OK. I have had 5 bikes in the past 4 years looking for the best bike to suit my ability and riding terrain. I am rapidly approaching 40 yrs. old, ride 1/2 the time with my family (3 boys on XR's 100,70,50; and wife and daughter on quad), and the other 1/2 of the time with my dad, brother, cousin and buddies. I am just a casual trail rider and have riden since 10. I like to run a race once or twice a year, but they are casual desert races in eastern Washington. My trail riding is mainly tight steep stuff here in Oregon with a few trips to the desert terrain.

Here is my question. Everyone is going with the WR's, KTM's and CRF's in the woods here, and yes they are nice bikes, rev quick and have nice suspensions, but how many typical off road weekend warriors need these bikes, or will even come close to utitilizing what these bikes are suited for? And, what are these guys doing after riding it hard for 2 years? Are they spending tons of money on top ends or selling them before the serious maintenance is required?

Has anyone ridden the newer bikes and then come back to the XR's or KDX?

I am thinking about the XR400 because it can chug and lug great for the tight stuff and follow the kids with no problems and yet will do fine in the desert too. How much do they weigh? I currenty have KTM 200 which is an awesome bike, but is a workout in the tight stuff, constantly working the clutch and brakes. It also doesnt like to putt behind kids at all. I hate to get rid of it because it is sooo light and comes with really nice components, but the XR seems more suited for my type of riding. I also like the KDX and had one last year, but I am not sure I want a two stoke again.

Comments and advice appreciated.

I used to own an XR400 and found it capable for everything, even an occasional off road GP. I didnt have a lot invested in after market stuff, just some stiffer springs and an aftermarket pipe, appropriate jetting and air box mods, and 1 additional tooth on the rear. For class c stuff it was great. Like the KDX minimal maintenance, good performance for the casual trial rider and impromptu racer. I wish I hadnt sold it. I now own a KDX and find it parrelling the XR performance and relibility wise.

If you are close to 200 lbs and 6 feet the 400 will be a great trail bike with very low maintenance. Just change the oil and clean the air filter. If you have short legs maybe look for a xr250. They are very close to 400 performance and are quite easier to handle in the gnarly roots trails.

Yeah, I'm 6' and weigh 210, so thats why I am thinking XR400. Everyone rants and raves about these new bikes like the KLX450, but it weighs right at 280lbs. What does the XR weigh?

About 260 before you strip anything off

If I remember correctly, you had an XR600 for a while and didn't like it. If you are only going to ride in the woods, maybe an XR250 is the best choice for you.

I have owned and ridden a number of the newer bikes including the DRZ400 (a fragile tub of lard), a 2006 WR450 (an unbelievably capable bike), and one of the KTM450s (I don't care what they say, it still feels like a eurobike to me), plus an XR650R, a VOR (the best carbureted 4-stroke I have ever ridden) in the mix, a 2004 Husqvarna (superb quality, but the suspension is not up to the performance of my 10 year old YZ), and some others I can't remember right now.

Those bikes come and go, but the XR250, XR400, and XR600 never get sold. I do not care what anyone says, all three are fantastic bikes. No battery to die, no water cooling to worry about. Easy carburetors to work on, and most everything is out in the open. Try getting to the carb on a DRZ of WR.

If you are going to ride strictly in the woods, I would personally go with the XR250.

There is an interesting artilce in one of the 1996 or 1997 Dirt Bike issues where Scott Summers rode all three bikes. He was slowest on the 400, and raved about the 250.

Don't get me wrong, the 400 is my favorite one as I can go anywhere on it, but the 250 is way more fun in the woods and the XR600 is way more fun dualsporting or in the desert. If it will be a mix, I take the 400, but if I only rode in the woods, I'd just ride the 250.

I have both XR400 and KLX450.
I still like my XR, durable and reliable.
I do not know where the 280 lbs came from.
Maybe it includes full gas and everything.
If so, a XR400 would weigh about the same 280 lbs.
But if you ride both KLX450 and XR400, you feel KLX450 as if it weigh 30 lbs lighter than XR and you can go a lot faster on KLX450 than on XR, and it got a magic button.

firffighter,
Sorry I missed your first post.
I think XR400 is one of the best bikes for your purpose.

firffighter said:

If you do a lot of tight riding, you probably won't want a 450 - they are crazy fast. I rode one a few years ago in New England snot, and don't really ever want to again.

Don't get confused by dry weights either - add 30-40 pounds for real riding weight. If memory serves, published dry weight for an XR400 is 257 pounds. I weighed my '98 XR400 recently - it weighs 289 with an almost empty gas tank (add 10-12 more for a full tank).

The biggest downside of my XR is having to kick start it first thing in the morning - I changed my mind about taking a ride a hundred times after just thinking about trying to get it going. I got to where I couldn't handle the weight too - I've tweaked my back a dozen times trying to catch that bike halfway over. The weight was the real killer. I went to the other extreme and tried a 125 2-stroke for a while - I loved the the light weight (235 pounds real weight), but the bike kept blowing up, so I gave up on it.

I got a CRF250X two weeks ago to replace my XR4 as primary steed. Its faster and lighter than my XR4, and has an electric start, but doesn't have the low end grunt - you can actually stall a CRF250. It's motor makes it probably more like riding your 200, but I really like it.

