SaharaRyder

Member
Oct 21, 2007
2
0
Hello everyone, I need some help finding that good bike. Please give me some advice.

1) your physical size - I'm 5'7 female 109 lbs.

2) How physical / aggressive are you ? Moderately so.

3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ????? Pretty much all of the above

4) Do you have any riding experience? No Dirtbikes, but I've got a little experience handling ATVs.

5) Do you think you will race ? Don't think so.

6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? No, wish.

7) Do YOU have a preference to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? All I know concerning the 2/4 stroke is that the latter is more powerful, right? But, really, I have no clue.

8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? Yes: all the big brand names.

9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike? No more than 2000.

10) Do you live in California? No, coastal Georgia.

11) Your age? 18

I'm a true beginner to bikes, so I need something that is also not too heavy for me and allows my feet to touch the ground.
 
May 10, 2007
957
0
you would probably be able to touch on a 250F or 125 2 stroke. you might be more comfortable though shaving the seat to give you a little more lee way touching the ground. also you will want to get the suspension set up on any bike you get becuase at 109 most suspension will be very stiff for you.
 

SINGLETRAC

Member
Oct 10, 2007
145
0
your size sounds about like my sister in law, she rides a ttr 125 and it fits her well. the only problem is getting it away from my neices !!
 

SpeedyManiac

Member
Aug 8, 2000
2,378
0
Start off on a Yamaha TTR125L or Honda CRF150F or a similar (125cc-150cc fourstroke) bike from Kawasaki or Suzuki.

A 125 two-stroke or 250F will probably be too much for you to begin with.
 

XMotoX

Member
Oct 23, 2006
135
0
Since you have never been on a bike before, I'd say go with either a small 150-230 four-stroke off road bike or a 2-stroke 85-100. So here is what I'd suggest specifically:

1. CRF230F or TTR230. Honda and Yamaha both make a mid size trail bike that are said to be great for beginners. They have good power for someone new to dirt bikes and you'd be able to touch both feet to the ground. Bad thing about them is they are heavy (you def. are not) so they'd be hard to pick up when you drop them. And their suspension isn't made for serious track riding. Small jumps or the forks will bottom out even with your weight.

2. CR/KX/RM/YZ 85. All of these are motocross minis that would be low enough for you to touch with both feet. They are quick, and they are ideal for riding track if that is what you are into. They are cheap to buy, own, and maintain. They can be a little hard to learn on for a total beginner because they accelerate quick compared to a four stroke trail bike.

3. KX100. I think this would be the perfect bike for you. It is the right height you are looking for and it is a full on track ready bike, but also is really good on trails because it has a lot smoother power than an 85. These can be found cheap and sounds like a great bike for you.

Look at these and tell me what you think.
 

XMotoX

Member
Oct 23, 2006
135
0
SpeedyManiac said:
A 125 two-stroke or 250F will probably be too much for you to begin with.
Yeah I forgot to say that in my post. I totally agree that a 125 would be a handful for a total beginner and might discourage you at first.
 

SpeedyManiac

Member
Aug 8, 2000
2,378
0
The 230s are VERY heavy (they weigh more than my race bikes) so I definitely wouldn't recommend going with one of those. XR200R, maybe. CRF230F? No way.
 

ShoujoKakumei

Member
Sep 14, 2007
27
0
I'm a bit shorter than you are (5'5"-ish), and I just bought my first bike, and I'm also a total beginner, so I know how you feel: :coocoo:

I ended up buying a KLX125 - I can touch the ground comfortably and the weight isn't too heavy for me to pick up from the ground by myself... It's a four-stroke trail bike, and I've been told maintaining four-strokes is harder than two-strokes, but I have some mechanically-inclined friends and a service manual. I'm on the heavy side, though, so the suspension isn't going to put up with me doing anything too crazy.

I also rode my friend's KX100 for a little while and actually really liked it as well (was considering buying that from her), but it was sort of small - not too bad, but I like the extra couple inches on the bike I ended up getting. The upsides were that it felt a little lighter and the suspension definitely felt better.

Look around and sit on a few different sizes of bikes before you decide for sure what you want. I'm pretty happy that I did.
 
Last edited:

XMotoX

Member
Oct 23, 2006
135
0
SpeedyManiac said:
The 230s are VERY heavy (they weigh more than my race bikes) so I definitely wouldn't recommend going with one of those. XR200R, maybe. CRF230F? No way.
The XR200 only weighs 15 lbs. lighter than a CRF230, so why would you even recommend that?

I still stand by the KX100. Sounds like the ideal bike for you.
 

SaharaRyder

Member
Oct 21, 2007
2
0
Okay, I've been looking up info on some of the bikes listed and the KX100 definitely seems the best for novices.
The Yamaha TT-R230 might be a bit more out of my price range.
 

elcamino12sec

Member
Jan 16, 2006
412
0
My ex girlfriend said the same thing but the two strokes were too fast. She had so much more fun riding when she got the crf150f. She could start it first kick and pick it up when she fell too. Its for sale now. The kx100 will be too much for you IMO.
 

TheGDog

Member
Sep 17, 2007
117
0
I'm sorry... but I cannot recommend a KX100 to a total beginner. Even though it seems like a waste of your money NOW.... go ahead and buy something like the TTR125L 1st... and then when you're good enough to actually feel bored or hampered by that bikes potential... then and only then will you be ready for somthing like a KX100.

I'm only saying this because the pipey quick-revving powerband you'd find on an actual full-blown MX bike will quickly get you into situations you are un-familiar with as far as what to do by instinct... and you'll potentially jack yourself up.

The tamer... more mellow power of these beginning 4-strokes gives you those few more milliseconds to react and take corrective action when your choice of line and rider input were incorrect for the situation at hand.

I know ya wanna run before ya can walk... but please trust me when I say this... if you work your way up thru the sizes of bikes, you'll be a much better rider in the end.

Not only a better rider of moto's... but you'll become a much much better car driver as well. Thousands of times bettdr able to handle it when a car breaks traction like in bad weather or slipping in some oil, etc.

You can't "see" this right now... but I promise you it's true.

And when you get to the other side, with all the experience under your belt... you'll be able to hop backwards on a slower bike and walk all over your then less experienced friends on faster bikes and give them FITS!!! (It's soo fun to do that!)
 

XMotoX

Member
Oct 23, 2006
135
0
Now that I really look at your answers to the form you filled out, I'd have to agree with TheGDog on this one and say go with something like a TTR125 or CRF150F. I see that you said you probably will not be racing, and you don't ride track exclusively, so a KX100 might be a handful of everyday putting around.

Learn on a tame four stroke mini and then later you'll be wanting more power. Then you should look at motocross minis and hit the track seriously.
 
Top Bottom