Posted: 4/7/2007 1:10:27 AM EDT
| If you were lookin for an entry level, competent, trail motorcycle what would you look at? And what is the optimum engine size? This is for BLM unmaintained trails in the mountains, so I want the juice to go up some steep shit. Im not a geer queer so bonus points for cheap, light, reliable. It dont got to be the biggest or baddest, Im not gonna put tons of miles on it, or race it. Also dont got to be street legal, it will be trailered. |
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For what you mention I would like a 4 stroke in 250cc-450cc. Honda CRF 450  Susuki DR-Z 400 Yamaha WR250  The pics are for reference you may want the 250-400-450-etc depending on your experience level and such. If you are relatively inexperienced, I'd be willing to bet the 250 would be more than enough but you may very well like the medium sized one if you have more experience. You start getting up near that 500cc mark(450-650) and you are talking serious torque that most people couldn't justify using, IMO. |
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My suzuki pic is broken...meh...you can look it up since the name is right there... Check classified ads and Bike traders. You can ALWAYS find used ones in great condition WAY cheaper than new. You did pick a bad time to start looking though since it's nearly full fledged spring time. It's easier to buy one at a good price when the weather isn't good riding weather. People want to unload it rather than have to keep a garage queen. |
| I know I picked the wrong time. I was gonna do this later, but the bug caught me. I agree the 250 might be enough, but I dont want to find myself in a situation where Im underpowered. I plan on going up some steep grades. But I also want as small and light a bike as reasonable, due to loading, and for tight spots. So Im leaning toward a Honda in the ~350 range. But Im open to suggestion. |
| The 250 might not be enough depending on your weight. On trails, low end and torque are your friend. The 250 may not have enough if you're around the 200 lb range. The Honda 450 is the fastest of the listed models, but it's a full-on racer (derived directly from their CRF450). The Suzuki 400 is probably your best bet if you're the casual trail rider - it's an excellent design and not quite as tweaked as the Honda. (ie, it'll need less maintenance and be more reliable, although the Honda is pretty reliable). It's also cheaper... If you think it'll be casual riding, go with the Suzuki (you might even want to consider the street legal version so you have the opportunity to ride it anywhere). If you think you're a serious offroad rider, go with the Honda (or Yamaha WR 450). If you want to make either of the latter street legal, it'll cost you an addtional 500-1000 and might be a pain inthe butt depending on where you live. |
Hey...it happens. Be safe and have fun. Lots of people are trying to ban trail riding on public lands(Go figure...people wanting to ban fun shit) so every story of some drunk retard who kills himself trail riding without a helmet pushes those days of no land to ride on even closer. P.S. Don't get the street legal kit. It's not worth it. |
Hmmmm that sounds interesting. Cheaper, and less maintainance is what Im after. Definately casual rider, I dont have time for anything else. And with the way people drive, I wont be using it on the street. |
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For a new rider I'd recommend the Honda XR250R or XR400R depending on your size. Both are air/oil cooled dead nuts reliable, can take a beating w/o a lot of maintenance and relatively cheap on the used market - both models have been discontinued since the CRF250X/450X were introduced. My wife started on a street legal '92 XR250R and we just bought here a '06 CRF250X. The XR will go anywhere the CRF will go - just not as fast. Brian |