Dirt Bikes ...

[Linden]

Ok first up I know bugger all about Dirt Bikes or for that matter Japanese bikes so ... forgive an old bugger

My son is now 15 1/2 (knows it all from playing PSX and Xbox and iPod and ....) and I just started him riding (CRF100 just to play with - plan is to give this to my wife as a toy - long story)

Looking for a bigger bike for some dirt riding and maybe 6 - 12 months on the road (riding 7km to school etc)

As I'm not 100% as to his commitment (or skill/ability - think badly oiled robot) I'm thinking older and cheaper $1200 - $2400- also have a couple of spare LAMs Monsters for when road riding bites and hes go a bit more time under his belt

Problem is TO MANY MODEL to choose from eg Yamaha XT and Yamaha TTR (electric start would be nice but not a requirement) was also kind of stuck on 4stroke cos I understand em

BUT Thought has been given to keeping the cc under 220 to keep rego down

so now looking at maybe DT175 ... smokey but seem to be a few around

Medium term in a perfect world I'd like 3 dirt bikes so we could go soft trail riding as a family (wife puttering along on a CRF100 - maybe gets bored and moves up - her call) with 2 other bikes for me and the boy maybe 1 road/trail and 1 fully dirty

THOUGHTS and COMMENTS PLEASE

[shippy__]

02/03 WR250F awesome for trail riding and road riding, I had them both...... pretty much same as a YZ250F just different cams and lights and rego, they only go as fast as you twist and have the bouncy bits to match.....

Don't bother with XT and TTR, farmer joe rides those, unless your rounding up cattle !


WR250F is big enough for you to have a twist too

[Nelso]

Something like a KLX 250. We just sold Leanne's '99 model for $2000 with 10 months rego and in perfect condition, so they are cheap and pretty much indestructible. It was the perfect bike for Leanne to learn to ride dirt on and now that she has stepped up to a KTM SXF 250, she can handle the power and has the skills to control the bike.

[Linden]

Don't bother with XT and TTR, farmer joe rides those, unless your rounding up cattle !

This is for my son to ride on the road so Farmer Browns bike sound great ... he can get a WR or a YZ later on (with his own cash)

WR250F is big enough for you to have a twist too

Hey I've been riding the CRF100 and a borrowed DS80 oh and a DT200

[Linden]

Something like a KLX 250. We just sold Leanne's '99 model for $2000 with 10 months rego and in perfect condition, so they are cheap and pretty much indestructible. It was the perfect bike for Leanne to learn to ride dirt on and now that she has stepped up to a KTM SXF 250, she can handle the power and has the skills to control the bike.

Where we you when I was looking most of the KLXs I've seen (at the $2000) look like POS from the photos (rusty chain/forks etc)

the boy is keen on an 450EXC eventually

[Nelso]

Where we you when I was looking most of the KLXs I've seen (at the $2000) look like POS from the photos (rusty chain/forks etc)

the boy is keen on an 450EXC eventually

Leanne sold it really cheap to a friend. Realistically, we probably could have got $3K for it if we pushed for it, as it was in perfect condition, but we'd rather pass on a good deal and hope that Karma looks after us in the future. One in good nick should still be under $3k, so if they are asking $2k for rust heaps, they are kidding themselves. Offer them a grand and spend a bit of time cleaning them up and you should have a good thing and it won't matter so much if he throws it on the deck a few times.

There is a lot to be said for learning the skills on a bike you can control first, so that you can ride the wheels of a powerful bike later on. Too many noobs jump on the most powerful bike they can get their hands on, and rely on the power to go fast between corners, but never develop the skills to control the bike when things go wrong; and they usually have shit corner speed. If a 450EXC is what he is keen on, I'd be pushing the rider training early on to teach him the skills he will need to ride it to its capabilities. Dale Corser (Troy's brother) runs a dirt bike school near Albion Park that teaches the basics, called Corser Concepts, if you are looking for somewhere to start. Then, later on when he is ready to progress, Linden Heffernan runs his Academy of Offroad Riding to develop more advanced skills.

[Little Mick]

Linden,

will you be the mechanic or do you want him to learn to be one? Nelso makes a good point about cheaper and fixerupper if it teaches him a thing or 2. if it ends up you doing all the work, then saving $500 for a few weeks of work may or may not be worth it...

I've not owned a road trail, but the reputations of the older Hondas and Yammys is pretty good. Either way, a couple of grand is low enough for learning purposes and as Nelso says, learning the trade. +1 for Dale Corser. I took my son who was 16 at the time and did the course myself with him. We both learnt a few things and then I took him to a Bernie Hatton school as well (which I also did). that taught him a few things as well.. he was trail braking into corners on his L's course and his confidence in controlling the bike was obvious.

tuition, practice and tuition... regardless of brand of bike.... keep it lower CC - 4stroke <250, 2 stroke <125...do that for 2-3 years and things will fall into place..

[Linden]

Nelso & Mick

You both mirroring my thoughts ... (As to fast bikes early remember I'm fat bloke still racing a 696 Monster so that one day I might consider myself good enough to ride something faster)

There is an element to mechanic as well - at the moment we - (that should read ME) - are doing a frame swap / restore on 620 Monster (ex 130,000km road and race bike / 30,000km Stat WO engine) with a 600 Monster (for him to track) to follow

as to the 450 that's a long way away

BUGGER just found out missed a VERY clean DT175 2003 (maybe leaking fork seal) for $2000