Can you guys help me get into trailbiking?

[dc_macca]

Hi all,

I live in Sydney so you could consider me a city slicker now but I grew up riding dirt bikes on farms in rural NSW as we used to live in Trangie and surrounds. Long story short, me and the missus really want to get back into camping and going bush more often, so I´ve decided to buy a dirtbike as I love riding em.

Problem is I have NFI idea how much I should be paying, what cc I should go for, or how to maintain the bike once I get it. All I know is I like riding them, but i need to wise up on all the other info.

For anyone who would like to help me out, have got a few questions - i´ll be researching all of this myself but anything you can give me is a massive help.

I would call myself an intermediate rider... i.e. i enjoy the odd small to medium jump but definitely not experienced enough to try any motocross riding or anything (yet!). Just love riding trails with mates etc. I mostly have ridden 250s.

Also hope to get a quad bike for the missus, so any help there also appreciated:

1. How much should I be paying for a 250cc bike and do you think it worth my while to buy newer (say 2005 and above) or older? I´ll be riding it maybe once a month on average and my knowledge level in how to maintain it is low.

2. Should i go 250cc or 450? I´ve always thought the power level of 250s to be fun, but interested to hear how a 450 compares as i´ve never ridden one.

3. How much should I pay for a quad for the missus?

4. Can a quad (say a 400) and a trailbike fit in the tray of an SS or Maloo?

5. What´s my best bet in terms of finding out how to maintain my bike? I.e. should I be going all out re a short TAFE course or just scouring the internet etc? It´s important to me to be self sufficient with the bikes to safe costs.

6. How much is rego and insurance on a trailbike on average, for a 25y.o male?

7. Any particular brand I should veer towards? I have ridden KTM, Honda and Yamaha and find them all pretty good. Reliability is no 1 priority for me... and then having a good amount of power on tap, particularly off the mark etc.

8. What are your favourite places to camp/trailbike in NSW, preferably with not too far away access from Sydney? Does anyone know íf there´s much on the south and north coasts?

Thanks guys, appreciate any advice / opinions

[Lasoya]

Most bikes from 06 onwards have aluminium frames. All depends on if you want a 250cc 2 stroke or a 250cc 4 stroke, i myself prefer riding 450cc bikes but the 250cc 2 stroke has still got plenty of guts and will do anything u need.

For a 2008 250 or 450 you would normally spend around $7000 second hand, and around $10000 brand new for a 2010/11 depending on brand.

Yes a 450cc at its biggest will fit in the back of a SS or Maloo tray, would just need to have the bike on an angle.

I dont know a shit load about quadz sorry but i know that when i ride 1 i like it to be 2 stroke.

[255-LS1]

1. How much should I be paying for a 250cc bike and do you think it worth my while to buy newer (say 2005 and above) or older? I´ll be riding it maybe once a month on average and my knowledge level in how to maintain it is low. What is your budget, get the newest and well maintained bike you can find for your money

2. Should i go 250cc or 450? I´ve always thought the power level of 250s to be fun, but interested to hear how a 450 compares as i´ve never ridden one. 250 if you are racing in teh tight stuff, 450 for anything else, the 450 dominates, but you have to give it respect or it will bite you back. But that said the 450 will save your life on big hills and stuff

3. How much should I pay for a quad for the missus? What quad do you want. If it was mine id say spend nothing and buy a new 450 for you lol

4. Can a quad (say a 400) and a trailbike fit in the tray of an SS or Maloo? dunno you'll have to try before you buy, doubt it thou with the quad aswell, might need a trailer

5. What´s my best bet in terms of finding out how to maintain my bike? I.e. should I be going all out re a short TAFE course or just scouring the internet etc? It´s important to me to be self sufficient with the bikes to safe costs. Its not hard, get a factory manual and forums on the internet is all you need.

