Best bike for a newb interested in enduros and hare scrambles

Congrats, these are great results Tbone. Yeah, anyone I speak to pretty much say they'll never go back to a non-auto clutch.

Congrats Toro, well done.

The search for a bike continues and the fight, I mean debate with the Opposition Leader (my lovely wife) continues over why I need a dirt bike in an already full garage of toys, some which is up for sale. LOL.

For your size I would definitely recommend a KTM 200...

Start with small goals, just finish some races. You have MTB experience, depending on what terrain you ride, you will have an eye for good line selection.

I ride a YZ250 set up for woods. I absolutely love it, but its not cheap to set up a MX bike, so i would defnitely recommend a Husky200, Gasgas 200, ktm 200, etc....

I also run a Rekluse, besides revalving the suspension the Rekluse has been the best mod to my bike. That being said, I would never recommend one to a brand new offroad rider. Get a bike, get very comfortable with it, learn the proper braking and clutch techniques for a year or two, then step up to a rekluse.

You sound like you are in good shape but keep in mind being fit and being BIKE fit do not always mean the same thing. Work on your core, and more core and more core.

Remember have fun and keep learning, i learn new stuff every time I ride. Thats what keeps me wanting to ride all the time

Tbone: Thank you for the info! Will have to look into that. I'm pretty much getting used to where the power band is now, chugging through single track I'll have it in second normally and can be on the pipe with just a tiny turn and BAM on the pipe.

My KTM has a rekluse, only bummer is it's the z-start and not the z-start pro so no full clutch overide. Clutch works, but it will walk with the clutch pulled in and you in gear if you rev it up very much. Also has a GPR steering damper, bash plate, carbon fiber pipe guard, the expanded rear brake oil resevior and a lot of other goodies. I'll probably ride a bit more with the stock seat and then take it with me sometime and trade them out mid day see what the difference feels like.

Congrats on the finish Toro! Good stuff. I'm going to an ATV Motion race next weekend but probably just doing a write up on it, not going to ride in it.

Couldn't agree more. My daughter wants a rekluse so bad for her 200 she can taste it, but not happening for a couple more years as she has much to learn in the clutch control dept. And guys, don't be afraid to play with the clickers on your suspensions. Just make sure to write down what your doing, and make big swings so you can feel a definitive difference then go from there.

edit: Where did you get your # decals Tbone??

I've debating putting in the regular clutch again just to see. Probably won't anytime too soon though. Also would have to make sure I have all the parts for it, I think I do.

Or I'll just be lazy and keep it in just because hah.

I bought my daughter one of those shorty levers from Midwest Mountain Eng. Makes the lever pull muuuuuch easier for the clutch.

http://www.midwestme.com/

Silver, what are the requirements for your class as far as color background/numbers?

Oh wow, that clutch lever is AWESOME. If I swap back up to manual clutch I'll most definitely pick one of those up. Sweet!

No idea on class or background. Class will be as slow as possible. Also we have OCCRA(more pro guys), ATV Motion, and BlackJack Enduro. So not sure, was just going to slap some #'s on there for looks.

One thing about having a KTM is that you show up someplace and people think you actually know how to ride and you gotta fill them in that "Nope, brand new at this crap".

You are getting some good insight from the fellow inmates and nearly all the advice is spot on. A mild motor is faster at the end of hare scramble or enduro. Think carefully about reworking a motocrosser, once you get done with a suspension revalve, detuning and taming the motor, a large tank, lighting(?), chain/sprocket gearing and protective gear it gets expensive and time consuming. Some Pro riders can race a MX-based bike in the woods, the rest of us are looking at a trip to the hospital when an aggressive powerband explodes in tighter trail. A novice / C class racer can be very competitive on a well setup lower budget bike, it is 80% rider skill 20% bike.

fyi:
http://maine.craigslist.org/mcy/2928847365.html
2008 KTM 250 XC-WE - $3400 (Kennebunk, ME)


<HR>Date: 2012-03-29, 11:45AM EDT
Reply to: fhbk2-2928847365@sale.craigslist.org <SUP>[Errors when replying to ads?]</SUP>