JayC

Mark-san said:

by the way, I am a C rider, 5'8"-165 lbs and raced harescramble with XR once and with KLX450 four times this year and almost always ride woods.

the wr is a good bike, its tough, performs well,just higher maint. than an xr, cant speak for the others though.
I think an xr would be a good choice for you buddy:thumbsup:

I love my XR, but in the woods, my 250X is the bike to ride. Revloc clutch takes away the stall factor and it's way easier to ride. I do love the XR though.

Thanks for the input. I did own a XR600 and loved the tractorable power, but it was just too heavy and the front end would wash on tight corners in the single track. The XR400 doesnt seem to be too much lighter than the 600. If I did consider a newer 4-stroke, I think I would go with the WR which seems to be the most reliable of them. I did own XR250 as well and it was great for most of the riding, just hard to go to after owning a KDX and KTM. I probably wouldnt use all of the power from a XR400 (I certainly dont on my KTM), but it is nice to loft the front end over logs and rocks with the twist of the throttle.

I owned both an XR600 and a XR400. The 400 felt 50 lbs. lighter than the 600 (actual weight difference is only 34 lbs.). I imagine an XR250 would feel proportionately lighter than the 400. The 600 was a much easier bike to start, however.

I like the idea of a CRF250X with a revlock clutch as another writer mentioned. More maintainance than an XR, however.

I have a XR250 and it is great in the tight stuff. Throw on a 12tooth sprocket on the front and it will crawl and pull as good as anything. Never need to use the cluch. You can dang near go so slow you are about to fall over and then roll on the throttle and go. Throw the 13 tooth on for the desert. Only thing I dont like about it is it seems unstable at high speeds. Great combo for what you are saying youre gonna do with it. In the woods I think its faster than a XR4 but the 4 will do better in the desert. Just dont drop it or youre gonna be kicking. Most reliable bike I have ever owned:ride:

Hey firfighter, I am a firefighter also here in north FL. I mostly ride woods with my neighbors and we have also built some small tracks in our yards with some pretty nice tabltops and doubles. My 98 xr 400 is perfect for me. I also am a taller rider, 6'3, 185 with gear. My neighbor has an 02 xr250, so I get to ride both, although his handles like a bicycle in the tight stuff, It lacks the serious grunt of my 400. Out on the dirt road, he stays really close all out, but mine pulls away off the line with all the tourque. they are both really great bikes, I would stick with the 400 due to your size. remember, you can put around ALL day on the 400, but when you want to open it up, its there for you. In my opinoin the "Magic button" is just a compensation for poor jetting and lazy people. When cold my xr takes about 5 kicks, other than that its a 1 kick deal, jetting is everything. last of all, there is NO trading the PROVEN reliability of the honda xr! :ride:

justcountry said:

I agree, the only reason the 400 is sometimes hard to start is that they are jetted incorrectly, valves are out of adjustment or someone does not know the drill. I have had 6 XR400's (1996, 2-1998's, 2-2002's, and the current 2004 model) and either left COMPLETELY stock, or once jetted correctly if "opened up", they start right up. Mine is a one or two kick bike when cold and a one kick bike when warm. Believe it or not one of the issues iis that people over jet them. I have found best luck in the 155/158 main jet and 55/58 pilot jet range. I don't know how the bikes even run with jetting as fat as 162/60.

One hint that is kind of a crutch for the real issue of proper jeting: Turn the idle up slightly when starting cold.

...and I would rather have that stick of aluminum (kickstart lever) than a button and a dead battery.

I bought my XR400 new in 2002 and still to this day think this is one of the best bikes ever made. I'm 6'3" and 185lbs., so I changed my fork springs out to allow for my weight, got a SDG tall seat, Jimmy Button Renthals and some IMS pegs and the bike now fits me well. Opening up the airbox and correct jetting along with a free flowing exhaust made the motor run as I think it was intended to. Not to mention easier to start. One of the best mods I did, was adding a Superbrace, as it really helps with allowing the bike to go where you want it to and dealing with ruts much better.
I have put time on a new CRF450X thinking it would be the bike to replace my XR with but have scratched that off the list. Way more power than I want or need and the handling in tight stuff was a bit too much work. It did go fast really well and whoops were handled much better. It just feels like a heavy race bike.
Spent some time on a YZF250WR. More fun to ride than the CRF450X but the power on the bottom was lacking big time. And it didn't feel all that much lighter than the XR.
But all the maintenance issues with the high revving motors, the boil over potential when riding in tight stuff, and radiators that can get damaged don't do it for me.
What I want and what many riders could use is a CRF/YZ/RM/KX chassis with plush suspension and a XR motor. Until then if you can get a clean XR400, I say go for it. Spend the time to set it up for you and you will be happy:thumbsup:

I wouldnt let the slight difference in weight between the 250 and 400 misguide you. I weigh 160 sans gear and never really found the XR400 to be bulky or girthy. I did find, on many occassions, the torque to be a life saver. And with stock gearing, I was alble to scare myself in the open desert. I think the consensus is in that the XR400 is your best bet

I agree with AHRM: the XR250 is absolutely king in the woods. I think it is the lower weight and 6th gear. The XR400 lugs better, but the better ratio spread of the 250 means you don't have to lug it.

Some small performance and suspension mods can get the 250 through the whoops too. I am 190lb. I loved to follow the MX guys through the whoops at Tahooya, WA. and then pass them in the slimy root sections.

I regret ever selling my 89. I am crazy enough to miss the drum rear brake.

You will like the 400 better in the desert though and I think the dry sump design keeps the oil cooler, so it will probably endure more abuse.

Joe