what to get
I cruised this site and several others for a few months getting feedback on what to get. You and I have very similar backgrounds in riding and we are around the same size. We also are looking for a similar purpose bike. At first, I was dead set on a 4 stroke 400 - 450 and tried them all on. Nice, but for trail riding and playing around (not racing of any kind, trail or track) they were a hell of a lot of cash and at this point, overkill. I found a brand new 2005 KDX 200 (2 stroke) for $2500 and it is perfect. Lots of folks rave about them, Kaw has them dialed in as they have been a staple trail bike forever. Feels nice, plenty of power for what I am doing and can be easily upgraded if I want. Gotta change the fork springs for my weight and the rear spring probably to dial it in for me, but for the cost and fit to my application works well. My 2 cents. Good luck!