dirt bike.. help

[YAMERNA]

im looking into getting a used 250 twostroke and looking to spend about 1200 on it im currently looking at a almost stock 99 cr...but pretty mutch bikes are a new thing for me and any advice sutch as a good bike to get/ things to look for..or bikes to beware of in general any info would be help thanks...sorry its kind of a general post

[gsxr68]

stay away from dirt bikes they will turn you into a d-bag

[SRH]

for that price id go with a 2001-2003 cr 250, great bikes otherwise the 05 and newer yz 250 or the 95-96 cr 250

id stay away from the 97-99 cr's with the first generation aluminum chassis

2001-2003 cr 250 id pay 1000-1600
05 and newer yz about 1500
95-96 about 800-1000, these are great bikes for playing around

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by gsxr68
stay away from dirt bikes they will turn you into a d-bag

we'll leave it at that. that statement speaks for itself

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by YAMERNA
im looking into getting a used 250 twostroke and looking to spend about 1200 on it im currently looking at a almost stock 99 cr...but pretty mutch bikes are a new thing for me and any advice sutch as a good bike to get/ things to look for..or bikes to beware of in general any info would be help thanks...sorry its kind of a general post

did you consider a 4 stroke at all? they're definately a lot easier to ride and would make a good first bike. sorry i can't help much i don't know my 2 strokes too well

[fastredrider44]

A 250 2 stroke is not a good first bike. That's a lot of power.

[Ruby Soho]

SRH has it right.. make sure you stay away from the first gen aluminum frames!

[KXRida]

Originally posted by gsxr68
stay away from dirt bikes they will turn you into a d-bag

says the quad rider who never lost his training wheels.

250 2t isn't the greatest beginner bike, but if you think you can handle it, crack at it. Good bikes and a blast to ride once you get used to them.

[derekhonda]

Originally posted by gsxr68
stay away from dirt bikes they will turn you into a d-bag

what kind of dirtbike did you use to ride?

[snacob14]

250 isn't a bad bike for someone who doesn't ride a dirtibike. They are great for lugging around. You can't do that on a 125. If all you're ever going to do is trail ride then you should be fine learning how on that. IF you want to be fast on one, then you need to start smaller. I'd start on a xr or ttr 250. For 1200 dollars you're not going to find a cr in good condition any newer than a 99. that 99 would be fine to start on, you're not going to be racing pro motocross so you're probably not even going to notice the turning issues those bikes had. I've had just about every year/generation from 90 to 05. My advice would be XR or TTR. They will run forever, you don't have to worry about rebuilds most of the time and they will give you a great idea if you will like dirtbikes or not...which you will!!!!

[Rich250RRacer]

Originally posted by SRH
for that price id go with a 2001-2003 cr 250, great bikes otherwise the 05 and newer yz 250 or the 95-96 cr 250

id stay away from the 97-99 cr's with the first generation aluminum chassis

2001-2003 cr 250 id pay 1000-1600
05 and newer yz about 1500
95-96 about 800-1000, these are great bikes for playing around

The first generation chassis isn't that great, rather tall, and very stiff. I prefer the steel chassis bikes from 92-96. I have both and pick one of the older ones over my 99 anytime. As for buying a four-stroke, you get the VERY expensive maintenence with one of those. The two-strokes are more reliable and much cheaper when time for a rebuild.

I'll sell you my '99 if your set on one of those, but I can promise you it will cost more than $1200. It has about 20-30 hours on it, nothing's been changed except oil.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee108/rich250rracer/quads/99cr.jpg

[KXRida]

Originally posted by Rich250RRacer
The first generation chassis isn't that great, rather tall, and very stiff. I prefer the steel chassis bikes from 92-96. I have both and pick one of the older ones over my 99 anytime. As for buying a four-stroke, you get the VERY expensive maintenence with one of those. The two-strokes are more reliable and much cheaper when time for a rebuild.

I'll sell you my '99 if your set on one of those, but I can promise you it will cost more than $1200. It has about 20-30 hours on it, nothing's been changed except oil.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee108/rich250rracer/quads/99cr.jpg

Not to rain on your parade, but with the market as down as it is, $1200 is about right if not a tad high for a bike like that. I'm not sure about your area, but for $1500 you can a pretty new 250 for that. It's a buyers market. I was ecstatic to get $2200 out of my moderately modded 2005 yz250f.

