Hello all,

I have been away from riding for nearly twenty years now.  I learned to ride on a Yamaha enduro 100 as a teenager but haven't really ridden much since.  I have recently bought an XR70 for my kids and while cruising around the neighborhood have realized that I never really lost my passion for riding.  And now that the kids are riding its a good excuse for me to get a bike so I can spend some time riding with them.

So here is a little bit of info about myself to make it easier for you ya'll to help.

Height- 6'5"

Weight- 250

Experience- I learned on the 4t 100cc twenty years ago and was very comfortable on it back then. I could take small jumps, ride wheelies and had pretty good control overall.  Haven't ridden much since.

Intended Use- I'll be looking at trail riding mostly, things I can do with my kids.  I might like to tear up a MX track once I have gotten back in the swing of things.

Price Range- Cheap as possilbe, lol.  Ideally I'd like to stay close to $2500 so I know I'm looking at a used bike.  I like Honda's and Yamaha's.  

Mechanical Skills- I am fairly mechanically inclined and plan to do all the maint. myself.  Not afraid of a rebuild or general maint.  I would like to think that i could look a used bike over to determine whether or not its a worthy buy.

So, what do you guys think?  Gimme any and all your suggestions please.

Taking your size into account a 250 2 stroke or 450 4 stroke would be right for you.  Trail riding with kids, I would prefer a 4 stroke over a 2 because they dont load up.  Most of your riding will probably be trails, so i'd go with a bike geared for that like a CRF 450x or WR 450.  The power deliver will be smoother also.  They will do fine on an mx track until you start hitting the bigger jumps & by then you will probably just get a dedicated mx bike to put next to it in the garage.

Bullwinkle58, on 14 March 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

Thanks for taking the time to reply.  I was wondering if a 450 four stroke would be to much power for me considering I'm just getting started again.  What do you guys think?

M4J0R T0M, on 14 March 2012 - 07:46 PM, said:

I would have said WR250F or CRF250X to start out, but given your size, I think I would lean toward WR450F or CRF450X.

if you have good throttle control, I suspect you can handle the 450.  Also, I dont think you will be going on that hard of trails while your kids are learning to ride, so there will be plenty of opportunity to work on your throttle/brake/clutch skills without being on difficult terrain.  Not sure about Alabama market, but here in Colorado, you would probably have to look at a 2006 or older model to get in under your $2500 budget.  The WR450 is steel frame for 2006 and older aluminum frame for 2007 and newer.  Not sure about the CRF450X.  Also, you might want to read a bit in those forums, but I believe the 2007 and prior CRFX's are thought to have valve recession issues.  The WR's are considered to be nearly bullet proof.  I bought an '05 WR250F for my son and its has been very reliable so far (2 years). I have not owned a Honda CRFX....so I am just going by what I have read at TT.

If you think you might be wanting to do some serious MX track riding, you might want to look into the KTM XC's which I am told are great enduro/harescramble bikes that can be equally at home on the MX track.  I dont think you can say the same for the WR or CRFX.  But, you arent going to be able to touch a decent one for your budget of $2500.

Would love to see you 'cruising' your neighborhood on the kid's an XR70.  Must look like a clown bike or pocket bike.  Careful not to damage that suspension which is probably designed for no more than 120 lbs.

SilvFx, on 15 March 2012 - 10:06 AM, said:

LOL, I'm quite sure it is a sight to see.  I'm not to worried about the suspension on the XR, I think it has been worn out for some time now.  I'll be rebuilding the forks and shock at some point.  Thanks for all the advice on the 450 offroaders, they look like they might be right up my alley.  Are there any other similar bikes in this category that might be worth researching further?

There are plenty of 450 bikes enduro bikes that you could consider.  The Honda, Yamaha and KTM are most plentiful.  The issue you will run into is price, but here is what I think would be a pretty comprehensive list and you can shop for best price/year/condition.

