Posts
41
Joined
5/8/2015
Location
South Shore, MA
US
Edited Date/Time
4/10/2018 5:12pm
I need help... First a quick profile: 57 yrs old, 5-9, 170lbs, good shape (ski, mtn bike, gym). Experience: raced moto in NJ/ PA from 14 to 19 years old, A few trophies, no firsts! Last bike, 78' Yama YZ250E. Recently rode kx250f 1/2 dozen times on single track and fire roads in 17'. Friends bike.
My goal is to buy a bike for racing MX and some JDays in the MA/ NH area. Some great loamy and sandy tracks, including Southwick. Plus trail riding in Plymouth with my new friends.
Question is what should I buy? Budget is approx $6k. Kx250 was OK, hated having to kick start it since it was carbureted. Do I need a 450 to be competitive? At 170 lbs I worry it's more power then needed. Love stats of the KTM 350s, with elec start, but rare to find one in my budget. Love idea of Yamaha reliability, but are they awkward and hard to turn? I see bargains on KX 450s... I really do need some insights, so please chime in ...
My goal is to buy a bike for racing MX and some JDays in the MA/ NH area. Some great loamy and sandy tracks, including Southwick. Plus trail riding in Plymouth with my new friends.
Question is what should I buy? Budget is approx $6k. Kx250 was OK, hated having to kick start it since it was carbureted. Do I need a 450 to be competitive? At 170 lbs I worry it's more power then needed. Love stats of the KTM 350s, with elec start, but rare to find one in my budget. Love idea of Yamaha reliability, but are they awkward and hard to turn? I see bargains on KX 450s... I really do need some insights, so please chime in ...
As for which bike, the cleanest one you can find with the best price.
Two-strokes work great in the sand. A YZ250 with a flywheel weight and vet-friendly suspension set-up could be the ticket. At 219 lbs./46 HP it will be easier to manage than a 240 lb./58 HP 450.
A YZ250X has a mellow engine spec and softer suspension. With a flywheel weight it could be vet perfect right out of the box. The wide-ratio transmission may not be good for moto. I haven't tried one. I like my YZ250.
A 250F could be ideal as well, but will be expensive to rebuild when it is time. I wouldn't buy a used one, as it has likely been hammered/neglected by a 18 year old.
I'm 35, 175 lbs., 6', and moto for fun. I'll never buy a 450 again, as a 250 two-stroke gets me around just fine. It is fun, light, nice-sounding, and affordable, which is how I like women as well as dirt bikes.
In a perfect world, beg a ride on a few bikes at a practice day. Offer $20 to take a bike around for a lap or two. Many riders will offer a ride then use that cash to get a case of beer later. I'd let you ride mine for free.
The Shop
If your budget is $6k, you should be able to pick up a nice new fuel injected 250F for right around that price. The fuel injected bikes are easy to kickstart once you learn the “motion” of kicking, as long as it’s in good mechanical condition. Personally, if I Don’t need a new bike right away, I like to buy used bikes with less than 10 hours on them. You can tell right away when a bike is actually mint. Usually you can save $1500+ off the OTD dealer price.
But like someone else said, a YZ250X sounds like a great fit for you. It’s excellent in the woods, and if you’re not too aggressive MX rider you’ll find the suspension and power to be really good too. You should try to ride one. Personally, I think a 450 is too much for Jdays. The only advantage I see with a 450 in your case, would be extended service intervals.
A light vet rider who has been away from the sport will likely enjoy an RMZ250 more than an RMZ450.
Also, an RMZ250 can be had dirt cheap. And with a pipe and maybe a high compression piston would likely be plenty powerful for an older guy.
This isn't drag racing. Too much power can be worse than not enough. Whiskey throttle on a 450 is unpleasant regardless of age and experience!
I crash harder on a 450.
I'd rather ride a 250. Also, a top-end is dirt cheap and they don't eat tires/chains/sprockets.
For safety and cost, you will see me on a 250 two-stroke until I keel. I'd consider an RMZ250 for a woods bike or spare moto bike. I'll never consider a 450 again. Too many bad crashes, and I don't want to go that fast any more. If the ground looks blurry, that is faster than I want to go and/or crash.
I found a 17' Honda CRF450 with electric start for $6,000. I have read the Honda's feel have great handling and are not too crazy power wise. I am also seeing really good prices on YZ250F's.
