Thinking about getting into dirt bikes again.

[RedSpecialized]

Need some help on what bike to get, in my younger days I had a YZ 250 & a KTM 495. Back in the day I was looking at an ATK, but I don't believe they make them any more. Are basic choices still RED (honda), BLUE (yahma), GREEN (kawasaki), YELLOW (suzuki), & ORANGE (ktm)?

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[nelsonccc]

Yep. Still the basics. I've got a YZ250 and a DR650. If you know or remember how to ride get a 2 stroke again, they can't be beat IMO. They are still cheap and are the easiest and cheapest to fix. However..........my buddy just got a 2010 4 stroke kawasaki and the thing flat out hauls ass. He's not quite as fast as me in the tight washes and such, but when he goes I don't have a chance in hell of keeping up. On a 2 stroke you have to do so much work to keep it in the power band but he pretty much leaves it in 3rd the whole trip!

If you're unsure or want to start small the 4 stroke 250's are nice as well, especially the newer ones. I'm not a fan of KTM's. Seems like every time I gor iding with someone on a KTM they have issues. Admittidely though these KTm guys I ride with are not the best at maintenance so I'm sure that contributes.

[accadacca]

The guys I ride with on Yamaha's use tin cans to fix holes in their exhaust.

[RedSpecialized]

The guys I ride with on Yamaha's use tin cans to fix holes in their exhaust.

I saw that in st. George. If I can fix holes with tin cans on yamaha, that might might just be the determining factor....?

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[accadacca]

I saw that in st. George. If I can holes with tin cans on yamaha, that might might just be the determining factor.

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Oh yeah, for sure dood.

Just get a bike and ride. We all have our preferences. I put 10,000 miles on my last KTM: http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...Canyon-Etc-Etc

I decided to buy a new one and I'll see how this one does.

[BLUEberryBOB]

Yep. Still the basics. I've got a YZ250 and a DR650. If you know or remember how to ride get a 2 stroke again, they can't be beat IMO. They are still cheap and are the easiest and cheapest to fix. However..........my buddy just got a 2010 4 stroke kawasaki and the thing flat out hauls ass. He's not quite as fast as me in the tight washes and such, but when he goes I don't have a chance in hell of keeping up. On a 2 stroke you have to do so much work to keep it in the power band but he pretty much leaves it in 3rd the whole trip!

If you're unsure or want to start small the 4 stroke 250's are nice as well, especially the newer ones. I'm not a fan of KTM's. Seems like every time I gor iding with someone on a KTM they have issues. Admittidely though these KTm guys I ride with are not the best at maintenance so I'm sure that contributes.

Yeah the newer 4strokes are monsters, though I'm willing to assume you have half as much displacement as the guy you normally ride with?

[Garbanzo]

The guys I ride with on Yamaha's use tin cans to fix holes in their exhaust.

Geez, a bad weld on a broken header and the Yamaha is junk. I think not!! I love my WR450. The question is, what do you want to do with the bike and how often and hard are you going to ride it?

[moab mark]

I have both a WR 250 and a WR 450. Prior to purchasing these I mainly rode a TTR 230 around MTN trails. When upgrading I bought one for my 18 year old son and one for me. I originally was purchasing two 250's, thought the 450 would be to much. Have had them about a year and does anyone want to buy a 250? Everything I thought was completely wrong. Yes the 450 weighs a bit more but the low end grunt makes riding it so much easier. You do not have to try and keep it in the power band. From idle to WOT it is in the power band, and when you hit the dunes there is absolutely no comparison. I have a Dyna Ring auto clutch in it which makes riding it much easier in technical areas. On a side note if I did another auto clutch I would go with the new Recluse. My buddy just put one in a 450 Honda and it performs better.

If I wanted to deal with the fuel headache of a 2 stroke I would buy the KTM 300. That is a nice bike. Does everything and has a magic button. But it is puke pumpkin orange.

Mark

[REDFOX]

I have both a WR 250 and a WR 450. Prior to purchasing these I mainly rode a TTR 230 around MTN trails. When upgrading I bought one for my 18 year old son and one for me. I originally was purchasing two 250's, thought the 450 would be to much. Have had them about a year and does anyone want to buy a 250? Everything I thought was completely wrong. Yes the 450 weighs a bit more but the low end grunt makes riding it so much easier. You do not have to try and keep it in the power band. From idle to WOT it is in the power band, and when you hit the dunes there is absolutely no comparison. I have a Dyna Ring auto clutch in it which makes riding it much easier in technical areas. On a side note if I did another auto clutch I would go with the new Recluse. My buddy just put one in a 450 Honda and it performs better.

If I wanted to deal with the fuel headache of a 2 stroke I would buy the KTM 300. That is a nice bike. Does everything and has a magic button. But it is puke pumpkin orange.

Mark

Mark, if I understand your post correctly, you would definitley prefer a 450 over the 250 4 stroke ? I have a friend that doesn't ride anymore and he was wanting to sell me his 2007 honda crf250. I have never ridden a 250, but the 450's definitley have plenty have power. If I were to ride, it would mostly be trail riding in the mountains. I am a little concerned about the 250 not having enough power.

