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Ramsus posted:I couldn't believe how hard it pulled. I got a flash of adrenaline during the test ride when I got on the gas like I'd normally do on the 450. Things light and revs fast as hell even with the flywheel weight! I'm pretty excited. yeah I love the motor on my 2000 kx250. Got the gnarly pipe and flywheel weight for woods work on mine. How did the front end end feel? honestly mine is crap when it comes to the front end, even with proper valving and springs
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Jun 28, 2013 05:13
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| # ? May 9, 2024 21:20 |
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How much is he asking for that? Trying to get a ballpark price range.
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Jun 28, 2013 05:17
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2-2.5k range I found loads that were cheaper, but they were basically stock mx bikes with a pipe. To put on the stabilizer and all the other mods he had I'd have spent way more. I did find a 98 (which is supposed to be an amazing engine) for $900, but after adding the parts I wanted to the shopping cart on motosport combined with the headache of installation it was not even close to worth it. The front end seemed good, although honestly I didn't get to ride it in an ideal environment. The guy lived in town so I only got it down a gravel driveway and down the street. I didn't want to spend much time on the street, so I blew through all the gears and back down a couple times and took it back. He was reluctant to let me take it on the street at all because of the police, but I wasn't going to purchase it if I couldn't run through all the gears.
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Jun 28, 2013 06:22
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Why a kx over a yz? For another $500 you could grab a latest generation YZ250 with a xc setup here. The advantage of the yz is that the bike is still competitive in the GNCC XC2 class and you get significantly more aftermarket support.
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Jun 28, 2013 22:08
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I had read that the kx has a lower center of gravity and a better bottom-mid range which makes it a better woods bike. I don't know how true that is (since they were just comments on forums) but regardless the bike is already set up for my exact weight and height. The ergos are perfect. Finding another bike tailored specifically to me could be difficult to find and building one is expensive and time consuming. I'm going to ride the poo poo out of it this summer and fall and then do at least the top end over the winter. What makes the kx not as competitive? What would I want on the aftermarket that I could get on the yz, but would not be able to find for a kx exactly? Edit: Also forgot to mention that I'm not a pro level rider. I'm not going to be able to use the full potential of any 250 2-stroke for some time if ever. Ramsus fucked around with this message at 00:14 on Jun 29, 2013 |
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Jun 28, 2013 23:48
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200lbs is the most common setup for any worked offroad suspension. I've owned both and the thing I liked the more about the 05+ YZ is that it was worlds nimbler and probably had the best steering of any of the end of era two strokes. The gearing on the kx was an issue. Couldn't find a nice medium for single track and open sand sections. No need for a flywheel weight on the YZ in the tight stuff since you can let out the rear and steer with the clutch much more than you could with the kx powerband. As for the aftermarket support it is less about unique upgrades than it is about options from multiple companies, availability, and lower prices. The YZ is basically the same bike for going on 9 years and for all of them it has been a vastly more popular off road bike so more companies have invested in making enduro parts. That said, if the bike fits you and you like it go for it. You are right that finding a bike ready for you is hard and summer is already here. tehk fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Jun 29, 2013 |
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Jun 29, 2013 01:17
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That and I'm poor. I got the kx a few hours ago. Pretty excited to take it out tomorrow! Also I just stumbled across a 98 kx250 for $900. It needs front brake pads and has a torn seat. Other than that the ad says it runs well. I got the fever.
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Jun 29, 2013 06:10
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Am I doing any real damage when I run through puddles? I feel like the localized extreme cooling where water (mud) is hitting my crank case is going to end up cracking my motor.
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Jun 29, 2013 17:23
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ChewedFood posted:Am I doing any real damage when I run through puddles? I feel like the localized extreme cooling where water (mud) is hitting my crank case is going to end up cracking my motor. You're fine.
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Jun 30, 2013 01:20
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VTNewb posted:You're fine. Thanks but beauty has nothing to do with it 
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Jun 30, 2013 04:59
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Took the KX250 out for the first time today. Still taking it easy at Sand Lake since the girlfriend is still learning. The KX is awesome. It's feels so small and light compared to the 450. I can just throw it around, it's snappy, and I actually have to pay attention to what gear I am. You can be really lazy on a 450 and just lug around in whatever gear. I took off the lights and put on the stock rear fender and the number plate so I wouldn't break the lights in case I wrecked. It was a good thing I did. I hit a jump on a downhill and completely flipped the bike breaking off the number plate.  Gorilla tape is holding it on in the picture.
