Taking the Plunge...

[blanc]

Yeah seariously dude, you will be thuroughly impressed with either bike.Both are great fun and easy to ride and cheap to race.Either will do, as a beginner id doubt youd notice the difference anyway! Best of luck.....go out and buy....NOW!

 

[Feanor]

You're over 40 dammit, you've waited long enough. Get moving or someone will talk you out of it.

LoL! My birthday is in the beginning of September so I think I'm close enough Karma-wise to grab that KDX-220 at the dealer I went too... Even if I wait till spetember and the bike gets sold, they were pretty certain of the fact that they could get any bike within a day or two, so I'm not worrying about them running out :)

Just to hedge my bets in case anyone might try to talk me out of the deal, I just came back this afternoon from Cycle-Gear after getting O'Neal Hardwear Jersey, Pants and gloves. O'Neal 694 helmet, goggles, Alpinestar Tech 8 boots and an O'Neal defender chest protector, elbow guards and knee guards... I was going to get the sixsixone neck isolation pad thing but it felt pretty uncomfortable and I'm assuming that it would make things very hot in warm weather... My brother exclaimed "Geez! you're not free-styling! you're just going to be putting around and you look like Travis Pastrana! (who the heck is that? :) )

My buddies at work and my brother (and many at this forum :) ) advised not skimping on at least the helmet and boots and so I didn't and holy cow! the boots and helmet cost almost as much as my brother bought his used Honda 250 for! But the boots are very very comfy compared to all the others I tried on and the helmet is very light! I'm told its carbon fiber and kevlar as opposed to Fiberglass... Plus it just looks very snappy! LoL!

At least after I dump on the ground I'll look good rolling around in the dirt and mud :)

I put all the stuff on just a while ago and I swear I felt like I was ready to rumble! hahaha!

New bike report coming up soon!

Have a good one all!

Feanor

 

[KDXFreestyle]

make sure you spend at least 200$ in boots!!! i see so many people making th emistake of buy cheap 100$ boots that give no ankle support at all. I personally reccomend AlipneStar Tech 6's or even tech 8's. They seem to be sturdier than the garne's. Dwhatever you do, don't buy Oneal Element boots for like 100$. bad choice. Good luck and have fun!

:yeehaw: :nener:

 

[Feanor]

make sure you spend at least 200$ in boots!!! i see so many people making th emistake of buy cheap 100$ boots that give no ankle support at all. I personally reccomend AlipneStar Tech 6's or even tech 8's. They seem to be sturdier than the garne's. Dwhatever you do, don't buy Oneal Element boots for like 100$. bad choice. Good luck and have fun!

:yeehaw: :nener:

I actually bought the Alpinestar Tech 8's :) and they are very comfy and though the ankle support seems extremely good, you can still walk around in them :) The ankle area seems to articulated a little in the normal angles that an ankle bends and is supportive and rigid in the ways that it doesn't (side loads and leaning sideways loads...

When I tried on the O'neal boots and several others, it felt like my foot and lower leg were in a steel pipe! I guess the less expensive boots just go for the easier to engineer rigidity all around, where as the Alpinestars seem to have went the extra mile to make the boots offer great protection while still allowing freedom of normal movement... (You pay for it in money though :) )

I like'em!

Have a good one!

Feanor

 

[skipro3]

We're excited for ya Feanor. Not much can make a 40 year old man feel like a kid again like a dirt bike.

 

[JasonWho]

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[Feanor]

I don't even know what Helmet I have LoL!

Thanks all for the great replies! and Thanks Skipro and Jason :)

My next door neighbor wanted to see the riding gear and when he saw the helmet he said "Whoa! 904, nice helmet!" and I had to look at it because I could have sworn the number I remembered was "694" I must have been thinking about the other helmet I was looking at haha!

One thing about the helmet is that it feels almost a bit "too snug" in the lower cheek/upperjaw region... Its not bad at all and I think it would maybe only bother me after wearing it for a few hours, but the sales woman told me that the pads in the side of the face break down a bit with use and if it seems right on the border of too snug, that it will be fine after a few rides... She was more concerned about how it fit around the circumference and the top of my noggin :) and it feels great there...

I'm walking around in the boots this evening and my wife is saying I'm making too much noise LoL! (hardwood floors)

I wonder how long it will take to learn to shift well with these things on?

Have a great night all!

Feanor

 

[rethnal]

Hey Feanor!
The process I use to break boots in is to loosen the ankle binder one notch and ride a couple of times, this allows for free movement and stretches the leather ever so slightly without having to muscle it with all your might. Then I tighten it back up and am able to shift without too much problem. This method has helped several of my friends in breaking in their boots and I hope this helps you also....
You are going to love riding that KDX!

 

[motorider200]

Here is a good reading on 200 vs 220

http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcdirt/trailrider/1kdx200.html