Looking for advice on lighter bike

[newstylecustoms]

Looking for advice from those who have ridden and owned many more offroad bikes than I have.  I have an XR400 and love the torque but hate the weight.  I am 5'7" 165 pounds and after a recent ride on very tight trails and having to pick up the bike many times I am looking for a lighter bike.  I am considering the CRF250x but get conflicting information about what it actually weighs.  If it is not significantly lighter I don't want to go that way.  I am open to 2 strokes since the majority of the riding I have done in my life has been on 2 stroke mx bikes, clutch use doesn't bother me.  Several people have suggested KTM 200s but I can't find any in my price range or near me.  I have also considered the extreme light weight of a KX100 or KTM 105 with mods for trail use.

Thanks for any advice you can offer

[Trailryder42]

I had the same desire back in 2012. I was riding with guys on KTM 300 2 strokes. They kept telling me and I was hearing from other sources how they are known for their 4 stroke like characteristics, tunability, not to mention being lighter. It also carries its weight differently which makes it feel lighter and more flickable, able to throw it around under you. Then you couple that with a Rekluse. Perfect trail bike. I got a ride on 2 different 300s, one with, one without Rekluse.

Ordered a new 2013 a week later. Haven't looked back.

Yeah, used 200's are few and far between around here too. One of my friends rode one for a while. It may be light but I didn't like it. Don't like its power characteristics, having to keep it wound up to get anything out of it. I routinely ride the 300 a gear and sometimes 2 gears high and it just chugs along.

I'm 60 years old. Used to weigh 165, but I dropped some weight after gall bladder surgery. The 300 has allowed my to continue to ride the knarly trails I've come to enjoy over the years.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Trailryder42

[sneaky98gt]

An XR4 is supposedly around 275 pounds fully loaded.  (Side note, but I really should get my XR4 on the scales at work to see for sure).  It carries it's weight high, and you're absolutely correct in that it feels even heavier than that.  It's a great bike as long as you keep the rubber side down, but it really makes you pay if you have to pick it up very much.

A CRF250X is a very good alternative to an XR4.  When I was looking around for trail bikes, I was narrowed down between a 250X and XR4.  I chose an XR4 only because of the decreased maintenance schedule / bulletproof drivetrain, and because I found an excellent deal on it.  If those things aren't big deals to you, the significantly improved chassis, suspension, and ergos of the 250X make it a fantastic replacement for an XR4.  They are practically identical in power, though a 400 does deliver it in a broader, more linear fashion.   

One of my best riding buddies has a 250X, and they are supposed to come in at about 255 fully loaded.  So they are a solid 20 pounds lighter than an XR4, which is noticeable.  However, it too carries that weight fairly high, and while 20 pounds IS 20 pounds, it still feels fairly heavy to me.  So I don't know that I'd get a 250X JUST for the weight savings (though the rest of the package is still a big improvement).  But overall, a 250X is a fantastic bike for trail riding.

The big bore (300) Euro 2-strokes are very very similar to the 250X in that regard as well.  They are in the 245-250 range, which definitely IS lighter and feels lighter than an XR4, but they're still a long ways from what I consider "light" and easy to manage once you drop it.  That said, they too are fantastic all-around trail bikes.

If you want something SIGNIFICANTLY lighter, you're best bet would be a motocross race bike (CRF250R, RM-Z250, etc.) or a smaller bore 2-stroke trail bike (KTM 200 for example).  That's when you start getting to the sub 230 fully loaded range and is a drastic improvement from the XR4.  I've also heard great things about the new KTM 150s.  You probably know this, but if using it for trail riding, motocross race bikes have their own slew of issues to deal with, most notably the suspension probably being much too stiff for trails if it was valved for the track.  Plan on having to fix that.

One last little plug:  depending on the riding you do, I've been quite pleased with my little CRF230F for singletrack, hard-enduro type riding that I often do.  It comes in at right at 250 fully loaded, but since it's so short and carries the weight much lower, it rides like it's less than what it weights.  Ditto for picking it up (trust me, done that enough times, lol).  It doesn't make near the power that any of the other bikes mentioned do, nor does it have a good suspension out of the box, but for tight nasty stuff, the power isn't needed, and the suspension can be fixed for a fairly cheap price tag.  Just some food for thought.

[Off-Road Adventures]

My XR400 tips the scales at 280 pounds. That is a handful in tighter conditions unless you are well over 6' tall and 200+ pounds.

My XR250 is considerably lighter and is so much more nimble in the tight stuff. I haven't weighed it yet, but I would estimate 25 pounds less than the XR400. It feels that much lighter anyway. The weight feels lower as well.

My stepson's CRF250R feels heavy to me. It does not have a low center of gravity and is not easy to throw around both due to the long wheelbase and the weight being up high. I would assume that the X version is similar.

[newstylecustoms]

Thanks for all the great replies.  This helps me weigh my options.

I forgot to mention that I have also found a great deal on an KDX200.  So good a deal that I could afford to do some suspension upgrades to the old school suspension it comes with.