[woodsracer144]

Originally posted by SRH

05 and newer yz about 1500


are you on crack?! i would drop 2500-3 on one of those... my buddy still has his 05 yz... he had Chad Reeds mech. build the hole motor back in the day some how he got hooked up really good on it... it is wicked fast...

the 05 and newer yz125 is a great bike too

[KXRida]

Originally posted by woodsracer144
are you on crack?! i would drop 2500-3 on one of those... my buddy still has his 05 yz... he had Chad Reeds mech. build the hole motor back in the day some how he got hooked up really good on it... it is wicked fast...

the 05 and newer yz125 is a great bike too

I got my 05 yz250f new for $1800.

[woodsracer144]

im talkin about 2 smokes... i cant find a 05 + 125 or 250 under 2250 around here...

[Rich250RRacer]

Originally posted by KXRida
Not to rain on your parade, but with the market as down as it is, $1200 is about right if not a tad high for a bike like that. I'm not sure about your area, but for $1500 you can a pretty new 250 for that. It's a buyers market. I was ecstatic to get $2200 out of my moderately modded 2005 yz250f.

I don't care what they're bringing or what the market on it is, I don't need to sell it and I don't need the money. I would never let it go that cheap. I'll walk by it and look at it once in a while, maybe wipe the dust off of it, and say "damn, that bike's brand new". :D

[KXRida]

Originally posted by Rich250RRacer
I don't care what they're bringing or what the market on it is, I don't need to sell it and I don't need the money. I would never let it go that cheap. I'll walk by it and look at it once in a while, maybe wipe the dust off of it, and say "damn, that bike's brand new". :D

haha guess you'll be keeping it for a while. I usually update to a newer bike every 3 years or so.

[Ruby Soho]

the 250 2 strokes go cheaper than the 4 strokes around here

i just sold my 97 rm250 for 850 lol

[UNBROKEN]

the 250 can be a handful at times if ure inexperied or just a girl :D , but u can tune the bike to make it howerver u want a fww will make the bike alot more lugabble and smoothen the power out and make the bike more tractible , i realy dont like 125s ive riddin a rm125 and yz125 both were light as hell but had no torque and had to be revved all the time

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by woodsracer144
are you on crack?! i would drop 2500-3 on one of those... my buddy still has his 05 yz... he had Chad Reeds mech. build the hole motor back in the day some how he got hooked up really good on it... it is wicked fast...

the 05 and newer yz125 is a great bike too

2500-3000 on a decade old bike :eek2: i think you're the one on crack.

yea around here that bikes going for a little over a grand. the only market for 2 strokes are for the rednecks who rip around fields and like the same bikes that they rode 20 years ago. almost all the newer riders and racers want 4 strokes.

[KXRida]

I had my 01 rm 125 that as farily modded that I let go for $1100. Hell I almost had that in the clutch alone.

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z152/Rmrider125/rmsprocket.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z152/Rmrider125/chain5.jpg

http://altoona.craigslist.org/mcy/1509844829.html

http://altoona.craigslist.org/mcy/1507689490.html

http://altoona.craigslist.org/mcy/1500505541.html

http://altoona.craigslist.org/mcy/1500258842.html

http://altoona.craigslist.org/mcy/1499768865.html

http://altoona.craigslist.org/mcy/1485332071.html

Those are just some of a few local deals that are here. If you're willing to travel you can find even better deals. There was a shop in Ohio that had closeout 2008 rmz's for $2800. I called to put a deposit on one before I found my kxf and they were sold out.

[woodsracer144]

KX how do you like your kx250f? my buddy got a 08 last year and he said it was a great bike... but the trans was a bit choppy at first...

[KXRida]

Originally posted by woodsracer144
KX how do you like your kx250f? my buddy got a 08 last year and he said it was a great bike... but the trans was a bit choppy at first...

