Good enduro bike for road use

[Josh Rides]

Hi guys, I am approaching the age where I could Get my road bike license And I am looking for some advice on what to buy. I have ridden Dirt bikes since I can remember but have never ridden any enduro bikes so I am not aware of whether the power is much different etc. in terms of what bike to get there r a few quite cheap Kawasaki kdx 200 in my area but my dad tells me 2 strokes are harder to manage on the road, but then on the other end of the spectrum if I was to get a 4 stroke I would get a 450 so I could putt along easier than on a 250 if I was ever to go on a long trip but dad used to have a wr426 Yamaha and he said that on the road they are just as bad to manage and that he always got bad arm pump on longer rides so at the moment I’m just confused because I don’t know what bike would suit me. Any advice is appreciated.

josh

[SilvFx]

Josh,

can you better describe your intended usage?  How much road or asphalt miles?  Are the road miles just to connect from trail to trail?  What is the dirt/asphalt split?

When you say Enduro bike, I am thinking of high performance dirt bikes that you are able to convert to a plated bike (or come street legal e.g. Street Legal Dirt Bikes offered by KTM, Husky and Beta).

What might a typical ride look like as far as time and miles spent on dirt and asphalt?  How capable does the bike need to be offroad?

[Josh Rides]

Some rides will be exclusively in asphalt for two hours or more so I’d probably get a 17 inch wheel set and put some better suited rubber on them but I will still use the bike for trails and maybe even occasional  track work because I was going to get a motocross bike but my dad said that I am better off getting something that I could ride on the road as well. So with that said yes I would be looking for a bike that doesn’t need conversion. Also, for sale in my area is a really nice wr426 that literally looks like new for really cheap but is a 450 too much? In my mind I am leaning towards a 450 because it would make it a little bit easier to overtake with the extra power and also not have to rev the ring out of it when I’m constantly doing 100km/h (60 mph I think)

[Josh Rides]

And also some riding on road will be on dirt roads cos my dad has an adventure bike

[Josh Rides]

And my budget will be 4 to 5 grand tops 

[Adam7]

I would recommend a wr250f/450f, I got a 2015 Wr250f and I topped it out at 80 Miles per hour. It has very little vibration and rides nicely. It could easily be made street legal if you wanted it too be. I went the other direction with mine, I took off the headlight and taillight and turned it into a yz250fx. They are a pretty interchangeable bike. However if you wanted something street legal from factory a wr250/450r would also be a good option. But the 250/450r would have pretty soft suspension and not as much power as a 250/450f also the 250/450r would be quiet a bit heavier.

[Josh Rides]

Where I am from in Australia Yamaha offers a wr250f and r model and I am pretty sure the f model can be registered the way it is. I’m just curious because I would think a 450 would be better for maintaining a higher speed but my dad has one when they used to be 426cc and he said it always gave him arm pump. Also would a wr250f be better for track work over the wr450f model for my age and size (age is 16, weight is around 63 kg and I am 5ft 11)

[Adam7]

I would say you are right about the 450, it probably would get to speed and maintain higher speeds better, but for track work, and more technical riding, a 250 would be better in my opinion. The 250 is quiet a bit lighter, and easier to throw around. I think a 450 could be a bit of a pain when trying to throw it around a track. Ive heard a lot of stories of people saying they are actually faster on a 250 around a track. I think this is because on a 250 they can use all of the power it has, and throw it around. But on a 450 they have to be a bit more careful resulting in slower laps. I agree with your dad, i think a 450 would give you pretty bad arm pump, and i think a 250 would overall leave you with a more enjoyable time, and a better experience. And like I said the wr250f still makes out very good on the road. The gearing is very good, I would say i can cruise in a comfortable rmp around 70mph. It is nothing like the motocross gearing the mx bikes have, my brother has a 2010 yz250f and it has terrible gearing it gears out at like 55 mph, so i would definitely go with a wr, and for your age and weight I think a 250 would be the best. Hope this helps! And if you have the chance I would recommend taking one for a test ride.

[Adam7]

Also if you felt it needed to go a little faster, you could always switch out the front sprocket for one with more teeth.