6. How much is rego and insurance on a trailbike on average, for a 25y.o male? no idea in your state

7. Any particular brand I should veer towards? I have ridden KTM, Honda and Yamaha and find them all pretty good. Reliability is no 1 priority for me... and then having a good amount of power on tap, particularly off the mark etc. If you want performance and reliability you cant go past yamaha IMO, yes i own one but im telling you it has been the most faithful beast to me and many a people i know have yammies and can agree here. But looked after they are all pretty good - id forget honda though they had some major value issues.

my advice would be dont get the missus involved lol get some mates together who at your level and you can go at the one pace, not saying your missus sucks at riding its just i bet you will get bored very quickly riding with her :lol:

But good on ya mate for getting back into it, i love trail riding its fuking awesome fun.

[mjrandom]

If I was in the market this is what I would be buying:

http://www.yamaha-motor.com.au/products/motorcycle/offroad/enduro/10-wr450f

Bloody brilliant.

Just be careful going second hand with any of the big fourstrokes. The top end can get abused and trust me a head job for one of those will cost more than a week in Kings Cross!

[Lasoya]

Actually now that i think about it, You should be able to fit a quad and a 450cc bike in the tray but you will have to leave the tailgate down as it wont close if the 450cc is put in directly straight (in which it will need to be if you want quad to go on as well)

Trailbikes are built to be thrashed, dont complain if you have to do a rebuild on the motor, they all need rebuilds at some stage throughout their life, just remember maintenance on bikes can start getting expensive if you are doing the work regularly

[255-LS1]

very true mjrandom, however if you look closely a 2nd hand bike it is pretty easy to get an indication of how the bike has been looked after. If everyhting is in order and the bike is clean then there's a fair chance that the owner has followed the maintinance routine. Just ask lots of questions and check and check and check when you look at a bike. If anything sounds sus walk away. Ive bought 2 wr450fs and they have both been awesome bikes, both bought 2nd hand and never had a drama motor wise with either of them. they can take a bit beleive it or not. Its when they are let go that the bill will hit you.

[old holden V8]

Hi all,

I live in Sydney so you could consider me a city slicker now but I grew up riding dirt bikes on farms in rural NSW as we used to live in Trangie and surrounds. Long story short, me and the missus really want to get back into camping and going bush more often, so I´ve decided to buy a dirtbike as I love riding em.

Problem is I have NFI idea how much I should be paying, what cc I should go for, or how to maintain the bike once I get it. All I know is I like riding them, but i need to wise up on all the other info.

For anyone who would like to help me out, have got a few questions - i´ll be researching all of this myself but anything you can give me is a massive help.

I would call myself an intermediate rider... i.e. i enjoy the odd small to medium jump but definitely not experienced enough to try any motocross riding or anything (yet!). Just love riding trails with mates etc. I mostly have ridden 250s.

Also hope to get a quad bike for the missus, so any help there also appreciated:

1. How much should I be paying for a 250cc bike and do you think it worth my while to buy newer (say 2005 and above) or older? I´ll be riding it maybe once a month on average and my knowledge level in how to maintain it is low.

2. Should i go 250cc or 450? I´ve always thought the power level of 250s to be fun, but interested to hear how a 450 compares as i´ve never ridden one.

3. How much should I pay for a quad for the missus?

4. Can a quad (say a 400) and a trailbike fit in the tray of an SS or Maloo?

5. What´s my best bet in terms of finding out how to maintain my bike? I.e. should I be going all out re a short TAFE course or just scouring the internet etc? It´s important to me to be self sufficient with the bikes to safe costs.

6. How much is rego and insurance on a trailbike on average, for a 25y.o male?

7. Any particular brand I should veer towards? I have ridden KTM, Honda and Yamaha and find them all pretty good. Reliability is no 1 priority for me... and then having a good amount of power on tap, particularly off the mark etc.

8. What are your favourite places to camp/trailbike in NSW, preferably with not too far away access from Sydney? Does anyone know íf there´s much on the south and north coasts?

Thanks guys, appreciate any advice / opinions

G'day Macca.

A lot of questions there!

