cant decide, someone here may be able to help me
cant spend more than about $1500 or so.  (so obviously im looking for used stuff)

i like hondas, for a dirtbike id go w/xr250 i think (i also like 4strokes)
(a local guy rebuilds 80's dirtbikes and sells em cheap, i could buy 3 for $1500 i think)

4 wheeler id try and get a late 80's-early 90's utility quad. but they are hard to find.  noone wants to sell them

any opinions?  are 4 wheels really better than 2?  seems it would mostly depend on terrain

what do y'all think?

I don't know alot about the prices. But from my experience 4 wheels are better than 2.

That's a tough one.. I personally own 2 4 wheelers a 97 Yamaha Warrior with 350cc's and a 01 Yamaha Raptor (this machine kicks @SS) with 660cc's.. I can do almost as much as a dirtbike can do when it comes to riding the local track.. I just don't get as much air off of the jumps.. But they are all fun.. Just find something that runs good and you shouldn't have to worry..

  later,
    Chris

If you are going to be carrying anything with you on your trips the ATV is the only way to go.  I used to race dirt bikes and they are a lot of fun, but they aren't ATV's.

Look at [url]www.cycletrader.com[/url] for used ATVs in your area.  You can find one for your price range that will carry you and your gear wherever you want to go.  Be sure it has front and rear racks and some even have a trailer hitch and can pull up to 1200 lbs.  

Get a 4-stroke if you want to be quiet, get a 2-stroke if you want to have maximum power and don't care about the noise level.  
[size=6]B[/size=6]

Depends what you want it for. If you want it for fun I would probably get the bike. They are faster and more reliable for the money. Quads are more useful if you have to use it for hauling. The Quad is alot easier to handle. Since you can get a bike that is newer for the same money as an old quad the bike will probably last you longer. I know a kid who has got I couldn't guess how many thousandy in a Quad so that it can keep up with a good 250 bike. His quad is a bored out, and totally tricked out Honda 440 EX.

one of the best bikes you could look for would be a Kawasaki KDX200, they are great little 2 strokes but they are tuned so that they are easyer to ride on trails, they make more of the power lower in the power band.  Also they are quiet because they have a spark arrester stock.

Zip

go for a 3 wheeler would be perfect if you cant decide(it is between 2 and 4 wheels)

I have a Suzuki 250 4 x 4 1996 model that I lucked across at a great price in the newspaper classifieds.  Probably looked for about 2 months before finding it.
Works well for hauling out deer as well as plowing snow, towing wagon, spraying yard, etc.
Not fast but with super low range has plenty of power and goes about anywhere.

Better - get a [size=4]Dune Buggy![/size=4]

Bought mine for $1,500.00, all it needed was the wiring to the lights, brakes.

It's street legal, goes anywhere, and since it uses the VW engine, parts are plentiful and probably a whole lot cheaper then bike parts!

Eric The(WhereDoYouWantToGoToday?)Hun[>]:)]

Go for the Dirt bike you can go more places. Also I would recommend going for the XR400. same size lots more power.

Like has been said, it depends on your overall purpose.

I grew up on dirt bikes, three wheelers and a nice Suzuki GS550 Street bike.

They were all a blast.

I now have a Polaris Magnum 500 4x4.  A total hoss as far as brute strength, 4x4 capability and overall off-roading enjoyment but as you might expect not quite as fast as I'd like as it is very heavy at over 700 lbs with all accessories I have on it (winch, racks, mounts).

I have done a couple  of mods to it so on a straight it will run over 60 with me on it (thats an extra 210 lbs).  Pretty good for the machine it is.

If though you are a speed freak such as myself and if you want to utmost in the power/manuverability category I might would consider the Yamaha Raptor, the Bombardier Quad or a Honda 400 EX or Yamaha Banshee.

I figured my riding would incorporate more hauling on the farm and for camping etc so I got the performance/utility quad.

I do miss that neck breaking speed though and the ability to really roost.

All fun and I love my Polaris.

Have you ever considered a Honda Odyssey or Pilot? The are the ultimate fun machine in my opinion.

A quad to me is like sitting on a box with four wheels. Unstable and top heavy. An Odyssey or Honda Pilot is a machine that you strap on and drive like a rocket.
There's a good support group for the Odyssey and Pilot line at http://www.pilot-odyssey.com

At $1500. you may be able to find a really good FL-250 or a beat up FL-350 that needs some work. The FL-400 Pilots command much more money.

If you haven't already plunked down your $, check out www.rokonworld.com.

4-wheelers are nice but you need a pickup or trailer to get them to your riding spot.. Dirt Bikes also need to be transported.. I've owned both of these types until I bought a dual purpose Kawasaki KLR650, with a liscense plate you can ride any place you want.. used D-P's always sell at reasonable prices, and are usually owned by adults which means there probably not trashed.

My vote if for the 4 wheeler, dont have to mess with mixing gas.  Lot less work on you on a long ride in the hills. And you can strap tons of stuff onto it.  If you are just kicking arouns and looking for some high flying fun, get the Dirtbike as they are that.

 Quads are fun and they have their place...  but there is no question that a 4 stroke dirt bike is #1.
It can go anwhere that a quad cannot fit.
It is more manuverable.
WAAAAY faster on ANY trail.
Can handle more technical obstacles.  
You stay much cleaner in the mud.
it is lighter.
Did I say waaaaaaay faster??
 I have an 2001 XR650R and it simply rips...

If you ever want to take it out and just ride, like at at a track get a 2 stroke.  The power to weight ratio realy makes a differance.  Also those trail bikes (4-strokes) have of susbension but if you try to jump them they arnt very fun.

2 stroke dirt bike [b]([green]Kawasaki[/green] [blue]preferably[/blue])[/b]!!!

ADTECHARMS has the right answer.  I can take my XR 400 places ATVs can only dream about.  Good luck trying to find a used one though.  Once somebody has one they won't get rid of it.  I used to race the old Red Roosters (CR 250) and they are fast and light and noisy.  This XR is not quite as fast, a little more heavy and a lot more quieter.  Plus it is better siuted to an aging rider's abilties (you can putt around with out burning a hole in the piston).

www.bajadesigns.com makes DOT kits for it (and just about any dirt bike) so you can make it street legal.

You need to figure out where and how you are going to ride.  Personally, I had a YZ125 and loved it but bikes do have there drawbacks.

1) Will you be riding in sand?  Bikes SUCK in the sand ATVs are much better there.

2) Snow?  ATV is king there too.

3) Woods?  Bikes are much easier to navigate with and can go many more places.  If there are too many trees or logs you might get stuck on a ATV

4) Carrying people or things?  Get an ATV.

5) Like to rip and jump?  Get a bike.

5) Will you being stopping or resting a lot?  Bikes are a pain when you stop because you have to lean them against something.  They are also a bigger pain to haul in your truck because you need a stand.

6) Bored easy?  Get a bike, quads are easier to learn and get boring quicker since the learning curve is short and you are limited with what you can do.

As you can see there can be some big differences between the two, you need to figure out what you want.

GeoffM24

Run your TP at about 8 PSI for sand.  I run mine at Silver Lake Sand dunes all the time.