TEN Worst Dirt Bikes Of All Time

nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 10/28/2009 12:05am
10/28/2009 12:05am
wildbill wrote:
haha, my 89 CR500 was suspended from an even harder rock after I stiffened it up. Luckily, I was strong and used the motor to jump...
haha, my 89 CR500 was suspended from an even harder rock after I stiffened it up. Luckily, I was strong and used the motor to jump stuff that hurt to ride through. Here's what made me buy it in the first place.

"4. YAMAHA YZ490 (MOST YEARS). Yamaha introduced the YZ 490 in 1982, after a solid run with the YZ465. Sadly, the 490 was heavier than the 465, nowhere near as reliable, horribly difficult to start (hot or cold), came with a grim suspension, vibrated enough to bring blisters to your hands and was impossible to jet. If you jetted it rich enough to keep this dog from seizing, it would blubber, puke, foul plugs and produce no power. If you jetted it to run strong, it would invariably seize. It came with air leaks, a wandering ignition, gimpy motor mounts and the worst case of Yamahop at high speeds since the original DT-1. Yamaha issued a mountain of service bulletins to try to fix the problems. None of them worked. "

I remember getting off at speed in the Oregon high desert on my 88 YZ490. I was trying to keep up with a couple of pros who were obviously faster than me...(also rode better bikes). I swapped out so completely that I remember flying backwards through a whooped out canyon in 4th or 5th thinking "this is gonna hurt". Amazingly, I down sloped a whoop while somersaulting backwards while the bike went harmlessly on by. I didn't even get a scratch. Later that same day, I looped it on a red cinder road while showing off my wheelie skills and severely broke my tail bone. Should of packed it up while everything was intact.
I still can't believe you have the internet, let alone electricity, in Christmas Valley!
BUTCH
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BUTCH 10/28/2009 3:06am
10/28/2009 3:06am Edited Date/Time 10/28/2009 3:08am
Rokon gave me one of their factory dirt track models to race over a 6 month period and wanted me to give some feed back on the bike. It was a fast bike and was one of the best handling flat trackers I ever rode. It had 2 major flaws, first was the fact that it was slow off the line, because all it had was a centrifugal clutch., so basically you would twist the throttle and press the rear brake down , when the flag drooped you would release the brake to take off. Second , was when the clutch got hot the belt would slip and the bike would really slow down. I raced the bike about twenty times and did actually win a few races on it ,racing bull ring short track events. But on bigger tracks I would lead races and stretch huge leads on the bike because it was really fast, but every time about half way through a main event the clutch would get hot and start slipping, I would get run down and passed by one or two guys every time. . I did like riding the bike though. I did get razzed a little in the pits about the pull start too,Laughing There is a pic in my profile photos of me racing the bike at a indoor short track. BTW Rup, good thread!
ehr400
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ehr400 10/28/2009 4:27am
10/28/2009 4:27am Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 2:58am
2007 KTM 144. That thing loved to eat rings and destroy cylinders. The rest of the bike was fine, the motor was the most unreliable POS out there. I think R-acer had alot of similar issues as well as most other people who had them. Amazingly enough the following year they redesign the cylinder and call it a 150.

Also the 1993 KX 125 was the slowest bike I have ever ridden, seriously my Cr 125 from the same year felt like a 500 compared to that thing.
Kinetic1
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Kinetic1 10/28/2009 4:41am
10/28/2009 4:41am
1979 Kawasaki KD100M. Pile oh pooh. It was slow the suspension was useless and it weighed a ton. Did I mention that it sucked so badly in every concievable way. I still miss the old girl though. I had an orange one.

