dirt bike recommendations

[Ironbutt]

Race enduro one weekend, ride the Sheet Iron the next and carry a little gear to boot?

A dual sport, seriously? Why pay a 50-90 pound weight penalty?

OP, if you can find one, XR250, not L. I know they are ancient but they work for grown-ups. Air-cooled Honduh so it will run forever.

 

[tonedeaf]

you guys speak truth. dude, I went and rode someones cherry CRF150r the other day, and I said no way as soon as I sat on it. It didn't feel different than I expected, but I really stopped and pictured myself owning this thing for the next year that was between my legs. I'd be a fool to waste my money like that, right now. You're right, who knows what kind of riding I'm going to discover. Yeah, even though I know how badly I want to practice cornering and sliding on a groomed course, and an MX bike would be "the ultimate tool" for that, I'm kidding myself if I think it's worth dumping money into that at the beginning. Damn I should just go get a kdx200 or something, maybe with inverted fork conversion, and spend a year and almost no money making a really good friend out of it. save the money for track days.....or A* tech 7's. Being Johnny Shows-up-at-the-track-wearing-clean-gear won't make me happy when my wallet is empty and I could ride anything just as fast anyway

 

[2strokeYardSale]

Don't be a hardware fag when it comes to dirt bikes. 1995+ KDX200 conventional forks work better than ~1994 KDX200 inverted forks. I owned a 1994 and a 1996. The plushest forks I ever rode on were conventional. Just because USD forks are hot shit on a roadrace track doesn't make them so on a trail.

 

[tonedeaf]

Alright.

also, what ways do dirt bikes deteriorate if they are like 10 years old? I understand that the top end just gets swapped periodically, forever, and sommmetimes lower stuff like crank and final drive (right?) but what about the rest of the bike...with a '95 or '00 am I at risk of having to pour another $1000 into brakes, clutch, wheels, suspension, shit just crusting and falling off......?

 

[four_bar]

... I should just go get a kdx200 or something, maybe with inverted fork conversion, and spend a year and almost no money making a really good friend out of it...

Yup. KDX motors are sweet. Plenty to haul my 210 lbs around. Note the 220 models are a bit torquier, their standard carb is smaller than the 200's. That isn't a complaint.

I may have mine at Metcalf on Saturday. Email if you want to check it out.

Mark

 

[tonedeaf]

i did it, I bought a '00 KDX yesterday. $1100!! Damn this thing is perfect! ^thanks for the offer, man, sorry bout the timing. This was about the best used-vehicle-purchase situation I've ever been in. The bike has obviously been raced, and has all the standard mods already: fmf pipe/spark arrestor, KX inverted forks, better handlebars, barkbusters, number plates instead of lights, etc. It looks kind of funky and old, but it runs great, all the wear-and-tear parts are pretty fresh (except the top end, haven't checked that yet), and no damage to the frame or swingarm or engine...I got it for $1100 I can't believe it! The guy who owned it has a freaking mansion in a super fancy part of El Dorado Hills, and a fantasy garage....literally 10 bikes....a couple of '11 KTM MX bikes, a cr250 all race-modded, yz250f, some street bikes, a porsche, you get the picture. To me it seemed like the kind of person that wanted to have the KDX as a sort of anything, anytime, guest bike in the corner of his garage, but he obviously has the money and care to do basic maintenance on everything he owns. Plus it meant he didn't care what he sold it for, he's mostly just looking to free up space. Here it is:

I rode it around my neighborhood a little and I freaking love this thing...it's got just the right kind of power for me. It can lug down low really easily, but when I hit the power band it's a damn rocket! but it's a really smooth powerband, not peaky like a race bike. I can see why this is the perfect learner/do anything bike. Now I gotta get me some boots and a helmet and take this somewhere SOON!

 

[KazMan]

And remember me when that time comes for you to sell it to get a 450

 

[tonedeaf]

I'm not bashing the old pea-soup kawi green, i have retro kawi heroes....but if I want to make this thing black and bright green like new factory MX kawis, can you use car paint on the panels if you just scuff the plastic real well? I did my guitar body with black and like 4 coats of clear using my dad's car paint setup, it was super cheap and turned out CHERRY! just don't know how it would turn out on old plastic like this.

btw i'm looking this up on a bunch of forums, and here, just posted this first like a NOOB to see if any personal experiences crop up

 

[Roadstergal]

I've used the rattlecan that's designated for plastic when I've done my dirtbikes. You can get a lot more pro if you have the time and the inclincation, but the things are going to get beaten up anyway, if you're having fun.