The most important ONE I believe you have not asked; Is it legal to ride where I am thinking of going bush?

A: No; unless you are registered & licensed & roadworthy; or on private property. Check that out first, I know in Victoria, there are very few place where you can ride legally - unless you meet the above criteria.

Naturally, if you have a current Motorcycle licence & thinking of an ADR approved registrable bike - disregard the above.

Bike? I'd personally steer clear of the Hi-Po 4 strokes - needs lots of maintenance!

Try a road-trail bike (250cc) like TTR, KLR, etc. Have a gander at bikesales..

Suzuki..

http://tinyurl.com/yaa8wth

Honda..

http://tinyurl.com/yjgbvhc

Kawasaki....my pick...water/cooled..

http://tinyurl.com/ylaqptr

HTH

Cheers

Laurie.

:)

PS. lots of 'cheap' korean/chinese quads about nowadays...no idea what they are like...:)

[Lasoya]

PS. lots of 'cheap' korean/chinese quads about nowadays...no idea what they are like...:)
They fall apart very easy, things fall off every ride, constant breakdowns, no more to be said about cheap import bikes :)

[CunningStunter]

You ask alot of questions but don't state alot about yourself....

How tall/heavy? Cause unless you're 6foot plus and weight at least 80-90kgs plus I'd be looking at a 250cc 4 Stroke.

Do not buy a 2 stroke, esp for trail riding. too much maintenancem, very vibraty and uncomfy, THE only difference betwen MX and enduro bikes these days is the WR OR CR box (Wide Ratio for trail biking, Close Ratio for MX).

There are a plethora of great bikes out there. As an example, you could pick up a Honda XR250 and never have any issues with it, nor need to maintain it much. The Honda CRF250 requires alot of maintenance (15hrs then piston/ring change!) and the Husky TE250 is what I had and probably a better choice, either that or KTM for a great bike.

Husqvarna (now owned by BMW) is the SINGLE only maker to offer a FULL factory backed warranty - 2years PARTS AND LABOUR - Honda, yamaha and pretty much ALL the rest only offer 3 months PARTS ONLY. So anything 2nd hand won't have warranty unless you're going a Husky in last 2 years.

If you're looking at tight fire trails/hills then the 250 is the best bike. It will work you the least - you'll still be going hard LOOOONG before your mates on the 450s have given up the ghost, have too much forearm pump etc. 450s are NOT required in order to get up hills, it'll come down to your final ratio and your ability to ride, a 450 if anything will make it harder for you. For example, get on a full factory 450 and you'd struggle, jump on a Postie bike and you'd get up just about ANY hill....this comes down to it simply being easier to handle - same goes for the 250 VS 450 argument, I've ridden/owned both so I know a great deal. Have also owned Husky's since the mid 80s when my father raced them.

Also, if you want to rego/insure then the 450 is in THE most expensive CC range for rego - cheapest is $171 for bikes less than 301cc - 301 to 601 jumps up to like 500-600/year......most of it is in the 3rd party insurance however.

Yamaha WR250s seem pretty popular and if you went the 250 route, now is time to test ride a few and see which one, ergonomically suits you best as thats the best bike to get, not the fastest, latest or greatest. If you do not feel comfortable on a bike you will be as slow as.

My advice - get the Husky 250 - the 350 if you're a bit taller/heavier. EFI on them now and electric leg is VERY handy.....or at minimum the KTM if the ergo's suit you better. You'll find a good 2ndhand one for less than 7K. Brand new expect around 10-12K but never get brand new dirt bikes....look for that 6 month old Husky/KTM.....though only warranty with Husky....

Can't go past the 2 year factory > NO other dirt bike has this.....DO NOT BUY ANY CHINESE/KOREAN RUBBISH.
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING Kawasaki (uses suzuki motor anyway) - the KLXs/KLRs are so soft, very very heavy, just don't do it.
Do not buy Suzuki dirt bike - I race suzuki road bikes and love em, but the DRZ is not much chop.