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SL91
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SL91 10/28/2009 5:24am
10/28/2009 5:24am
They forgot the absolute worst bike ever made: the 1979 Can-Am (Canned Ham) MX-5 250. That steaming turd broke down in 13 of 20 potential motos of my 1979 season. I hate to crap on a Canadian company (with Austrian engine) but I had a gas tank fall off due to a broken mount, the super trapp (super crap) silencer mounts broke, the primary gear was secured to the shaft with a key and keyway instead of a spline and I stripped 2 cranks ends because of sheared off keys, my seat mounts broke, etc. etc. On top of that, it had the worst suspension (Marzocchi) I'd ever used and the fork seals leaked like a sieve. On the upside- that thing was FAST- a holeshot machine! Oh Yeah, it was an ugly mother-f**cker!

I Loved my 1981 250CR Husky and my 1980 Honda CR250.
mxracer32
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mxracer32 10/28/2009 6:16am
10/28/2009 6:16am
yzf400, '97 cr250, ANY late 90's-early 2000 KX125.
pitbike502
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pitbike502 10/28/2009 6:31am
10/28/2009 6:31am
2000-1 cr 125.
2004-5 rm-z 250
rmgsxr
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rmgsxr 10/28/2009 7:25am
10/28/2009 7:25am
I always like listening to the older guys talking about the highlight of their race careers, "Yep, I raced one of them TM400s and I lived to talk about it". My dad did have a guy(Dennis Smith) that could go fast on one, he was 6' 7" and when that thing got to swapping he says he would just stay on the gas and hope for the best.
ehr400
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ehr400 10/28/2009 7:28am
10/28/2009 7:28am
I forgot to mention my '97 CR250. Worst handling and suspended bike of my life.

I see some people bag on the YZ400. I had a '99 and it was a great bike, minus weighing 2.5 tons.
ktm300hater
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ktm300hater 10/28/2009 7:34am
10/28/2009 7:34am
ehr400 wrote:
2007 KTM 144. That thing loved to eat rings and destroy cylinders. The rest of the bike was fine, the motor was the most unreliable POS...
2007 KTM 144. That thing loved to eat rings and destroy cylinders. The rest of the bike was fine, the motor was the most unreliable POS out there. I think R-acer had alot of similar issues as well as most other people who had them. Amazingly enough the following year they redesign the cylinder and call it a 150.

Also the 1993 KX 125 was the slowest bike I have ever ridden, seriously my Cr 125 from the same year felt like a 500 compared to that thing.
I forgot about the KTM 144, My son got a demo bike from one of the local shops. Exactly one week after he got it, it grenaded. Cylinder, head, crank...etc

Also forgot about the 94-5 RM 250, those things almost killed me so many times
Rupert X
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Rupert X 10/28/2009 7:35am
10/28/2009 7:35am
Kinetic1 wrote:
1979 Kawasaki KD100M. Pile oh pooh. It was slow the suspension was useless and it weighed a ton. Did I mention that it sucked so badly...
1979 Kawasaki KD100M. Pile oh pooh. It was slow the suspension was useless and it weighed a ton. Did I mention that it sucked so badly in every concievable way. I still miss the old girl though. I had an orange one.
I had something similar, a mid '70's ('75 I think...) Kaw KS125 green.

I stopped using two-smoke oil after my dad said 5 wt engine oil would do just

fine -it did...for a few years anyway... It was my get-to-school ride and my after school

beater...Kaw refused to fix things under warranty, including broken frame - said

i was abusing the bike. Yeah, I was. True.

The Northampton, Mass dealer took good care of me. Jerry. Heidi.

Was it Valley Motorsports ? I think it was....The mechanic there raced a Rokon in mx

