Beginner Dirt Bike?

[97ranger4x4]

So I have gone riding a few times with friends and with my GF. I have rode the following bikes.

Honda CR 80 with a 110 top end 2 stroke(this thing was wicked!)
Yamaha TTR 125 4 stroke
Honda XR 200 4 stroke

Basically I am looking to get my own bike, but as a college student I really dont have much money. Looking for something older (like late 80s to early 90s) I want a 4 stroke for the maintnece and I want something around the size of the 200.

Personally I wont do any racing so I just want something that can climb hills but is comfortable. I really really liked my GF XR200! The TTR 125 felt way to small even though I am 5'3". On the 200 I could only touch with my toes if the bike was leaned over just a hair. I rode it for an hour or two and never had any problems with its size. I have been looking at local craigslist adds and found a few XR 200s in my price range. Basically my GF is trying to get me not to buy one because we can go use hers, but we have been dating for 3 years and this is the first time we went out last week (despite begging her since the beginning, and it was her first time riding since we met.)

So what other bikes do you reccomend? I found one that I may look at today, its for $300 and says:
"1990 honda xr 200cc,4 stroke.needs top end work(not running)-otherwise rides great.new bark bars ."

I will try and find out what "top end work" means and what it consits of. From my brief look online, if the motor is blown, its not even worth to work on, but if it needs new gaskets and the valves to be adjusted, then it wont be a problem. I have a compression tester so if the piston is not siezed I may try and do a compression test. I will need to research to see if it is registered and what that will cost me. I already have the basic essentials to start riding. Boots, gloves, helmet, & Goggles. I will look for pants and a chest protector as well used.

 

[Nipplechops]

I would recommend the Honda XR200. The only problem I have with it is the fact it has drum brakes front and rear. The engines in those things are nearly indestructable and parts are readily available and decently priced.

One other recommendation I'll make is the Kawasaki KX100. It is a bit taller than the KX80 and a little tamer when it comes on the pipe. They are very common, decently priced, liquid cooled and even though they are a two stroke, you should get a full riding season in on a top end (even more if you don't wind the piss out of it). Rings and gaskets are cheap too.

I also recommend that you stay away from the cheaper Chinese models. It may seem like a great deal to get a brand new machine for 2000 bucks, but they are cheaply built and tend to break when pushed hard.

 

[Southern_Trendkill]

I would stay away from 4-strokes, especially if you're on a budget. A 2 stroke is much easier and cheaper to fix, you just have to be more religious about the maintenance. Plus, they're a whole lot more fun, IMO. Check your state laws, though, to make sure they don't any of the gay california-type laws about 2 strokes. I would also recommend sticking with either a Honda or a Yamaha. Parts are cheaper and easier to find, and much more reliable in my experience.

 

[97ranger4x4]

Yeh I know 2 strokes are a lot cheaper, especially initially, but to be honest, I am scared shitless of them. I am in CA so it has to be a green sticker bike, which is basically 02 and older for 2 stroke. With 4 strokes I wont have a problem.

Yeh my gf bike has drums front/back. Can you convert the front to a disk brake?

The reason I like the xr200 is because it has so much torque down low that I dont need to haul ass like I would in a 2 stroke. And because I am a beginner (only gone 2 or 3 times) I want something that I can control. I personally dont want to deal with rebuilding a 2 stroke every year. It seems expensive and a pita. I mean I understand that by getting into this sport its a price I will have to pay, and I really should wait 6 months till I get a full time job before I go and purchase a bike and toys. Not to mention, if I move back home, I wont really have a place to store a dirtbike other than the side of a house, which my parents wont be fond of...

 

[Nipplechops]

The XR line is the best line of fourstroke machines out there, pound for pound and dollar for dollar. Are there faster ones? Yes. Many. Are there ones that handle better? Yes.

The 200 is what I tried to convince my younger sister to buy, but she settled on a Kawasaki KLX140L instead. The XR200 engine is a simple OHC, aircooled, two valve fourstroke. If maintained properly, the engine will outlast the rest of the bike.

You can convert the bike to a front disc brake setup easily. However, in this case easily and cheaply don't go hand in hand. You would need to source an entire front end from a mid 80's XR250, along with steering stem and triple tree. If you are lucky, it may be a cheap aquisition, but it may cost you as well. Then the question becomes, "Can I live with the front end sitting about 1 - 2 inches higher than the rear?" If the answer is "No," then you have to locate a rear shock off of the same bike the front end came from. If you go that far, you may as well just get an older XR250 and be done with it.

There are other options as well. Thumpertalk.com has millions of threads that would yield some very good information. I know there is more than one XR200 out there with a front disc brake.

Two strokes get a bad reputation from the assumption that a trail machine is just as demanding as a race machine in the maintenance department. Most trail oriented smokers aren't as demanding. A friend of mine (well, sort of, we don't ride together anymore since he sold his machine) had four seasons on the top end of his KDX and it ran like new. He tore it apart the year that he sold it and it could have easily done another year or two on the top end easily. Mind you, he didn't race it, but he did ride it a lot.

Getting on two wheels is something that will change your life. I'm 30 years old and have ridden all of my life and would rather die than give it up.

 

[Bryan22]

xr 400! the power is super tame and when you get used to riding you'll be alot happier you bought a bigger bike. Plus those things are indestructible! any older honda XR will have a great motor. They are nothing like the new generation of 4-strokes.

