Bikes for my wife and I

[timelinex]

Ill give a little back story to help the "experts". My wife and I just took a riders coarse and got our moto licenses. We both want to start dirt biking (both mid 20s), and there are a massive amount of trails here in AZ. I'm 6ft 180lb and she is 5ft2 in and 105lbs. we are both pretty athletic, I'm much more an aggressive rider than her.

We don't have a budget, but I hate buying new (for value/depreciation reasons), so something that'd 1 to 4 years old is what we are looking for (probably from craigslist). It would be nice to have something g that would be street legal, to be able to have fun with on my neighborhood side streets. However its not an absolute requirement if that means giving up alot on the dirt bike side.

I'm guessing I need something like a 250 and her a 125. Can anyone recommend what bikes would be best for us? (Or even links to something on phoenix craigslist!)

Thanks!

 

[2strokesteve89]

Welcome to DBA.....based on what you said, I don't know if I'd put your lady on a 125, while they are light, they do require a lot more work to ride than the bigger bikes, as they need to be shifted more and kept on the pipe most of the time,but as she's not very big, I think the happy medium would be the KDX200, it's seat height is around 36 " but you can adjust sag to help get her feet on the ground. And the motor is easy to handle but has a good amount of manageable power. As far as worrying about depreciation, if your worried about that, your in the wrong sport. Just get what you like and don't worry about the rest, just go out there and have a good time on the trail.

 

[Mihylo33]

WELCOME!
You would both benefit from either a honda crf 230 or Yamaha TTR 230.
Great reliable bikes that will offer plenty of off-road fun and are easy to maintain and ride. They are beginners bikes so the power is on the low side but the fun factor is way way off the charts!

 

[PALMER84ONE]

Here you go:
Go 4 stroke to get into dirt riding.
You are on the biger side of life and I would say something in the 250-300cc range up.
The lady 150-300 max.
The good thing about your state is when you want to make your bikes Dual Sport, you head over to MVD and pay the extra money and street plate them. There are many DS kits to add to bikes of any make and model and the 4 strokes are the easiest. It will cost you a little extra if you go that route.
You could also find the little lady a TW200 Yamaha that is already Street ready and very easy to ride for the vertically impaired. (Like me). For you, find a bike that already has the equipment like head/tail light and you are only adding a few odd and ends. WR Yamaha is best. CRF250X and 450X are to much maintenance.
AZ: head/tail/brake/horn/mirror DONE! Not that bad.
Good luck and happy trails.
I am in Prescott area couple times a month, and full time soon, my retirement home in 2 years.

 

[MikeinFresno]

she is too short for any full size bike til she learns to ride very well...I would get a 2st KX100, KTM 105, or a Honda 150, Honda makes a play bike 150 and a race bike 150

 

[ossagp]

if you want them easy to make street legal ie for them to come street legal I would go with suggestions from Mi. It wouldnt be what i would suggest though. Without a budget and being willing to buy used I know I could take 10-12 even where I live and find two very nice and suitable trail bikes (the cr150f for her would be a great start), and wr250 or 450 for you, and have enough money left over something like a Kawasaki versis and a kawaski 300 abs version of their learner ninja. Small trailer to pull with anything and you can go anywhere you want to ride.

at 5'2" she will grow into the two strokes listed in mike's suggestion above, but would still feel more comfy on an electric start 150 f. again, i think in the end you will appreciate and use the purpose bikes more than the dual sport bikes as a pair.

 

[ossagp]

Here you go:
Go 4 stroke to get into dirt riding.
You are on the biger side of life and I would say something in the 250-300cc range up.
The lady 150-300 max.
The good thing about your state is when you want to make your bikes Dual Sport, you head over to MVD and pay the extra money and street plate them. There are many DS kits to add to bikes of any make and model and the 4 strokes are the easiest. It will cost you a little extra if you go that route.
You could also find the little lady a TW200 Yamaha that is already Street ready and very easy to ride for the vertically impaired. (Like me). For you, find a bike that already has the equipment like head/tail light and you are only adding a few odd and ends. WR Yamaha is best. CRF250X and 450X are to much maintenance.
AZ: head/tail/brake/horn/mirror DONE! Not that bad.
Good luck and happy trails.
I am in Prescott area couple times a month, and full time soon, my retirement home in 2 years.

you are like me on that two years.

 

[Naturaledge]

Fisrt of all, welcome Timelinex Second of all, if your wife does not have experience on a bike, a 125 is not a good bike for her. I bought my wife a 230 (about the easiest bike to ride) and I ended up with the worlds nicest 230. I do believe I'm going to keep it. Not telling, just saying.