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Jun 30, 2013 07:43
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I got a complete 03 kx250 wheel off ebay for $135 with a worn knobby. Going to put a paddle on that one. It's going to be nice not having to switch tires every time depending on what I'm doing. I suck at switching tires, I tend to pinch the tube even though I'm using baby powder and putting a little air in it. Either that or my crf450r rim had a bur on it somewhere that I missed.
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Jul 2, 2013 05:00
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The pro circuit expansion chamber on the KX250 was all rusty so I picked up some header paint good up to 2000 degrees. Wire brushed, washed and painted.   Now it needs a skid plate.
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Jul 3, 2013 04:07
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My girlfriend raced my ktm last Sunday while I hobbled around on my newly healed broken knee. Got third out Of six in the womens class. Nearly 120 people on the track with her.  Also, I found this in the woods:  Here's a poor edit of the race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY9oVOFSzeY
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Jul 5, 2013 00:17
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VTNewb posted:My girlfriend raced my ktm last Sunday while I hobbled around on my newly healed broken knee. Got third out Awesome! I went out to Santiam Pass OHV area today and went riding solo. My girlfriend popped her shoulder out of joint on our last ride, so she went hiking with the dogs while I hit the trails.    Max getting pumped for the ride: 
Ramsus fucked around with this message at 07:44 on Jul 5, 2013 |
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Jul 5, 2013 07:41
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First ride with the heavy flywheel... HOLY CRAP what a difference! I should have done this a long time ago. You can see just how much weight they added to it -  The bike is significantly easier to ride. It has more traction, tractors along at low revs up hills much better, and is waaaay tougher to stall. The stock flywheel is so drat light you really had to murder the clutch in tight stuff to keep the bike running. Still takes some clutch control for sure but it's much more forgiving with the heavier flywheel. My ride ended a little early when I barely clipped a stump with my boot going maybe 20mph. It completely taco'd my boot, folding around/under the peg  . I stayed on the bike and didn't go down, but it wasn't very fun. Foot didn't hurt too bad at first so I kept riding. Going through some rough sand whoops along a river though... I knew something wasn't right. Couldn't put any pressure on it so the ride out of the woods was interesting to say the least. Figured I broke a metatarsal.Got it xray'd and luckily it wasn't broken, just badly bruised and sprained. I'm in a jaunty rigid soled shoe and on crutches for awhile. It's already feeling much better but it kinda fuckered my vacation plans coming up 
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Jul 8, 2013 19:04
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My kx250 is very easy to manage in the woods, no doubt because of the fww. Sorry you got hurt! My ebay wheel came in the mail. Just need to put the paddle tire on it now. I also need to get one of these: http://www.zenxteninc.com/uniwhip.asp Mounting the whip on the axle sucks. It seats the flag too low, it breaks easily in a wreck and the whip can bounce off your helmet.
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Jul 9, 2013 05:37
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http://imaginarydirtbikeblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/race-report-martins-mayhem-2013-in.html My girlfriends thoughts on her recent race
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Jul 14, 2013 15:44
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Spiffness posted:when did you get to the Seattle area? Only a few months ago. The 525 is getting a new top half today. I should be ready to ride again by this sunday. clutchpuck posted:I live north of Seattle. Your season looks a little different than mine Really? Why in the cold?
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Jul 16, 2013 19:04
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Once I am out there and riding, it isn't so cold. Plus it's nice to have a quieter ORV area; on sat/sun mornings in the winter, we pretty much get the place to ourselves. No dust 'cause everything is moist, too. Would also rather just hop on the street bike and ride in the summer than load up the enduros and drive an hour to the trails.
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Jul 16, 2013 19:14
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I changed out all of my rear link and my lower shock bearings earlier today. I used a ball joint press which worked great. Still a little bit of slop, so the swing arm bearings are next. Also installed a pipe guard:  It's pretty ugly, but it'll save the pipe from those little dents from laying it over.
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Jul 17, 2013 06:00
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clutchpuck posted:Once I am out there and riding, it isn't so cold. Plus it's nice to have a quieter ORV area; on sat/sun mornings in the winter, we pretty much get the place to ourselves. No dust 'cause everything is moist, too. I'm listening. Where should I ride my street bike now that its summer? Looking like the 525 won't be done by this weekend so the Super Duke may have to be used 
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Jul 17, 2013 17:45
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Blaise posted:I'm listening. Where should I ride my street bike now that its summer?