South coast has some of the best riding I've seen - in around ulladulla is AWESOME sandy/loamy single trails (base of Pideon Hut Mtn). Also you can ride in Deua national park - basically from Canberra to the coast (Pambula up to Araluen)

Larbet road is located near braidwood and follows the shoalhaven river to ulladulla so some very good riding/camping - having some mates with 4WDs helps to get more fuel etc.....

if you do not get a registered bike then there are plently of riding 'farms' you can pay 25-50/day and go riding on 10,000+ acres.

Anytime you want to chat bikes PM me, always uip for 2 wheel talk :)

[Spoolin]

I've just gotten back into riding and I purchased a 99 WR400F, it suited me as it came with a full motard setup and a very good price and it's been kept in awesome condition especially for it's age.
I've now covered about 300K's in some serious dirt riding around Hoqua Hills/Mansfield and I'm so glad I bought a 400, the torque will get you out of sticky situations without wringing it's neck like a mate has to on his KLX big bore 300cc. About the only downside is I don't have the button which is a pain on a steep track when you come off.
Don't forget to budget for all your gear if you don't have it.

[CunningStunter]

Can I just say, whether you get up that hill or not NEVER comes down to how much power you have, it's all about the rider.

Agree'd that some bikes may need to be ridden differently to get up the same hill, most of the time this is only down to gearing though.

My 250 was a revvy little thing, only minor mos (pipe, carb work) and never had to ring it's neck to get up any hill, it'd slowly chug up anything in 1st-2nd, when I lowered the gearing I was attacking larger hills in 3rd :)

For a novice or even intermediate rider, will always be faster on the slower bike. It comes down to going slower to go faster........Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. :goodjob:

[255-LS1]

hmm all you guys seem to be harping on about that the smaller bikes are better for learners... from my experiance yes the bigger ones bite but treated with respect they are so much easier to ride. Had an 04 wr250f could never make it up this hill it was a bastard. then got a wr450f went straight up the thing. Im not the greatest rider and i truely believe that the bigger bikes make up for lack of riding ability :lol: i find the 450 so much easier to ride than the 250f its not funny.

One other bike to look at is drz400. Although a little heavy my mate has one and hes just started riding and this thing goes anywhere. very easy bike to ride.

cheers

[CunningStunter]

Its not so much for learners dude, I don't think I said that anywhere....but you may have been referring to what others have been saying....

With motorcycles, its ALL down to the rider.

Look at the MX Des Nations - they break them up via Capacity, then at the end of the day they get the 10 best 250 and 10 the best 450 riders in the same race - the 250s go suprisingly well even on an open, grassy MX track.....good enough to come in 3rd place for the Des Nations.

So a good/fast rider will be fast on any bike - the differences between them are minimal speed wise, at that level. Go down to your average trail bike rider and the 250 is just not going to work their body so hard, allowing THEM to keep riding, no forearm pump (or at least reduced risk) and thus they will build confidence, get faster and find climbing any obstacle, hill, rock walls, creek beds easily on any bike

Take going fast/talent out of the equation (read ego's) and it then boils down to body types and how you are physically built. What suits the average height/weight won't suit someone who's 7 foot and 160kgs.

Just a side note - I would bow down in front of most of you for your car knowledge and I lack in this area but bikes I know backwards. I've ridden from age 4 on our farm with whole family racing mainly enduro's, I've helped create one of Australia's premier Road Stunt bike teams in Team Cunningstunts for last 10years and now at 32 I still race currently ASBK spec GSXR1000, I only just sold my 2005 Husky TE250 and I wish I hadn't now > I'm not bragging but advising I am a good source for bike related stuff.

End of the day, go out and test ride a BUNCH of bikes and pick what suits you as a rider.

[dc_macca]

Its not so much for learners dude, I don't think I said that anywhere....but you may have been referring to what others have been saying....

With motorcycles, its ALL down to the rider.

