Help Choosing an Offroad Bike

Hey guys-

I need some help choosing either an enduro or an offroad bike so here's some info on me.

1) I am 5'-10" and weigh around 230
2) I'm pretty physical but not a hugely aggressive rider
3) I would like to ride on our property (woods, fields, anything I want to build) and some other offroad parks and areas in my part of the country (southwest virginia)
4) I have ridden road bikes for 5 years and only ridden offroad a little when I was about 16 on a 1970's model hodaka I found in our barn and fixed up.....
5) I wont race.
6) I am mechanically inclined and have worked on bikes before, so I will continue that with this bike.
7) I'm not really a brand kind of person, nor do I prefer a certain stroke engine.
8) I have a honda dealer and a suzuki dealer in my town, there is a yamaha, suzuki, kawasaki, used dealer about 20 miles from here I drive by about 3 times a month.
9) I am pretty flexible on money but ideally for a totally off road bike I would like to spend less than $4000 and for a dual sport I would like to spend no more than $6000
10) I don’t live in California
11) I'm 23
12) I would consider a dual sport bike only if it's truly capable offroad, it would be nice to be able to ride the forest road around here but not a big deal if I get a dirt only bike.

Thanks in advance,
Josh

DRZ 400 or a street legalized (or legal) larger KTM like a 525. Many DRZ 400's in your price range.

Slide thanks-there is a KTM dealer about an hour and a half away from here, by my grandparents house, I'll check him out next time I'm down there

Why buy only one?

A late or little used MX250 two stroke is a bargain right now. We just got a 1996 RM250 for 450 bucks, never raced or ridden with MX boots on, engine cases & frame were as new. Bikes was ridden around a guys yard, its cherry!!! Shop around, RM,KX,CR,YZ250 & add a flywheel weight, handguards and bigger tank and you should be under 1500 total with more bike than you'll be able to use unless your name is Chad or Bubba.

Again, used market is pretty good, for your "legal" bike a DRZ, DR, LC-4 KTM, TE610 Husky etc. is a deal, look for low miles and a capable owner or one that never touched it with a wrench and under 1k miles, they are out there!!!

wow, guess I should do some shopping, I had no idea you could get two strokes so cheap, I'll check out craigslist........

Anyone else with advice?

Get a newer KDX 200 or 220, they can be found for $1500 and it's a great woods bike. You'll need to get the suspension upgraded for your weight but this going to be true for anything you find. I'd avoid a dual-sport bike. Anything good off-road will be $$$ and it doesn't sound like you care that much about on-road.

You could get the previous gen KDX (liquid cooled) which tend to sell for $900-1000 or the even earlier aircooled ones. Parts availability is the advantage of the latest (1995-) version.

You could probably pick up a really nice KTM 200 EXC for $2000, or go cheaper into the sub $1000 area. Lots of options for 2 strokes.

Will the larger "play bikes" (TTR-230, CRF 230) etc be enough bike for me?

I'm seriously interested in a two stroke but am concerned about getting a used one because of it being abused? Any Advice?

I rode my friends YZ250 and it was a blast, stupid fast and easy to jump.

Well, the bike would move and no, you wouldn't crush it. If it had enough power for you would depend on you. So let me throw into the mix two more bikes - the DR200 (probably a bit too little) and the DR 350.

Heck, a Super Sherpa would be another good bike. There are really dozens of good bikes some of which have been mentioned already. Much depends on your likes / dislikes. If putting around is all you wish to do, then the DR 200 will serve.

Cr500

I'm a big KTM 300EXC or XC-W fan if you want to keep it in the dirt. They are lightweight and exceptionally forgiving on the bottom end and rockets on the top. It would be an easy bike to get back into riding with and once you were in it would let you "grow" so to speak. Plus maintenance is cheap and easy compared to most racing 4strokes.

Thanks for including the form...recognize it from DRN and it's very helpful.

I'm with the above guys on getting a nice used 2 stroke. Even if abused, they're much cheaper and easier to fix than the modern "racing" 4 strokes. And they're much more fun offroad than a heavy d/s or trail bike like a TTR, DR, etc. The KDX is a great choice for trails since the motor is very smooth and the aftermarket support is great. If you want better -- and firmer -- suspension and a snappier engine, the CR/YZ/RM/KX are good choices. If you do the latter I highly recommend the heaviest flywheel weight you can get for them to smooth them out and make them less prone to stalling in the woods. I personally love my KTM 2 stroke but it's definitely a racier bike than the KDX and prices tend to be a little higher.

This also really opens up your choices if you later want a more road-oriented bike, since you won't have to compromise so much, or pay top dollar for a higher end d/s bike (i.e.- Husky TE-610).

You should also check out the latest Dirt Rider magazine. They choose and build several bikes with a $3K final price point and the results are very interesting. All but one are 2 strokes, BTW, since you just can't beat them for smiles/$$$.

+1 a jap 250 2 stroke or KTM 250 or 300(if you really want to haul ass) 2 stroke will be the best bang for your buck.