Can you comment on the mellower 450 vs. powerful 250 comparison? Are YZs really that hard to turn?
Thanks again guys. I have missed this sport for too long. If I read another MXA, Dirt Rider, Dirt Bike or RacerX for the perfect bike, my eyes will bleed.
In summary, definitely think you'll have a ton more fun on the yz 2stroke, but any of the new 250F's would be fine as well and you can buy those for under 6,000. My buddy just bought a leftover 2017 Honda CRF250 today for $ 5400. But ,if you're like me ,you'd enjoy the yz250x more.
Hee Haa!
See you at Gillette on 4/21 ...
If you want a 450 go for it. Just be aware that they will tire you out regardless of off the bike conditioning due to weight/torque/engine inertia. I go to the track for fun, not a demanding workout that isn't very fun. I can do that at home!
I don't want to ride a 450 at 35, let alone 60! Gary Semics won the +50 Class at Loretta's in 2012 on a KX250F against 450s.
Also, if you run into a problem with the engine 450s/250Fs can be very expensive to repair. I'd rather have a simple machine that can be fixed on the cheap. Putting 2K on the Visa for a dropped valve would hurt.
Pit Row
Point being, at your level, if you can score a new RMZ and throw exhaust on it, with your budget, you wont be disappointed. Otherwise the YZ is the best route. Unless you can find a good clean 350. Buddy of mine in Louisiana has a pristine 17 model with under 30 hours for $6500. Its tempting to snag
I thought about what was missing, what my goals were and how to raise the fun factor. For '99 I sold the 250 and bought a KTM 125. It was an absolute blast. I rode moto and off-road and for me it was perfect. I'm 6' tall and at the time was about 205 lbs but the 125 did everything I wanted it to do, it sharpened my skills and I was able to ride it a lot longer before getting tired. For '00 and '01 I rode a KTM 200 EXC set up for moto/off-road and finally in '02 I picked up an '02 Yamaha YZ250. For me that was the perfect recipe for having maximum fun. At the end of the day that is what matters.
My suggestion is to pick up a good used KTM 125 or 150 and go have a blast.
BTW, at the time I lived in CT so I rode quite a bit of sand tracks including Southwick. Didn't care how I did in races, just cared about having as much fun as I could.
I'm 56yo 145lbs soaking wet and I'm all about my 450 - Feel like I have faster lap times on a 250 but I love holeshots.... A LOT!! plus I don't like to bring up the rear on the occasional trail ride I do. 250-450, there both the same size, one is just slightly heavier and faster IMHO.
For what it's worth I still can't go as fast on my 17 KTM450 as I could on my 08 CRF490 (only cause I rode the Honda for 8 years and could feel 1 clicker change or small fork ht. adj. - that and Euro bikes are just plain funky)
You're all killing me! Blond, brunette, thin, zoftig, cans, the can... Like I ever had a choice! Well, at least I can chose what bike I buy.
One last question? Do you guys wear chest protectors and knee braces? On my last ride I got spit off the bike, over the bars onto the gravel at about 30 mph. Hit a ditch at dusk...Ooops! broke my shoulder blade... Ouch! All heeled now.
So I'll ride with chest protection, but worry about my knees ...
If you weren't already decided on a 4-stroke, a 250 or 300 smoker would be the best call. Even with a 350, you may find yourself in a year or two wanting a 2 stroke since that's what you remember best.
Check with Razee's in North Kingstown, RI... bought a bunch of bikes, parts and accessories from those guys and they were awesome. They list the 2018 KTM 125 SX for $6999 and the 2018 KTM 150 SX for $7199. Personally I'd go with the 150 SX.
Regarding wearing protection: wear as much as you can.
- High quality helmet (Troy Lee SE4, New Fox lids, 6D, or any other with MIPS)
- Chest protector, not roost guard (My personal favorite: Troy Lee Designs Shock Doctor CP5955)
- Knee braces (not knee pads): High end POD, Asterix, AlpineStars, EVS
- High quality boots: SIDI SRS, Gearne 10 or 12's, FOX Instict, or Alpine Starrs 8 or above
- Neck brace: Atlas (Many people without any professional knowledge may claim neck braces are unproven, but take those opinions at your own risk.
Don't cheap out on these items, it will cost you more in the long run.
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