 

[97ranger4x4]

I dont have the strength to kick start a 400!

Seriously I am a small guy! I am 5'3" like 140 lbs. After riding my gf bike, I just have this huge craving to ride. Like I wish I could go out every weekend but her family makes it like this huge outgoing deal just to go to the ohv park that is 20 min away.

To me its like I know I am new, but common, it takes me 20 min to get ready, 5 min to strap the bike down in the bed (by myself) and 20 min to get to the local park. So that is why I really want to get a bike of my own so I can go riding. At least I can use my roommates bike whenever I want (the TTR125) so it is easier to go riding, but boring by myself.

 

[Nipplechops]

xr 400! the power is super tame and when you get used to riding you'll be alot happier you bought a bigger bike. Plus those things are indestructible! any older honda XR will have a great motor. They are nothing like the new generation of 4-strokes.

I would tend to agree with you, but one thing you may have overlooked in his original post:

I am 5'3".

A 5'3" beginner would have a hard time handling the size of an XR400.

EDIT: D'oh! Too slow!

 

[Shran]

My buddy back home had a bunch of bikes that we used to ride around. I think he had a 2001 Kawasaki 250, a Honda 125 from the early 90's, and a Yamaha 80 from the early 80s. We broke the frame on the honda, and blew the motors up in both others but they were lots of fun.

I also had a 78 Honda 50cc moped...lots of fun in the dirt

 

[LittleHorse]

This is just my opinion, but I'm definitely a 4 stroke guy. I didn't get into bikes until I had driven lots of cars, and I'm just too used to a linear powerband and a good amount of engine braking for a two stroke to work for me. It'll be a LOT easier to ride.

Second, even though you're 5'3" I'd really recommend something a *little* bigger. An XR400 would be too big, but there should be plenty of 250 range 4strokes that you would be able to handle.

Yamaha XT or TTR 225, 230, 250 depending on the year, Honda CRF230, Kawasaki KLR250 would all be good choices. They would all be good trail bikes, maybe not so great for big jumps if you're thinking motocross. They're usually on the cheaper end for the steel frame instead of aluminum, and they'll be more reliable since they're tuned for trails rather than racing.

I would suggest avoiding any of the mainstream 4 stroke bikes used in motocross (YZ250F, CRF250R, etc) due to short maintenance intervals.

If you get something with electric start, you won't have to kick it. If you do have to kick it, make sure it has auto decompression built in - otherwise it will have a small lever on the handlebar used for manual decompression and a very specific procedure for kick starting that I frankly think is a huge PITA.

I would avoid anything that you can't see it run. I would estimate that 90% of non-running bikes are being sold by a total liar that knows exactly what's wrong with it and decided its not worth fixing, and would rather rip somebody off. Chances are you'll get home and rip into it to find half the engine parts broken or missing. Yeah, I've been there.

 

[GreatWhite]

4-strokes are no good on a tight budget, they have valves

stick to the classic 2-stroke 250 and nothing should go wrong unless you twist the throttle past what you can handle

 

[93STX]

TTR225 or something like that. If I were you though I'd get a bigger one right off the bat.
I'm sure you'll get used to it, but just be careful starting out. It's better to just buy one and learn it than to just keep upgrading to a bigger bike.

 

[97ranger4x4]

4-strokes are no good on a tight budget, they have valves

stick to the classic 2-stroke 250 and nothing should go wrong unless you twist the throttle past what you can handle

Wow thanks for all the input you guys. I didnt think I would have this many posts.

So what problems do valves cause? Are they a pita to check and adjust? From doing some reading online last night, I read that 4 strokes should have their valves adjusted around 25-30 hours and a rebuild with new piston around 75-100 hours.

Also what about lowering bikes down like 1 in?

And now that you guys have me interested in 2 strokes, what is usually the case of rebuilding a motor? How much will it cost if you do it yourself vs a reputable shop. With a good manual I would probably feel confident in doing it myself.

I am open to other bikes in the 200-300 range if its a 4 stroke. It I were to get a 2 stroke, it would be around a 125. I really only plan on doing trail riding no motorcross what so ever so winding a motor out wont be a huge deal for me on a constant basis which is why I wanted the torque of the 4 stroke.

 

[Ozwynn]

my mom has a late 90's XR200. she rides it every day in AZ and other than new brakes, and a new spark plug every year and tires every other year there has never been a problem with it, ever, she bought it new, and was a beginner. I highly recommend a used older XR200. another one to look at is an older XL250...... no older than 86. nice and tame and street legal.


Stay away from an 82'-85' XR350. they have timing chain problems and are an expensive fix, I finally fixed mine by getting a newer style engine. jesus, I haven't been on a dirtbike since I was 18.

another good one for your size is an early 80's XL 500. sits a little lower than an XR200 and has 500cc power and extremely reliable.

 

[snake]

I was going to suggest the Honda XL bikes as well, they are the dual sport street legal dirt bikes. No need to trailer the damn thing, jump on and ride to the trails. I've got a 99 XT350 yamaha I bought new- its got 5,000 miles on it. No problems other than the battery going dead damn near every year. 6sp tranny, 90 MPH top speed at redline. Gets 60 MPG too. Insurance cheap as hell, and if I'm working on the ranger and need a part- jump on the scooter and haul ass to the parts store... It isn't a kick-ass super steep hill climbing machine, (mainly because the milder knobby tires) but works good for what I do with it.