I have considered the XR250 but on paper is seems like very little weight savings and I can't help but think that is would be similar to a DR250 I had.  I hated that bike, no power, poor suspension and heavy.

[zxaphodbeeblebrox]

Gasgas ec300.
If God was into enduro he'd be on a gasgas.

[newstylecustoms]

6 minutes ago, zxaphodbeeblebrox said:

Gasgas ec300.
If God was into enduro he'd be on a gasgas.

Interesting suggestion but I have never seen a Gasgas for sale in this area.

[Off-Road Adventures]

The KDX is a very good option. They are great bikes! They made a larger cc variant of them for a few years, if you can find one.

[FUHL]

Beta Xtrainer, 218 lbs. 300 2-stroke designed for single track. Tractor like power similar to a XR400.

I had a WR426F before the Xtrainer. The Xtrainer is so much more fun to ride.

[clappedoutkx]

I know I'm in the wrong forum, but if I had a good deal on a KDX 200, and exactly that amount of money in my pocket, I would buy it. 

[FUHL]

I was going to get a KDX220 before I discovered the Xtrainer.

[newstylecustoms]

14 minutes ago, FUHL said:

Beta Xtrainer, 218 lbs. 300 2-stroke designed for single track. Tractor like power similar to a XR400.

I had a WR426F before the Xtrainer. The Xtrainer is so much more fun to ride.

This sounds like a great bike but it would be long time before the prices came down or I could justify the cost.  

[FUHL]

This sounds like a great bike but it would be long time before the prices came down or I could justify the cost.  

Yeah I hear you. I sold my old dirt bike and my street bike to get it.
New they are cheaper then anything compareable​.

[sneaky98gt]

I was going to mention a KDX200 also.  Another one of my best riding buddies has one of those, and swears he'll never get rid of it.  He isn't the fastest guy I ride with, but he sure does go up, down, and through everything we ever ride.  But I think it still weighs up around 250 pounds.  For the money, there isn't many better options out there, but I do know that most of the guys that ride them do some suspension work on them.  But as you mentioned, as cheaply as you can get them, there's normally plenty left for suspension work.

A Beta X-trainer is also an excellent choice (so I hear...haven't had chance to ride one yet).  From the reading I've done, they're also the lightest 300cc 2-stroke out there.  However, that 218 weight is dry.  Fully ready to ride, they're up a little over 240, which is still pretty good.  As mentioned, haven't ridden one, but with it's much lower seat height, I'd imagine it's like my 230 in that it feels lighter than it is.  Only problem is that there isn't a used market because...well...no one wants to get rid of their's.  Lol.  So you pretty much have to buy new, which means $$$.

[Piney Woods]

2 hours ago, newstylecustoms said:

Thanks for all the great replies.  This helps me weigh my options.

I forgot to mention that I have also found a great deal on an KDX200.  So good a deal that I could afford to do some suspension upgrades to the old school suspension it comes with.

I have considered the XR250 but on paper is seems like very little weight savings and I can't help but think that is would be similar to a DR250 I had.  I hated that bike, no power, poor suspension and heavy.

Impossible to go wrong with a nice KDX200. One of the best woods bikes ever no matter the year. If it is priced right and in good condition do it.  And the CRF230 is another great tight woods bike no matter how un-sexy it may appear. It just works.

[zxaphodbeeblebrox]

The Gasgas is a great bike equipped with all the good stuff that you would be regarded as upgrades to a Japanese machine. The gasser has great handling (no steering damper needed here!) And no "I want to kill you now" nasty power band. The only fault that I could find is that the ride is so plush that you can easily be seduced into approaching challenging terrain miles too fast!

[Off-Road Adventures]

6 minutes ago, zxaphodbeeblebrox said:

The only fault that I could find is that the ride is so plush that you can easily be seduced into approaching challenging terrain miles too fast!

Funny thing is that you are not the first person I have heard say that.

[Off-Road Adventures]

1 hour ago, newstylecustoms said:

This sounds like a great bike but it would be long time before the prices came down or I could justify the cost.  

My plan is to pick up either an xtrainer or 300RR this year. I have a dealer that is supposed to give me a shout when they get hands on another xtrainer. They normally sell before the dealers even get them. As far as cost, Unfortunately we are now in the era of $10k dirtbikes, so I feel like $7k is much better for the xtrainer even though it is insanely high.

[newstylecustoms]

So it sounds to me like the crf250x may not be with the extra money, $1200 more. CRFx rebuilds will cost a lot more, correct? I just don't think I would be satisfied with the power of crf230, back to the Dr250 performance I mentioned earlier.

[newstylecustoms]

1 hour ago, Off-Road Adventures said:

My plan is to pick up either an xtrainer or 300RR this year. I have a dealer that is supposed to give me a shout when they get hands on another xtrainer. They normally sell before the dealers even get them. As far as cost, Unfortunately we are now in the era of $10k dirtbikes, so I feel like $7k is much better for the xtrainer even though it is insanely high.

 I did just find a 250rr for sale on Craigslist, but it was way out of my price range.