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Jul 18, 2013 01:08
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Blaise posted:Where should I ride my street bike now that its summer? Ghost ride it off a cliff and ride your dirt bike!
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Jul 18, 2013 04:46
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My girlfriend test rode a Sherco XRide today for trail rider magazine. I had to sit on my rear end and watch. One more month until the knee is ready.
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Jul 21, 2013 01:17
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I replaced all of the rear linkage bearings, greased the swingarm bearings and greased the steering bearings in the kx250. I tried to do the same to the kdx200 while I was swapping out the springs for softer ones except the guy that had it before apparently never did. All of the bearings are completely dry and rusted in. The bolt through the front part of the linkage will not budge although I was able to get the nut off. The pivot bolt for the swingarm is also completely stuck. I used some freeze off and a 12 lb. sledge with no luck. I don't want to beat on it too hard as I don't want to warp the frame or something. Tomorrow I'm going to try more penetrating oil and a torch, but if that doesn't work then I'm getting out the sawzall or an angle grinding with a cutting disk. After I cut the bolts I can use my ball joint press to push what's left out. What a pain in the rear end. Grease your bikes please. Edit: Also I really want to ride this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7geka8m5Z4 Ramsus fucked around with this message at 09:38 on Jul 21, 2013 |
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Jul 21, 2013 09:08
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Any of you gone from a supersport / track background to a dirtbike? How was the transition? $1500 budget - 2 or 4 stroke? Mostly desert - sometimes woods. BlackMK4 fucked around with this message at 09:03 on Jul 22, 2013 |
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Jul 22, 2013 08:59
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I haven't, but I'd recommend a two stroke. The maintenance is much cheaper. If you get a used 4 stroke then you could be looking at a much larger repair bill if something is up with the engine. If you really want one then it'd be nice if the owner would let you check the valve tolerances. The valves of certain bikes wear out fast. As with everything certain years have issues, so you'll want to research the hell out of each model and year you consider. A four stroke would probably be better for the desert at consistently high speeds, but they're both great in the woods. A lot of if comes down to what kind of rider you are. You could get a dedicated trail bike, which is heavier, or a motocrosser that is nimble and light but might need some mods to work better in the woods. Around here you can find a newish 250 two stroke for around $1k. Many people have modded them for trails. You might need to refresh the top end, but at least there isn't valves to worry about. It'd probably be tough to find a decent 4 stroke under $1500.
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Jul 22, 2013 11:31
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If you want to ride DOONZ on the cheap get a YZ250.
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Jul 22, 2013 14:03
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BlackMK4 posted:Any of you gone from a supersport / track background to a dirtbike? How was the transition? I, in theory, do it all the time. I primarily ride on the track these days on a 600 and get in the dirt on off weekends or when the weather is lovely (though I haven't made it into the dirt for about 3 months  )It's not that bad. The environment is SO different that your expectations of what riding a motorcycle at speed are like are going to not matter because reality is going to be dirt biking is it's own world. I love it. Absolutely love to dirt bike. I'd do it every day of the week if I lived closer and had a schedule that allowed for more of it. Great for fitness, great to learn riding skills and it's hard to say but it may be the most fun type of riding period. Every day is something new, totally dynamic riding areas, just a blast. Thats all sort of muddled but the summary is this: Don't worry about 'transitioning' into dirt biking. If you like it (you will) it'll happen with or without you thinking about it. It's mega good fun. Great practice, and at some point the skills you learn dirt biking WILL save your rear end on the street or track (many, many times over)
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Jul 22, 2013 17:45
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Thank you guys So 250 over 125? I'm not really interested in DOONZZZZ BROOO - more like trails. What kind of mileage do these things get on a tank or is it something to not even worry about?
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Jul 22, 2013 20:36
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My 175s (a 2t and a 4t) sip gas; we'll go trail riding for a few hours and when we top them off it's less than a gallon total across both bikes. I think they have 2 gallon tanks so despite bringing a 1gal tank with me in the truck, I pretty much don't worry about it.
