newb questions

i have a 99 cr250r. i trail ride with mine all the time. i dont foul plugs. every so often ill pull the clutch in and blip the throttle to clean it out, so i dont load it up. a 2 stroke engine is not as complicated as a 4 stroke. but, if you take the time to properly maintain the bike and get a great manual ( i use clymer ) you should be fine. i love my 250, i have flooded that bike so bad before and i pick it up and it starts right away. my cousin floods his xr400 and he has to sit and wait and wait before it will start. were talking a good 5 - 8 minutes before it will start again.

125's: say your on tight trails on a 125 youll be feathering the clutch to stay up in the rpms so your not bogging when your putting around and you need power to climb a hill. like, if your coming around a real tight corner and you need to climb a steep hill. you could bog the bike. its not as likely on a 250. i rode someone 125 and it bogged on my when i was putting and hit the gas. on my 250 it just jumps up and goes.

depending on the 4 stroke you buy, you could buy a trail bike like the crf450x or the XR's. will be alot more tame then a crf450r. did you look into a 250f? you really need to ride some bikes before you make your desiscion. either way just pick a mechanically sound bike. you asked how hard it is to ride a 250. its all how respectfull you are to the throttle.

Where are you going to ride?

You didn't mention what type of area you have access to ride in.

I'm 5'8", 175, and I have a 02' XR 250R, It's pretty tall, and has alot of power. Plenty power for me to easily come out of a burm lay on the throttle and stand the bike straight up. While the Honda 450's are great bikes.....that's way to much power for getting started on 2 wheelers.

With a 2-stroke it depends on how the power band comes in. This is different on every bike. Some bikes are a little low on power at the bottom end, and then the power band kicks in all at once. This is most typical with the YZ's. That makes it harder on technical trails, where you might need to lug, rather than downshift and rev.

Personally, while the 2-strokes are fun, I would recommend the 4-stroke.

As my name implies, I'm basically a 2-stroke person, but I like 4 strokes too. If your 2-stroke is properly jetted, you won't have plug-fouling problems. I can putt around all day and have a perfect plug. Now, it might take a few hours of experimenting and changing jets to get one perfectly jetted, but it is fairly easy to do, especially if it is anywhere close to right when you buy it.
If you buy a pure motocross 2-stroke for trail riding, I'd probably recommend you add some flywheel weights, which aren't all that expensive.
But a lot of what you buy should depend on the quality and price of the bike.
As mentioned above, try to find a way to ride a few different type of bikes and see what you think. At your size, you could go with a 125 or a 250 2-stroke and probably be fine either way. At my size (200 pounds), I find a 250 a little easier to ride trails with, but I've never been on a trail or hill that a good 125 wouldn't get me through, either.
Repair costs are generally lower on a 2-stroke. But if you buy something like an XR-- rather than a high-strung race bike 4-stroke--you'll probably find that it is pretty much bullet proof.

If you’re a newb and set on a 2 stroke all I can say is KDX. Fantastic bike and great for beginners. I’ve got crs, yzs and a kx and I still miss my good ol' reliable KDX. With the 4 strokes, like 2stoker said, XRs are a bulletproof choice, bit heavy though

I ride a RM125, and I love it. It is my first ever bike, never ridden on any other bike (only automatic 4-wheelers), so I had to learn to clutch and shift, as well as keep this thing upright, all at the same time. Took a total of about..10 minutes

It has tons of power behind it (only has aftermarket exhaust), except when coming out of a tight turn gotta really pull the clutch back to keep it from bogging. From what I hear, 250's dont have that problem, and obviously have more power.

My uncle is around the same size as you and has a YZ250. The one major thing he has said is on the YZ, you just have to watch out for the powerband as it usually kicks, hard. Other than that, the 250 it a blast - just aim it where you want to go and hold on! If you are up for that, try it out.


First and foremost, you should try and find someone that will let you ride their 125 and/or 250 to see how they feel to you. I am taller than you, but much lighter, and the 125 has more than enough power for what I need right now. With your weight though, a 250 might have that extra oomph that you are looking for.

I'm a 2-stroke guy as well, as you can tell. If you want easy repairs and a get-up-and-go bike get a 2 stroke. If you want to dump hundreds into your bike every time you have to replace a piston, go for a 4T.