Extreme noob Learning to fix used dirtbike (good first project)

[nooberson]

Hi everyone what's up I'm extremely new to forums and dirt biking I've watched enough videos on youtube to know I want to get my first dirt bike I want to buy a bike used on craigslist so i can learn how to fix my own bike and do a build on it but I know nothing about dirt bikes and dont know where to start

I know that I want a supermoto because I live in city

What do I want

A street legal two stoke to just be a straight hooligan!!!

About me

Extreme noob 6'2 20 years old 150 yes I'm a twig

About the bike

Dont care if it looks old don't care how long it takes I want to learn I want something I can grow Into reliable but torquey and something I can work on my self noob wrencher friendly

Ps I like how ktms look and I heard that they are simple to work on

 

Thanks guys I really do appreciate anyone who can help I'm honestly stressed because I want to buy something but dont know a thing

 

 

 

[Vermillionx]

If you want easy look for a 2 stroke. 4 strokes are harder but not by much. That is just due to the extra parts. I would look for a bike under 1k and tear the whole thing down and rebuild it. You will learn a wealth of knowledge doing that. 

[nobade]

2 stroke sumos are usually a track only thing, and miserable to live with on the street.
There are several good books about motorcycle mechanics on Amazon. Learn the basics then as suggested above, start cheap go through it and make it nice. Take your time to learn and accumulate good tools and the skills will serve you for a lifetime. And when you do build that CR500 sumo you'll know how to do it right.

[CDNSXV]

DRZ400SM.  Loads of them out there, fairly simple to fix and rugged.  Put up with loads of abuse.

[highmarker]

Find one already done, you can get a lot of money into buying 17" wheels, tires, sprockets, street legal stuff converting a dirtbike. my 02

[jtanman]

When you're looking to buy a bike, no matter how pretty it looks, don't forget that parts are expensive and should be considered with the decision. A $1,500 bike in need of "just a little TLC" can sometimes require $1,000+ in parts. Which is fine if that's what you're going for.

[Knightly]

I’ve tried two strokes on the street. Mostly miserable. It’s ok for connecting trails, but as a street bike it was awful.

[KTMan88]

I am a mechanic and a very avid rider and racer, if you ask me, from a money, time, and frustration standpoint, you are FAR better off just buying a good-running bike. Just starting out don’t fall into the thought that you can get a bike to ride and play with sooner and cheaper by buying one you will fix, especially if you have no experience with bikes and little mechanical knowledge. You will give up on the sport before you even get into it

[3S1M]

On 8/23/2019 at 1:54 PM, xbobx said:

A street legal two stoke

Back in the day (60's and 70's) they were pretty common for street bikes.  Not sure about enduros but I do believe there were some.  Suzuki, Kawi, and Yamaha were more 2 stroke oriented in the beginning.  Honda's were more 4 strokes . This is how I understand it.  

 

The first one more modern that comes to my mind is a Kawi KE100 but that might be kind of small for the original poster. 

[nobade]

Yep, the DT 250 and other Yamahas were pretty good street bikes. But they were in a very mild state of tune compared to 2 stroke bikes you can buy today. That KE100 is a good example of the breed. Plus it's rotary valve was very good and long lasting. I used to ride a '76 RD400 which was a pretty good street motor other than the gas mileage. But a current YZ250 puts out a lot more power. And would be terrible on the street.