The bike for me

[Milk And Bread]

I am 14 and most of my friends ride. I am going to start riding too. My first time actually riding on a trail, instead of in my friend's court, will be this monday so I am pretty new. I dirt jump mountain bikes so I am really confident and stable on two wheels.
Here:
1) your physical size (both height and weight are important): 125ish lbs. 5'8"
2) How physical / aggressive are you ? Very
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ????? trails and hills.
4) Do you have any riding experience? Not dirt bikes really. Dirt jumping bicycles though.
5) Do you think you will race ? Porobably not
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? Yes and I have friends to help.
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? Thinking 2 but depends on if it is green or red sticker in CA because my friend said that more 4s are green.
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? I'm getting used on craigslist/ classfields
9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike?0-2500ish give or take
10) anything else that you think would help form an opinion
I would like something that is very reliable and is pretty easy to work on.

If someone would like to fill me in a little bit on this whole green/red sticker thing and what is the deal with if you want to ride in CA but buy a bike that was originally used in some other state that dosen't have sticker qualifications and how would I go about getting it qualified?

Thanks.

 

[pyrofreak]

A two stroke 125 sounds about right. I believe that any two stroke 2003 or older is green sticker??? I'm not positive, but you can find one in your price range, in decent shape, and still have enough left over for any extra parts/safety equipment you might need.

 

[Milk And Bread]

What is the deal with the green/red sticker thing anyway? Is there any site about it?

 

[pyrofreak]

I'm not sure, I'm on the other side of the country here. I know it has somthing to do with emissions and you can only ride certian times of the year with a red sticker bike. The older two-strokes still count as green sticker though. Try looking up California Department Of Conservation, or what ever you may call it. There should be some good info there.

 

[pyrofreak]

California Air Resources Board (ARB) established regulations to limit the use of Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) that do not meet emission standards applicable for California OHV riding areas. After the regulations were established, ARB and DMV worked together to develop criteria for identifying non-complying OHVs. OHVs are registered by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). A red or green sticker is issued depending upon certain criteria.

Green stickers are issued for all California OHVs year model 2002 and older, including those that were previously issued a red sticker, and to 2003 and newer complying vehicles. Green stickers are issued to OHVs for year round use at all California OHV riding areas.

Red stickers are issued to 2003 year model and newer OHVs that are not certified to California OHV emission standards. If your OHV has a "3" or "C" in the eighth position of the vehicle identification number (VIN) then your vehicle will be issued a red sticker. Red stickers are issued to OHVs that can use California OHV riding areas for seasonal use only.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/ohvredgreen.htm

Alot of additional information is available on that website, including red sticker bike riding places and seasons.

BTW I just searched Yahoo! for "CA Green Sticker"

 

[Milk And Bread]

Thanks for the info. Anyone want to point me in a direction of which 125 2 stroke to get?

 

[pyrofreak]

Since no one else is answering, just find one that is in good shape, for a good price. If you are going to be buying used there isn't that much of a difference in them really, jsut pick a color, and ride!

 

[kawicam250]

shoot for either a KX125 or YZ125. i have found both of these to be very good bikes in their way. a KX will be much cheaper, though.

 

[RocketRaccoon]

You cant go wrong with any of the big 5 brands. Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM and Kawasaki. They are all great and you will be happy with any of them. :cool:

 

[Milk And Bread]

If I was to get a 4t bike, what would I want to look for as used bikes go? Also what years are green stickers for those?