Can't really get a good review on it. Only rode it twice and it wasn't set up for me. I like it a lot better than my yzf. Power comes on a lot nicer and there is a lot more over rev. I wasn't really expecting much going from a 250f to a 250f, but I'm definitely happier with the kxf.

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z152/Rmrider125/1226091649.jpg

Just waiting for my graphics to come in so I can put them on the new plastics and need to save up some money to send my suspension out for a revalve/respring and get some custom backgrounds. I may pick up a new chain and sprockets. They're not really bad, but I'd rather have fresh for the season.

[UNBROKEN]

Originally posted by jesseweaver
2500-3000 on a decade old bike :eek2: i think you're the one on crack.

yea around here that bikes going for a little over a grand. the only market for 2 strokes are for the rednecks

or for ppl who want a FUN bike that has balls and is cheap and easy to maintain

[Rich250RRacer]

Originally posted by jesseweaver
the only market for 2 strokes are for the rednecks who rip around fields and like the same bikes that they rode 20 years ago. almost all the newer riders and racers want 4 strokes.

I'm sure since you're 17 years old, you know everything about the motorcycle industry, but just in case you don't, the two-stroke market isn't dead yet. The shift is coming and it's shown in the AMA allowing 250 two strokes to compete against the 250 four-strokes. One of the main reasons is the high cost of maintenence on the four-strokes. A two-stroke top end can be rebuilt three times compared to the cost of rebuilding the top end of a four-stroke once, including valve job, which they need nearly everytime anyway.

But I'm just a redneck who rips around fields, so what do I know. The fact that I've turned wrenches for the past 20 years on probably more machines than you've ever seen in your 17 years has nothing to do with it.

[deathman53]

I guess I'm in the same category for riding my trx250r and atc250r, 2 STROKES. I have 4 strokes also, ktm450exc, atc20x and 250r hybrid crf450r. I also have another 2 stroke dirtbike(bottom rod bearing went) that is gonna get rebuilt and was and will be ridden more than the 4 stroke. Oh wait....the fact I ride trikes puts me into a different category, lets see, the 40 yr old guy who still has a mullet, can't let go of the "old" days of atv's, doesn't ride anymore and dreams of the "glory" days. I ride my 2 stroke atv's more than the 4 strokes, just as fast and somewhat more work to ride them good. They are less weight for sure and just as fast w/ a good rider.

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by Rich250RRacer
I'm sure since you're 17 years old, you know everything about the motorcycle industry, but just in case you don't, the two-stroke market isn't dead yet. The shift is coming and it's shown in the AMA allowing 250 two strokes to compete against the 250 four-strokes. One of the main reasons is the high cost of maintenence on the four-strokes. A two-stroke top end can be rebuilt three times compared to the cost of rebuilding the top end of a four-stroke once, including valve job, which they need nearly everytime anyway.

But I'm just a redneck who rips around fields, so what do I know. The fact that I've turned wrenches for the past 20 years on probably more machines than you've ever seen in your 17 years has nothing to do with it.

WHOA lol easy there. sorry for sounding like i know it all haha i apologize for offending you. obvisouly i did.

i shouldn't say thats the ONLY market. but where i'm from 85% of the 2 strokes fit in that category. yes i am aware theres still AMA classes that allow 2 strokes and there quite a few people who race them and ride competitively. and yes i know why people like them, the 4 strokes do get pretty pricey.

and i'll agree with the KXF having quite a bit more power. i had a 06 yzf250 and got a 06 kx250f and also didn't expect much difference going from a 250f to another 250f, same year bikes. but the kxf does hit harder and its definately noticible. i can't say much handling wise, my kxf still has stock suspensoin.

