ok man heres the deal, ive been riding now for nine months,total newbie. no mx expierence at all. my weight is 220, so went out and got a brand new 04yz450f. wow what a beast this thing is. my roomate has a 03yz250f and i ride his bike more than mine. after riding these bikes back to back all the time, i by far like the 250f more than the 450f. it handles better,lighter,more forgiving(for when u have arm pump and blip the throttle by accident)and i could ride that thing all day long. get a 250f, it has plenty of power, especially get the 250f if ur just riding fields and trails.