Thinking of getting another bike

[buckwi1d]

Hey ladies-

I've been riding for a few years now - since my husband bought me a TTR125L for Xmas in 2002. :ride: Loved riding as soon as I hit the dirt but unfortunately in April had a little crash/helicopter ride/6-month recovery just as I was really getting into it. I got back on the bike as soon as I could, but it's taken me a while to get back up to speed. Well here I am back to enjoying riding, going up black diamond hills and racing around in 4th and 5th gears. But now that I am, my bike is starting to feel a little short and a little lacking in power.

I'm 27 and 5'5" 125 pounds, so I knew at some point I would outgrow my bike even though I have to say it was perfect to learn on (and fun to play on - reason I won't sell it). But now I'm looking to see what else is out there. I've ridden my husband's YZ 250F and while I loved the bike, it was way too tall and way too heavy for me to really have much fun. So now I'm looking into the KX100 since it's the perfect height, less weight than my current bike and well I'm partial to green. :nod:

And if you read all that here are my questions:

-How hard is the shift from 4-stroke to 2-stroke? (since I've never been on one)
-Do I need to be worried about looping it like some people say?
-Will it make trail riding less fun?
-Is this a good bike for me?

Thanks for any comments and advice!

 

[nikki]

As another female rider, 25, 5'5" and 140 lbs., I think the KX100 would be a great bike for you over the TTR125, if you've decided that a 125/250F szied bike is too tall/heavy for you. I've always been a big fan of the KX100 as it's a little taller than an 80 (extra 2" on the tires) and has a little more motor than an 80. The KX100 power is also pretty smooth and manageable for a 2-stroke. My dream bike would be a KX100 chassis with a 250F motor, especially for riding in the woods ;)

For your questions:

-How hard is the shift from 4-stroke to 2-stroke? (since I've never been on one) - if you can go from your TTR125 to your guy's 250F, you should have no problems adjusting to a KX100 as it's a smaller 2-stroke with a fairly smooth motor.

-Do I need to be worried about looping it like some people say? - again, if you don't "loop out" or ride crazy wheelies on the YZ 250F, you'll be fine on the KX100. You just have to be smooth with the clutch and throttle.

-Will it make trail riding less fun? - nope, with an extra tooth or two on the rear sprocket and maybe a heavier flywheel, the KX100 has proven to be an awesome trail bike.

-Is this a good bike for me? - Yes, my personal opinion is that you'll be happy and have fun with it.

:ride:

 

[buckwi1d]

Thanks!

Thanks for the information and opinions. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get a KX100 now especially since I can get a green sticker 2002 for so cheap.

My husband and I are putting in a patio in our backyard right now but as soon as that's done, I'm going to start looking. I'll let you know how it goes! :cool:

-Sarah

BTW I say this same thing to my husband! "My dream bike would be a KX100 chassis with a 250F motor."

 

[footergirl23]

Hey Buckwild,

First post here, but this seemed like a good place to start.

I've got a KX 100 myself. I started on a TTR 125L, got bored with it after about 3 months and got the KX. I'm 5'3" and weigh about 110. I'm a pretty aggressive trail rider and adapted to the KX very easily. It's a fun bike to ride, and mine is stock other than the FMF pipe/silencer, heavy duty clutch (which you would likely need), 428 O-ring chain (a must have), and pro taper bars.

I've been on the KX for a little over 2 years now, and to be honest, it's way too small and I'm a tiny bit smaller than you. The seat height is the main problem, or more the seat to peg height. I've found that particularly when I'm on a steep uphill section, I need to be sitting on the seat almost sitting on the gas tank. Well, that doesn't happen. I start out with my weight on the pegs, but my knees are so bent (think sportbike position) that my feet bounce off the pegs. The frame is so small, it's hard to stay in a proper riding position because I'm so cramped. This can be helped with tall seat foam, though.

But, the handlebars are too low, and tall seat foam would make it worse. I'm working on a set of custom bar risers right now, that hopefully will help, but I'm not so sure. I'm using high bend bars, but I still can't get in just the right position.

Also, the bike is unstable at higher speeds because of the small wheels and short wheelbase. It's very easy to lose the front on it. Ride an XR 50 at top speed for the same effect. You'll see what I mean.

Next, ground clearance. It's not great. Makes it difficult on log crossings, ruts, mud holes, whaever gnarly terrain you choose.

The bike makes great power up top, but I have to clutch it a LOT to get up the steep stuff (WV mountains), and I'm going through clutch plates more than I would like to. They're easy to replace, but it's just one more thing to do.

