New Member! -How Is This Bike? Any Tips?-

Not to derail this thread and Welcome by the way :wave:, but you mentioned your friend is sponsored and rides for KTM. I would think that he would have some valuable input to give you on what bike to get and should know your riding ability better than we do. Also you mentioned that he can get you greet deals on parts for your bike. Normally the deals on parts are for the same bike he would be riding unless he has a connection through a bike shop or something. Also again if he is sponsored by KTM, they normally can sell their bikes at the end of or mid season (depending on their sponsorship) at a great price. Have you talked to him about that? You can sometimes get a current year race bike for a great price.

Other than that, I see you are 6'2" and have ridden a couple 250s and 230s. Can you remember what those bikes where and how you felt riding them? Where did you ride them? Once you get a bike are you hooking up with some friends to ride? Do they have current bikes that you can throw a leg over for test run?

As for the KTM200, I rode with a guy a couple months ago that easily with gear on was pushing 280lbs. He was ridding a 2013 KTM200 in the open desert, but we were going up some tight rocky canyons and hill climbs and I swear he was on a 300. The bike tractored up everything with no problem and even though it was de-tuned and geared for the trees, it moved pretty well across the open desert as well.

Good luck on finding a bike and enjoy the riding.:ride:
 
Not to derail this thread and Welcome by the way :wave:, but you mentioned your friend is sponsored and rides for KTM. I would think that he would have some valuable input to give you on what bike to get and should know your riding ability better than we do. Also you mentioned that he can get you greet deals on parts for your bike. Normally the deals on parts are for the same bike he would be riding unless he has a connection through a bike shop or something. Also again if he is sponsored by KTM, they normally can sell their bikes at the end of or mid season (depending on their sponsorship) at a great price. Have you talked to him about that? You can sometimes get a current year race bike for a great price.

Other than that, I see you are 6'2" and have ridden a couple 250s and 230s. Can you remember what those bikes where and how you felt riding them? Where did you ride them? Once you get a bike are you hooking up with some friends to ride? Do they have current bikes that you can throw a leg over for test run?

As for the KTM200, I rode with a guy a couple months ago that easily with gear on was pushing 280lbs. He was ridding a 2013 KTM200 in the open desert, but we were going up some tight rocky canyons and hill climbs and I swear he was on a 300. The bike tractored up everything with no problem and even though it was de-tuned and geared for the trees, it moved pretty well across the open desert as well.

Good luck on finding a bike and enjoy the riding.:ride:


Well i've only recently been riding my friends Honda crf230f. I guess it felt fine riding it, but I remember it not having a whole lot of power.. Also at the moment I don't really have access to any other bikes besides that one.

And you said the guy was 280lbs? Does weight of the rider have a lot to do with what size bike you get? Because i'm not a huge guy, i'm 6'2", but only around 170-175lbs.
 
Well i've only recently been riding my friends Honda crf230f. I guess it felt fine riding it, but I remember it not having a whole lot of power.. Also at the moment I don't really have access to any other bikes besides that one.

And you said the guy was 280lbs? Does weight of the rider have a lot to do with what size bike you get? Because i'm not a huge guy, i'm 6'2", but only around 170-175lbs.

Im 6' 165lbs, the 200 flat out hauled me!
 
Yes weight CAN play a big part in the bikes performance... trust me... :cool: however at 175 lbs you shouldn't have any issues with a "smaller" bike... if the frames are the same size as a larger bore no problem, if the frame is smaller you don't want your knees up in your ears when you're sitting down. :smirk:
 
Alright guys. So i've been looking, and i'm going to just have to settle with a weak bike that I found..

2006 CRF230F

So long story short, the guy who's selling it on craigslist wanted $1,500 for it. Great deal right? Well I called him, he said gas has been sitting in the carburetor, so it probably needs a new one. Also there's no battery so he can't start it up for me. He said he's not firm on price so i'll offer $1,200.

So what I'm going to do when I look at it is bring my friends battery, put that in, take the spark plug out, put a bit of gas in there, plug back in, see if it turns over. If it doesn't the motor's ceased and I won't get it. Any other ways I can test the motor? I don't think i will be able to get the bike running when I look at it, so i don't know how it will run through the gears until I rebuild the carburetor. The guy did say he keeps it in his garage, so i'm guessing it won't be worn out.

If this guys bike is broken and crappy, my friend's friend has a 2004 Honda CRF230F, and he wants $1,500. So i'll basically end up getting a crf230f anyways.

This should be a fine bike to have for about 6 months while I really learn, yeah?
 

SRAD97750

Moderator
Staff member
I have seen a CRF230 (Palmer's) keep up with me on my 500 in the trails at Baldy Mesa. It is a capable bike that is good for learning.

Try starting it as is. Clean the carb if you get no result.
The only way to check a 4T engine is to perform a leakdown test, or take it apart and inspect/measure. Not really a way to tell without having possession for a few hours. If it turns over, It'll probably run. Good Luck! :thumb:-BIG DAN
 
So I got to the guy's house, looked around at the bike, and it looked pretty clean. I checked, it had spark & compression. I put my friend's battery in, and it didn't start. So we brought the bike to the guy's friends house 5 miles up the road, and tried push starting it about 15 times. Still NOTHING!

So I asked if he was willing to negotiate, he said yes. I offered him $1,200 (He had it listed for $1,500). He said $1,475. After some lowballing on my part, I got him down to $1,350 and 2 boxes of clothes. (Weird right? But I take whatever I can get.. there were some columbia and north face jackets in there, pretty nice!) So he said "Look, we can keep trying to start it, but if it starts I want $1,500, or you can take it right now for $1,350..."
I took it as was...

My friend and I drove it home, emptied out the carburetor, push started it, and it fired right up!!! Sweet!

It took about 5-10 minutes of riding for all the bad gas to get burned up, but once it hit the fresh stuff it started riding awesome!

So by taking the chance I got $150 off (and some new clothes)!


I thought you guys might want to see the condition of it, and I must say it's in pretty great shape!

IMG_0191.JPG IMG_0192.JPG IMG_0193.JPG

IMG_0194.JPG
Engine's very clean. Has very minor rust though.
IMG_0196.JPG
Tires still have tons of tread left!
(You could tell the bike has been sitting for a year like he said, since there were spider webs between the tread before we rode it!)



So do you guys think $1,350 & 2 boxes of clothes was a great deal for a 2005 Honda CRF230F?
 
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