for the response.

I've read up on the WR250x vs CRF250x reviews and there doesn't seem all that much in it in terms of the basics (CC's, bike size - the yamaha has a slightly higher seat etc).

The 450's (both Honda and Yamaha) are out of my price range, especially since I'm wanting to buy brand new to make sure it's maintained well.

Thanks again, appreciated.

 

[Chili]

The CRF250X is also beyond your budgetted amount new. There is $800 difference betwen the MSRP of the 250 and the 450. Given the info you've presented here and your size I think you'll be happier long term with the 450 but the CRF250X is a very nice bike as well.

 

[new bea]

I've found the 2006 CRF250x for $5,400. I didn't realise it was $800 difference between the 250 and 450. That might be worth the investment like you said for the long term. Is there any general rule such as the bigger the bike, the more unreliable/reliable it is, more maintenance etc? Thanks again.

 

[2 strokes for life]

Well if you dont mind the weight the Suzuki DRZ400E would be a great choice. It is more reliable then the MX based 4 strokes and is cheaper. This is if you can find a Suzuki dealer. Other then that if you could swing a 2 stroke the Kawasaki KDX is a great bike. I know you dont want a used bike but the worst that will happen with a 2 stroke is the top end is blown and you pay $200-$300max. Plus all the money you would save buying a 2 stroke you could get the suspension re-valved for your weight. Eathier way you go have fun doing it.

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

I would like to challenge a few of your beliefs:

1) "If the bike can comfortably take the terrain, i'll do it. I'd rather be mild and save the bike from getting majorly beaten up than breaking a part on every ride by trying to ride up impossible terrain."

I ride a Yamaha YZ-125. It has proven to me time and time again that it can handle a lot more than I can! Crashing is hard on the bike, tends to bend handlebars, break the clutch/brake levers, tear up the plastic, etc. Usually the bike fares far better than I do, however. It is amazing the abuse these bikes can take, actually.

A primary difference between an "off road" bike and a "MX" bike is the suspension. You may not intend to get in over your head but it will happen. You come around the corner and discover the trail drops off into a ravine. You crest the top of the hill and discover the other side is 10 times worse! You get knocked off the trail you were on and now you are heading down the hill and won't be stopping until you get to the bottom, and believe me, you'll be a lot better off if you manage to stay on the bike!

2) has enough power to get me up steep hills.

A 125 2 stroke has enough power to get you up the hill, it just requires a little more skill to keep the bike in the power band. A 250 will allow you to be a little sloppier about it, or even a 250 4 stroke will be forgiving enough to help out.

Going up a steep hill will already have your front wheel high. Think wheelie. If you make the mistake of twisting the throttle wide open on a 250 two stroke you may find your front wheel getting so light that you lose steering, and then you may find a short path down!

3) New vs used:
You are not going to find a new MX style bike for the price you are looking for. You would be able to buy a cheaper "Off Road" bike for that price, but it may not meet your needs long term.

I suspect that you think that dirt bikes suffer a lot more from their use/abuse than they really do. A decent MX bike can take a lot. A skilled rider can take one right off the showroom floor and go race it and have that bike perform long and well.

That same bike in the hands of recreational rider will seldom ride it as hard as the bike was designed for. If it has been ridden that hard it will be fairly obvious. Frequent crashes leave their war wounds, so either they have been repairing the bike (which is good) or it will be all beat up. Bends in the pipe are very common and can happen from simply letting the bike fall over. Big scrapes on the skid plate (if it has one) or bottom of the frame could indicate that the bike has cased a few jumps. Ripped plastics, dents in the radiators, foot pegs that are a little tweaked are all signs of hard use.

You will find that there are a lot of bikes available that were ridden easily and were well cared for. Don't buy a bike off some race team, buy a bike off some family man who has decided he is getting too old for the sport.

Rod

 

[new bea]

Rod, thanks for your knowledge and input. I'll quote you on the parts i'm replying to for ease of reading.

I would like to challenge a few of your beliefs:


A 125 2 stroke has enough power to get you up the hill, it just requires a little more skill to keep the bike in the power band. A 250 will allow you to be a little sloppier about it, or even a 250 4 stroke will be forgiving enough to help out.

That makes it easier to understand. I'm guessing though it wouldn't be all that efficient (financially) to buy a 125 2 stroke and have the engine stressing every time I ride. Like you said there's techniques/skills to keeping the bike in the power band, but I want to make sure that there's not an overtly large amount of stress on the engine by keeping really high RPMS. Also, being able to be a little bit sloppy with the gear selection and throttle might be a good thing since I'm starting out. I'd probably not get much respect from the technical riders though, but I'm out to have fun mainly and not be thinking about keeping the bike in a narrow powerband all that much. I'm not lazy, but it's just a preference in riding - if that makes sense?

3) New vs used:
You are not going to find a new MX style bike for the price you are looking for. You would be able to buy a cheaper "Off Road" bike for that price, but it may not meet your needs long term.

I'm not looking for a MX bike, I really don't want to race. A trails-only bike will be perfect. I've found a new Honda CRF 250x (2006) for $5,800 out the door, a bit over budget, but doable. If I need to stretch to a CRF 450x, I can... but I'll expect it to be all that I need for a good while - I can progress my learning with it (easy trails, to muddy trails with jumps and all the good stuff). Another think I'd need is that I can reasonably maintain it and there's plenty of aftermarket/3rd party parts to upgrade/swap with the bike (I've researched and found a reasonable amount for the CRF x's).

I suspect that you think that dirt bikes suffer a lot more from their use/abuse than they really do.

Yeah, I do. Good to hear it's not as true as I think! :cool:

That same bike in the hands of recreational rider will seldom ride it as hard as the bike was designed for.

I have thought it'd be a money saver to invest in a bike that's more than you need both in how much beating it can take on the trails and the overall ability of the engine? Result - less repairs needed and no need to upgrade in 6/12 months?

You will find that there are a lot of bikes available that were ridden easily and were well cared for. Don't buy a bike off some race team, buy a bike off some family man who has decided he is getting too old for the sport.

Yeah, that would be ideal for sure, but trusting a seller without any experience of maintaining or riding a bike myself would be tough. I can read up on what to look for in damaged bikes - like the skidplate as you said, but once I've given the seller the cash it's a done deal and I'm responsible for the repairs and whatever else I might have missed....or the seller didn't mention. When I've got some experience under my belt in riding and maintaining a bike, I'll definately go the used bike route, for now though I think I'll still stick with new.

Thanks again for the response. :cool:

 

[Chili]

regardless of the fact that Stefan Everts may get up the hill on a 125 2 stroke, for the type of riding your are planning you are looking at the perfect bikes. I've got plenty of time on 125's in my day and consider myself a decent rider, put me at the base of a tight single track hill climb with no run up and offer me the 450 or a 125 and I don't think you'd be shocked to to see me and everyone else take the 450.

 

[new bea]

regardless of the fact that Stefan Everts may get up the hill on a 125 2 stroke, for the type of riding your are planning you are looking at the perfect bikes. I've got plenty of time on 125's in my day and consider myself a decent rider, put me at the base of a tight single track hill climb with no run up and offer me the 450 or a 125 and I don't think you'd be shocked to to see me and everyone else take the 450.

'nuff said. :cool:

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Biggerbore should require less maintenance than small.See if your dealer can get you a year or two old NEW bike! Price drops about a grand a year on mx bikes.