New and Realllly wanting a bike

[NoPainXNoGain]

Hey all! I'm completely new to the dirt bike world. I am really wanting to get a dirt bike, and I'm alittle bit short on cash, meaning I dont think I'd be able to afford a swanky new model lol but I saw someone post this and maybe I can get some good advice on what bike would be best for me-


1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
*I am 100lbs and 5'1

2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
*I am slightly nervous about crackin my head open, but I live by no pain no gain. If by physical too you mean strength, I used to work out a great deal but the past year I got lil lazy. I used to be really strong and invested in a weight lifting equipment. Not sure if thats what that mean =x

3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
*My boyfriend has a backyard thats wooded so I'd more likely be riding in the woods. I can probably ride in some fields as well.

4) Do you have any riding experience?
*I used to have a friend I rode on his KTM i think it was a 200cc, and his Honda XR70 if I remember correctly. I was gonna buy the honda for 300 but it was very crappy and banged up.

5) Do you think you will race ?
*If my area had that kind of thing I would deffinetely race, as for backyard racing, I'd probably do that too lol.

6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
*Not yet no, I never had a dirtbike but my friend had shown and taught me one or two things, but not enough to fix my own stuff

7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
*Not really, I dont like yamaha for some reason..i really don't know why lol, just one of those things i suppose but my friend told me a 4 stroke would be best cause its less work or w/e I forget, i don't talk to them anymore

8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
I think we do, I haven't look much into it but I think its yamaha dealer

9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike?
*I would prefer to spend 1,000 tops, but I know thats unlikely..

10) Do you live in California?
*I don't know why this is on here, but i'll leave it just in case, but no i dont. I'm in Virginia

11) Your age?
*I'm 18

12) anything else that you think would help form an opinion
*Not really, I'm just excited and really want a beginner bike thats still awesome.

 

[Tony Eeds]

Welcome to DRN.

I'm going to push this over to the what bike do I get forum.

You have given people a great start for suggestions. :)

 

[justalonewolf007]

Well...here goes.

You said boyfriend, so I'm going to assume you are a lady? Correct me if I'm wrong...I've been known to stuff my foot in my mouth more than once before!!!

For starters, for your size and price range, I'd suggest a 2000 (or close to that year) Honda XR 100. If you shop around a little on craigslist, fleabay, and your local newspaper

It's a four stroke, and a fantastic learner bike. Very very low maintenance (just change the oil regularly), and no mixing gas. It's not insanely fast, but if you get bored with it in a year, you can easily sell it for close to the same price and upgrade to a used race bike that will fit your frame. You won't be loosing your money

I was the same size when I had that bike as you are now (an inch shorter and about 15 pounds lighter...I'm also a lady)...I had a great time on it, and even wish I still had it.

 

[2strokesrock]

Sorry about being so late on a reply. I dont think you were ignored on purpose,
An XR 100 would be a great bike for you,you also might like a TTR 125 or a DRZ 125 they are reliable and easy to ride.

 

[longtime coming]

Holy, I guess that is really late on a reply! Hope she comes back for the good recommendations above. And sorry for dissing (is that a word) the appearance of the blue bikes. I think I got deleted.

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
*I am 100lbs and 5'1

Seat height is going to be a big issue for you. When riding flat ground it isn't so important but when you start picking your way across some gnarly terrain having your feet reach the ground can make the difference on keeping going or dropping the bike.

2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
*I am slightly nervous about crackin my head open,

Protective gear! A helmet goes without saying. Gloves, goggles and boots are also essential. I highly recommend a chest protector, knee & elbow pads and padded shorts and/or good padded MX pants (I wear both).

With the right gear you can take some nasty tumbles and come up a little bruised but otherwise unharmed.

3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
*My boyfriend has a backyard thats wooded so I'd more likely be riding in the woods. I can probably ride in some fields as well.

Fields are generally flat, easy to ride. Woods can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. A nice trail through the trees can be easy, but single track where you have to dodge the trees can be a real challenge. Hopping over roots, ducking under branches, throw in a little mud and you can really be working hard.

7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
*Not really, I dont like yamaha for some reason..i really don't know why lol, just one of those things i suppose but my friend told me a 4 stroke would be best cause its less work or w/e I forget, i don't talk to them anymore

This is one area where you can pick your favorite color. Yamaha, Honda, KTM, Suzuki, Kawasaki all make good bikes.

One thing you should realize is that they all make several different types of dirt bikes. The "MX" bikes are the top of the line race bikes. In their stock configuration they would be too tall for you, as the seat height will be around 38 inches.

The "trail" or "off road" models are far less expensive and are targeted for less aggressive and smaller riders. A typical seat height would be around 31 inches. The bikes tend to be heavier, the engines are not as powerful, and the suspension is not nearly as capable as their MX cousins but they can be great beginner bikes.

As for 2 vs 4 stroke: I like to separate the bikes into "performance" vs "economy" engines. The race bikes will have high performance engines, either 2 or 4 stroke. These engines are powerful but at the expense of durability. If you have a high performance engine you MUST take care of it, which includes frequent top end rebuilds. When it comes to the maintenance, a two stroke is MUCH easier to rebuild and keep in tune that a four stroke.

When you buy the "off road" model bike it will have an "economy" engine. The compression ratio is lower (can use low octane pump gas) and if you adjust the valves every once in a while it can run for a long, long time.

10) Do you live in California?
*I don't know why this is on here, but i'll leave it just in case, but no i dont. I'm in Virginia

The question was included because California has some very strict regulations on off road vehicles that can make a big difference in what bike might be best suited for you. I wish, however, that the question had been more generic, like "what state do you live in?"

You can find suitable bikes in your price range, but they are going to be older models. Don't worry, you can find bikes that are still in decent shape and you can buy all the essential parts for bikes that are 20 years old! I would look for something around 10 years old, however.

Make sure you leave room in your budget for the protective gear. Some times you can find a great deal where the seller will throw in all the gear you need. People getting out of dirt biking will also get rid of their gear. People moving up will often have piles of old gear laying around, especially if they had kids that have outgrown their stuff.

Rod