Short adult looking for a first dirt bike

[Bearson]

I seem to have reached the limit of my street bike's dirt road abilities and I need something more purpose built. I've always wanted a dirt bike, but I worry I'm too short to manage most of them. Looking for a learning tool. Something light. Not super high stakes, but challenging enough to teach me things. I'm intrigued by the japanese 80cc 2 strokes, but I'm open to whatever.

1) your physical size (5' / 130lbs)
2) How physical / aggressive are you (kinda)
3) what do you plan to ride- (jeep trails and motocross courses)
4) Do you have any riding experience (I like hustling my street bike up jeep trails)
5) Do you think you will race (nothing serious, but I'd like to have the option)
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work (yes)
7) Do YOU have a preference to a brand/ motor choice (I'd prefer a 2 stroke. I'm inclined towards Japanese brands purely because I perceive them as having cheeper to replace parts than European brands, but I could be convinced otherwise.)
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? (Dealers for the big 4, KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas within a few miles of my home.)
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike (max 2500 for a used, aesthetically imperfect bike with some minor mechanic issues)
10) Your age (25)
11) Do you live in California (no)

 

[truespode]

I've seen some short people ride CR500's but I don't recommend it for a first bike :)

You can get the suspension shortened on almost any bike if you have the extra cash but the best bang for your buck would be a 80cc Yamaha YZ or Honda CR. The KX 100 is good too.

For four strokes the CRF150 is a great bike.

All can withstand abuse at your size and weight and fun to jump. Once you increase your ability, confidence and budget you can look into bigger bikes and shorten the suspension if you need to.

 

[MrMXer327]

I find the Beta Xtrainer a very good overall bike for people with a small frame and are looking for something that can be plated and get you from one trail head to the next. It's weak on an MX track and would need a different shock and fork kit upgrade and AMP has the fix for that. The bike is a Carbureted 300cc two stroke and very tame out of the box. It is designed to be 85% the sized of a full size bike I believe. There are three folks running them in our circle and love them for what they are using them for.