I think the japanese bikes will be the ones most likely in your price range:

Yamaha WR450F - 4 stroke enduro; 5 spd wide ratio trans; 2012 is fuel injected
Honda CRF450X - 4 stroke enduro; 5 spd wide ratio trans
Kawasaki KLX450R - 4 stroke enduro; 5 spd wide ratio trans (years available  '08 & 09).  Can usually be found cheaper than the WR or CRFX
Suzuki RMX450Z - 4 stroke enduro; 5 spd wide ratio trans; fuel injected (very few produced and sold in US - nearly impossible to find)


European & Exotic Bikes - not likely to be in budget range, but many are great enduro bikes that can be made street legal or come street legal
KTM 400 XC-W - 4 stroke enduro; 6 spd wide ratio trans
KTM 450 XC - 4 stroke enduro; 6 spd semi close ratio trans
KTM 450 XC-W - 4 stroke enduro; 6 spd wide ratio trans
KTM 450 EXC - 4 stroke enduro; 6 spd wide ratio trans
KTM 250 XC - 2 stroke enduro; 5 spd semi close ratio trans
KTM 250 XC-W - 2 stroke enduro; 6 spd wide ratio trans
KTM 300 XC - 2 stroke enduro; 5 spd semi close ratio trans
KTM 300 XC-W - 2 stroke enduro; 5 spd wide ratio trans
Husaberg FE390 - 4 stroke enduro; 6 spd wide ratio trans; fuel injected
Husaberg FE450 - 4 stroke enduro; 6 spd wide ratio trans; fuel injected
Husaberg TE250 - 2 stroke enduro; 5 spd wide ratio trans
Husaberg TE300 - 2 stroke enduro; 5 spd wide ratio trans
Husqvarna TXC450/TXC449 - I think these are 6 spd semi close ratio trans
Husqvarna WR250 - 2 stroke enduro; 5 spd wide ratio trans
Husqvarna WR300 - 2 stroke enduro; 5 spd wide ratio trans
Beta 400 RR - 4 stroke enduro; 6 spd wide ratio trans
Beta 450 RR - 4 stroke enduro; 6 spd wide ratio trans
GasGas XC 250 - 2 stroke enduro; 6 spd wide ratio trans?
GasGas XC 300 - 2 stroke enduro: 6 spd wide ratio trans?

The thing to consider is not necessarily the height of the rider in my opinion because the size difference of the cockpits between 250 and 450 thumpers is negligible, the question really i sare you going to be primarily riding tight trails or ringing it out wide on a flat area? In my opinion, 450 trail bikes are pigs and I have yet to find one that i would consider riding in a hilly area on a consistent basis. Especially if you have kids, the odds are you will be keeping it in the low gears and the power and cost will be unnecessary. The thing about a crf250x or wr250f is that you can always add power to them and there is a wide aftermarket. However, the Catch-22 is they tend to be abused more, so knowing who you bought it from and what they used it for is key in the 250 4 stroke market. Also, I don't know why nobody has considered a two-stroke? Cheap, fun, light, and CHEAP! For a good trail bike I would recommend an RM or a YZ 250 and build your own custom toy. Hope this helps!

rottenrooster4, on 16 March 2012 - 08:37 AM, said:

the first response, in the first sentance says, how about a 250 2t or 450 4t....

i disagree with you on the 250F's.....you can add more power to 250Fs with cams, and big bores etc but then they just becoming progressively more finicky on jetting and less reliable

also, 250Fs arent THAT much lighter than 450s, so id personally grab the extra horsepower at the expense of weight....

if this were a 2t vs 4t thing, then ya 2t much lighter (20-30 pounds lighter)

im going to throw in an old KDX 200/220...reliable, easy to ride 2 stroke, tractorish power (not quite like that of a 300), and you can get them for 1000 bucks, ride it for six months, take your major falls and learning curve out on it and then re-sell it for 1K and buy a nicer 2 stroke or 4t whatever you want....

SilvFx, on 15 March 2012 - 09:30 PM, said:

to add to this...

Husqvarna TE 450 = KTM 450 EXC for their intended purpose
both friendly to ride trail bikes, although the husky is 5 speed i believe wide ratio, KTM is 6 speed, but from 06+ the TE 450 is 50 state street legal

another note is that at that price range, youd be looking at potentially 2004-2007 model years for KTMs, so the XC and EXC designations change by year

i think in 06 KTM changed TO XC from MXC, so in their puprose XC=MXC and with that i believe there are slight differences in tranny and supsension

This is alot of info for someone to process who has been out of the game for 20 years...good info just alot

I will throw in my $.02

I would avoid a 250F for the reasons listed above..you weight is alot for a 250F...it would be slow when your skills progress.

