What size bike to get?

K

kennymeredith

Hello, I am trying to get into bikes currently and the only advice i have gotten is from my friends and have been told different things from each one of them, Most of them are telling me to get a 250 because they think all smaller bikes are too slow but I want a bike that I will be comfortable on instead of it just being fast. I am a fairly small person, I am about 5'8" and 140 pounds. Any tips are greatly appreciated! Also I have only rode a dirt bike once in my life, It was about 10 years ago and I hardly remember it except for that I crashed because it was way to big for me.
 
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2strokesteve89

2strokesteve89

Welcome to the site Kenny, so I guess other than your weight and Height, what kind of riding are you going to be doing (track,trail,dual purpose, play riding) what's your budget, do you have a preference between 4 or 2 stroke? There are a lot of options but with a little more info we can narrow your choices quite a bit.
 
K

kennymeredith

Mostly trail riding but i will probably ride it down the backroads on the way to the trails, I am looking to get a used one no more than like 1,500. I dont really know the difference between 4 or 2 stroke so idk there. I found a used CRF 450 for sale in my price range, but i feel like that would be too big and maybe to powerful as a starter bike.
 
Mihylo33

Mihylo33

kennymeredith:
Hello, I am trying to get into bikes currently and the only advice i have gotten is from my friends and have been told different things from each one of them, Most of them are telling me to get a 250 because they think all smaller bikes are too slow but I want a bike that I will be comfortable on instead of it just being fast. I am a fairly small person, I am about 5'8" and 140 pounds. Any tips are greatly appreciated! Also I have only rode a dirt bike once in my life, It was about 10 years ago and I hardly remember it except for that I crashed because it was way to big for me.
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Honda xr200, crf230 or yamaha TTR 230.
Anything smaller you will be unhappy. Anything bigger and you are likely to get hurt. You'll have fun for years on that bike and will never get bored with it. It's also an easy bike to learn on.
 
K

kennymeredith

Mihylo33:
Honda xr200, crf230 or yamaha TTR 230.
Anything smaller you will be unhappy. Anything bigger and you are likely to get hurt. You'll have fun for years on that bike and will never get bored with it. It's also an easy bike to learn on.
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I'd like to get something like that but really the only thing i can find in my price range is 125's and lower except for the one crf 450 that i found. I really have no way to get more money unless i want to wait till like christmas because i have no job currently so i think im going to just have to go with something small.
 
Mihylo33

Mihylo33

kennymeredith:
I'd like to get something like that but really the only thing i can find in my price range is 125's and lower except for the one crf 450 that i found. I really have no way to get more money unless i want to wait till like christmas because i have no job currently so i think im going to just have to go with something small.
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Unless it's a TTR 125L don't bother. Any of the MX models will hurt you.
 
2strokesteve89

2strokesteve89

First off I wouldn't go with the 450 firstly because it probably is more than you want for trail riding and such, secondly 4 strokes(which is what the Honda is) are three times as much for a rebuild than 2 strokes and at 1500$ that bike probably does not have a fresh rebuild. For a trail bike you want something with a softer suspension and a mild power delivery, to me it doesn't matter how much power as long as it has a longer wind up. A MX bike as Mike stated has a harder hit and a much stiffer suspension made for landing 60' triples instead of soaking up what you would encounter on the trail (roots, small rocks, and what not) to me for the price range your looking at are probably in the ten to twenty year old range and I like 2 strokes as they are easy to maintain and simple to work on, that being said I like any of the KDX's made by Kawasaki Suzuki made a RMX 250 that was a good bike for woods and trail riding, Yamaha made a WR 250 in the 90's that would fit the bill. Problem is all these bikes are out of production and will be hard to find, but if you do take a good look at them,if they've been kept up and are in good condition it would be a great fit for you, im sure some of the other members will give you other more current 4 stroke models that would be worth looking at......but if you find something, feel free to post up a pic and some info, to let the gallery have their way with it.
 
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