new to dirtbikes

[roflcopter]

) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
5 10 and about 140-150lbs changes
2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
pretty aggressive on my quads
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
woods, fields, log roads
4) Do you have any riding experience?
quads and anything else i can get in the trails
5) Do you think you will race ?
nope
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
somewhat but my dad used to race and can help me
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
dad wants a 4 but fiight the power! :debil: im leaning towards 4 though. i think it would be harder for me to keep the bike in higher RPMs
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
honda yamaha dealer. i will not buy it from their though
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike?
depends more on the cheaper side
10) Do you live in California?
lol no
11) Your age?
15 turning 16 soon
12) anything else that you think would help form an opinion

well ive ridden quads. My personal quad is a 250 utility more of a beater quad. ride it really hard. Used family and friends grizzly 700s and kodiak 400 with ease. ive ridden an xr 80 a few years ago but thats my only dirt bike experience. My dad has said the 100 or 125 would be good :bang: i asked what he rode and he said 125, then added 2 stroke in. Id ride a 125 2 stroke but not a 4. I was looking more towards a used xr200 or anything around that. Thanks, you guys are great. :cool:

 

[flyingfuzzball]

a 125 2 stroke is a great bike but i wouldnt want to start out on one if i had been riding around on utility quads. it is a total difference. a 125 2T is a race bike with a hard hitting powerband.

the xr200/250 would be great though! low maintenance and great for trails.

 

[roflcopter]

yeah i just have to convince my dad that its better. He was thinking more along the lines of 100cc bikes... Thats for someone with no experience at all in my opinion. I mean i could ride it but i would get bored fast. So id rather get one bike and keep it for a long time. I mean its all coming from my pocket so i want it to be worth it. Any ideas on how to convince him to let me get the 200?

 

[flyingfuzzball]

well is he thinking CRF100 etc or KX100 or 105XC. if its the kx100 or the 105 xc you wouldnt get bored. but you would be way too big for any of those bikes. at 5 10 you need a full size bike (or at least bigger)

 

[millville monster]

you're like me, 15. I started out on a four-stroke thumpstar pit bike, worked my way up to a yz125, and now i'm on a yz250f. Keep in mind that I've been riding since June.

a 125 2 stroke flies when it has a fresh top end, so do most smaller 2 strokes like 65's and 85's. Trust me dude, a utilty quad is nothing compared to a high-compression dirt bike. But I would suggest an 85. Just take it slow at first, keep the bike on both wheels, don't try anything past your skill level, you know. The Thumpstar I started out on was actually a perfect learner for me. I'm 5'7'', 130lbs. for you I'm sure you could probably handle a big bike, but it doesn't hurt to start out on a short bike.

just to let you know about 2 strokes though, TONS OF MAINTENENCE. don't get one without being prepared to invest money into new top ends, air filters, spark plugs, etc. The **** adds up.

 

[roflcopter]

well is he thinking CRF100 etc or KX100 or 105XC. if its the kx100 or the 105 xc you wouldnt get bored. but you would be way too big for any of those bikes. at 5 10 you need a full size bike (or at least bigger)

i really have no idea what bike he is thinking. A friend of ours has a 100cc bike that i have no idea what make it is. Didnt really look into that, but he thinks that is good for me. He doesnt know any of the current makes of bikes. But im guessing more along the lines of crf 100 type. He has been out of the loop for a while. I wanted his old bike but he said it wasnt safe because it didnt have breaks :( Silly old race bikes

And, Yeah he told me to not get a 2 stroke for maintence reasons.

 

[flyingfuzzball]

well that depends how you look at it. a crf-F/xr type bike has low maintenance. but bikes like crf-R are 4 strokes and have more maintenance then 2 strokes. but they are also high performance race bikes.

also the KX100 and 105XC are 2 strokes and have more power then the CRF100 which is a low powered trail bike. i would figure out what your friends bike is and ask if you could ride it a bit to get the feel for it.

 

[roflcopter]

lol thats exactly what my dad told me to do. Ill probably check it out tomorrow and see. It seemed like more of an off brand then a honda yamaha etc. What do you think a good price is for a used xr200 like year 2000 or 2001. They are going for a little over 1400 obo on craigslist so im guessing they are really worth closer to 1000 correct?