I'm moving on to a KTM 200 EXC very soon. You may want to check that out. The seat height is only about 2 inches higher and only weighs about 40 pounds more, I believe. Around the ballpark of the weight of your TTR. You can shave a lot of foam out of the seat to get it lower if you need to. And, you're not a new rider anymore, so getting both feet flat on the ground shouldn't be as much of a concern anymore.

I don't want to steer you away from the KX as it is a great bike, but be warned that I'm a little shorter than you are, and it's way too small for me. It felt fine for a few rides while I was adapting to the 2 stroke power, but once I got used to it, I think it's held me back more than put me ahead.

Just a few things for you to think about to make bike shopping more confusing for you! I know how frustrating it is to find just the right bike, and I've had 2 wrong ones so far. Hopefully the KTM 200 will be keeper.

Sorry to be so wordy, just thought you may benefit from my experiences in the field, and I've got lots more I can add.

Good luck!
Amanda

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Have you looked at the KDX200? Smooth power, seat height isn't bad (and there's dog bones to lower it pretty easy) and has plenty of aftermarket support. Coming off a four-stroke you'll feel right at home with the power delivery too.

 

[purp]

I have a new KDX 220. I love the bike. It was easy to lower and it's perfect for trail riding. I'm a little taller 5'8" but all I've done is drop the suspension a little to lower it. There are still lots of thing you could do to get it even lower. I switched from a XR 200. I didn't want to go to a 2 stroke but when I looked into the KDX I realized that it was the way to go. It's is also a lot cheaper than a bigger four stroke or your typical 2 stroke. You should check it out. Good Luck.

 

[bikepilot]

My sister and wife ride KX100s (which is why I visit this part of the forum). They are both about 5'5"-5'6". My sister has been riding a long time, while my wife is just learning. Both of them like the KX100 very much. My sister can handle a bigger bike, and has ridden my YZ125, KDX200 and Husky 250, yet she still likes her KX100 and is faster on it. She won the AMA D7 HS series and a few Budd's Creek MX races on it too:)

As for a KX100 being too small for someone 5'3"-5'6" I am really at a loss here. My sister and wife seem to fit on them perfectly. In fact I ride my wife's KX100 quite often because it is so much fun and I'm 5'10" 160lbs and don't have nearly the problems descirbed above. My wife's KX does have aftermarket clamps that position the bars about 10mm foward which makes it more comfortable for me. I think a lot of it has to do with what kind of riding you intend to do, if its a lot of open fire roads a larger bike may be more comfortable, however if its a lot of technical stuff, like east coast enduros and hare scrambles, then the lighter bike may be a big advantage - at least my sister says it is.

hope this helps

good luck

josh

 

[footergirl23]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm sure I've read other posts by people having the same problems I'm having. When I'm standing on the pegs, it's killer because I'm so bent over at the waist. The bars are just too low. And, like I said before, when sitting, I can't keep my feet on the pegs.

I'm riding it in some really tight, steep, rocky, technical trails and a lot of singletrack here in WV, and sometimes the short wheelbase is nice in the super tight stuff but most often, the bike is just too small. Sure the light weight is nice, but there are better bikes out there that weigh just a little more, and are beyond the "mini" class.

Just my opinion, worth what you pay for it.

AJ

 

[Amber Farris]

Hey Buckwild,

I just got rid of my KX100 and went to a KTM 200 MXC. I started riding on XR200 around 3 1/2 years ago. After about a year of riding I went to the KX. It was an adjustment, but it was so fun. I can relate to Footgirls issues with the KX bar being way too low and the bike being very unstable at higher speeds. I am 5'4" and about 125-130lbs and the KX did have some very good power, but yes you have to clutch the hell out of it on slippery hills and technical terrain.

If you do concider the 200 as a possiblty you can take mine for a test ride. I see you are in the bay area, and I am in Napa. Let me now. I know a lot about the KX and if you have any questions you can e-mail me at [email protected]. Good Luck.

 

[rmzaussiegirl]

hi , as a female rider who has been where you are it is a hard decision to make, which bike to get. I am 38 and about the same height and weight as you. I started riding 3 years ago also on a TTR125LW. I loved it and it was a great place to start. As my confidence and ability grew it quickly became apparent that my little yammie just couldn't do what I wanted.
My husband and I ride mainly MX now and the bike just didn't have the suspension. My next bike was a CRF230, which I also loved. . It was a great 2nd bike because it was only a little bit taller than the TTR but it had better suspension and more power. It greatly boosted my confidence as a rider and my ability. It is a slightly heavier bike as it is electric start and the battery adds to the weight, but as your confidence grows these things become irrelevent. My husband also liked riding my CRF on enduro tracks every now and then just for fun. He loved that it was so easy to throw around the tight stuff. I had my CRF for just on 12 months before I realised it was time to move on. I now ride an RMZ250. I love my suzuki and it is definitely the last bike. It is heaps lighter than my CRF was and has heaps of user friendly power.The suspension has been set up to suit me, the forks have been lowered slightly to make the front of the bike sit abit lower, as this suits my height. I was lucky when I made my bike choices as I had friends who would let me try their bikes before I bought one. If you can find riders with bikes that you might be interested in and they will let you, get your bum on the bike and have a go. The point to all my waffling on is that you might feel slightly intimidated by the larger bike (YZ250F) now but believe me it wont take long to get used to. If anyone had told me 3 years ago I would eventually be riding a full size motocross bike I would have laughed at them. Now there is no stopping me and my riding ability or lack there of cannot be blamed on the bike.