Kdx 200

If you get only one bike that is truly capable offroad, get a KTM 4 stroke. More money, more maintenance, but you won't be happy with anything else.

You're 23? Check out insurance rates first. Usually dualsports have lower insurance costs, but there are so many variables that you should find out specifically what each exact model will cost you. You could be happy or shocked by the quotes.

If you get a bike that's great offroad, it will be poor on pavement. You will miss out on long, great dualsport adventures, which is the major focus of this site. I agree with others that you can get 2 used bikes in your budget. Get a 2 stroke KDX or KTM for < $2500, and buy a more street-oriented dualsport like a DR650, KLR650, DRZ400 for < $3500. Save some money (actually, lots of money) for bike farkles and get a good set of gear.

I have a KTM 200EXC and a KLX400SR (green DRZ400S). I think I have the best of both worlds. The KTM is a plated, but dirt only bike, while I have ridden the KLX almost 3000 miles on a 10 day trip. Both bikes are insured with high liability rates and comprehensive. I pay $150 a year for both. It helps to be older, sometimes.

I am the same size as you and smaller than a 250 two stroke might be a bit small. At 230 lbs you might want to consider a 450MX bike. I have a CRF 450 with a Baja kit that I plated and it is a blast. It can be a handfull at times but the power is great with my extra weight. I am putting a Rekluse clutch on this week to help with the tighter woods riding and the bike should be perfect. I don't race and never have but with a quiet pipe and some restraint on the throttle these bikes really can be a great alround rider. They are also everywhere and cheap. I bought my 2003 for 2,000 and put about 750 in to it with maintenance and light kit. Not really a pavement bike though it can be done. It does wheelie great on pavement though.

wow thanks for all the advice guys, suppose I will start looking for a 250 two stroke bike now.........

Anyone have advice or suggestions on a flywheel weight?

Also I trust all your guys opinions but it seems strange to me that a two stroke beat out a four stroke for woods riding and stuff, will the two stroke have enough torque down low to ride comfortable on trails etc?

Again sorry for all the dumb questions I am just a total noob to dirt bikes.

Not to beat a dead horse but if you get a KDX220 (or a KDX200) you're not going to have to bother with new flywheel weights. The 220 is very four stroke like, it'll lug down low. It's not horribly binary on the throttle. A lot of 2 strokes are nothing, nothing, nothing, twist a bit more, holy crap whats the front wheel doing 3 feet of the ground and people tune this out with the flywheel weight.

It depends on how much money and time you want to throw at the bike, you can get a KX250 but it (and a lot of these other 250s) are MX bikes so in addition to having to play with the flywheel weights you may want to mess with the suspension to get them setup for woods riding.

The suspension on the modern KX/EXC/etc is a lot better than on the KDX, depends on what you want.

Good luck!

You won't have to worry about flywheel weights unless you're riding tight woods on a KX250 or KTM 250sx (if that, my riding buddies are AA riders on stock bikes). Quit reading magazines and web pages and taking them as the gospel. Some bikes don't want to idle, some do. Depends on the setup. My 300 (2-stroke) will sit and idle all day long if I wanted it to. Buy a bike (KTM 300/250/400/450) and ride it. Look for EXC and XCW models.

I like the idea of two bikes if you can afford it. www.ktmtalk.com is great for good bikes. Craigslist is hit-or-miss in the quality dept. DRZ400 and 250exc would be a great combo. Or one really nice 450exc/xcw (depending on year) with a big tank will do you just fine.

Remember when looking thru the local ads "Never been raced" normally means "never been maintained"

This was based on personal experience riding 200 EXC and a KX250. It's all relative. I like the KDX, very 4 stroke like power but with 2s maintenance.

If you look at the WORCS racers, most all of those are 2 strokes. Even the guys who have get both from their sponsors prefer and win with the 2 strokes. Look at Last Man Standing, Erzberg, and same story. In fact, I spoke with offroad legend Ty Davis at a WORCS race here a couple years ago and he got his YZ250 out for the race. I asked why and he said, it's muddy, the less weight the better.

IMO 2 things make the modern ring dingers so good nowadays. Power valves and synthetic premix oil. In the old days you had to either buy an "enduro" bike that had tiny ports and carb to give low end or a MX bike that had hogged out ports and the idle circuit removed from the carb (they didn't idle anyway, so why have one?). The PV solves this. Blocks off ports at low RPMs and opens as the RPMs increase to really flow.

If people had forgotten about them and someone "introduced" them nowadays, eveyone would be raving about these compact, powerful engines that are so simple to work on. Instead, the AMA has pretty much mandated 4 strokes and changed the rules, tracks, etc. so they are the only way to win now. And of course it lets the manufacturers simply re-use their streetbike engine technology for MX bikes, thus reducing their costs. WORCS and other offroad series are thus the one place you still see a predominance of 2 strokes.

This is also why I canceled my AMA membership years ago and sent the money to Blue Ribbon Coalition instead.