 

[millville monster]

they're going for 1400? or that's how many people are selling 'em for? it's not about what they're worth, it's how much someone wants to let them go for really.

 

[roflcopter]

the ones i saw for sale were going for around 1400-1500. I got one person to get down to 1,000 but idk if i should take it. There is some rust on the engine and chain though. The year is 2,000.

 

[2 strokes for life]

roflcopter, it sounds like a good deal. Is the rust on the engine near the exhaust only? A XR200 is bullet proof anyways so you cant really go wrong.

 

[roflcopter]

there is very little rust on most of the engine except the transmission/bottem end part and the chain. Exhaust area doesnt look to rusty from the pics. You can only see the rust on a close up pic of the engine so its not that bad.

 

[2 strokes for life]

Soundds alright then.

 

[XMotoX]

I honestly think you should look at some older XR250's. I would say you are about 2 inches taller than me and my 250 is the perfect size. I know you are a beginner but it is a very smooth bike so it will be easy to learn on. I think you will find the 200 too small and underpowered.

 

[zig06]

Let's see, this is what I'm keying off of:

Your 5'10" and 140lbs.
A newer rider.
A Honda / Yamaha dealer is closest, so that should be the preferred model.
Your trail riding, and soon to be old enough to get a cycle endorcement.
Plus you have experience on a Quad ~ so you know what a clutch and shifter is.
Your not going to race MX.
And the dollar limit is on the "less expensive" side.

Hmmmm....

I personally would go with the newest XR-200 or XR-250 that you can afford. The TTR's haven't been out very long (maybe 6ish years), so your still going to spend $1,500 or more for something that size.

An older but clean XR-200 could be picked up for under $1,000. Just pay special attention to it's overall condition, and stay away from basket cases.

 

[meb5276]

At 5'10'' I think a 80 or 85 2 stroke and a 100cc 4 stroke are a bit too small. A 100cc 2 stroke is not bad but still IMO would be too small. Plus the powerband in the 100 2t hits a lot harder that a 125 2t. There is no power than all the sudden you off the seat. A 125 2t has a wider range of power and in many cases are easier to ride. A 125 2t or a 200/230/250 4t trail bike would be good (xr/kdx etc). My brother was in a similar situation. He was riding a kx80 and didnt like the powerband as it went from no power to all out. He jumped on my old rm 125 and he loved it.

BTW...two strokes are not very hard to maintain. Compared to a xr they might be a lot more work but with anything thing you own you should take care of it. A 2 stroke just consists of cleaning your air filter (after every ride), changing the oil often, and a new top end every so often (100-150$ and a half hour or so of work).

I rode a 125 2 stroke for years and I loved it. You might get bored on a xr200 but a 125 is good for a beginnner as well as experianced rider.

 

[Moparman1539]

just to let you know about 2 strokes though, TONS OF MAINTENENCE. don't get one without being prepared to invest money into new top ends, air filters, spark plugs, etc. The **** adds up.

Your still gonna have the air filters, and oil, and all that stuff with a 4 stroke.

On a 2-stroke you have to replace the top end about every year, ($80-100) for piston and rings unless you race MX..

spark plugs are a problem if you dont have it jetted rite.. i go thought a sparkplug about every 1-2 months at $2.00 a piece and 1min to change i'm not complaining... the rest would be regular maintenance...

Now a trail 4-stroke will be bullet proof and lower maintenance (xr*anything* , ttr-, and other 4-strokes along those lines..)

Now a race Mx bike like YZ250F, CRF250 etc will have MORE maintenance than a 2-stroke with the shimming valves every 15-20 hours..

I would suggest a KDX200/220R or an XR250 would be a great idea...

a 125 will be fine to learn on be be carefull till you get used to how she rides... It will make you a better rider in the long run than a 4-stroke will...

 

[zig06]

Gee, I replace the plug on my RM-250 (2 stroke) once in the spring and it's not because I have to... It just seems like the right thing to do before the new riding season starts up.

Matter of fact, I don't remember the last time I've actually fouled a plug, and I've been riding Suzuki 2 strokes since the late 70's.

So the bottom line is always run good gas, and keep your air filter clean and you should never foul a plug.

 

[KaptainKoolz]

roflcopter, did u get that xr200?