Look at the MX Des Nations - they break them up via Capacity, then at the end of the day they get the 10 best 250 and 10 the best 450 riders in the same race - the 250s go suprisingly well even on an open, grassy MX track.....good enough to come in 3rd place for the Des Nations.

So a good/fast rider will be fast on any bike - the differences between them are minimal speed wise, at that level. Go down to your average trail bike rider and the 250 is just not going to work their body so hard, allowing THEM to keep riding, no forearm pump (or at least reduced risk) and thus they will build confidence, get faster and find climbing any obstacle, hill, rock walls, creek beds easily on any bike

Take going fast/talent out of the equation (read ego's) and it then boils down to body types and how you are physically built. What suits the average height/weight won't suit someone who's 7 foot and 160kgs.

Just a side note - I would bow down in front of most of you for your car knowledge and I lack in this area but bikes I know backwards. I've ridden from age 4 on our farm with whole family racing mainly enduro's, I've helped create one of Australia's premier Road Stunt bike teams in Team Cunningstunts for last 10years and now at 32 I still race currently ASBK spec GSXR1000, I only just sold my 2005 Husky TE250 and I wish I hadn't now > I'm not bragging but advising I am a good source for bike related stuff.

End of the day, go out and test ride a BUNCH of bikes and pick what suits you as a rider.


Wow! Some great information there... thanks for the replies.

In regards to some of the questions asked, I am 6ft, 70kgs... and this is why I am steering towards a 250 as I think with my light weight it is power enough. Although if possible I´d like to test a 450, just to see. What do you think? Only the other day I rode some decent trails with steep hills and didn´t have too much of a problem on getting up them on what was an old honda 250.

Can I ask what the difference will be whether I get a 2-stroke or 4-stroke 250? I´ve heard conflicting reports as to which is easier to maintain or needs less maintenance etc. Will power be much different between the two?

Checked out bikesales and currently liking the look of the Yamaha WR250R.. But also heard lots of good things about the DRZ you guys mention so will check that out also.

Re my state, I´m NSW even though my profile still says Canberra. I think i will definitely get it road registered, even just so I can ride it down to the shops from my house to get the milk lol.

And I don´t think I will buy new, but rather a 2008/9 model... but I will need to find a way to take along a mate who has a bit of an idea about which problems to look for in a used bike etc.

[dc_macca]

You ask alot of questions but don't state alot about yourself....

How tall/heavy? Cause unless you're 6foot plus and weight at least 80-90kgs plus I'd be looking at a 250cc 4 Stroke.

Do not buy a 2 stroke, esp for trail riding. too much maintenancem, very vibraty and uncomfy, THE only difference betwen MX and enduro bikes these days is the WR OR CR box (Wide Ratio for trail biking, Close Ratio for MX).

There are a plethora of great bikes out there. As an example, you could pick up a Honda XR250 and never have any issues with it, nor need to maintain it much. The Honda CRF250 requires alot of maintenance (15hrs then piston/ring change!) and the Husky TE250 is what I had and probably a better choice, either that or KTM for a great bike.

Husqvarna (now owned by BMW) is the SINGLE only maker to offer a FULL factory backed warranty - 2years PARTS AND LABOUR - Honda, yamaha and pretty much ALL the rest only offer 3 months PARTS ONLY. So anything 2nd hand won't have warranty unless you're going a Husky in last 2 years.

If you're looking at tight fire trails/hills then the 250 is the best bike. It will work you the least - you'll still be going hard LOOOONG before your mates on the 450s have given up the ghost, have too much forearm pump etc. 450s are NOT required in order to get up hills, it'll come down to your final ratio and your ability to ride, a 450 if anything will make it harder for you. For example, get on a full factory 450 and you'd struggle, jump on a Postie bike and you'd get up just about ANY hill....this comes down to it simply being easier to handle - same goes for the 250 VS 450 argument, I've ridden/owned both so I know a great deal. Have also owned Husky's since the mid 80s when my father raced them.

