Hooked! Need bike but confused about types

[just-startin]

Hi there,

I am a beginner ( but had street bikes in my youth ). I had a go on a CRF250F ( or something like that ) and did my first ever jump. It was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced ! I am now keen to buy a bike but I have no idea which model numbers/letters correspond to which type of bike. I loosely think of bikes as either "Trail/Farm", "Motox", or "Enduro" but I have no idea which is which in terms of model numbers like XR, CR, CRF, CRxxxR etc.

Is there a "decode" table from someone somewhere which shows what bikes are for what purpose ?

I'm 30. I am 6'2, 198lbs of raw flab :whoa: . I'm not interested in racing. I'm mechanically OK for top end by myself. 2 or 4 stroke is fine. I only have $2,310 to spend. I am quite physical and want to be able to throw it around etc

What I want the bike for is the following things:
1) Learn to pop wheelies, there's something weirdly addictive about this
2) Do jumps. No whips or fancy stuff, just plain old jumps
3) Go blasting through the local forests and fields ( hilly and muddy )
4) Take it to a motox track and fool around ( not race )

I would love something light ( kickstart, no lights or stand etc ) and tough because I'm probably going to drop it alot. I was thinking of a CR250 but that's only because I know the Honda range. What's different with a CRF250 or CR250R ?
What are the Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Husqvarna versions of a CR250 ?

 

[TJSCOTT1977xr75]

ok, to answer your first question, for honda, xr= older trail bike crf-r=four stroke race bike, crf-x= new full blown trail bike, crf-f= multi purpose, mostly trail bike cr=2 stroke race bike.
yamaha
wr=full blown trail bike, yz=2 stroke race bike, yz-f= 4 stroke race bike
suzuki rm=2 stroke race bike, rm-z= 4 stroke race bike, drz= 4 stroke trail bike
kawasaki kdx, 2 stroke trail, kx=2 stroke track and so on.
cr250 and crf250 are entirely different machines. you might want to start on an 2 stroke 125, about as much power as a 250 4 stroke and they are very very light and good for jumping and forests and tracks and wheelies.

 

[just-startin]

You're a legend : ) I've been trawling the net for hours trying to find out the differences.
I might go for a YZ125 or something like that ( assuming they make a full frame version )

Seriously, thanks for that.

 

[TJSCOTT1977xr75]

no prob ;) you can usually learn just by being around them awhile. theres more, but thats all the major ones. what do you mean by full frame version? and make sure to check craigslist . co m, its a great place to find cheap bikes locally, my bike was $700 off of there and it ran perfect!

 

[just-startin]

By full-frame I mean one where it is the same physical size as a 250. I'm 6'2 and I can't ride some of the smaller bikes.

I had a go on my brother-in-law's XR200 and it was physically too small. He said it was a 3/4 sized frame and that I would need a full-frame

 

[just-startin]

Another quick question:
If I'm spending a half an hour fooling around doing wheelies and stoppies ( ie low speed stuff ). Will I have to worry about fouling my plug in a two-stroke ?

Can you putt around or does it have to be hammer-down all the time ?

 

[gwcrim]

If a two stroke is jetted properly, you can ride slow all day long and not foul a plug.

Whether you buy a 2 or a 4 stroke, look for something with good suspension. The 'play bikes' won't like a 200 lb guy doing stoppies and jumps on them. MX based bikes can take a lot more abuse.

 

[OldassKDX]

With very (none off the top of my head) few exceptions, anything 125 and larger two stroke, as well as the 250 and larger 4 strokes will be "full size". (Well, depending on the model, some of the older style trail bikes i.e. XR, TTR, DR 250cc 4 strokes might be slightly smaller in terms of seat height, but not by a whole lot)

And don't forget the Kawasaki KLX series (4 stroke trail bikes, except the 450 which is a "new full blown" trail bike) or the KTM's......on second thought, I'd memorize the other acronyms forward and backward before I even STARTED with the KTM line :)