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by deathman53
I guess I'm in the same category for riding my trx250r and atc250r, 2 STROKES. I have 4 strokes also, ktm450exc, atc20x and 250r hybrid crf450r. I also have another 2 stroke dirtbike(bottom rod bearing went) that is gonna get rebuilt and was and will be ridden more than the 4 stroke. Oh wait....the fact I ride trikes puts me into a different category, lets see, the 40 yr old guy who still has a mullet, can't let go of the "old" days of atv's, doesn't ride anymore and dreams of the "glory" days. I ride my 2 stroke atv's more than the 4 strokes, just as fast and somewhat more work to ride them good. They are less weight for sure and just as fast w/ a good rider.

yea it all depends on the rider. i, personally, never felt right on a 2 stroke (probably because i have never owned one) but i was just never a fan. and i have a bunch of friends who just can't seem to get it with the 4 strokes and are much much faster on their 2 strokes. it goes both ways

[KXRida]

Originally posted by Rich250RRacer
I'm sure since you're 17 years old, you know everything about the motorcycle industry, but just in case you don't, the two-stroke market isn't dead yet. The shift is coming and it's shown in the AMA allowing 250 two strokes to compete against the 250 four-strokes. One of the main reasons is the high cost of maintenence on the four-strokes. A two-stroke top end can be rebuilt three times compared to the cost of rebuilding the top end of a four-stroke once, including valve job, which they need nearly everytime anyway.

But I'm just a redneck who rips around fields, so what do I know. The fact that I've turned wrenches for the past 20 years on probably more machines than you've ever seen in your 17 years has nothing to do with it.

As far as ama races, the last one I race had a full gate, only two out of the 40 were 2 strokes and I ended up finishing above both of them. Overall though ama attendence is way down. The A classes are pretty sparce around here anymore with a handful of guys attending. B is still pretty decent, and C will always thrive.
Top end for top end (minus valves) I can do a 250 for almost the exact same price including gaskets as I could my 125's. Just have to know where to look. Valves themselves really aren't tooo expensive. $40 a valve X 4 = $160. It's the springs and labor that get costly. If you can do it yourself you save a pile of money. It's also about preventative maintainence as well. Keeping your valves in spec, clean oil/air filters, and frequent oil changes are your best friend on a modern thumper. Gotta pay to play the game.

[Rich250RRacer]

Originally posted by jesseweaver
WHOA lol easy there. sorry for sounding like i know it all haha i apologize for offending you. obvisouly i did.

i shouldn't say thats the ONLY market. but where i'm from 85% of the 2 strokes fit in that category. yes i am aware theres still AMA classes that allow 2 strokes and there quite a few people who race them and ride competitively. and yes i know why people like them, the 4 strokes do get pretty pricey.

and i'll agree with the KXF having quite a bit more power. i had a 06 yzf250 and got a 06 kx250f and also didn't expect much difference going from a 250f to another 250f, same year bikes. but the kxf does hit harder and its definately noticible. i can't say much handling wise, my kxf still has stock suspensoin.

No problem. What many don't realize is it wasn't the demand at first that hurt the two-stroke market. It was the push by tree huggers on emissions, and the fact that all the big manufacturers stopped the R&D on them to devote time and money to the four strokes (damn Yamaha and that YZ400F) to please the tree huggers. Since the two-strokes weren't getting all the latest technology, people started to drift away from them. But it's those maintenence costs, lighter weight, and more power out of a comparable sized engine that is luring people back to the pingers.

As for those who say a 250 two-stoke is to much for a novice rider, consider that usually the bigger the two-stroke, the easier it is to ride. No need to twist the motor up into the higher RPM's to make the power. Don't believe that? Take a CR500 for a ride sometime.

[derekhonda]

I definately agree with you on the rideability. Riding a 125 through the woods is a handful, it's either no power, or too much power, kinda annoying but yet they are light enough to drop a foot, hit the band and power out of a corner. 250 2 strokes have a more mellow power, but more power! I still wouldn't put a novice rider on one. That's why I like the four strokes, as I primarily ride woods, still make the power, but much more user friendly and a good bridge between the two.

Now on the track, doesnt matter to me. You need power...all of them have it.

[woodsracer144]

i agree with you KX rida to a point,

Each motor, 2-stroke 4-stroke has a cost to cover, if you just could put a piston and rings in the 4 stroke your rather close, but you need to get a valve job done, if your doing a piston you might as well do it all... its dumb not to cause if you loose a valve as soon after you change the piston out your out the 250 or so...

with any motor you can only build it soo much, i agree with a bigger bore is easier to ride... but then when they are going and have a close call and quench the bars then they hit the throttle and thats a bad case... of unwanted power!

we all know that a 250 2-stroke will be faster then a 250f, with the right rider, with the right coditions as well... if i ran the lites class i would be on a yz250...

