The best MX/offroad bike you've EVER ridden and why?

This should be carved in stone so all future generations will remember its greatness.

Truly a game-changing bike. 

It's a shame that the manufacturer of such remarkable bikes has essentially retired from the off-road market. 

I could never get along with those things. My buddy had a '04 (I think) and it was a pure tire smoker, super hard to ride. Other bro had a '06 and while it turned great, it also tried to turn while going in a straight line. That thing was as stable as a snowboard with no edge...No idea why people raved about them.

The best bike I've ever rode is the 2023 yzf450. As close to perfection as it gets. Absolute weapon of a machine. 

2019 sherco 250. always been a pure MX guy but tagged a long to a test day with a buddy and it blew my mind.

had a new KX250f at the time that was kitted out with all the expensive goodies, but the day of riding that sherco was one of the most enjoyable and probably the fastest ive ever felt.

for a bike straight out of a create, i was amazed

1983 cr250-great combination of handling and a good motor. 

The 2005-2008 crf450 platform was great at the time.  I love the newest generation kx450.  It’s great for tall guys.  I love that bike but wish it wasn’t a Kawi 

Nothing factory like that.  

‘03 Gas Gas.

Having owned an 05 CRF250, 06 RMZ450, 06 YZ250, 09 CRF450, 09 YZ125, 04 KX250, 2013 KX250F, and now another 06 YZ250…

The 2013 KX250F has been my favorite by far. Handled well, plenty of power, and was essentially maintenance free for over 100 hours. 

83 KDX 80.   As a nine year old this bike was awesome for trails when my buddy let me ride it.  I had an 86 XR 80 that burned more oil than gas at the time.  The KDX was nimble, lighter, and much much more powerful.   Loved it.  

Best bike I ever raced.

CLS pro circuit kxf250 2015. At Dutch Masters Mill..

The HRC 250f at Valkenswaard felt good and turned super in 2017 but was not as powerfully as the HSF Ktm that year..

Best bike ever tested: 2017 Antonio Cairoli ktm450 and Jorge Prado’s 250f. Tested it for a magazine and those bike ripped, turned and suspension was gold! 

My 2008 kx250f best powerband of any bike I have ever owned. It was just perfect motor wise and was what I call racy power. Next will get bashed im sure. 2007 rmz450 it was always falling apart, bolts stripped out etc. but I could turn under almost any one , the 4 speed gear box allows you to stay in 2 gear on starts and had quite a few hole shots.

I’ve really fallen in love with my old 2005 KTM 200 EXC. I always wanted a 200 and was happy to snag this one. It was low hour, but sat outside for a long time.

Replaced what was needed and without a doubt the best woods bike I have ever ridden. 300s always seemed a little sluggish down low and this thing has just the right amount of snap when you need it. Want to lug it around singletrack like an old man? Ride it a gear high and lug the shit out of it. Want to ride like you’re 20 again? Just ride it like it’s a 125 and hold on. I have no problem riding MX with it either, not as fast as on my 125 but handles all the jumps fine as long as you downside them well. 

I will get flamed for this... looking back at 20+ bikes I have owned, my favorite was my 2009 CRF450R.  I had every model year CRF450R from 03-09, my 09 was the only one I kept more than a year. I put close to 160 hrs on it in 2.5 years. 100+ hrs were dunes and snowbiking (2moto) and it was phenomenal. The 05-08 were awesome bikes but the 09 took the cake for me.

Second pick... 1998 CR250R. Engine was a light switch, no bottom end or roll on power whatsoever and hit like a ton of bricks, it was dreamy to ride at the sand dunes. The chassis was terrible but the engine made me giggle and squeal every time it lit up. 

07 CRF 450 would be so close as the pick of my steeds, but I kept my 2018 KTM 450 XC and it's by far the best that can somewhat hit tight trails and be setup for mx quickly.  

This '95 YZ250 I built a few years ago. Morgan did the cylinder, long rod crank, DeVol linkage, '08 suspension. It was alway SO MUCH FUN to ride! Like every time I came off the track I was laughing. Something about the whole package just worked and the motor BARKED.

I recall parking next to Dubach once and he came over to look at it and remarked "That was a really good chassis that year..." and it struck me that's made the whole thing work so well. The only downside was that it was just too small for me. I'm 6'0" and long limbed so I was always was a little cramped. So when c'vid happened and I was out of work, it had to go. If I was 5'8", I would have kept it forever. That was a damn good bike. *sniffle*

Also the 1973 XR-75. First bike I ever rode. Nothing can ever really compare to the first time you let out the clutch and you start rolling, just totally freaking out like only a little kid can do.

The adjustable foot pegs and bar mounts are a game changer for anyone 5'10 and up. Only problem is I have to remove my bars to adjust compression. But to have a bike this comfortable and fun to ride, I'll take the trade-off. There's been more days than not where I don't touch a clicker on this bike all day. And I'm on bone stock suspension. 

My yz250 2007 never again have i had so much fun on a bike. so fun times.

https://www.crfsonly.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/1510

I actually have that from another bike. Doesn't work with the Showas

'73 125 Honda Elsinore.  It was so much better in every way than my YZ I wanted to push it off a cliff.  

