What Bike Do I Get...?

[White_Wolf]

What kind of bike should I get my son?

1) your physical size? 5'4-5'5 Probaly 140 Pounds
2) How physical / aggressive are you ? He can be very aggressive once he gets use to it.
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ????? Woods fields and with friends mainly. He might race in a couple years though
4) Do you have any riding experience? Maybe A Little
5) Do you think you will race ? I think he will in couple of years
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? No but sure he would love to learn
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? The one that is easiest.
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? Yamaha N Honda
We have a shop called 2 boyz cycle. They sell dirtbikes, gear, and they fix them
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike? 1k-1250
10) Do you live in California? No
11) Your age? 16 in march.

I know he wants a powerful bike. I would like it to be easy to take care of and easy to ride. Something he can ride alot on trails and in woods. He said something like a CRF125 or
something like that.

I would like to know the model year and size.
Any other information that is important.

Why does is ask if I live in CA, I don't but just wondering?

 

[Douglas777]

A Honda CR125, Kawasaki KX125, Yamaha YZ125, or Suzuki RM125. (buy the brand your local dealer carries)

Any of these are a good choice. In your price range you will find a late 90's model bike in good shape. Feel free to check for online ads and post the link in here. We will give them a glance.

 

[White_Wolf]

Ok nice to know

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

Why does is ask if I live in CA, I don't but just wondering?

California has restrictions on off road vehicles, more so than any other state.

Like many states all off road vehicles need to be registered with the department of motor vehicles (DMV). They get a special off road sticker that is ether "green" or "red".

Most of the state controlled riding areas restrict the riding season to the winter months for vehicles that have red stickers while a green sticker bike can ride all year.

A vehicle will get green or red stickers based on if they meet the EPA requirements or not. Bikes that were manufactured prior to 2003 (2002 and older) are grandfathered into green stickers. Starting in 2003, no two strokes can have a green sticker and many of the "MX" style four stroke bikes do not qualify.

The restriction on the riding area will obviously have a major impact on the selection of a bike if you intended to ride on public lands. Most of the MX tracks used in competition are private and off road registration is not required.


As for your son's needs:

Dirt bikes come in two basic flavors: "MX" and "Off Road".

The Off Road bikes are meant for more casual riding on established trails. Great bikes for beginners and people that are not riding aggressively. They will typically have a lower seat height to accommodate shorter people. Electric start is common as are headlights and taillights. (allows night rides)

The MX bikes are built for race. They will have high performance engines, which means that they can be a lot harder to start, require premium gasoline and are much more critical on regular maintenance (including frequent engine overhauls). The MX bikes cost a lot more than the off road versions.

If he intends to race he will want a MX bike. If racing is a few years off then he might be better off starting on a smaller bike and then upgrading in a year or two.

For a MX bike a Yamaha YZ125 (two stroke) or a YZ250F (four stroke) would be good bikes. The two strokes are easier to maintain but they are also a bit harder to learn to ride. To get into your price range you would need to go at least 10 years old.

If you would prefer to start with a cheaper off road model then a Yamaha ttr-225 would be a good choice. Since it was a cheaper bike to start with you should be able to get one in your price range that isn't more than 5 or 6 years old.

Rod

 

[muddy13]

well seeing as hes not all that tall so he wont be on a 250, he'd probly kill himself on that. id say any 4 stroke 125cc. they can take a beating and are great beginneer bikes, that should tie him off till hes skilled enough for a 2 stroke or just a bigger bike in general.

i would say he'd probly only hurt himself on a 2 stroke 125 for a beginneer bike, plus i doubt ud find a working one for ur price, maybe a 80-90cc 2 stroke thou but its not a full sized bike but has a bit more power then a 4 stroke 125.

id say 125 4 stroke or a 80-90cc 2 stroke, either way u might have to go used cause of ur price. goodluck and either machine u choose for him he'll love and learn alot, i know i have and man i never thought mud could be so fun to get covered in.

 

[muddy13]

btw i em also looking into buying a 250 four stroke , and trust me im 5"11 and weigh 150 and can barly touch the floor on the bike, it would be way to big for him

 

[flyingfuzzball]

your not 5'11 then cuz im 5'9 and can touch fine.

i would agree w/ the 125 2 stroke not the 4 stroke. the 4 stroke are good beginner bikes but if hes gonna race in a couple years then you would need to get a new bike. also he would get bored on the power of the 124 4t

so yea 125 2 stroke. only down side w/ it is that they arent the best in the woods though CAN be amazing woods bikes w/ a couple of easy mods.

 

[muddy13]

ahh i em 5"11 and only one of my feet fully touch on the 250, the other one half touchs.

and i dont understand why everyone says 125 4 strokes are boring. his son might be racing in a few years, so he could always sell his 4 stroke and get a 2 stroke when the time comes. if your son will be trail riding and racing with his buddys (nothing big just like alittle straight away) a 4 stroke is fine for that and a great learner bike. but if u son wants to go into racing right away then a 125 2 stroke but ull have to buy a fix her up, goodluck with everything thou

 

[flyingfuzzball]

try riding an MX bike. your 125 will be boring trust me.

 

[muddy13]

im scared too, cause then ill be like everyone else here saying 125 4t are slow and ill be stuck with mine to the end of summer when i get my new 250 haha.

 

[kenny305]

Lol I think a ttr125 would be a good choice. For your price range you can find a 00-03 model. His height fits the bike perfect, and when hes ready to grow out of it he will be experienced.

I rode a ttr125 since I was 5'5 and now am 5'10 and getting a 250 4 stroke.

 

[MoNSterB03]

try riding an MX bike. your 125 will be boring trust me.

Agreed. my buddy has a ttr 125L he just got about 4 mo. ago. he never rode before and outgrew it. i have a crf 230f, and i am just completely bored w/ the bike, after about 3 mo. of owning it. i am also pretty aggressive, but my buddy isnt, and he is going to get a 125, or 250F next season. I just rode a yz 250F. yesterday, and man i was grinning all day, but now im just sad with my bike. so man i suggest getting something you can grow into, rather than grow out of. and the little bikes you WILL grow out of rather quickly. so i def. say a 125 or 250F. i already know that the 250F is the next choice for me. btw the persons 250 i rode was a girls, and she was about 5, 5. 135. im 6ft. 145, and i can touch fine.