 

[bikepilot]

foot girl, both KX100s at my house have aftermarket bars and one has aftermarket clamps, both of which move the bars up and foward. Our riding is primarily tight woods (VA-WVA-MD-PA) and harescrambles races. My sister and I also do a bit of MX. Neither my sister or wife have found the KX100 to be too small, uncomfortable or unstable (we spent a month in UT doing dez stuff - my sister got comfortable blitzing whoops wot in 6th:)). In fact, my sister liked the KX100 so much that the second place girl in the HS series (my sis was first) tradded her KDX200 in for a KX100 and was imeadiatley much faster in the woods. I think the bottom line is that people of the same size can have very different preferences in bike size type etc....I'm just relaying what my sister and wife found to work well for them.

good luck:)

 

[buckwi1d]

WOW thanks everyone for all the opinions and recommendations. :cool: It really does help to read about your experiences.

I'll let you know what I decide when I come back with my new bike. :nod:

BTW Thanks so much Kenpogirl for your offer. One thing that is so hard about deciding on a new bike is that I don't have the opportunity to try them out. Reason being I mainly ride with guys who all ride bigger bikes. If I have the chance to come up your way, I'll shoot you an email.. :ride: :ride:

 

[Amber Farris]

No problem Buckwild. :cool: I don't want to discourge you from the KX100 because it is a great bike. You can put taller bars, change out the triple clamp for better adjustablilty and so forth. I really love my KX and it was loads of fun. The suspension is so much better than your TTR but still not as good as the big bikes. The best thing about this bike is it's manuverablity. It turns so easy and it's light. I did find the bike a bit unstable at higher speeds, compared to a full size bike. The smaller tires and lightness lets you really feel this. My KTM is much more stable, but I still get those tank slappers at high speeds so I put on a stablilizer which took care of that problem and I am sure would have helped with the KX. You will find the KX has great power and once you get used to riding in the powerband, it will pull you up just about anything. The difference is that a bigger bore will give you more room for errors and won't require as much clutching. I went through 3 clutches in the last year. I was just burning them up on long technical rides and that the main reason I went to the KTM, and for a bit more stability. I found for the trails an aftermarket pipe, flywheel weight and large gas tank, and larger back sprocket really helped. I also swithed to an adjustable ARC clutch lever because the reach on the stock was too big. The ARC and ASV are the only adjustable ones that fit the stock perch. So, I did have spend more money to make the bike fell comfortable and perform better on the trails. All that being said...I do like my KTM better than the KX. I like the fully adjustable susension, the hydralic clutch is great, and it just has a lot more low end power. It's nice have more low end for the slippery loose hilI climbs. I know that a TTR would be a huge jump to the 200, so maybe the 100 might be a better step. The fun factor is high on both bikes. If you have a chance, test ride a 100 too and see what feels better. The main reason I didn't go to a full size bike is because I thought I couldn't handle it. I was wrong. One thing great about the 100 is that it will really teach you how to tackle things aggressively and if you grow out of it but like the power, the 200 would be a great step.

 

[Magellan]

OK, I'm not a girl, but have been looking for bikes for my wife.
Shes' about 5'6" and was riding a TTR225 that was way (or should I say weigh) to heavy. She learned to ride on it, and ended up riding the snot out of it. We sold it when our son was born as we figured she wouldn't have much time to ride it. e took turns using my bike (TTR250 at the time) when we went camping.

I recently came across a demo KDX at our local shop that they had cut the seat foam on to make it safer for people to ride on the field next to the shop. I thought it would be perfect for her. We haven't decided on it yet, but you keep in mind that you can make a bigger bike fit you by cutting the seat, putting a lowering link on it, and/or moving the forks up in the clamps a little.

Mag.