 

[ossagp]

That and its older sister the xr are things that a thinking rider just ought t to have one of.

 

[timelinex]

Thanks for all the replies guys, you have given me some things to think about.

I'm surprised to hear all you guys say the 125 bikes are a handfull! I thought the smaller the easier (I'm a newb when it comes to dirt biking, but several years ago I rode a cbr600rr for a half a year or so, so I'm not totally new to actually riding). Is it because they are super light and get thrown around or something?

I found a local tw200 that seems pretty nice. Is that something that would be nice for her? It looks like its got the lowest seat height for a DS bike. I also see a ttr125 and ttr230 selling locally. The 230 seat height is 34"+ so I just think it will be too tall for her. When we were at the dealership, she sat on a bunch of honda dirt bikes and I dont remember the model for sure, but the first one that she could put her legs on the ground on (from largest to smallest) was the 125cc.

I would like to get a wr250 as it seems like EVERYONE recommends this as one of the best, as long as budget isn't an issue. However I don't see any used ones selling locally.

So one of the big things that I really see that most people agree on is to probably stay away from a DS and just get a dirt bike and convert? Are they really that much better for off road?

 

[SRAD97750]

So one of the big things that I really see that most people agree on is to probably stay away from a DS and just get a dirt bike and convert? Are they really that much better for off road?

Bikes that are better mannered for the road are usually pretty terrible offroad.
Bikes that are great off road are typically poorly set up for the street.

It's a trade off whatever you do, and especially with tires, you'll never find a perfect medium.
Luckily in AZ you can plate anything, so pick what you want and worry about it's OEM registration status second. -BIG DAN

 

[ossagp]

I think the 125's many of us are thinking about are the race bikes. NOT the ttrs etc.

The tw is heavier than the rest
by far. I see zero advantage for them unless you can't decide between an atv and a motorcycle. I have had converted dirt bikes. With the tires I want for the dirt I am not going to like them at all on the pavement.

Bottom line for me is that for the price of converting a dirt only rig into something I can legally ride on the street, thus have something that is third rate one place and now second rate in another, it makes sense to spend just a little more and have two bikes. Both first rate for what they were intended. Never seemed smart even though I have done it. I also own dual sports and dirt only too.

Get two rigs for each of you and if you want it right now, that is what dealerships are for. Getting a good rig at the right price can take time. Look at ktm's and Honda's too. Kdx 200/220's are great.

Then go look at street bikes and increase your chances of having a safe ride.

 

[AdamRides87]

agree with 2strokesteve, the KDX is an awesome bike to start her on. My gf just recently started riding and she is 5'6" she loves my 2005 KDX 220. it is perfect for her height and the mellowed down powerband is perfect for her. 125s are quite snappy (RM125, kx125, cr125, yz125, sx125) most of these are motocross bikes and are geared for aggressive racing with very quick response. Like stated by the others I would try her out on a enduro/cross country geared bike. As for you, I would get a 250cc 2T or 450cc 4T. take it easy at first and you will grow into the power and be more able to control it with seat time and practice. Id rather grow into a bike than get a smaller bike and out grow it in a year and have to purchase a bigger bike. Just food for thought though. Im 6'1" and 155 lbs, I ride 250cc 2Ts. I have been riding for 22 years and am pretty practiced but if I can handle the power and push the bike to its limits anyone can.

 

[timelinex]

agree with 2strokesteve, the KDX is an awesome bike to start her on. My gf just recently started riding and she is 5'6" she loves my 2005 KDX 220. it is perfect for her height and the mellowed down powerband is perfect for her. 125s are quite snappy (RM125, kx125, cr125, yz125, sx125) most of these are motocross bikes and are geared for aggressive racing with very quick response. Like stated by the others I would try her out on a enduro/cross country geared bike. As for you, I would get a 250cc 2T or 450cc 4T. take it easy at first and you will grow into the power and be more able to control it with seat time and practice. Id rather grow into a bike than get a smaller bike and out grow it in a year and have to purchase a bigger bike. Just food for thought though. Im 6'1" and 155 lbs, I ride 250cc 2Ts. I have been riding for 22 years and am pretty practiced but if I can handle the power and push the bike to its limits anyone can.

Unfortunately theres no way we can get the KDX. There's absolutely no way her feet can touch the ground, and she is definitely very sure of only 1 thing, and thats that her feet need to touch the ground (and I actually agree).

Why a 2 stroke 250? Whats wrong with a 4 stroke like the wr250?

 

[timelinex]

Seems like alot of people complain about the TTR's being very underpowered.

What about a CRF150R. Seems like its a good amount of power and a good height 32".