[KXRida]

Originally posted by woodsracer144
i agree with you KX rida to a point,

Each motor, 2-stroke 4-stroke has a cost to cover, if you just could put a piston and rings in the 4 stroke your rather close, but you need to get a valve job done, if your doing a piston you might as well do it all... its dumb not to cause if you loose a valve as soon after you change the piston out your out the 250 or so...

with any motor you can only build it soo much, i agree with a bigger bore is easier to ride... but then when they are going and have a close call and quench the bars then they hit the throttle and thats a bad case... of unwanted power!

we all know that a 250 2-stroke will be faster then a 250f, with the right rider, with the right coditions as well... if i ran the lites class i would be on a yz250...

With the right rider a 250f is faster than a yz250. I've beaten 250 2t's in quite a few races, so I know for a fact. The only time I really feel at an advantage racing them is when it's deep mud and I need all the power I can get. It's hard to say if I'm faster on a 2t or not. I've owned them and raced them but like the 4t's a lot better. My ktm 250sx was a powerhouse, but the handling was terrible. Got a yzf after that and have been 4 stroke ever since. I'm not making any promises, but I see yamaha phasing out the yz250 sometime soon. With all the R&D that was put in to the 2010 yz450f, I imagine it'll only be a matter of time until the 250f see's the same changes and EFI.

[woodsracer144]

i dont think yamaha will stop... ktm wont for sure... they put e-start on those babys now!

[jesseweaver]

are 250 2t allowed in the pro lites class?

[woodsracer144]

yep! i thought more people would run a 250 srk....

[jesseweaver]

yea, does anyone run one? i don't really remember seeing any.

[KXRida]

Originally posted by jesseweaver
are 250 2t allowed in the pro lites class?

not in pro, just amateur.

[trx310R#24]

Originally posted by jesseweaver
yea it all depends on the rider. i, personally, never felt right on a 2 stroke (probably because i have never owned one) but i was just never a fan. and i have a bunch of friends who just can't seem to get it with the 4 strokes and are much much faster on their 2 strokes. it goes both ways

well then you have not been riding long ha..

[jesseweaver]

Originally posted by trx310R#24
well then you have not been riding long ha..

ha no not at all. i bought my bike last fall, first bike i've ever owned. i guess i shuoldn't say i've never rode 2 strokes, i often used to rip out through fields on my friends 125s and 250s. i was never on a track with a 2t though. unless riding my buddys yz125 over to the truck after he bit it hard counts lol.

[KXRida]

I can hammer down pretty equally on a 2 stroke the same I can on a 4 stroke. Personally, I have a blast on a 250 2t's. Nothing beats coming into a corner, grabbing a lot of rear brake, and dumping the clutch wide open into a slide. I feel bad when I ride a 2 stroke because the don't have a rev limiter :p

[UNBROKEN]

Originally posted by KXRida
I can hammer down pretty equally on a 2 stroke the same I can on a 4 stroke. Personally, I have a blast on a 250 2t's. Nothing beats coming into a corner, grabbing a lot of rear brake, and dumping the clutch wide open into a slide. I feel bad when I ride a 2 stroke because the don't have a rev limiter :p

that 250 2t doesnt need one , theres no need to worry about floating the valves :D

[KXRida]

Originally posted by UNBROKEN
that 250 2t doesnt need one , theres no need to worry about floating the valves :D

Nope, just melting down a top end.

[UNBROKEN]

Originally posted by KXRida
Nope, just melting down a top end.

ive must be lucky i havent melted mine yet or maybe i just know how to tune it :D if ure lean side than yea you run a high risk of meltdown

[KXRida]

Not nessicarily. Yes running lean will in fact contribute to some premature wear, but 9 times out 10 my 2 strokes were rejetted each ride spot on. That's what about $80 worth of jets gets you. I remember going through 3 top ends in 2 months on my one RM250. Then it held together for the rest of the season. I was semi hard on 125's. Surprisingly my 01 rm125 and my 04 yz 125 held together the best.