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Jul 22, 2013 20:42
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BlackMK4 posted:Thank you guys I would recommend a 250 four stroke for trail riding, 2-strokes are lighter, but have less usable torque, and get worse fuel economy. If you do get a 2-stroke a 200 or 250 with a heavy flywheel weight works pretty well off road. I started on a 125, it really is a lot harder to ride than a 250F. You need to ride the clutch on slow climbs because its either bogging, or spinning the rear tire otherwise. Range depends on a lot, riding style is a big factor, as is the terrain. You might be able to ride trails for 5 hours on a tank, and burn through the same tank in 40 minutes out in the sand. Edit: Actually at $1500 I would get a 2-stroke. Zool fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Jul 22, 2013 |
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Jul 22, 2013 23:45
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The kind of dirtbike you want depends a hell of a lot on the stuff you want to ride. For the trail riding available around here I'd probably want a CRF150R or something similar. The trails are so technical and tight that a big bike is intimidating on the narrow singletrack. You can have a hell of a lot of fun with a more old school air cooled 4T bike depending on what you want to do. I will say that DOONZ if you live close are awesome for a new offroad rider. You can eat poo poo with quite low consequences and you can start jumping the bike which is probably as fun as dragging a knee on a street bike.
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Jul 22, 2013 23:55
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A CRF150 would be pretty boring for desert riding. A 125 two stroke will have you riding the clutch to much in tight trails. They don't lug down low very well. A 250 2 stroke with a flywheel weight is very manageable in tight trails. My kx250 can be lugged around like a 4 stroke no problem. I came off a CRF450r with 14/51 gearing for reference. Plus an oil change is $2 on the KX. For $1500 I'd look at a CR250, KX250 or YZ250.
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Jul 23, 2013 00:03
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Unless you're riding DOONZ start slow/light/cheap just like a street bike. DOONZ you can go with a bit more power because sand sucks up so much.
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Jul 23, 2013 01:04
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Yo bros, I need some help to for getting into dirt biking. I'm currently riding a KLR and my plan was to continue riding it on nice dirt trails in my area. Unfortunately this year we had the worst flooding in like 100 years and washed out pretty much all the trails. I could keep riding my KLR on the trails but I feel it's too dangerous with my limited dirt experience. So my new plan is getting a proper dirt bike and taking that out. I listed my 2006 KLR for 3,700$ and requested trades for a dirt bike. Someone contacted me saying that they have a 2003 CRF 230 they would like to trade + cash. It appears to be completely stock and the guy is the second owner, he tells me he got it from a buddy that his daughter rode occasionally and never really rode it since. I found another 2003 CRF in my area and it's listed at 2,000$ and 2004-2006 CRFs get listed from anywhere around 2,500 to 3,200. So I have to ask you guys what I should look for when buying a used CRF. As well how much money I should get from this guy if I trade my KLR. I appreciate the help! P.S. I'm from Alberta which is why everything is so pricey Also, I'm 6'3" 210lbs, So I don't know if I'll be too big for the bike or not. Kindest Forums User fucked around with this message at 06:17 on Jul 24, 2013 |
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Jul 24, 2013 06:03
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I don't know if they have the oil migration issue like the 450s do, but I'd lookout for that. My transmission oil leaks crank side on my 05 450. Rebuilding a four stroke is very expensive, so I'd keep that in mind as it's a 10 year old bike and going by their word on the amount of hours on the thing isn't the most reliable source. If you have good throttle and clutch control then I wouldn't be afraid to go a little bigger. I'd look at the WR line, ktm 200 or a KDX 200/220 if you want a good trail bike. If you want something snappier consider the 250 two strokes. With $3,700 you could make a 250 as tame as you want with low gears, flywheel weight and retarded timing. Those mods alone would cost only about $150 and are very easy to do. You'd have plenty of money left over to replace all the bearings, do a new top end and install a steering stabilizer. Either way search for any issues whatever bike you are looking for might have. The oil migration is a bitch, but at least you don't have to split the cases. Edit: Forgot what the 230 is. The motor shouldn't have those issues as it's old tried and true technology. It also has the dated traditional suspension and drum brakes. It's also a pig at 250 lbs even though it's an air cooled bike. I think you'd be a lot happier on something like this: http://eugene.craigslist.org/mcy/3919502962.html http://portland.craigslist.org/yam/mcy/3954985561.html Dirt cheap, trail ready and easy too ride with tons of room to grow. Ramsus fucked around with this message at 10:50 on Jul 24, 2013 |
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Jul 24, 2013 09:01
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A CRF230 would be a very good first trail bike.
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Jul 25, 2013 11:17
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It's a pretty big turd compared to the kdx, and the kdx makes a great beginners bike while still having room to grow. I'd recommend researching both and going from there.
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Jul 25, 2013 22:10
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