Also, if you want to rego/insure then the 450 is in THE most expensive CC range for rego - cheapest is $171 for bikes less than 301cc - 301 to 601 jumps up to like 500-600/year......most of it is in the 3rd party insurance however.

Yamaha WR250s seem pretty popular and if you went the 250 route, now is time to test ride a few and see which one, ergonomically suits you best as thats the best bike to get, not the fastest, latest or greatest. If you do not feel comfortable on a bike you will be as slow as.

My advice - get the Husky 250 - the 350 if you're a bit taller/heavier. EFI on them now and electric leg is VERY handy.....or at minimum the KTM if the ergo's suit you better. You'll find a good 2ndhand one for less than 7K. Brand new expect around 10-12K but never get brand new dirt bikes....look for that 6 month old Husky/KTM.....though only warranty with Husky....

Can't go past the 2 year factory > NO other dirt bike has this.....DO NOT BUY ANY CHINESE/KOREAN RUBBISH.
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING Kawasaki (uses suzuki motor anyway) - the KLXs/KLRs are so soft, very very heavy, just don't do it.
Do not buy Suzuki dirt bike - I race suzuki road bikes and love em, but the DRZ is not much chop.

South coast has some of the best riding I've seen - in around ulladulla is AWESOME sandy/loamy single trails (base of Pideon Hut Mtn). Also you can ride in Deua national park - basically from Canberra to the coast (Pambula up to Araluen)

Larbet road is located near braidwood and follows the shoalhaven river to ulladulla so some very good riding/camping - having some mates with 4WDs helps to get more fuel etc.....

if you do not get a registered bike then there are plently of riding 'farms' you can pay 25-50/day and go riding on 10,000+ acres.

Anytime you want to chat bikes PM me, always uip for 2 wheel talk :)

Thanks for the great info Stunter. Based on your advice I will check out the Husky 250, late models, with interest. Do you have any further opinions on the Yamaha WR250s? I rode a lot of KTMs when I was younger and am a big fan, so will check them out... any particular model? The warranty you mention re the Huskies is a massive plus.

I think you have solved my dilemma on the 250 v 450 debate... The insurance savings alone are very enticing and I always though that with just 70 kegs on the seat 250cc will be enough.

Thanks also re the trail advice, great to hear there is a lot down south. I love the roads down near Ulladulla. Maybe I should put a surfboard rack on the missus´quad so I can surf down there after riding lol.

Re the missus, I have convinced her to ditch the quad bike idea and maybe go for a smaller trailbike, maybe a 200 or 150... any suggestions there?

Someone mentioned for me to ditch her and ride with mates instead... trust me I will be riding with mates but to get the missus involved saves a lot of heartache down the road when you get accused for not spending enough ´quality time´!!!

Last question, still interested to hear the differences between 2 stroke 250 and 4 stroke 250.... you say get a 4 stroke as 2 stroke is too much maintenance? I heard the opposite but it woudn´t be the first time!

Cheers

[255-LS1]

yer i understand what you are saying mate but i was just speaking from experiance. I am 6'2 and 85-90kgs so can handle a 450, yes it does wear you out if your up it for hours on end but i just love the feeling that it will pull you up a mutha hill with minimal effort, to me that isn't possible on 250 4t.

To the op, yes oyu need to go ride as many bikes as you can and see if you can borrow one or something for the weekend and take it out bush. Honestly, a quick crack around the bloke means jack, and if you base the bikes performance on this you will go the 450 i bet ya lol they are ballsy. But given your weight a 250 4t maybe the go. Also look at KTM 300 exc 2t or the husky 310 4t. I have a few mates with the 300exc who are quite light and they love them! They say they are so light to flick around and being a larger bore 2 stroke they carry more torque, more than a 250 4t. But they are totally different to ride compared to a 4 stroke so be careful, no engine brakes etc. Something to think about. Given your weight, Id steer clear of the DRZ, they are very heavy and will wear you out quicker than a 450f.

Good luck with it all

Cheers