 

[ledkat]

It makes me feel so much better to hear that lots of women go through the same thing that I am. I am now on my second bike. My first bike was a TTR250. I loved the bike, but I HATED that I always had to have help picking it up. Plus, I was a bit intimidated by it's height for a first bike. So I sold it for a CRF150. I liked that I could touch the ground so easily and it was light, but there were still times with the riding boots (no traction!) on that I would have to get help picking it up. Plus I sometimes need help starting it if it's flooded or just being a tempermental little bike (I sure miss that magic button on the TTR!). Plus the first time I saw a picture of myself on the CRF I almost cried. At 5'9" I looked like I was on a little kids toy (not the cool motocross girl I was starting to feel like :rotfl: ) Now I am looking for my third bike, although I AM going to keep the CRF for fun, I know I would miss having it if I sold it. Besides, what is wrong with a gal having two (or more!) bikes? For bike #3 I am considering a CRF250X (Electric start, HURRAY!!! :) ) and just sucking it up that I will probably have to have some help picking it up sometimes. You guys are helping give me the confidence that it won't take me too long to adjust to the height, weight, and power. It is so nice to have a place for us girls to talk about all of our motorcycle stuff. I wish I had found this site years ago. Thanks everyone!!!

 

[ChopperDave]

ledkat-

Get the 250X. My wife loves mine so much she is ecouraging me to get a 450X so she can have my 250X! :cool:

Ofcourse we will have to lower it for her. She is 5' 7" and about 125 lbs. She boasts, as do I, that the 250X is so easy and fun to ride that you will rarely have to pick it up.

(in fact the only time she has dropped it so far was when she got off it and forgot to put the kickstand down...LOL)

 

[WoodsChick]

Please foprgive me for straying from the original subject here, but for those of you dreaming about a 250F motor in a KX100 frame, you might want to check out Service Honda's latest offering, the CRF250 Junior. (I personally would have called it the CRF250Xpert, but they neglected to consult with me for some reason...)

They are putting a Honda CRF250X motor in a Honda CR85R
Expert frame. The Expert has 2" bigger wheels, longer swingarm and beefier suspension (on rear only, I think) than the regular CR85, so I would assume it would feel quite similar to the KX100. The electric start feature stays intact,
although the last time I spoke with them they were still working on a more usable fuel tank set-up.

If you should decide to go this route, be prepared to shell out some serious money...$8999. Still cheaper than a BBR creation, and you get all quality Honda components, but still a rather hefty chunk of change.

Just for the record, I'm 5'1", and I ride a lowered CR125, a lowered WR250F (both professionally lowered via suspension and revalved for me, no shaved seats or forks moved in triple clamps) and a highly modified GasGas Pampera 280.

Buckwi1d, if you go for the KX100, and then you decide you don't like it, I'm sure you'd be able to sell it fairly easily, as they retain their re-sale value pretty well.

WoodsChick

 

[srellis]

I will probably have to have some help picking it up sometimes.

I have a 250X and love it. Yes, it is heavy. I did put one of these on my bike and that helped with picking it up.

Tugger Strap

 

[vanbrooky]

Bikes for Gals

Look, I am 5'2" and I am not short for a girl in her 40's - I am average.

My Mom wouldn't even let me have a push bike, so 4 years ago I learned to ride a push bike - whoops, I learned to ride the motor bike 2 months before that.

My partner is 6'4" (pity he wont' share more parts) and I climb into my DRZ250. Mon-Fri ride the 600 to and from work and the occasional weekend challenging the speed limit and the men in Blue (cops).

But, I ride a Triumph TT600 which is an awesome girls bike but can anyone tell me about an awesome girls bike for the dirt.

I am exhausted with the DRZ, picking it up, turning around after the boys have stopped for their "smoke" stop, tight stuff etc.

I try so hard and love riding in the dirt but with the weight and height (don't mention age) I am just not getting fast enough fast enough. I ride in Sydney Australia and am 14 out of 15 rides the only girl.

I am tossing up between the Pampera and the Gas Gas EC200.

So, the point of all this is that I have been riding on and off between broken ankle and fractured leg and torn tendons (good boots are a good investment) for about 4 years and have noticed that the trail/non competitive enduro riders are all mostly between 35 and 60 yo.

We, ride in east coast Australia. The really interesting thing I have talked to the guys about is that lots of them wish their wives/partners could ride with them, but cannot find a bike they can get their leg over etc etc.

So, can anyone suggest anything, or do we all get together and start letting the manufacturers know that we are here?

What do you think?

Sandy

 

[johnjohnhere]

womens bike s

The bike you have can be altered to be more friendly for you.... I have a Honda CRF 450 X I'm 5'7" 28 " inseam on a bike that normally has a 38" stock seat height. I installed the KoubaLink to my suspension and change the spring preload. the like lowered it 1.75 inches and I set the sag at 3.9 inches so in all it sits 5.65inches lower now !! Wow what a differance. My 5' 3" daughter will ride it from time to time now. So Check into that link, its available for that gasgas you mentioned