Quick questions from a new guy

well you cant go wrong with a honda...

In general, two strokes are considered lower maintenance because there are no valves to adjust. Personally, I find that repacking the silencer (gets all gooped up from the oily exhaust), occasional cleaning of the power valve (it also gets gummed up with exhaust oil) and fouling spark plugs pretty much evens the score.

If you are just starting off on a dirt bike I would not worry about "top end". I ride a YZ-125 and it is pretty rare that I hit my top speed. There is an occasional power line road that my buddies on their 250s just haul down and watch their dust fade into the distance as I hit 6th gear. They wait for me at the end, however, and once we hit the rough stuff I have no problem keeping up. There are a few hills that they climb and I fail but there are others that I climb and they fail.

Mixing the oil for a two stroke is the least of the hassles. I have a little plastic jar with a screw on lid that is marked on the sides for different oil ratios and gallons. The jar cost a few dollars but you can do the exact same thing by taking a jar out of the recycle bin, use water and your kitchen measuring cup to fill the jar and make marks on the side. I emphasize that the jar has a lit because when you are done you put the lid on, which keeps the oil from dripping out or dust from getting it.

You pull into the gas station, fill the jar to the mark, dump it into the can then put in exactly 5 gallons from the pump. If your can holds 6 gallons then you don't have to have the can completely empty. Or just make marks on the jar for 4, 3, 2, and 1 gallons. Very simple.

Two strokes respond differently than four strokes. I think its a lot of fun to get "on the pipe" and feel how powerful and responsive it is. On the other hand, when I am climbing a hill or turning a sharp corner and fall off the pipe at a time when I have suddenly gotten really busy I kind of wish I had a four stroke.

You indicated that you rode your friends YZF 450 so I assume that you know what it takes to kick that beast to life. I have decided that my next bike is going to be a WR450F, but it is going to have electric start.......

yeah, call me a wimp, but most of the cursing I hear on a ride is from someone who is unable to get their bike re-started....

Rod

The 2001 KTM 400 would be a great all around bike. It has electric start, but the KTM's start very easy even without it. If you going through the desert I think you would like it better then the CR 250. If you get the CR, just do some research on what mods you should do to make it more desert/trail ready. Like bigger tank, exhaust, gearing, etc.

The KTM MXC is geared and ready for the desert, so would require the least amount of prep.

gsxrk7 said:

Only reason he is selling it is because its to big of a bike for him, I believe he sayd he was like 5'5.

Now last time I checked I was 6ft (maby an inch under) and was curious if this would be to big of a bike for me?

I ride my buddies 06 yzf450, would that bike be comparible to the ktm in size?

Click to expand...

"Too big" could mean too much power, it could mean too heavy or it could mean that the seat is too high.

If you are six feet tall or there abouts then you don't have any worries about a bike being too big. I just looked at the KTM website for the specifications of their current model of 450 XC-g and it lists the seat height of 36.4 inches. That compares with a seat height of 38.8 inches for a Yamaha YZ-450F, so if anything it is shorter than what you have ridden before. The KTM weighs about 30 pounds more, but that is probably because the model on the website has electric start so a good chunk of that extra weight would be the battery. I am not familiar at all with KTMs to know anything about what differences a "MXC" vs a "XC-g" would be.



As for the sand: I hate riding a bike through the sand. I ride the California desert, out near Barstow. If I am following a buddy and he drops into a sand wash I will pop out and weave through the scrub brush instead of trying to ride the sand. My wife rides a quad and loves the sand washes so I will lead her down a wash and just bear with it.

It is a pain for me just to get moving in a sand wash, especially going up hill. I am sure it would do better if I let some air out of the tires but then I risk pinching a tube when I get out of the wash and ride the rocks. I suppose I might not hate the sand so much if I had a more powerful bike. I can't think of a better bike for that than a 450 four stroke.

Rod