back in the day...
staycasted
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staycasted 10/28/2009 7:42am
10/28/2009 7:42am
pitbike502 wrote:
2000-1 cr 125.
2004-5 rm-z 250
2004-2005 rm-z250/kxf was definitely a terrible design. These bikes would overheat in two seconds. I saw a brand new one idling on the stand start overheating and at the same time oil was coming out of the clutch cover. I think they also didnt have a seperate cover for the oil filter?
grover738
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grover738 10/28/2009 7:54am
10/28/2009 7:54am Edited Date/Time 10/28/2009 7:55am
Where was the internet when I started racing in 2001 on my sweet 1997 CR250? I raced that thing with stock suspension for four and a half years in the C class, even won a moto and got advanced to B class on it. Took an act of congress to make it corner. It was reliable, I'll give it that. I then got an '04 CRF450, I could not believe how easy turning was.
denny360
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denny360 10/28/2009 8:10am
10/28/2009 8:10am Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 2:58am
Whatever year it was that Honda came out with their first cr80. I think maybe 78 or 79? Anyways I killed myself on that thing that year. I dont know how many times I broke the swingarm off jumps or knocked myself out on it. I know of twice at least I was ko'd at Herman, NE and had to pick my lips out of my braces when I woke up. LOL

I know Fro had one that same year early on and when we ran into them at Agency, MO that year, his dad said they sold it off cuz it was such a piece. It was a flexy flier!

denny360
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denny360 10/28/2009 8:17am
10/28/2009 8:17am
Oh yeah that stiff as a board, aluminum framed '97 cr250 ranks right up there too. Budman and I never even got to ride one until practice at '96 Des Moines. I had never raced a big bike Honda til then and I was like, "This is what its like to race a Honda!?" LOL What a POS.
2t4life
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2t4life 10/28/2009 8:17am
10/28/2009 8:17am
I was knocked out after swapping out on an "82 YZ490. I was 13 and racing 80s and Open novice. I found out why those guys didn't just hold it open like we did with our 80s. I couldn't kick it over unless it was warmed up so my brother (mostly his bike) would start it for me. I only raced it a couple times after that!
englishman
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englishman 10/28/2009 8:22am
10/28/2009 8:22am
'85 KTM 250 , '86 Kawasaki 500. I could list the faults but it's so big it would crash the entire internet.
2 years of my life I'll never get back.
ehr400
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ehr400 10/28/2009 8:48am
10/28/2009 8:48am
denny360 wrote:
Oh yeah that stiff as a board, aluminum framed '97 cr250 ranks right up there too. Budman and I never even got to ride one until...
Oh yeah that stiff as a board, aluminum framed '97 cr250 ranks right up there too. Budman and I never even got to ride one until practice at '96 Des Moines. I had never raced a big bike Honda til then and I was like, "This is what its like to race a Honda!?" LOL What a POS.
Is this the Denny Stephenson chiming in? Good to hear from ya!

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rmgsxr
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rmgsxr 10/28/2009 8:51am
10/28/2009 8:51am
denny360 wrote:
Whatever year it was that Honda came out with their first cr80. I think maybe 78 or 79? Anyways I killed myself on that thing that...
Whatever year it was that Honda came out with their first cr80. I think maybe 78 or 79? Anyways I killed myself on that thing that year. I dont know how many times I broke the swingarm off jumps or knocked myself out on it. I know of twice at least I was ko'd at Herman, NE and had to pick my lips out of my braces when I woke up. LOL

I know Fro had one that same year early on and when we ran into them at Agency, MO that year, his dad said they sold it off cuz it was such a piece. It was a flexy flier!

I never broke my RM80 at Agency, it was Denton NE that would break it every time. That place got rough.
over the hill 10/28/2009 8:59am
10/28/2009 8:59am
A poor craftsman blames his tools.
I've never ridden a terrible bike. Even the KX420 that Larry sold me could trophy. That sucker could go damn fast...especially in a straight line. Billy Liles beat just about every pro in the SE on a KX420.
Just Sayin.
BornA'Lil2Slow 10/28/2009 9:07am
10/28/2009 9:07am Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 2:58am
that list is pretty strong, but I think honorable mention should go out to the 1992 YZ125. That bike was a total roach.

The good parts:
the white and pink graphics
The bike tracked straight as an arrow

The bad parts:
worst 125 engine I have ever seen, to ride it at anything resembling forward motion, you had to rev it until it hit the limiter while holding up on the shifter, it would pop and MAYBE shift. Notice I said forward motion and not riding at anything resembling speed....... because you couldnt say the word speed with that bike!

