The worst bike you've ever owned

ATKpilot99
Posts
10423
Joined
4/13/2010
Location
Lake Geneva, WI US
Edited Date/Time 11/12/2022 4:34pm
Sorry for the negative topic but thought it'd be interesting to hear some stories .
Mine was a 2003 KTM 250 SX . I bought it new thinking I'd race it . Took it out for some practice days and racing never happened. Sketchy handling , harsh suspension, and a violent powerband . It also had hand numbing vibration .
An overall crude feel . The only positive was it was very light . Maybe some people learned how to set it up but I wasn't one of them .
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Johnny Ringo
Posts
8048
Joined
1/11/2016
Location
Tombstone, AZ US
11/2/2022 11:04am
2012 YZ250F. Yamabog.
3
AZ_DEZ_RCR
Posts
7
Joined
3/17/2022
Location
Mesa, AZ US
11/2/2022 11:09am
2016 KX450.
2
1
TeamGreen
Posts
36739
Joined
11/25/2008
Location
Thru-out, CA US
11/2/2022 11:10am
1991 KTM MX125
3
R VanKamp77
Posts
499
Joined
8/15/2022
Location
Portland, TN US
11/2/2022 11:10am
2022 GasGas MC350. Best on paper/theory, moneypit IRL.
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24

The Shop

Madmax31
Posts
2136
Joined
1/7/2009
Location
Cincinnati, OH US
Fantasy
11/2/2022 11:14am
1984 and 1985 YZ125. Yeah....dumbass move to buy another one after 84. However, I worked for a Yam dealership so felt like I had to.

The 1983 was a great bike and I ran the 83 cylinder on my 84 which helped a lot.

I knew they were bad but had no real clue until my 85 blew up for like the third time and a buddy let me borrow his 85 KX125. HOLY SHIT!!! Night and day difference. Felt like it had 10 more hp!
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Madmax31
Posts
2136
Joined
1/7/2009
Location
Cincinnati, OH US
Fantasy
11/2/2022 11:15am
2022 GasGas MC350. Best on paper/theory, moneypit IRL.
Why a money pit?
1
R VanKamp77
Posts
499
Joined
8/15/2022
Location
Portland, TN US
11/2/2022 11:22am
2022 GasGas MC350. Best on paper/theory, moneypit IRL.
Madmax31 wrote:
Why a money pit?
Hard to setup, harsh, suspension sucks, overpriced, and the bodywork is odd. So $2,800 later it's now probably one of the best i've owned. I rode a bone stock YZ250f I thought was just as good though. There's the problem.

I love it now though...
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Lastander
Posts
1232
Joined
10/9/2016
Location
SE
11/2/2022 11:25am
2016 ktm 450, got a lemon from the factory that broke constantly
11/2/2022 11:26am
Worst bike was probably my 07 RMZ 250, but I loved riding that thing so I can't direct any hate toward it.

By comparison, the 2018 CRF450 I had was by all measures a good bike, but I just couldn't get along with it.
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1
11/2/2022 11:29am
2003 YZ250F bogging heavy up high feel lost a few races sitting on the side of the track. Trying to restart it and it hated starting hot. Last and only 4 stroke I've owned. It was gone within 9 months.
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R VanKamp77
Posts
499
Joined
8/15/2022
Location
Portland, TN US
11/2/2022 11:35am
All of the Austrian fanboys are going to reeeeeee since I said the MC is a bad bike lmao "But BRO... the BREMBO BRAKES!"

People get so hurt over this brand like their mothers helped pick the colors of them or something
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23
11/2/2022 11:35am
2003 KTM 250 SXS.. exotic bike, insane engine.. hopeless suspension and chassis for me..
3
Tumic
Posts
2782
Joined
11/27/2012
Location
Sundsvall SE
11/2/2022 11:40am
2007 ktm sx450f

After 40 hours with nothing but problems and a shitty customer service from KTM we sold it and bought a Honda.
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Muttly
Posts
1959
Joined
10/3/2021
Location
Mills, NM US
11/2/2022 11:43am
1994 Suzuki RM250, the “Yellow Curse”.
3
toddw12
Posts
302
Joined
1/23/2021
Location
Salt Lake City, UT US
11/2/2022 11:44am
2022 GasGas MC350. Best on paper/theory, moneypit IRL.
Really? I've been a die hard Yamaha guy but rode a mc350 this past weekend and I'll be selling the 450 asap.
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Forty
Posts
3039
Joined
7/27/2009
Location
Saint Paul, MN US
11/2/2022 11:54am
1974 HD XLH Sportster

E start only, but if you didn't fire it in the first 2 or 3 attempts it was a bump start situation.

4 speed/right side shifter/brakes sucked/everything leaked/ above 60 mph the parts would fly off, mirrors would start spinning, it was like riding an accident, but it looked cool, and sounded cool.

I had a naked woman painted on the tank with custom pin stripes on the sides and then the fuel tank seam let go on the bottom left side and ruined the paint,

I've never had a bad dirt bike - all of them were fun as hell.