I'd ride it some before you start messing with the looks, though. You might get to like that old school dirty green.

 

[tonedeaf]

for sure. I just wanna ride it more than anything. But when it's sitting at my dad's house, nowhere near a dirt lot, and I have to wait till saturday before riding it, i'm finding myself daydreaming about ANYTHING i can do to it other than riding....

 

[Roadstergal]

Oh, in that case - clean it and give it a once-over - look for leaks, iffy gaskets, iffy bearings, check the fork seals, set the sag, check the chain and sprockets and brake pads, change the coolant and transmission and brake fluid...

IMO.

 

[2strokeYardSale]

I freaking love this thing...it's got just the right kind of power for me. It can lug down low really easily, but when I hit the power band it's a damn rocket! but it's a really smooth powerband, not peaky like a race bike. I can see why this is the perfect learner/do anything bike.

Toldjaso! Totally raceable in enduros and hare scrambles, too.

Check out the FMF pipe code, near the hanger bracket. I think it will be KG-30 or KG-35. One is a rev pipe and one is a torque pipe. Surely the previous owner removed the airbox snorkel, maybe even the lid? If he lived in Eldo and rode around there he might have it jetted a little lean if you are going to ride at, say, Carnegie, especially this time of year.

Get a compression tester and test it cold and warmed up. That might tell you if it needs rings or a piston.

if I want to make this thing black and bright green like new factory MX kawis, can you use car paint on the panels if you just scuff the plastic real well?

The plastic is going to bend like you can't imagine and the most flexible paint won't flex. New plastic is cheap. Black plastic looks like shit in a matter of days or hours.

That grab handle on the right below the number plate is your new best friend!

 

[fuldog]

Kudos for scoring a great deal on a great bike. I own two KDX's myself an '86 air cooled and a '90 water cooled. Both are just fine for cow trailing, single track and even enduro racing. The good things about them are light weight (220 lb. for the air cooled, 230lb. for the water cooled) mild but adequete power = easy to ride, green stickered, and so many have been sold over the past 20 yrs. that the there tons of stock and aftermarket parts available. Check out the dedicated websites also.

 

[tonedeaf]

New plastic is cheap. Black plastic looks like shit in a matter of days or hours.

That grab handle on the right below the number plate is your new best friend!

yeah, i bet a black bike would get really scummy really soon, huh, especially if I ride it like I want to....maybe I should just opt for a sharp rear fender, and some cheap decals to cover the rest of it.....i know it'll get to a point real soon where I stop cleaning all the dirt off it after every single ride.

thanks for the advice. I'm going to check the jetting after the weekend, the previous owner was running 50:1 gas and Amsoil interceptor, so I'll run 40:1 this weekend....that'll be a little easier on the engine when I'm smacking it WOT, right?

 

[tonedeaf]

Oh, in that case - clean it and give it a once-over - look for leaks, iffy gaskets, iffy bearings, check the fork seals, set the sag, check the chain and sprockets and brake pads, change the coolant and transmission and brake fluid...

IMO.

sweet, sounds like a good list just glancing at it, i noticed the exhaust muffler was held on to the pipe with a hose clamp, and it's become loose and is just spinning on the pipe. but everything feels solid....is it ok to just tighten that up and ride it this weekend? I mean, the worst that could happen is a big air leak, causing a slight mismatch on the engine tuning, right?

 

[2strokeYardSale]

Most of the chamber pipe to silencer pipe junctions I've dealt with are very generous. I've used gobs of high-temp silicone and/or factory sleeves and/or clamps. It will just spooge from there if not sealed well.

50:1 is fine if the oil says so. I know some Amsoils are supposed to be mixed at 50:1. I've been mixing Motul at 50:1 for years. My YZ250 piston/bore were perfect on their first rebuild.

Hey, here's some trivia for you. A KDX200 with a pipe makes about the same HP as a 250F. However, the 200 peaks at ~8,000 rpm compared to ~12,000, and makes more torque, and the 199cc engine dates back to model year 1988.

 

[Butch]

two strokes rule.