First dirt bike | GTAMotorcycle.com

First dirt bike

L

lolroads

Well-known member
Hey, looking for a little help with purchasing my first dirt bike. I know I want to do woods riding and maybe try a motocross track one day but mostly looking for woods type of bike. I also know I want a 2 stroke my questions are can I get a rm250/yz250 would those be suitable for what I’m looking for or not? You can get them for around $2500/$3000. But my budget would be $5k if those are not good.

Any my advice would be good

thanks!
 
Full on motocross bikes are designed to go very, very, fast. There are not too many places in the woods where you can go very, very, fast, unless you are a very, very good rider. That being said I started on enduro type motorcycles from the 1970's then quickly moved on to 1970's motocross bikes and got very, very, good at it, but even with tons of area to ride in I discovered that motocross bikes eat up distances very, very, fast. They also eat up parts very, very, fast. Then as I got older I discovered Trials bikes, which go very, very slow and if you are good can go very, very, fast through the woods, or you can spend hours in a fairly small space having tons of fun going over very, very big rocks and logs and up and down crazy big hills. Knowing what I know now I would highly recommend you try out a Trials bike unless you have a motocross track in your back yard and love to go very, very fast :D
 
I'll second the trials route.There are two organizations in Ontario.The ATA http://www.ataont.ca/ that exposes you to CMA competition.Or the SOVT http://www.sovt.website/index.html which is a bit more relaxed and vintage oriented.All bikes are welcome.Entry fee is usually $5 with an annual membership to the CVMG.Drop by the SOVT booth at the Supershow.
 
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Have a look at the KTM 200XCW if you want something fairly new, or the Kawasaki KDX220 if you want something a bit older and cheaper. The YZ250X is another newer option, but is based directly on the YZ250 motocrosser and might be a bit of a handful for your first forays into the woods
 
Ash he won't find a yz250x anywhere close to 5k, the least he would spend is 7k if he finds one. And to be honest, I own a YZX and a regular YZ, if he purchases a decent shape YZ250 for about 3500, put on a skid, plate, radguards, a stand and softens his suspension he will be pretty close to the X with the exception of the gearing ratio and the 18 inch wheel instead of the 19.

OP, Trials and Wingboy are most likely right, starting on a trials bike will get you up the learning curve a lot faster than a motocross bike, however if you don't wanna go that route, I would definitely recommend a YZ, parts are really cheap and since the bike and engine has been fairly the same since 2002 (or even 1999) there are plenty of them out there. You can go really slow on a yz250.... you just have to follow me and I'll prove it lol.

You also have the option to learn on something smaller like a 220/230, those bikes are great and on the cheap end for woods riding and once you learn how to ride on them and know what you don't know now, you will be in a better position to choose your long term bike/Style.
 
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Some more things to be aware of, the MX bikes such as that KTM200 are really, really nice bikes, but they do weigh in at about 60 pounds more then your average modern Trials bike (220 pounds plus fuel vs 160 pounds wet) and have a seat height of almost 38" whereas the trials bike saddle (or lack of therein) is about 26 inches off the ground. Most of your riding through the woods on an MX motorcycle will be in first gear and possibly second if you are riding a smaller displacement version and the power delivery can be extremely abrupt but not happen until high in the rev range, whereas the Trials bike will exhibit a very broad power range with gearing that will have you using mostly second and third gears. Both types of bikes thrive on being airborne while traversing obstacles, but the trials bike will turn a much tighter turn with very little effort, whereas the MX bike can be a serious handful to make it quickly change directions at lower speeds. Trials bikes also have a bash plate that is great for sumping out on the top of rocks or logs whereas the MX bike needs to be airborne while traveling over those things or your exhaust system will be trashed. Both when ridden in the woods will give you a serious physical workout, but most of your workout on the MX bike will be while sitting, the reason Trials bikes have no saddle, is because your legs make excellent long travel shock absorbers.

Hope this helps some and best luck with your riding adventures :)
 
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umm a few discrepancies.

90% of the riding I do on my mx bike is standing
Most of the time I am in second gear through the slow sessions.