[moab mark]

Yes I would keep my 450. A 250 has plenty of power just has to spool up to get to that power. A 450 has usable power right off of idle. On a mtn trail just put it in 2nd or 3rd and motor along. When riding in the dunes you have to use every gear of a 250, a 450 just needs 3rd and 4th. I see that you live in Kaysville just pm me and you can drop by my house and try both out, you can make your own decision. You can also try out an auto clutch.

Mark

[nelsonccc]

I have a buddy that rides a 4-stroke WR250. He can keep up just fine and for the longest time he was faster than I was on my smoker YZ250. If you're just starting out I think you'll find that the 4stroke 450's are animals. There truly is a great deal of power there. I absolutely love my 2 stroke 250! The mixing fuel is not a hassle at all. I however cannot recommend a 2 stroke 250 to someone new. They always get hurt. A 4 stroke is far easier to learn to ride than a 2 stroke.

I think you'd be fine on the CRF250. The only time you'll notice the lack of power is when you're on straightaways or dirt roads where your buddies will be able to go faster but you'll easily catch them in the tight stuff. The 250 will produce plenty of power. I think people that are newer or returning to riding will find a smaller bike much more manageable. It'll be lighter and faster in the turns than a 450 will be and like Moab Mark said, you just have to manage the power with more shifting.

[REDFOX]

I have enjoyed riding my friends cr250 2 stroke except for fouling the plug while not keeping it reved enough. He also has ktm 550 2 stroke that is down right scarey and unpredictable. I have been riding the honda crf450x lately and the power is there no matter what gear I am in. My only concern is that it might be a little too much for me on more technical trails. I am on the lighter side as far as weight being about 160lbs. I was leaning more toward the 4 stroke models because in the 80's they seemed to require less maintainance on the valves and top end compared with the 2-strokes. Now with the newer 4-strokes it seems that they require as much or more maintainance than 2-stroke models and at a higher cost.

[nelsonccc]

Nothing is as easy to maintain as a 2-stroke. I can literally do everything required on it. In fact the entire engine is currently sitting on my garage floor. I need to fix the tranny. Straightforward as can be. I would never attempt that on my 4-stroke DR650. Even adjusting the valves on that was a major pain in the ass! A 2-stroke will be cheaper to maintain and cheaper to own.

Proper jetting will keep it from fouling plugs even when not reved enough. I haven't fouled a plug in years. I think a 4-stroke is an easier bike to ride than a 2-stroke, like Moab said the power is always there. They make hills alot easier.

Make sure to get one before the 24th of sept so you can come to the Paiute with us!

[moab mark]

Nothing is as easy to maintain as a 2-stroke. I can literally do everything required on it. In fact the entire engine is currently sitting on my garage floor. I need to fix the tranny. Straightforward as can be. I would never attempt that on my 4-stroke DR650. Even adjusting the valves on that was a major pain in the ass! A 2-stroke will be cheaper to maintain and cheaper to own.

Proper jetting will keep it from fouling plugs even when not reved enough. I haven't fouled a plug in years. I think a 4-stroke is an easier bike to ride than a 2-stroke, like Moab said the power is always there. They make hills alot easier.

Make sure to get one before the 24th of sept so you can come to the Paiute with us!

Agree with everything above. Smokers are cheaper to maintain, but it is difficult to pull up to a pump and filler up. Pre mix can be a pain.

As far as technical I think my 450 is easier to handle, smoother power.

[RedSpecialized]

Thinking about getting a used crf450r. Any thing I should watch out for and is that a good bike. What is a reasonable price on them.

Thanks!

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[Garbanzo]

Thinking about getting a used crf450r. Any thing I should watch out for and is that a good bike. What is a reasonable price on them.

I'd be interested to know about the Honda as well. I hear they have valve issues, but I also hear the world is ending. I hope they're both untrue. I love Honda products and I want to keep riding for a while.

[Reedus]

My advice, and I owned my own powersportsshop for 4 years, stay away from anything 2006 and older as far as the CRFs go. I can't count how many top end rebuilds I did on those machines. Valve seats weree way to soft and the high reving motor just beat the snot out of them. Great bike other than that...

[nelsonccc]

My advice, and I owned my own powersportsshop for 4 years, stay away from anything 2006 and older as far as the CRFs go. I can't count how many top end rebuilds I did on those machines. Valve seats weree way to soft and the high reving motor just beat the snot out of them. Great bike other than that...

Diddo. I've heard the same thing. I think it was in '08 that they re-vamped the valves. But any used bike will have some sort of issue to work out.

[RedSpecialized]

Thanks for the input on the Honda valve issue. Makes me think. Back in the 90's Honda seemed to be the bike to get for 2-strokes. My buddy had a CR500 and that thing had tons more power than my KTM495 and smoked the doors off my older YZ250. Any opinion on new CR 500's? I maybe will look that way if the valves are an issue on the CRFs?

thanks

[double moo]

Last model year for the CR500 was 2001...