is a 250 2stroke too much for a 120lb 15 year old rider

[jw998]

so I'm wondering about buying a 250cc 2 stroke I just turned 15 and weigh about 120lbs and am looking for a dirtbike coming off a Yamaha banshee. I will be mostly riding in the sand dunes but do go up and ride semi technical trails and desert riding. i've heard that a 125 will not have enough power for sand riding. would I be able to hold the bike up being around 5'9-5'10? what would y'all recommend I look for. (not at all considering a 4 stroke because of the costs of rebuilds)

Edited June 15, 2018 by jw998

[LSHD]

I was 15, 5'6", and 127 pounds when I bought my first YZ250 and didn't have a lot of time on bikes. The key will be getting past the learning curve without hurting yourself.

Edited June 15, 2018 by LSHD

[mixgashaulbass]

so I'm wondering about buying a 250cc 2 stroke I just turned 15 and weigh about 120lbs and am looking for a dirtbike coming off a Yamaha banshee. I will be mostly riding in the sand dunes but do go up and ride semi technical trails and desert riding. i've heard that a 125 will not have enough power for sand riding. would I be able to hold the bike up being around 5'9-5'10? what would y'all recommend I look for. (not at all considering a 4 stroke because of the costs of rebuilds)

Yeah you'll be fine,when I was 13 I got my first ever dirt bike,a dr350,that thing was heavy,got sick of it in about 3 months and bought an 03 rm250,I was 14 then,kept that for a few years and now I'm 17 on a ktm 300xc,just don't be stupid and push your limits,I haven't gotten hurt yet (knock on wood)

[markmc2]

yea, just teach yourself how to cover the clutch lever. avoid whisky throttle. you will get used to the power within a month or so. i was 6'2" 180 lbs and still dumped myself a few times.

[jw998]

yea, just teach yourself how to cover the clutch lever. avoid whisky throttle. you will get used to the power within a month or so. i was 6'2" 180 lbs and still dumped myself a few times.

What’s the best way to avoid whiskey throttle

[jw998]

Yeah you'll be fine,when I was 13 I got my first ever dirt bike,a dr350,that thing was heavy,got sick of it in about 3 months and bought an 03 rm250,I was 14 then,kept that for a few years and now I'm 17 on a ktm 300xc,just don't be stupid and push your limits,I haven't gotten hurt yet (knock on wood)

So I’m looking at a 06 yz250 id be y’all enough to hold it up and it not be too heavy

[markmc2]

49 minutes ago, jw998 said:

What’s the best way to avoid whiskey throttle

Cover the clutch lever and rear brake. Pull in clutch and or hit the brake vs. twisting to full throttle as you slide off the back trying to hold on. This bike has enough acceleration to make my vision go blurry. 

[jw998]

Cover the clutch lever and rear brake. Pull in clutch and or hit the brake vs. twisting to full throttle as you slide off the back trying to hold on. This bike has enough acceleration to make my vision go blurry. 

Ok thanks for the tips

[markmc2]

stand up, keep your head over the handlebars. when you sit down in neutral position and you feel like your arms are getting pulled off, then you are more likely to whisky...or at least get tired trying to hold on.

[killabyte]

What’s the best way to avoid whiskey throttle

practice

[mixgashaulbass]

So I’m looking at a 06 yz250 id be y’all enough to hold it up and it not be too heavy

Yeah you'll be fine,just be smart the first few rides

[LandLubber]

1 hour ago, jw998 said:

What’s the best way to avoid whiskey throttle

Whiskey throttle can happen to anyone. I’m 37 been riding on and off most my life. Haven’t whiskey throttled in years. With the exception of last month. I hadn’t been on the bike for a few weeks. Went for a very long solo ride 48miles of right technical rocky woods. And near the end bumped a tree with my shoulder in a careless moment got pulled back and whiskey throttled like a ten year old on a five hundred. 

Point is where all your protective gear and learn slow. Also there are plenty of very fast larger guys on 150’s. Just food for thought.

[pat22043]

On 6/15/2018 at 10:18 AM, jw998 said:

What’s the best way to avoid whiskey throttle

(1) live with some fingers around the clutch lever, always
(2) use the clutch a lot, nearly all the time. Use it to feather the power to the rear wheel. Do it several times a minute. Once it is burned into your brain, you can use the clutch (with some fingers always on the lever) to control wheel speed -- ignore the revs when you get whiskey throttle

[hawaiidirtrider]

On 6/15/2018 at 4:01 AM, jw998 said:

so I'm wondering about buying a 250cc 2 stroke I just turned 15 and weigh about 120lbs and am looking for a dirtbike coming off a Yamaha banshee. I will be mostly riding in the sand dunes but do go up and ride semi technical trails and desert riding. i've heard that a 125 will not have enough power for sand riding. would I be able to hold the bike up being around 5'9-5'10? what would y'all recommend I look for. (not at all considering a 4 stroke because of the costs of rebuilds)

You’ll be getting stronger and gain weight in time and you just ride and learn. Take your time and don’t push your limits too quickly. I rode since I was 7 and by the time I was 15 I had ridden and raced a wide variety of big bikes like 450 2 strokes and a pile of different 250 and 360 390 etc and whatever big bikes were available and small bikes. You’ll be fine. Wear good protection and use your head and get it. You’ll have no problem. 15 and 5’9” is fine. If you can’t pick up the bike and start it you shouldn’t ride it. That’s all my Dad needed to tell me growing up.I figured a way to pick up the bike when I fell and I just managed to start the bike. I had incentive. Id get to ride it if I could. You’ll be good..

Edited June 17, 2018 by hawaiidirtrider