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New engine rebuild, 2-Stroke, electric start, Watchdog computer, very good condition. Call Brad 303-775-8895


A watchdog computer is a dedicated enduro timekeeping computer (about $300), and says a lot about how the previous owner was using the bike and how he set it up. An enduro bike is competitive for hare scrambles, the reverse is not always true. <!-- START CLTAGS -->

My top 5;

1) Kawasaki KDX200/220; can be found cheap with many farkles.
2) KTM EXC200; post-05 are great. Little more money, but a lot more oomph.
3) Post 96-Honda XR250 (or, a 400, if it can be found); air cooled, light, tons of aftermarket goodies available, and, when maintained, reliable as the sun rising.
4) Yamaha YZ250; throw a large tank, flywheel weight, and some good bars, and it won't let you down. Was my woods weapon for 2 years before I went back to vintage. Look for the post-05 models; aluminum frame and upgraded plastics make a huge difference.
5) Honda CRF250X; magic button. Nuff' said.

Well, I'm still looking, prices in Canada suck. Unfortunately I don't have the time to be travelling throughout the northeast looking for the best deal on bikes. There is a local 2003 XR250R, thats in great shape, I know its not a woods weapon, but neither am I. I'll ride that all year, do an enduro in the fall, and see how it goes from there. I'll go out and watch a harescramble, and maybe ride the track to see what it is all about. Racing for me is for fun, if I find I want to be more competitive, I'll sell my Ninja and get something like a KTM or Husky next season. The XR is cheap, easy to work on, and easy to ride.

I'll keep you posted.

Sweet definitely keep us posted. Currently I'm trying to ride a bit of everything. So far I've done sand(whoa that sucked being a newb on it), dirt, mud, rocks, and a nice newbie friendly MX track that some buddies turned me on to. Little bit of everything.

Currently sand sucks because my brain won't let me get back on the seat and hit the gas like you're supposed to it's too busy going "WE'RE GONNA CRASH AHHHHHHH" when I try to do that so I chop throttle and bury the front wheel. Mud I rode last Sat and did a lot better on than the previous time when I hit a mud puddle and whiskey throttled it into a bigger mud puddle. But I was tip toeing a long pretty hard core. Rock has been decent. Regular dirt has been decent.

Goals right now are getting better at shifting while standing, also need to adjust rear break so it's easier to get to while standing. Remembering to grip the bike with my knees, and turns, I'm really slow in turns. Hills kinda freak me out too, but I'm getting better at them.

Cheers!

.....not a XR650R.... that's for sure.

Back on the seat = bad.

In sand, you want to stand on the pegs, look where you want to go and lean to turn. Do not try to steer.

Try to think of sand like a boat in water. As a boat is starting out, it plows through the water. Give it some more gas and it hops up on plane.

Same thing with a dirt bike in sand, you want to get it up on plane, if you will. Stand with your body back and neutral, letting the bike dance underneath you.

Well, I finally got the wife onboard, only cost me a new set of exterior doors, two new garage doors, and a new front walkway. :eek1

I'm going out this evening to look at an '03 XR250R, it looks like its in awesome shape, and if it comes home with me I'll post up some pics. Sad thing is I leave at 0530 tomorrow morning to go Dallas for 10 days of work. It's gonna be a long long 10 days.

Well I went and looked at this, fell in love, it's in beautiful shape. Sad thing is, I leave for Dallas for work for 10 days tomorrow at 0530. Damn it. Can't wait to get home and start riding in the dirt. It's gonna be a fun summer. There's a 75km enduro this fall that has my name written all over it. LOL

Nice! Have fun with that!

Awesome looking bike! Gotta love Honda! Have fun and keep us posting on what you are doing training wise, physical and what type of riding you are doing.

Thanks guys,

As far as training goes, I'm doing a lot of running, 5 days a week, and my long runs are 15 miles at the moment. I'm also doing some stand up paddlle boarding, which is killer total body/ core workout. Pushups, planks, ab work using an exercise ball, and when I get home from this 10 day work trip, the start of getting myself in bike shape.