Which bike to get?

[Nickolay]

Well, to be reasonably straightforward, I have no form of experience in the dirt.
On the other hand, I'm experienced on the road at high speeds and swings, not sure if that will help me anything ?

Anyway,
I've always loved to watch dirtbikes, and I've decided to buy one, what's left is what bike I should get.

I've seen a lot of people who write It's idiotic to get a 250, 450, etc. due to Its massive power.
Personally, I see that as a plus as for I'm pretty power hungry when it comes to bikes, go big or go home, hehe.

 

So, would 450 be ridiculous to get?
I mean, 250 and 450 is nearly the exact prize here, so wouldn't it be a waste to buy a bike with lower power for the same price?
The way I see it, you get used to the bike anyway, it takes time, patience and a few broken bones, but what the heck, what do I know?

Height: 186
Weight: 102kg

I've looked into these bikes:

- Yamaha YZF 450 -07
- Kawasaki 450 -09
- Honda 450 -08

(Also 4T is a must, can't stand 2T for some reason, It's the sound I guess)

 

[endurocross]

Well this is coming from a 2 smoke guy , but if you don't like I don't care .

What exactly do you want to do in the dirt-bikes more ? Race at the track ? do extreme technical stuff ? or just plain ride  in the open with open full throttle ?

The first two kinda exclude eachother ...

Edited April 18, 2018 by endurocross

[mlatour]

When even experienced riders are commenting that a 450 is too much for them and have since switched back to a 250,

an unexperienced one should seriously take that into consideration.

 

Learning from other people's mistakes is both cheaper and safer in the long run.

 

Considering you have zero hours of riding experience a 250 4-stroke is plenty (near 40hp) but,

the model depends on your intended usage (trail, off-road, MX track etc.)

Edited April 18, 2018 by mlatour

[Nickolay]

At first, it will just be driving around in the forest/sand spots, off-road mostly =)

Eventually, it would be fun to try it at tracks, etc.

Tricks would be quite fun if you mean wheelies, stoppies, jumping, etc. =)

[Nickolay]

Bump

[nobade]

We'll, you're a big guy. Either of those you listed would do the job. You can always sell it if you decide you want something else.

[ohiodrz400sm]

I'll put this bluntly. If you can only afford a 10 year old MX bike you can't afford a 4 stroke mx bike. You are 1 blown up engine away from bankruptcy.

 

Street riding doesn't transfer at all. You would be better off starting on a trail bike(XR WR CRF***F or X) than a MX bike. Dirt bikes aren't a long term investment like a house. Buy a beginner friendly bike and develop some skills. After a year or so sell it and buy something faster if you're ready. Jumping straight into race bikes ends up badly more often than not.

 

 

[pvodka]

I'm the same height, slightly heavier. I had the same dilemma trying to decide between a 250 or 450 4t.

I test rode several newer ones and ended up with an 05 WR450. They're a fair bit lower on the power than the new ones though approximately the same weight.

Not a light bike and it definitely tires you out, but if you're in decent physical shape it's manageable. I found the 250 required way more rpms to maintain momentum than the 450, especially on steep hills.

As mentioned before, street skills don't transfer over, mine certainly didn't other than using the clutch. It's a lot easier to get bent out of shape on a 450 than a 250 or one of the friendly leaner bikes like the ttr230 or crf230. But if you're careful and respect the bike I don't see why you couldn't learn on a 450. I certainly did.

[Nickolay]

2 hours ago, pvodka said:

I'm the same height, slightly heavier. I had the same dilemma trying to decide between a 250 or 450 4t.

I test rode several newer ones and ended up with an 05 WR450. They're a fair bit lower on the power than the new ones though approximately the same weight.

Not a light bike and it definitely tires you out, but if you're in decent physical shape it's manageable. I found the 250 required way more rpms to maintain momentum than the 450, especially on steep hills.

As mentioned before, street skills don't transfer over, mine certainly didn't other than using the clutch. It's a lot easier to get bent out of shape on a 450 than a 250 or one of the friendly leaner bikes like the ttr230 or crf230. But if you're careful and respect the bike I don't see why you couldn't learn on a 450. I certainly did.

Ahh, thanks a lot.

Yeah, was pretty uncertain due to my weight but since It's the same price I'll guess I'll go for 450.
Might be wrong, might not but yeah, with time I'll learn how to handle it anyway.
Ain't going to take full throttle up the hill either exactly, hehe ?

Thanks for all the replies, SebFMX is helping a bit as well so after he sends his recommendation I'll choose one =)

 

[Nickolay]

On 4/19/2018 at 10:52 PM, ohiodrz400sm said:

I'll put this bluntly. If you can only afford a 10 year old MX bike you can't afford a 4 stroke mx bike. You are 1 blown up engine away from bankruptcy.

 

Street riding doesn't transfer at all. You would be better off starting on a trail bike(XR WR CRF***F or X) than a MX bike. Dirt bikes aren't a long term investment like a house. Buy a beginner friendly bike and develop some skills. After a year or so sell it and buy something faster if you're ready. Jumping straight into race bikes ends up badly more often than not.

 

 

Not that I know anything but I've heard as long as you clean your bike and do regular services it can hold for a pretty long time?

Anyway, It's not that I can't afford a newer bike, rather that I won't put more money into a hobby I can't say for sure I'll love =)

Can't invest in other stuff next year due to the motorcycle license so I'm looking for something that will at least hold for 2 years :3

[pat22043]

Here is the hidden fact the OP might be missing. Modern MX four strokes are amazing. Huge HP and speed and they are amazingly light weight. But, they get that big power at high RPM, and all them valves and cams and other fancy moving parts are special. They need love. Replacing the "top end" tends to be pretty expensive.

My advise is to get a clean, used smaller trail bike. Ride it a season, figure out what you like. Sell it, usually for about what you paid for it, and you will be wiser and know what you want.

I ride a KTM 300, we swap bikes during rides, so I've ridden a bunch of 450 and 501 bikes. They all have impressive power, but they come on like a sledge hammer hit. That is not easy to control on a tight, technical trail covered in mud and rocks.