Advice from Dirt Bike Riders

Ssky0078

Ssky0078

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Hi guys,

I was wondering if anybody knew of a good bike to get for desert/dirt riding. My sister has a Razr and her husband has a quad. They just moved down to AZ and it might be fun to go out with them.

Is there a good bike to get with relatively low maintenance to go out to places where a Razr could get, also on the cheap side of things would be nice.
 
If you can handle a 1000cc sport bike, there are very few dirt bikes that will take you by surprise, though on a broad scale most 4 cycle single piston bikes have a ton of torque.

As a teen I rode a 250cc 2 cycle Bike, I had both Suzuki and Yamaha bikes.

I really want to get a Cali-plated YZF450, but they are rare and expensive.

What is your budget? I would check your local craigslist and see what is out there. I have seen decent looking dirt only bikes for about $1500 in my area.
 
And I have a Yamaha XT225, I call it "The Billy Goat". It's really light and easy to handle. I'm sure you'll be looking at your local Craigslist....? Good luck in your search...can't wait to see what you find
 
For off road trail ridding. I'd say a CRF or a WR. both have 250s and 450s depending on your skill level. For offroad those are great bikes.

If you are into 2 strokes then I would say either a KTM or YZ. KTM is still building 2 strokes only other brand that does is the YZ and that hasn't really been updated since 06.
 
Is it gonna be a dual sport? For desert riding i wouldn't go smaller than a 400 in a four stroke. How about a KTM 690 ?


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Having been an avid off-road racer and rider, I'll weigh in. I suggest picking up a used Yamaha WR450 as a dirt only motorcycle. The suspension balanced and will be Ok until you get faster. The engine is a bit tamer than the YZ450 and that is a good thing off-road. Momentum is your friend!

KTM 450 EXCs are also a good choice for a guy your size to ride in the desert.
 
You know I didn't even think about it being a dual sport. That would be cool to have because then I wouldn't have to truck/trailer the bike there, I could just pack up and ride there.

Also how difficult is it to switch either the DRZ400 or a YZ450 back and forth between a supermoto set up?

There are so many options to motorcycles, it's kinda mind blowing sometimes.
 
here in AZ, its pretty simple to get a dirt bike street legal. my WR450 is street legal, we i have it tagged for the street. i dont technically "legal" since ididnt hook up a horn or a hi beam head light. i have all the stuf to do it, but i just never got around to it.

i still put mine in the truck to take it out in the dirt, mostly because its hard to get far places when you max out at about 55, its kinda tough on the freeway.

if you want to make a dirt bike street legal, it might be best to get one that already has a head light or one that has a kit available from someplace like trail tech.

KTM's are generally really great bikes, but i am told they can get to be a bear to work on when you need to.
 
Ssky0078 said:
You know I didn't even think about it being a dual sport. That would be cool to have because then I wouldn't have to truck/trailer the bike there, I could just pack up and ride there.

Also how difficult is it to switch either the DRZ400 or a YZ450 back and forth between a supermoto set up?

There are so many options to motorcycles, it's kinda mind blowing sometimes.
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I've got a WR426 set up for dirt & motard. For quick changeover I've found it better to change the swing arm with rear wheel,brake attached. Then all you undo is swing arm bolt and lower shock bolt. I have two different chain ratio set ups. With removing the swing arm, it allows you to change the chain without splitting it. Sadly I haven't ridden my baby for nearly two years now due to a knee injury that I can't kick start the bike. I've spent too much money and done too many mods like using a KTM switch block, hot cams, rekluse clutch, vortex ignition to even considering selling her. At least I can pass on my bike to my son!!!

My only advice is don't go for the earlier models crf's as they had valve recession problems. I've had a few friends curse over them. Yamaha 450's have great torque, but the old 426's have that brutal hit(if you change from wr to yz timing)

It's gonna be a hard decision. It always comes down to how deep your pockets are!!!
 
4 strokes have higher maintenance costs. There is also the weight factor, as well as the mass. A 4 stroke will wear out a noob rider real quickly. All that mass up high changes the CG.

A 300 2 stroke is the best trail bike bar none. Its only downside is its higher fuel consumption VS a 4 stroke. But, with the proper gearing, jetting and tank size, it will probably go further than most would want to ride. With my desert gearing (15/50) and 4.2 gal IMS tank, I can easily get 100 miles to a tank.

terdog-albums-pics-picture3967-ktm-300-exc.jpg


Be aware of the limitations of "DUAL SPORTS". They are OK on the road, but when they hit the trail, thier heavy weight, poor suspension and street legal tires are a hindrance.

You need to decide what bike you want. A real dirt bike? Or a compromise.
 
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For desert ridding, you want a large bore, 450 four stroke, 250 two stroke, maybe the CR500 or KX500 with some paddle tires if you want to have some real fun.

a 250f will do what you need it to, but if you are ridding in extremely sandy or steep conditions anywhere, you want to make sure you have both the torque and the traction to ensure you continue to have a good time.

I would go with a 450 four stroke and keep it simple. They are easy to control unless you are talking about woods riding as well. My last bike was an 09 KX450F - an MX bike. They are more maintenance involved then you might think compared to a CRF250, but it was a lot of fun. I rode it primarily in the woods and was able to control it. (They are not built for crawling around in the woods though) - it would definitely be a fun bike in the sand or wide open areas.

Whatever model you get, if you are playing around with a quad then you will likely be able to keep up with it with a 450F or a 250 two-smoke
 
Being that you live in Arizona, I would take advantage of how easy it is to get just about any dirt bike plated for street use, not so you can ride it to the trails, but so you can connect up trails that have streets between them, or ride in area's that don't allow certain stickers (not sure if that is even a thing in AZ).

Here in Cali there are Red Stickers, Green Stickers and California Plated Dual Sports. Some area's only allow red sticker bikes certain times of the year.
 
Man, you guys are gonna kill him! A noob on a 450?! Really?

Do yourself a favor and get a used KTM 200 EXC. If you stay in the sport, in a couple 3-5 yrs you can step up. Light weight is your friend.

Street or dirt, you dont start on a big bike.
 
Nah, he learned his lesson crashing the FZ1. I suggested the WR450 because the power is smoother than the MX bikes and the suspension is gonna be better suited for a new off-road rider.
 
My nephew had a couple WR450's. He would come up outta the East Bay to ride with us. He's a total gym rat, but everytime he'd fall flat on his face by noon. Didnt matter if we were in the ELDO Nat or over in the Nevada desert ridin in the Pine Nuts off of Johnson Lane.

A couple yrs ago he switched to a KTM 250 XC-W. Once we got it set up for him, hes diggin it.

Just sayin...
 
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