Steer me in the right direction?

[holly123212]

Hello,
Wow, lots of good info here. Im new to MX. Never ridden. Want to buy my first bike. There is a lot to choose from and I dont have any friends that ride to ask advice. Suggestions appreciated so I can narrow down what I should be looking at. Here's a little about me...

5'7" 120lbs female.
Im moderately aggressive, want to go fast and get a little crazy, but remain in control.
Will ride wide open dry/weedy fields at my home- no woods, not wet- will also occasionally ride MX tracks- there is one called Blue Diamond park here that looks cool- lots of hills and jumps.
I have no experience riding or working on bikes- Im mechanically inclined tho.
Would like to keep it under $1500. Been looking online at auction sites and there are a couple of dealers here- Honda Powersports close by.
Wondering how i move the bike around. Small trailer to tow? Or do they make something that attaches to the back of an SUV? Its just me, im strong- but realistic, and I need to be able to lift bike easily to get back up when I go down.
I dont want to get a dumbed-down slow bike cause Im a girl.
That said- thanks for any help!

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Since you've never ridden, I'm leary to suggest a motocross bike, as they make very peaky power that comes on suddenly. I would see if you can find a Honda XR100R used for cheap, learn to ride on it for a couple months then get a KX100.

 

[biglou]

I think an XR100 would be too small at 5-7. Maybe a CRF150 or 230?

 

[holly123212]

Yeah.. I saw an article on starter playbikes, from what I was reading, the CRF230F or 150 might be a good pick. Are these bikes a lot heavier than other similar bikes? Im ok with getting a starter bike to learn on, but havent seen any for much less than $1100. I did find a guy locally that gives lessons at the MX track park here and a local shop that's supposed to be great with advice for beginners. So, I have some leads for more advice. I appreciate your help here.

 

[tyesai]

You could probably learn on a 125 MX 2 stroke. One of the ladies I work with is dating one of the guys I ride with and she had no experience riding and occasionally she comes out and rides his 125 without problem yet. Another one of my friends lets his girlfriend ride his KX 250 and she gets around just fine on it, she had never rode a dirt bike either, and after the second time out she could kick that KX over first time. I believe they are a little smaller than you, I know they aren't as tall. You have to be careful on the 125 because it wouldn't be as forgiving as the others, but then again you would have to be careful on the other "playbikes" too. If you took out the part about being female I bet most would say a 125. The only reason I say 125 MX is that you said you want to do some track time and you have found someone to work with you, it will also be lighter and fairly cheap. You can also get travel carrier for around a 150 bucks. Here is some links to some pics. I like mine, I don't have to store a trailer because it hangs up on the wall and after a few times of loading it up I don't need any help. To unload I just lift the bike off, although I didn't spend the extra money for the ramp that attaches, I guess if I had that I would just roll it off.

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/searc...A+137&userString=bike carriers&sr=true&page=1

http://www.motorcycleramps.com/moto...riers&OVKEY=motorcycle carrier&OVMTC=standard

http://www.bike-racks-plus.com/cowb...riers&OVKEY=motorcycle carrier&OVMTC=standard
The last link has one that tilts, that would make it easier, they even have ones that you kind of jack up. Mine was like 130 bucks but it has no ramp or anything. I figured I could find a 2x4 for free and the ramp for mine was an extra 40 or 50 bucks. Good luck! :) Oh yeah, remember that you are getting FREE advice from a stranger. :ohmy: :ohmy:

 

[holly123212]

Wow, thanks...the links to the racks are great! I think that's exactly what id get...I have a tow package/hitch to hook up to and honestly, I didnt really want a trailer. It looks easy to roll on and off and doesnt leave me needing help all of the time.
I appreciate the bike advice and vote of confidence...I'd rather not get something that i will "outgrow" in a couple of weeks. Having a few models in mind will help and when I visit the Honda dealer I can get a feel for their size/weight etc.
....BTW better to get free advice from a stranger than from some fool you know.
Thanks so much for the help!

 

[tyesai]

The racks are nice, like I said I love mine, it did take some practice to get it were I could load and unload it by myself though. Do a search for bike carriers and see what you come up with. It isn't as easy as easy to use as a trailer though, I only say that because it my friends can have 3 bikes loaded in the time it takes me to do mine by myself. But I have already mentioned the advantages ie; storage. I know there will be people that disagree with me on the bike, but the things do have throttles, you may foul some plugs, but................................??????????????????

 

[biglou]

Also check out the Women's Forum here. There are a couple good threads about bikes for the ladies. :cool:

 

[medicchick]

I'm 40 years old - 5' 7" 125 lbs. Used to ride back in my 20's - started again last year. Started back with a Honda XR100. Great bike - weighs only 165 lbs but is starting to feel too small height wise for me. I was suprised when I first got on the bike how far 4 strokes have come in 20 years - brought the front end when I first took off. It's a great bike for trails and just going fast through a field or down a dirt road (although it feels as if it needs another geer when you top it out). Have a dirt track nearby - learned the hard way - suspension not made for jumping - Ouch! Ride with friends from work who have quads and just got my husband into riding (he now has a YZ250). The XR 100 doesn't seem to have any mods. that can be made to it as far as raising the height and suspension so i'm looking into either a 150 4stroke or an 85 2 stroke - Not sure I'm ready for a 2 stroke yet - rode my hubbys 250 and didn't like it - probably because it was WAY to big for me and when the powerband hits - hold on!
If anyone has any suggestions for me - i'd appreciate them. As far as the hauling of your bike - my dad has a rack for the back of his vehicle that is awesome - check out Gander Mountain for that one.
Hope this helps!

 

[robwbright]

I'm 5'4", 140 male. I ride a 125, but it is a bit on the tall side - I only get one foot down. I would not have been comfortable doing it if I was a new rider, but I rode for 10+ years when I was a kid.

The TTR255 or CRF230 would be the ideal starter bike for you IMHO. However, those are not really suitable for an MX track. Thus, the 125 2 stroke MX bike would be the logical choice given your $$ limitations and size/weight.

It will take you a little while to get used to using the clutch and keeping it "on the pipe" but I would think you would get the idea within a couple rides.

If the 125 MX'ers seem to tall, you can cut the seat foam and gain an inch or so. You can also cut the rear subframe (that the seat mounts on) and gain 1/2 inch to an inch that way.

When properly set up, the bike should sag under your weight (amount = 4 inches sag with you on it as compared to when it is sitting on a crate with the rear wheel off the ground) - thus, when ideally set up, it should sit maybe 2 inches lower than when its parked with no one on it.

So . . . you can gain almost 2 inches with minor mods to the seat and subframe, and it should sit maybe 2 inches lower when you sit on it than when you're not.

I bought a 2002 RM 125 last year for $1500. That was a really good deal, but I would think you could find something year 2000 or 2001 for that price pretty easily.