need a good trail bike

[chris88]

i took my crf150f out for a first ride yesterday and i realized that i need a new bike. so i started looking, mostly at the crf250x, the wr250f/r, and the ktm xc-f 250. They seem to be the nicest bikes for pure trail riding. That is all i plan to do.

Which of these bikes is the"best" in your opinion

truthfully i dont mind a power difference unless it is like an xr 250

That bike was just too heavy when i tried one last year and when i rode my friends crf250r i loved the power.

I dont know much about these bikes so correct me if im wrong but it seems like that these are described as high maintenence bikes

What does that mean and what maintanence would i need to do. I only plan on doing trail/powerline riding- no racing

I plan on getting an older model such as a 2004-2007 because im not rich so i will be purchasing used.

Does anyone know any problems any of these bikes had.

and is there any other similar bike tio these three

Any response is appreciated

thanks chris

sry i didn't mean to post this twice, the computter just did it by itself???

[Zach Attack]

All those bikes are great. The crf eats valves from what I hear. The WR is reliable and powerful after a few free mods. I've got a KLX300 and that's the cheapest of them all. The seat height is lower on a klx. The klx is slow but you can get a lot out of it with some easy mods. And the KTM is the most expensive I believe. Parts are hard to come by and expensive for it but that is a high quality bike.

Those other bikes are trail based racing bikes so their fast. If your doing tight nasty trails, than they might be a little bit of a bear to control. That's why I like the 300 despite the little time I've had on it so far. I've never ridden a 250 and I have heard that the 300 is slow... I don't think that is but than again, I'm coming from a drz125.

[chris88]

thanks I have looked into the klx 300's how would you compare that to a xr 250?

does it have similar power( i would guess it has more but.....) and is it similar weight or???

I know the bikes i've listed are high performance machines and i would definetly start out on easier trails and powerlines and then evemtually move into single tracks when i get more comfortable.

[MrBlahh]

And the KTM is the most expensive I believe. Parts are hard to come by and expensive for it but that is a high quality bike.

parts are definitely not hard to come by, there's a couple big ktm parts stores online, I use ktmworld

dealers don't stock much for any brand anymore, they all use just in time inventory (none), that means you go in, and they order the part and want you to come back and pick it up. I quit dealing with them and just order online, it's way less driving.

[MrBlahh]

thanks I have looked into the klx 300's how would you compare that to a xr 250?

does it have similar power( i would guess it has more but.....) and is it similar weight or???

I know the bikes i've listed are high performance machines and i would definetly start out on easier trails and powerlines and then evemtually move into single tracks when i get more comfortable.

the klx is worse than an xr250 imo, it needs a lot of work to bring it up to xr levels, someone tell me why they use that horrible horrible carb? that junk belongs on a Chinese bike

[newb125r]

replaced my 06 crf 150 f with a 08 ktm 200 xc-w. 2t is really nice in the woods... really adjustable power. cheap to maintain. give it a look.

[Yamahondaha]

i took my crf150f out for a first ride yesterday and i realized that i need a new bike. so i started looking, mostly at the crf250x, the wr250f/r, and the ktm xc-f 250. They seem to be the nicest bikes for pure trail riding. That is all i plan to do.

Which of these bikes is the"best" in your opinion

truthfully i dont mind a power difference unless it is like an xr 250

That bike was just too heavy when i tried one last year and when i rode my friends crf250r i loved the power.

I dont know much about these bikes so correct me if im wrong but it seems like that these are described as high maintenence bikes

What does that mean and what maintanence would i need to do. I only plan on doing trail/powerline riding- no racing

I plan on getting an older model such as a 2004-2007 because im not rich so i will be purchasing used.

Does anyone know any problems any of these bikes had.

and is there any other similar bike tio these three

Any response is appreciated

thanks chris

High maintenance to me means you can't just put gas in them and ride, you need to change the oil religiously and check the valves and clean the air filter often.

I know this will have a back lash of postings but that is probably what you want so here goes:

I have owned Hondas since I was 12 years old back in 1974 (that makes me 47 years old now). I was into the 2 stroke power but preferred the Honda air cooled thumpers for the reliability and ease of maintenance. Times have changed and I now ride Yamaha.

I fell in love with the 98 YZ400f, it was a 4 stroke but with all the powerband of a 2 stroke. I have since owned a few 99 YZ400f's, a 2001 YZ426f and a couple of street legal WR426f's and a street legal 2006 WR450f so Yamaha is clearly my choice now.

As my user name implies I am also into Honda but not the CRF. It is a high performance machine but also from what I have heard it is very high on maintenance (valve issues). The Yamaha requires maintenance as well but tends to last longer between rebuilds.

The bullet proof air cooled Honda XR 400 was the last great Honda old school thumper but you are right, the XR 250 is a dog compared to a super thumper like the CRF or YZ 250.

My flagship ride now is a 06 street legal Husky TE510. The Husky 250 was a worth while bike as well but Yamaha has sold many more WR250's so I myself would buy an 05 WR250 for it was the first electric start 250 from Yamaha with a green sticker (California status) and many parts from the 450 will fit it.

The Honda and Yamaha have many more after market parts available for them than KTM or Husky so it is between Honda & Yamaha in my opinion but I am leaning toward the Yamaha followed by Honda in second place. You really can't go wrong with a Japanese bike and Yamaha and Honda are up at the top of the food chain.

I would say get the YZ250F if weight is the biggest issue and the WR250F if electric start is important to you...

[Zach Attack]

the klx is worse than an xr250 imo, it needs a lot of work to bring it up to xr levels, someone tell me why they use that horrible horrible carb? that junk belongs on a Chinese bike

Very true. If they had put a pumper carb on them, it would be fine... their 600 bucks! ?

Those KTM 2 stroke trail bikes are really nice. You have that low end power and for the straightaways, you can open er up and let it rip. Plus the 2 strokes are less to maintain.

[Dillier23]

I agree with Yamahondaha on the subject. The newer crf's (06 and up) have had the valve issues cleared up, obviously the ghost still follows them around though. The 250 Yamaha is a very reliable motor, that would be my pick. If you can find a good used YZ250F or WR250F you will be happy. Both will take some mods to make them right, WR will come closest out of the box for trails. The YZ can be very fun and really light trail machine with minimal mods. If E start is important the WR, if not YZ.

[MrBlahh]

I agree with Yamahondaha on the subject. The newer crf's (06 and up) have had the valve issues cleared up, obviously the ghost still follows them around though.

I want a crf250x but the honda forum here scares me away even on the 06+

[chris88]

thanks i would really enjoy having the electric start because kicking is just plain annoying.

Im pretty sur i will be getting the wr 250 now because it sounds like the honda has problems, the ktm is too new and i probably couldnt afford it.

i'll do a little more research, but the wr just seems like a nice bike which is perfect for what i need. thanks

[cr 250]

ktm 200 2 stroke

one of the best trail riding 2 strokes, fast, very light, cheap and easy maintancence and very reliable, but also not many second hand and expensive so

kdx 200 or kdx 220, again 2 stroke, fast, cheap easy to maintain but a bit older so more on the market

[YamaLink]

Indeed, all good options. A used CRF in those years will more than likely need some valve maintenance. Having said that, I owned 3 without one valve issue: make sure you change the oil frequently, clean the air filter, don't ride the rev limiter nor bog it down too much.