Everything else I can't comment on since I haven't ridden a trials bike.
 
ZX600 said:
umm a few discrepancies.

90% of the riding I do on my mx bike is standing
Most of the time I am in second gear through the slow sessions.

Everything else I can't comment on since I haven't ridden a trials bike.
Click to expand...

You must have really long legs :D you would make a good trials rider you should check it out!

3rd. gear ->
IMG_4286.jpg
 
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Starting out on a 125 two stroke might be good also,they are narrower than a 250 and a little lighter.I know a yz 250 can be a handful for a beginner,I did see a couple of KTM 200s that are within your budget lately and KTMs can be altered a little to tame them down with their powervalve and map switch.
 
FYI, the KDX 220 is definitely not an MX bike, it's the classic archetype of a woods bike. It is one of the class of bikes that slots in between the 4stroke playbikes (like the CRF230, TTR, etc) and the MX bikes, and as such it makes a good choice for a regular sized adult starting out with woods riding. The power is really friendly for an adult beginner, but the bike is still more capable than I am, even after 4 or 5 seasons on it. The KTM 200xcw is similar, but with more of everything - power, suspension, & cost.

On the KDX I'm standing about 95% of the time, but that is related to body control, not seat height. Someone shorter than 5'6" might have trouble getting on, though.
 
I have a lot of on road experience and have done trail tours a few times on the crf230/250 for the first time being in the wood I was doing pretty good I’d say. But I want a 2 stroke for sure just because the ease of maintance and the riding style.

honestly I was thinking about the yz250x/ktm250xc/300 but I thought why spend the extra money if I could get away on something a bit cheaper. I like that the Ktm has electric start only problem is you can’t really find them used. Also that 2018 yz250x looks badass with the blue wheels.

im not sure what to do. And none of my friends ride so I’m not sure if going out alone is smart
 
What Ash said,KDX 220 is a very good bike for a beginner,a bit dated but the motor is great for woods. I actually use to ride a KX125 with the 220 KDX engine,great motor.They are hard to find though,and might need some work.
 
Two choices here.Listen to the advice of very experienced riders here (gotta trust me here) or get something that "looks badass with the blue wheels".Good luck and ride safe.
 
lolroads said:
I have a lot of on road experience and have done trail tours a few times on the crf230/250 for the first time being in the wood I was doing pretty good I’d say. But I want a 2 stroke for sure just because the ease of maintance and the riding style.

honestly I was thinking about the yz250x/ktm250xc/300 but I thought why spend the extra money if I could get away on something a bit cheaper. I like that the Ktm has electric start only problem is you can’t really find them used. Also that 2018 yz250x looks badass with the blue wheels.

im not sure what to do. And none of my friends ride so I’m not sure if going out alone is smart
Click to expand...

Don't forget a yz250 has almost the same power as a 450 4stroke,but the power is not as smooth as a 250f.A YZ 250 can be a beast at full throttle.Try not to ride alone there are always guys here that want to meet up at Ganaraska Forest.
 
TK4 said:
For $2500/3000 you won't find much. Maybe look for something like a DRZ400.
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Now you are up to a 320 pound motorcycle or roughly 2 Trials bikes strapped together :rolleyes:
 
lol I am 5.7 with an inseam of what it seems 22 when i get on any dirt bike :)

I would love to do trial riding but until I retire there is so much time I have and I like woods riding on my bikes, but I will for sure at some point.
Trials said:
You must have really long legs :D you would make a good trials rider you should check it out!

3rd. gear ->
IMG_4286.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Trials said:
and if you are good can go very, very, fast through the woods
Click to expand...

You made me think about the Steel City Riders trial at Oshweken.There is a trail thru a forest that has a couple of signs on it that Bob Kelly probably put up years ago. "Gas It" Fun as hell to go wfo thru there!
 
Get a 06 or newer YZ250 and it's basically the same bike as a 2018. If you want to tame it down a little buy a flywheel weight for $100. Awesome bikes that can do pretty much anything from tight single track to motocross. Parts are easy to find and really easy bikes to work on.

If you wanted a trials bike you would already know it.
 
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