In The Market For A Big Bike

[Kingers]

Ok well been thinking about this for awhile and i've decided to get myself a big bike, My budget is gonna be somewhere round the 6k mark, will be borrowing some of it so the cheaper the better but thats what im prepared to spend. Now I got no idea what im after so im hopingsome people on here can help me out and sheed some light on things for me.

after a bike for riding in forests and doing jumps, been talking to a mate a little bit and hes tellin me to get a 4 stroke MX bike, Dont know why but i'd rather a 4 stroke over a 2 banger. So Whats the main difference between a MX and an Enduro? Why would a MX be better? I do want to get the bike rec reg'd too, if that makes any difference?

Should I be looking for a bike with efi or not worry about that?

What should i be looking out for when buying a second hand bike?

thats all i can think of at the moment but no doubt i'll think of more

 

[motorman]

Ok well been thinking about this for awhile and i've decided to get myself a big bike, My budget is gonna be somewhere round the 6k mark, will be borrowing some of it so the cheaper the better but thats what im prepared to spend. Now I got no idea what im after so im hopingsome people on here can help me out and sheed some light on things for me.

after a bike for riding in forests and doing jumps, been talking to a mate a little bit and hes tellin me to get a 4 stroke MX bike, Dont know why but i'd rather a 4 stroke over a 2 banger. So Whats the main difference between a MX and an Enduro? Why would a MX be better? I do want to get the bike rec reg'd too, if that makes any difference?

Should I be looking for a bike with efi or not worry about that?

What should i be looking out for when buying a second hand bike?

thats all i can think of at the moment but no doubt i'll think of more

Ok dude. I have been at this point so I will give you my opinion.

4 stroke defiantely a great bike. It's presonal preference between 2 banger or 4.

Difference between Enduro and Mx is: MX has short range gearbox (gears wind out more before changing), engine is exactly the same. Enduro has all the ARD stuff (headlight, blinkers, speedo etc) and has a wide range gear box (helps with hill climbs). Also the big plus is the electric start. Come's in handy when you on the side of a hill!! I find the enduro a bit easier to handle and a little bit more forgiving. As for what makes an MX better, I personally think that's a matter of opinon. Really depends on what you primarily want to do with the bike (MX tracks or Trail Riding).

If you want Rec Reg I would definately recommend the Enduro bike. It is possible to rec reg an MX bike but you need to buy all the extra's afterwards which = more $$$. Plus generally Enduro bikes haven't been raced which is a key factor to look for when purchasing 2nd hand.

I doubt 6k will get you EFI and if it does it will get you the first generation which ain't much chop. EFI makes it a hell of a lot harder to work on your bike and you will rely on a mechanic a hell of a lot more (more $$ down the track) There is stuff all difference power wise, the main benefit is you can kick start them a hell of a lot easier.

Hope that helps a bit mate.

 

[rossetti]

if your gunna be trail riding enduro is the way to go, if your after somethin light and nimble but still got a kick go a 2banger, if your not worried about a bit heavier bike go a 4 stroke (not much difference). but it all depends on your weight, if your up aroung the 90-100kgs+ youll wanna go for either a 250 two stroke or a 450 4 stroke. if your under a well jetted 250 4stroke with a pipe would be ideal. but it all comes down to what you prefer to ride. efi hasnt come into the trail bikes (what your after anyways) so dont worry about that. if your gunna gosecond hand and its regoed check with the rta that the vin number,engine number, rego plate match up with his name. just check that its in good condition, check the disks for warpage,run your fingers across the path of where the pad bites and make sure there not "bumpy" or your up for new disks, tyre condition, the km on the speedo, brake pad condition, make sure it runs fine take it for a test ride, move the rims from side to side to check theres no play in the bearings, most of its not neccessary but if i was gunna spend that kind of money i would make sure of these things. hope it helps you out.

 

[dirtpilot72]

I agree with the above. Get a regesterable dirtbike. Mx bikes in the bush suck. Noisy, harder to rego, short gearbox, small fuel range, hard suspension, 19'' rear wheel. For 6k you should be able to get a WRF250/450 03 to 04. Ktm 400 same vintage. DRZ 400.

 

[Kingers]

Thanks for the info guys, so the main difference in the engine is the gear box? So a mx bike has more acceleration but the enduro has higher top speed? Sounds like i'll end up getting an eduro seems less hassel to get it rego'd. Im only a 68kg and a tad under 6ft Was most likely going to go with a 250 but had a thought of getting a 450 in the back of my mind, i have limited experiance with a 250 so im thinking im probably best to stick to a 250? Or you think i should get a 450?

Thanks for the input

 

[rossetti]

well for now id go with the 250 man, just jet the carby put a pipe on it and itll go great. but choose your sprocket gearing wisely, if your going to be trail riding MOST of the time then id go with and acceleration set up, if your going to make it a daily commuter then go with a top speed set up. the difference mainly is the gearbox but also i think the jetting may be different. and for 6k you actually get a later model crf250x or maybe wr250f 05 model. dirt pilot suggested the drz400 great bike but it wont be as good in the trails like a 250f. just go to some bike shops check some bikes out and make a choice that will suit you best.