YZ450FX has been my favorite, just add gas and ride it. I played with the tuner app and got a map 2 and map 1 settings I like and haven't touched anything for several years. I've never had issues getting a bike to corner, so I tend to like the stable bikes more.

My 04 KX250 was an awesome bike that I wish I'd kept. Only issue with it was if I cased a big jump it'd throw me over the bars. 

worked all summer and saved my money, bought it from the Peters at Ascott. it was my 1st bike.  was racing BMX and this bike would hook me into this sport my entire life. many bikes have come and gone but this one lit the fire.

They can feel a bit wild if you haven't ridden Suzuki's. It doesn't take much body English to change direction on them. For 04 they put the crank weights out of balance. Probably the least vibration I've ever felt out of a 250 2T that didn't have a counter balance shaft. I'm not sure how guys raced these without a flywheel weight they just light the rear tire up like you said.

The two bike I currently own are my favorite 04 RM250 and 96 YZ125. The RM will turn inside any bike, feels planted, motor barks, and transmission buttery smooth. The YZ is just a great all around motor they finally got the power right in 96. Bike does everything well only knock is the transmission doesn't shift well under a load with no clutch.

Thanks for this topic as it brought back some great memories!

For context: Existing ride is a road legal 2018 GasGas 300 GP (great bike) for my old body/mind.

Best modified race bike I actually raced: 1983 Kawasaki KDX 200 with Boyesen ported cylinder (my brother had a friend who knew EB to get this done), 1983 KX 250 shock and complete front end (game changing), KX 125 oval bore carb, and boost bottle that actually helped power.  This bike was SO fast it was almost violent even for my size (6'2", 190 lbs). I won a lot on that bike.

Best stock race bike: 1989 Kawasaki KX 500.  After a few years out of racing, a co-worker talked me into running their club's enduro in PA (Moonshine Enduro). The 500 was my play bike so I cut down the bars and had a go at enduros. Burned about every check at the Moonshine but I won the Open C class at a Delaware National on that bike with no timekeeping equipment!

Best modified trail bike: Hands down 2006 RM 250 Z (Charmichael replica). Bought it cheap from a local shop and it already had Rekluse auto clutch, FMF pipe and spark arrestor, Race Tech suspension that was somehow perfect for my size and ability, skid plate, kickstand, JD jetting kit, and a large enduro fuel tank. Suspension was great, power was great, handling was great, and the big tank came in handy for helping other guys when they ran out! That bike was loved by all who rode it and it ALWAYS put a smile on my face. (Runner up: 2007 Gas Gas 250 that was used by Christophe Nambotin for North American Enduro GP rounds. Very fast and handled great).

Best bike I didn't like: 2005 YZ 250 with 285cc kit, WR transmission, and every Factory Connection trick done to the suspension: What do you get when you have a great motor and great suspension but with ergonomics made for small people and turning precision that does not show up until you are going 10mph? This bike.  For all out racing for someone smaller than me, it would be great.  In fast sections it was magical but for an older and bigger rider in slow singletrack, it lacked way too much precision. (Runner up: 2007 Honda 450X a friend owned but I had to ride a lot because he could not get it to work for him and he liked riding my bikes. I could go fast as heck on it everywhere but I counted over 20 flameouts in less than 45 minutes on one trail. That and I would blow through just about every downhill turn with no berm/groove because I was going too fast. I hated that bike.  So did my friend who sold it and went back to a 300 2T)

Honorable mentions: 1975 Can-Am 175 MX-2: Unbelievably fun to ride and fast as heck. 1984 Kawasaki KX 125 with full Rossini Racing Products motor work (ultra fast on top and it taught me how to always be in the right gear). 2007 KX 250F chassis with a mid 90s KX 250 big bore motor (300cc) adapted to the frame: Cool bike and the motor was absolutely awesome.

Dishonorable mentions: 2017 Beta 480 that taught me I was not a 4T person...It worked fine when it worked but it stranded me 17 miles in the woods when it stuck a piston ring (still have it on my shelf for proof) and overheated a bunch of times...Expensive bike that I was always maintaining with none of that "Beta love" coming my way as I bought it used with 5 hours on it. BTW: the 480 was as fast as a 2015 CR450F and the Sachs suspension actually worked well. It just seemed like a ticking time-bomb to me!

Sorry for the long post!

Without a doubt it was the 1981 490 Maico. Why? Because it was magic on wheels!

Yeah in a historical context I have to throw in another vote for the 06-ish CRF 450. Especially with a FC revalve on the forks. I was actually thinking recently how much I’d love to get a session on a well preserved one just to see how it feels today. 
I also really, really like my 22 350, but the forks hold it back from being “the best” for me.

Notable mention was my 2006 CR125, bought it to get back into riding in high school. Raced the shit out of it and won my first ever harescramble title with it, rode it a ton more with the absolute minimal maintenance and the thing never skipped a beat. Handling and suspension were awesome, you already know the motor story. Great memories racing out of the back of a pickup truck with pops. 

I love my 2005 200exc too. Great bike for woods. 

The bike in your avatar was my favorite bike I ever raced!  82RM250. In 1981 I raced a 1980 RM 125 and a 1978 RM 250 C2. That 1980 RM 125 was no match for the 1981 Suzuki. Then I got the 1982 RM 250, BEST BIKE EVER, in my opinion. Production bike.

It is a shame how far Suzuki has fallen.