what dirtbike to get

Okay. So I'm looking to get a new dirtbike but unsure what to get. My friend has a 250 4 stroke and it was fun.. but i feel like i need more power I'm looking to get the new 2016 WR-450 but.. I'm not sure if it's going to be to much to handle or what? I'm 5'9 and weigh about 170 pounds.. soo yeahh some help/advice would be appreciated

 

Did you just start riding? What kind of riding would you be/are you doing?

-Also, welcome to TW

 

I rode my friends 250 for a bit until everything started going wrong. But I'd be doing trail riding and a 250 just doesn't seem like enough for me

 

I've been riding for about 4 years, and a 1999 Honda CR125R two stroke is plenty for me. I'm 5'9" 150 and I'm a decent motocross rider. I started off on a little Honda XR100 it it was tons of fun. 450s and 250 two strokes are a whole different can of worms. Scary powerful.

I'm not you of course, but if I were you I wouldnt do anything bigger than a 125 two stroke. Start small. It'll make you a better rider

 

yz 250 2 stoker, beast in the trails, lot easier than a 450 to throw around in the tight stuff.

 

I would get a smoker but I'm not fond of mixing. Also i hear they are super peppy on the throttle

 

They aren't bad once you get used to the power band, anyone who complains about the throttle has probably just been on a 4 stroke too long lol. But yeah mixing can be a pita

 

I got a ktm200xcw two stroke I love it I had a crf250 four stroke for about a year in a half and got bored with it after a few months you'll never get bored on a two stroke after riding this ktm for three years it's still is a blast to hit that powerband super light narrow bike and it hits around 90mph for the wide open desert areas only thing I would change to is the ktm300 but I got the 200 on taking over payments which was like 2k left on it helping a friend out

 

Well maybe I'll reconsider getting a 2 stroke.. im just scared of rebuilding it all the time. How long do you guys go without rebuilds and how often should the general maintenance be?

 

That's a tough one depends on how hard and much you ride I personally do a rebuild once a year usually during winter time there is a compression gauge you can buy and check to see where your at and see what the manual calls for on compression and general maintenance I think should be same on all bike 2 & 4 I usually change oil every 2-3 rides it's less then a quart in my bike and takes less then five minutes keeping your bike clean also is good on any bike I wash mine after every ride after it cools off from top to bottom to keep the seals good and fresh and I clean airfilter after every ride a clean bike is a happy bike check all fluids and filters before every ride

 

it's easy to rebuild a two stroke. Rebuild kits are cheap, but even at that, the last time I did mine was two years ago. A lot more things can go wrong with the valvetrain on 4 strokes that aren't issues with 2 strokes but, there is a lot more low end muscle on a 4 stroke. 2 strokes are playfully soft in the low rpms but once you hit a certain rpm number, hold on for the powerband!

EDIT: 4 strokes aren't immune to breakdowns too, they can both go wrong, but 4 stroke breakdowns tend to be more catastrophic and costly

 

I mean my main bike is a 450, but i ride motocross, and dick around in the dunes a lot. for what your going to be using the bike for i just think the light weight 2 stroke is the way to go. 4 strokes are wayyyyyy more maintenance and cost a lot more to run than a 2 stroke does as well. i blew my engine once and after paying the $3500 bill to rebuild it i considered going the way of the 2 stroke

 

Alright well.. now that I'm hearing this i think ima go for 2 stroke instead lol now i just gotta pick a brand and bike. Any suggestions? Also i hear alot of debate between letting it idle till operating temp and giving it a few revs and going? I just wana make sure im doing everything right with the bike and making it last as long as possible.

 

Have sat on the WR? Is it comfortable? Does it feel heavy when leaning from side to side.
A WR 450 is a lot of bike. I have riden a few and i would have to say it in no doubt a good scooter its too much for me.
Also what will you be using it for track or trail wide open desert or 50/50?

 

As far as brand there isn't to many making two strokes now days if you buy new and brands are kinda like Chevy vs ford I was originally a Kawasaki fan never even thought about ktm but after owning one I love it it really just depends what your gonna do with it but ktm kinda has a bike that covers every style of riding but i still love the green team if they ever make a two stroke again I might have to get one

 

I honestly love yamaha (also my favorite color) but i feel KTM is just to overpriced. It makes me feel like im paying for the name

 

And you would be for bare bones stock, no armor what so ever. KTM is ok. But not my choice either. The hydraulic clutch is nice but meh. Its about being comfortable! And ktm just doesn't sit right for me. They seem top heavy, harder to throw around.

 

I've had a 2001 CR125 (my first bike, killed it constantly), decided to go to a 2012 YZ250F since 4 strokes are easier to ride and it was new and updated compared to the smoker. Got big into MX on the weekends, upgraded to a 14, 15 and lastly 16 YZ250F, all were solid bikes, which is why I will forever own a Yamaha. This fall I picked up a new YZ125, holy crap I fell in love, easier to ride, easier to maintain and cheaper to run in the long run, I loved it so much I sold my 2016 YZ250F with 6 hours on it and picked up another smoker, YZ250. All I can say is sure you wont need to do a piston and rings at 40-50 hours like a 2 stroke, but you will need to definitely at 80-100 hours and though you saved money there, you will eventually need to replace the cam chain, cam chain tensioner, recut and seat valves, etc. etc. If you plan on keeping it for the long haul 2 strokes are a better bang for your buck. 3 year or old 4 strokes are hard to sell as everyone knows they will need some decent maintainence to be safe (they are referred to as ticking time bombs) and thus they only fetch $3-4k. A 3 year old plus 2 stroke will easily sell for $3-4k and cost less initially. Again it depends on your needs and plans. If you want to keep it a long time and are a very light casual rider than a 4 stroke could last a long time, if you ride a decent amount and are planning on keeping it past 3 years then you should consider a 2 stroke, premix is not that difficult, neither is jetting, and if you wrench at all they are much easier to rebuild and maintain than a 4 stroke thumper. You can also add flywheel weights, etc. to tone it down if your worried about whiskey throttling it, along with sprocket changes, etc. Just my 2 cents. As far as brands stick to Yamaha or Honda, both are known for reliability and parts being not too expensive, Suzukis are cheap but you get what you pay for. KTMs have a lot of fancy stuff in stock form, but you really don't need it and for the premium not worth it, they are like the BMWs of the bike world, more expensive parts and tend to break more often, though the newer ones seem to be better, I almost bought one here recently, but the suspension is important to me and theirs is still behind the yami's. Good luck with your search!

 

I miss 2 stroke with race fuel!

 

2-stroke 250, nuff said