 

[roost666]

well for now id go with the 250 man, just jet the carby put a pipe on it and itll go great. but choose your sprocket gearing wisely, if your going to be trail riding MOST of the time then id go with and acceleration set up, if your going to make it a daily commuter then go with a top speed set up. the difference mainly is the gearbox but also i think the jetting may be different. and for 6k you actually get a later model crf250x or maybe wr250f 05 model. dirt pilot suggested the drz400 great bike but it wont be as good in the trails like a 250f. just go to some bike shops check some bikes out and make a choice that will suit you best.

For trail riding you wont have to jet or put a pipe on it, if you was out on a grasstrack then ya jet it up and put pipe on it.......on my old 250f if i was trail riding i found the stock pipe and jetting alot better to ride trails with, but if i went out racing a grass track i would put my bills pipe back on and re jet to suit.......reason being when your trail riding in most case your not gunna be full tap everywhere therefore your not gunna need more fuel and air etc your only gunna be blipping the throttle and cruising so to speak, but say your racing MX or a grasstrack your gunna be screwing ya bike hard and ya want as much as you can out of it thats when you would run ya pipe and a re jett.

 

[motorman]

For trail riding you wont have to jet or put a pipe on it, if you was out on a grasstrack then ya jet it up and put pipe on it.......on my old 250f if i was trail riding i found the stock pipe and jetting alot better to ride trails with, but if i went out racing a grass track i would put my bills pipe back on and re jet to suit.......reason being when your trail riding in most case your not gunna be full tap everywhere therefore your not gunna need more fuel and air etc your only gunna be blipping the throttle and cruising so to speak, but say your racing MX or a grasstrack your gunna be screwing ya bike hard and ya want as much as you can out of it thats when you would run ya pipe and a re jett.

With my 04 CRF250x, I wouldn't ride it without the Procircuit pipe. Your riding style dictates whether you have it wide open or not. I found the bike bogged down when you cracked it on hard even after being jetted correctly.

If you haven't had a massive amount of experience on a 250 then stock will be fine till you get into it a bit more and want that little extra power. That's just from my experience and I was a newbie pretty much when I brought the bike.

DO NOT GET A DRZ. Those things are gutless. The 650 felt like my 250!! lol. Stick to a CRF/WR. Unless you get a newer KLX, they have the old crapy frames and are heaps heavier as well.

 

[rossetti]

motovertman, yeah crfs have always had a problem with that even if you sit it in nuetral and crack it wid open they will stall for some reason

 

[roost666]

^^^ya 04-08 have that problem the 09 from stock has a flat spot about mid throttle but to fix that i just dropped the needle all the way then fine tuned with the mixture screw.....my old crf was an 04 and for me i found the stock pipe with the pilot jet 1 size bigger was good for trail riding/enduro's.

 

[motorman]

motovertman, yeah crfs have always had a problem with that even if you sit it in nuetral and crack it wid open they will stall for some reason

Mine wasn't that bad. As soon as I got the procircuit pipe and the JD jetting kit, problem solved. Only does it when it's not fully warm now.

The next thing I will be doing is a big bore kit for it so I get the lightness of the 250 with that bit of extra grunt!!

 

[roost666]

Mine wasn't that bad. As soon as I got the procircuit pipe and the JD jetting kit, problem solved. Only does it when it's not fully warm now.

The next thing I will be doing is a big bore kit for it so I get the lightness of the 250 with that bit of extra grunt!!

How long before you get your big bore kit?.......let me know how much power difference you get.....if you put a big bore kit in do ya need to do the clutch aswell?
I was gunna do this on my old bike but never did cause i didn't think it would give me much more grunt.....but hey at least your engine will be fresh and ready for a few more hours of abuse

 

[motorman]

How long before you get your big bore kit?.......let me know how much power difference you get.....if you put a big bore kit in do ya need to do the clutch aswell?
I was gunna do this on my old bike but never did cause i didn't think it would give me much more grunt.....but hey at least your engine will be fresh and ready for a few more hours of abuse

Looking in the next couple of months. There is a shit load more power!!! Massive difference. I was talking to a guy that had an Athena 280 bore kit on his crf250x, could keep up with a 450 through all gears until 4th pinned!! Not to bad at all for like a grand.

As far as I'm aware you don't need a new clutch. In saying that though, the stock Honda clutches were crap (made of alloy to save weight but not too strong) so i will probably chuck a Barnett in there at the same time.

I don't see the point in getting a 450 which I could only ride to 40% of it's capacity. I hate just pumping the accelerator rather than dialing it right on. Way rather the big bore kit so I can wind that bad boy right out!!

Sorry for getting off track.

 

[roost666]

oh ok sweet sounds pretty good then i may have to look into that one day i hear EBC make a decent clutch and not over priced either.

 

[Kingers]

ok sweet as thanks for the help fellas, think i'll get a 250 enduro and go from there. Is there any reason why i should stay away from an xr 250? Few people i have spoken to have told me not to bother.

 

[01nutracing]

The only big issue with a xr250 is its not real powerful and their alot heavier and handle like shit compared to a modern 4banger. Their almost bulletproof but. I've got a Xr400 and when I first bought it it hardly spun the back tyre cause of highway gearing. It now has 440 kit, HRC cam, Edelbrock pumper carb, ported head, and a heap of weight saving mods. It hammers pretty well now and easily keeps up to a cr250 2 banger. You dont really buy an XR for speed mainly for their reliability and low maintenance. As I said their almost bulletproof so it depends on what riding you want to do.

 

[YamahaRacing125]

XL 250s are pretty good... bit heavy but overall i think there a nice bike