The KDXs are really good trail bikes and I would recommend one if you were about 30 lbs less.  It seems bigger guys ride better on bigger bikes from my experiences.

I recently sold my 2001 WR426 to a friend of mine who I recriuited into the sport.  It has been a damn good bike for me...stone cold reliable and plenty of power with all of the free mods.  However, I am 6' 185 lbs and it wore me out...too heavy with a ton of rotational weight up high.  The guy I sold it to is 6'3" and about 240...strong as an ox...the weight is no problem for him.  My KTM 300 feels weird and twitchy to him...for each their own.  So...my point is that weight and height does matter.


The CRF450X's arent bad, but I prefer the more reliable Yamaha.

Buy yourself a clean WR450 and be done.  They put elec start on them in 2003...you will need it.  You will also need to respring the bike for your weight.

You can rebuild the smoker in your kitchen with a rubber band and paperclip.

That is true YZ, I own a KTM 300. However, as a former WR owner, it doesnt matter the cost of rebuilding because you will never have to if you buy the right bike.

Thanks so much guys.  This is a lot of info, and I appreciate it.  It will give me plenty to research while trying to make a decision.  Keep the advice coming. At this point I'm leaning towards one of the 450 four stroke enduro's like the WR but I cant really find any nearby on craigslist or ebay.   Any suggestions on where else I might look.  Also , what types of things can I look at to tell if the bike has been taken care of or not?

M4J0R T0M, on 17 March 2012 - 09:54 PM, said:

Aside from the WR450F, how about a customed-enduro Honda CR500

MT.....searching craigslist is a good source.  Not sure where you are in Alabama, but a quick look at CL in AL yielded these bikes:


http://bham.craigsli...2865513598.html

http://bham.craigsli...2849328934.html

http://mobile.craigs...2855374638.html

I have found that when you search CL, it is very literal.  Try every combination of WR450F, WR450, WR 450, WR 450F, WR 450 F...you might be surprised.  Same deal with CRF450X CRF450, CRF 450, CRF 450X, CRF 450 X.  Same deal with other models

You can also look on www.bikefinds.com   This pullls in listings from CL and e-bay
You can try www.cycletrader.com
and you can also try some of the national craigslist search tools such as www.searchtempest.com

Not sure how far you want to travel, but it seems like GA & Florida have quite a bit of used bike activity

SilvFx, on 18 March 2012 - 01:51 PM, said:

Thanks for the searching tips.  I didn't know you had to be so literal.  That would explain why I haven't been able to find much.

joshua_inigo, on 18 March 2012 - 05:11 AM, said:

Those bikes are freakin sweet, especially the supermoto.  I'm pretty sure that CR500 would be WAY to much bike for me.

SilvFx, on 18 March 2012 - 01:51 PM, said:

lack of bikes for sale = bikes people are happy with and keeping for the most part unless a life change forces a sale or other random reason....

for example, here in so.cal you see a good number of 05-07 Honda CRF450Xs for sale....not trying to start a bike bashing thread....but of all the enduro/trail bikes of this vintage they are the most notorious for blowing a valve due to BAD maintenance, so in my opinion you see a lot here for sale because people think they'll go so they sell them....just to repeat so no argument is started, they can have some valve issues if not taken care of properly, i know all bikes can, but i hear the most about this from honda

i have also been looking for a yamaha wr450f, preferably an 08, i think ive seen 1 for sale within 500 miles of my house in the last two months, personally i think that speaks volumes on the bike.....

good tip on the literal issue on craigslist, its very true, search the broadest term you can and then read the results...

M4J0R T0M, on 18 March 2012 - 08:25 PM, said:

Ok Major Tom....

How about a 250 2-stroke then

joshua_inigo, on 18 March 2012 - 12:44 AM, said:

Just like mine sir that i use exclusively in the trails out here in the tropics....

joshua_inigo, on 18 March 2012 - 07:59 AM, said:

I have found a killer deal on a 1997 XR200R.  I know its a far cry from everything else mentioned here but I can't really pass up the deal. I'll only have about $450 in it. I figure worst case scenario is, I'll get bored pretty quick and look for something different in a few months to a year.  Do ya'll think the xr200 would be good to keep around to teach my 13 old how to use a clutch.  If she gets comfortable on the bike, then she could inherit the bike when I move on to something else.