The clutch slipped from new, probably because of how you had to ride it, the transmission MIGHT shift with the clutch pulled in but it took effort and was horrible. The forks where so stiff initially then once they moved 3 inches, hit the bottum. The front brake was a thing of joy because if you got going forward enough to need it, it wouldnt stop you very fast, I guess they designed it like that to help keep any forward motion happening. Main reason the front brake was so bad was because the master cylinder and lever was hard to pull thru its motion even when the front wheel was off and nothing was touching the pads! Then lets add to the fact that the thing was WIDE, heavy, had a shock on it that was soft initially then as you rode it got softer.......... I wont go on about the stock bar bend, the grips, the chain and sprockets, the silencer that blew packing out constantly, the fuel tank that turned yellow within 2 weeks, the stock tires..... it was a roaching. Oh and forget turning, you better hit the rear brake and back it into any tight corner, of course you might not ever get going forward again, but I digress.
rocrac
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rocrac 10/28/2009 9:29am
10/28/2009 9:29am
Early 70s Alsport Steen. Had a Hodaka 100 motor that would foul plugs randomly. I still have a scar on my chin from that ill handling POS.

I lost it at a river crossing once it must have floated down river a half mile. It would have been funny except it 45 degrees out and I had to push that POS home 3 miles away.
Rupert X
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Rupert X 10/28/2009 9:39am
10/28/2009 9:39am
I lost it at a river crossing once it must have floated down river a half mile. It would have been funny except it 45 degrees out and I had to push that POS home 3 miles away."


Sean, that's nothing, When we were kids - the bikes NEVER ran, the river was frozen solid and it was 28 below zero. We had to push our dead bikes 45 miles in an uphill headwind to our crappy huts, with nothing more than a pillow-case for shorts and an old pizza-box for a hat. And THAT was a good day. Aaaah, the cheery memories of youth.
Bret
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Bret 10/28/2009 9:41am
10/28/2009 9:41am
Super Hunky single handedly destroyed the reputation of the YZ490 simply because he didn't like it. While not the best bike in the world, it certainly isn't the worst. I have been racing mine for the last 4 years with no problems at all. The engine most certainly can be jetted correctly and Al Holley knows how to fix the cylinder head. The suspension can be revalved and works just fine for a nearly 30 year old motorcycle.

Rupert X
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Rupert X 10/28/2009 9:53am
10/28/2009 9:53am
Bret wrote:
Super Hunky single handedly destroyed the reputation of the YZ490 simply because he didn't like it. While not the best bike in the world, it certainly...
Super Hunky single handedly destroyed the reputation of the YZ490 simply because he didn't like it. While not the best bike in the world, it certainly isn't the worst. I have been racing mine for the last 4 years with no problems at all. The engine most certainly can be jetted correctly and Al Holley knows how to fix the cylinder head. The suspension can be revalved and works just fine for a nearly 30 year old motorcycle.


Bret, do you have an endless supply of kick-start return springs ? Think I broke

a dozen over the few wretched years I owned my 82 490. I did have some fun

on that pig, I'll admit that. I think the brakes were merely cosmetic, pretty sure

they didn't actually do anything.....
NWMoto76
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NWMoto76 10/28/2009 10:18am
10/28/2009 10:18am Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 2:58am
BornA'Lil2Slow wrote:
that list is pretty strong, but I think honorable mention should go out to the 1992 YZ125. That bike was a total roach. The good parts...
that list is pretty strong, but I think honorable mention should go out to the 1992 YZ125. That bike was a total roach.

The good parts:
the white and pink graphics
The bike tracked straight as an arrow

The bad parts:
worst 125 engine I have ever seen, to ride it at anything resembling forward motion, you had to rev it until it hit the limiter while holding up on the shifter, it would pop and MAYBE shift. Notice I said forward motion and not riding at anything resembling speed....... because you couldnt say the word speed with that bike!

