the bike dilema

[BrokenBiker]

so, im quite getting into trials bikes, been using a gas gas 250 for a few outings around the farm, being shown a few tricks, basic stuff and how to balance properly, little hops and using the bikes weight and momentum.

anyway, ive been looking at buying a bike similar to progress with, never want to go down the competitive route but its good fun and id like to get better.

went out with the same mate today and he brought his yz250 instead. great fun, much faster, sounds great etc. after a bit I started having a play, transferring the trials skills to the motox bike...and it all worked, albeit a bit harder as its heavier but still good outcomes.

I then made the mistake of coming home and watching a few vids with the likes of graham Jarvis in them.

so, now im wondering do I still want a trials bike that is fairly limited in its use to trials riding, or do I want an endure type bike (probably 4 stroke rather than 2) as I realised today all these fancy things you see on youtube are mostly down to the rider, not the bike (to a certain extent) and the endure would be more handy on road too.

I had an xr650, but that weighed more than my car does, was a nightmare to kick over (electric start was weak too) and drank fuel like theres no tomorrow.

thinking about something like a drz400 or 450 cant remember which it comes in

 

[pedrobedro]

You are not going to be doing bunny hops on a Dr.Z 400 although you will get the front wheel airborne. If you want to use it on the road get a road version with road legal tyres, we fitted a road lighting kit to an off road for a bloke so he could MOT and insure it and it cost him quite a lot.

 

[mr migwire]

ktm 250 excf, road legal fast as luck and easy to throw around in the woods, quarries etc......

will post some pics of my two when i find them...

 

[BrokenBiker]

bunny hops aren't really what im interested in. I like being able to 'climb' where I thought a motox bike would be too heavy, but the yz flew up there just the same as the gas gas after a few practices.

also went up a near vertical slope that again I thought impossible on a motox bike. the type of terrain you see on proper endurance races, rocky and muddy, with some horrible hills thrown in is the sort of terrain I have on some parts of the farm where I have been practicing.

migwire, I like the ktm's. when I was 14 I rode a 520, could only just get my leg over it and had to be held up to pull off but dear god it was torquey. cut ruts everywhere and took off like a jet propelled tennis ball

 

[mr migwire]

exc250f was a brilliant tool.







and my sxf250 which was just nuts, used it for fun...

 

[BrokenBiker]

there is an excf on ebay for 2300 at the moment, only looked at the pics though lol

 

[mr migwire]

this was my daily commuter up until i gave up bikes, a husky TE610 great fun and would loft in 3rd off the throttle, never really used first gear at all...

 

[Maker]

That looks great fun, I used to ride a pedal trials bike which was great fun but bloody slow with 22:18 gearing. Maybe I'll get one next year, for, err, road experience.

 

[BrokenBiker]

how heavy was that 610?

 

[blenkie1]

I have a Gas Gas JTR250 and a Honda XR250. Thought the XR would be slow after racing CR250s. One blast along the road and I managed to hit 70 with my head down on the tank. Not too bad I thought till i found out the speedo was in kilometers per hour and was only doing about 50!! Never get a chance to go on either. I also have a VFR800 and the wife has a CBR400 and never been on them for years

 

[mr migwire]

how heavy was that 610?

about 3.5 tonnes lol........

it was actually pretty good compared to some of the road bikes ive had but i couldn't tell you the actual numbers.....

 

[BrokenBiker]

the xr I had was a nightmare. I dropped it in a muddy slushy field and couldn't lift it again, just kept sliding away from it

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I had the ktm exc 250 2 stroke, fantastic bike, previously had a husaberg 501 ( aabsolute animal!) And a 250f ktm ( couldn't keep up with the valve clearences, refused to start most days) much prefer 2 strokes for that sort of thing, currently have an r1 but considering getting a gas gas ec 300 enduro and starting racing again, not that the Mrs is too chuffed!

 

[Robotstar5]

A work colleague was looking at 250ish strokers for an off-road toy and the service schedules are ridiculous, seems like you have to pull the motor down every 10 minutes

 

[Woody.v8]

I've got an xr600r and can get almost anywhere on it, I do a few hare and hounds (won one or two) and the bike is brill, albeit a little too much power on the technical sections I would try an Xr400r if i were you, I know that i could get where a mountain goat couldn't, And as reliable as a bogger 90

 

[BrokenBiker]

A work colleague was looking at 250ish strokers for an off-road toy and the service schedules are ridiculous, seems like you have to pull the motor down every 10 minutes

I had a kx125 when I was younger, went like a stabbed rat, but then started making a strange noise. someone mentioned piston slap so one weekend decided to strip it, found the piston was gouged to hell, the chamber was scored and gouged with a chunk missing from the exhaust port...bought some refurbed bits, put them on, took the bike out a few times to a relatively soft track and after about 18 hours use it was back to sounding the same, sure enough stripped it and the same thing but not nearly as bad. sold it in the end and bought a yz250, which I then sold as it scared the crap out of me, was only 14 at the time could barely touch the floor on it

 

[BrokenBiker]

I have a Gas Gas JTR250 and a Honda XR250. Thought the XR would be slow after racing CR250s. One blast along the road and I managed to hit 70 with my head down on the tank. Not too bad I thought till i found out the speedo was in kilometers per hour and was only doing about 50!! Never get a chance to go on either. I also have a VFR800 and the wife has a CBR400 and never been on them for years

I don't mix well with cbr400's, there are pics here of what happened to mine when I was 17 and stupid thinking I was rossi after 4 months on the road

 

[Tinbasherdan]

The enduro bikes are designed to have longer service intervals, I think the 250 strokers have something like 90 hrs for a piston

 

[BrokenBiker]

The enduro bikes are designed to have longer service intervals, I think the 250 strokers have something like 90 hrs for a piston

this I why I want to avoid a 2 stroke, along with not wanting to premix or keep having to top up oil often, the 4 strokes all have normal intervals for servicing

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Believe me, the 4 bangers are just as much of a pain, problem is a strip down on a four stroke is that much more involved, I can do a piston in under an hour on a striker, setting valve clearences every 2 weeks is a pain