My 2000 yz426 was a bitch to start if I stalled it but that was usually my fault, otherwise it was a ripper.
5
1
sandman768
Posts
7985
Joined
3/21/2014
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY US
11/2/2022 11:57am
2006 yz450f…. Was good when it wasn’t down waiting on transmission parts, shock spring broke, ruined shock assy. Then oil pump failure killed the rest of the engine…. What a lemon…. 50th anniversary yellow plastic sold me though…I had 2 yz250fs prior to the 450, they were 2 of the best bikes I ever owned up to that point…never failed, hundreds of hrs on them…
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11/2/2022 11:59am
2012 KTM 450 What a heap of junk. My one and only KTM and never again, I will and have only bought Yamahas and Hondas after having the KTM turd. Awful suspension, poor fit and finish just to name a few but it did have a electric start so it had one thing going for it.
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bvm111
Posts
10085
Joined
7/1/2008
Location
Las Vegas, NV US
11/2/2022 12:05pm
1998 CR250…. hands down.
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3
CDswinehart
Posts
236
Joined
9/26/2008
Location
Mendon, NY US
11/2/2022 12:08pm
1982 KX250 No mechanical issues, we just didn't work well together.
1
Ryno23
Posts
739
Joined
1/13/2010
Location
Manhattan, MT US
11/2/2022 12:09pm
2009 CRF450R. what a total pile of shit. More problems than I can list. The 4 spring clutch fades faster in a moto than I do. Had the bike 4 months and got rid of it.
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DUCati227
Posts
66
Joined
1/18/2021
Location
Sutherlin, OR US
11/2/2022 12:13pm
1997 CR250... absolutely horrible. Engine was a beast! The rest of the bike was the Devil.
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soggy
Posts
8515
Joined
12/3/2018
Location
UT US
11/2/2022 12:18pm
2022 GasGas MC350. Best on paper/theory, moneypit IRL.
toddw12 wrote:
Really? I've been a die hard Yamaha guy but rode a mc350 this past weekend and I'll be selling the 450 asap.
I’d take everything he says with a grain of salt if you read his suspension thread you’ll see why.
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sandman768
Posts
7985
Joined
3/21/2014
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY US
11/2/2022 12:29pm
DUCati227 wrote:
1997 CR250... absolutely horrible. Engine was a beast! The rest of the bike was the Devil.
Here’s me on my new 97… the engine had great mid range & top end, I rode a lot of sand tracks, if you had a berm to hit, it was ok… flat turns brought out the big push from the front end… we used to call it the exercise machine…the frame just transmitted every jolt & bump right to your body…
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sandman768
Posts
7985
Joined
3/21/2014
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY US
11/2/2022 12:31pm
Forty wrote:
1974 HD XLH Sportster E start only, but if you didn't fire it in the first 2 or 3 attempts it was a bump start situation...
1974 HD XLH Sportster

E start only, but if you didn't fire it in the first 2 or 3 attempts it was a bump start situation.

4 speed/right side shifter/brakes sucked/everything leaked/ above 60 mph the parts would fly off, mirrors would start spinning, it was like riding an accident, but it looked cool, and sounded cool.

I had a naked woman painted on the tank with custom pin stripes on the sides and then the fuel tank seam let go on the bottom left side and ruined the paint,

I've never had a bad dirt bike - all of them were fun as hell.

My 2000 yz426 was a bitch to start if I stalled it but that was usually my fault, otherwise it was a ripper.
Was that the AMF years?
4
R VanKamp77
Posts
499
Joined
8/15/2022
Location
Portland, TN US
11/2/2022 12:35pm
2022 GasGas MC350. Best on paper/theory, moneypit IRL.
toddw12 wrote:
Really? I've been a die hard Yamaha guy but rode a mc350 this past weekend and I'll be selling the 450 asap.
Exactly, bikes fit riders differently. I'm stoked to hear you found it that nice. Happily sell you mine if you think we could make the travel work lol.
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4
R VanKamp77
Posts
499
Joined
8/15/2022
Location
Portland, TN US
11/2/2022 12:38pm
2022 GasGas MC350. Best on paper/theory, moneypit IRL.
toddw12 wrote:
Really? I've been a die hard Yamaha guy but rode a mc350 this past weekend and I'll be selling the 450 asap.
soggy wrote:
I’d take everything he says with a grain of salt if you read his suspension thread you’ll see why.
I'd take everything you say with a grain of salt, if you saw literally anything you post, you'd see why.

This entire comment is because you think its so absurd I was focused primarily on the forks for a fork-related issue. Which, was primarily fixed by re-valving the forks... not the shock.
10
Forty
Posts
3039
Joined
7/27/2009
Location
Saint Paul, MN US
11/2/2022 12:41pm
Forty wrote:
1974 HD XLH Sportster E start only, but if you didn't fire it in the first 2 or 3 attempts it was a bump start situation...
1974 HD XLH Sportster

E start only, but if you didn't fire it in the first 2 or 3 attempts it was a bump start situation.

4 speed/right side shifter/brakes sucked/everything leaked/ above 60 mph the parts would fly off, mirrors would start spinning, it was like riding an accident, but it looked cool, and sounded cool.

I had a naked woman painted on the tank with custom pin stripes on the sides and then the fuel tank seam let go on the bottom left side and ruined the paint,

I've never had a bad dirt bike - all of them were fun as hell.

My 2000 yz426 was a bitch to start if I stalled it but that was usually my fault, otherwise it was a ripper.
sandman768 wrote:
Was that the AMF years?
yes - AMF "owned" HD from 1969 - 1981
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Moto520
Posts
3624
Joined
2/4/2013
Location
Schaumburg, IL US
11/2/2022 12:46pm
1997 Honda CR250. I had been out of the sport for 11 years and came back in 2003 on one of these. I didn't know what harsh was until i rode this thing. My back was constantly getting jacked on this thing. it sucked.

Best bike? 2019 KX450
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Titan1
Posts
9409
Joined
2/3/2010
Location
Lehi, UT US
11/2/2022 12:48pm
2006 CRF250R for me…
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