The clutch slipped from new, probably because of how you had to ride it, the transmission MIGHT shift with the clutch pulled in but it took effort and was horrible. The forks where so stiff initially then once they moved 3 inches, hit the bottum. The front brake was a thing of joy because if you got going forward enough to need it, it wouldnt stop you very fast, I guess they designed it like that to help keep any forward motion happening. Main reason the front brake was so bad was because the master cylinder and lever was hard to pull thru its motion even when the front wheel was off and nothing was touching the pads! Then lets add to the fact that the thing was WIDE, heavy, had a shock on it that was soft initially then as you rode it got softer.......... I wont go on about the stock bar bend, the grips, the chain and sprockets, the silencer that blew packing out constantly, the fuel tank that turned yellow within 2 weeks, the stock tires..... it was a roaching. Oh and forget turning, you better hit the rear brake and back it into any tight corner, of course you might not ever get going forward again, but I digress.
x2.......I'd include the 93 as well. The yamaha 125's the few years before they went blue were total PILES!. Emig made em' look good.....although factory parts I'm sure made quite a difference.

Team Ideal
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Team Ideal 10/28/2009 10:32am
10/28/2009 10:32am
FlickitFlat wrote:
85 YZ 125 was pathetic. I remember smoking a few on my RM80.
biggest POS I ever owned. I remember driving over two hours in an ice storm to pick mine up. raced it 4 times that spring then sent out to get motor and suspension work done. rode it 4 mores times then switched to RM's. back on Yamaha's now, but that thing was a turd.
Ing
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Ing 10/28/2009 11:29am
10/28/2009 11:29am
JPT wrote:
Friend of mine had an SC500 and I rode it a few times. Was fun on a smooth, scrambles type track and would wheelie about anytime...
Friend of mine had an SC500 and I rode it a few times. Was fun on a smooth, scrambles type track and would wheelie about anytime you wanted. Other than that the review's about right.

The Cyclone was dangerous to even be in the vicinty of. You learned to give them plenty of room.
Hey JPT, would that friend be Leo? I remember him riding one at 34 raceways in the early 70's. He was sitting on the line with the motor running and when the rubber-band let loose he let out the clutch and zoom, backwards. LOL That was the only time I've seen anything like that. Bike ran just as good backwards as forwards. Other than that it seemed to be a decent machine.
Bret
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Bret 10/28/2009 11:38am
10/28/2009 11:38am
Bret wrote:
Super Hunky single handedly destroyed the reputation of the YZ490 simply because he didn't like it. While not the best bike in the world, it certainly...
Super Hunky single handedly destroyed the reputation of the YZ490 simply because he didn't like it. While not the best bike in the world, it certainly isn't the worst. I have been racing mine for the last 4 years with no problems at all. The engine most certainly can be jetted correctly and Al Holley knows how to fix the cylinder head. The suspension can be revalved and works just fine for a nearly 30 year old motorcycle.

Rupert X wrote:
Bret, do you have an endless supply of kick-start return springs ? Think I broke a dozen over the few wretched years I owned my 82...

Bret, do you have an endless supply of kick-start return springs ? Think I broke

a dozen over the few wretched years I owned my 82 490. I did have some fun

on that pig, I'll admit that. I think the brakes were merely cosmetic, pretty sure

they didn't actually do anything.....
Luckily, I have never broken a kick-start return spring. There are a few simple things that can be done to the kick-start assembly to prevent it from happening. The brakes were useless unless you took the time to adjust them perfectly. This is time consuming but worth the effort. Both shoes have to touch the drum at EXACTLY the same time. Easy to explain, difficult to achieve.
CDswinehart
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CDswinehart 10/28/2009 11:57am
10/28/2009 11:57am Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 2:58am
Offer up the '82 KX250 and the '85 Can Am 500. Never got along with the Kaw that year.

Followed that kid from Minn. around the Gainsville track for the '85 national and couldn't believe he was riding the Can Am.

Did like the '83 and '84 YZ490's. Go figure.

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