[PhillyGixxer]

I want to get a little beater bike for stunts and to just have fun with. I know nothing about two wheelers since I have only ever had quads. My question is what bike would be a fun bike? I don't need loads of power just enough to ride wheelies and kick around on. Buddy told me go with at least a 125cc and a 2 stroke. Then another guy said a 4 stroke would be fine. As far I understand it 2 strokes are faster "racing" bikes ? Also any recommendations on a bike/model would help me too. Been looking on CL for a beater and there are tons but they all seem very overpriced.

Ps I'm 5'6 160 so I don't need anything big.

 

[Carnage]

I'd get a Kawasaki KX100 for tooling around. They're hard to find but if you look hard enough you can get one. It's like riding a bicycle on steroids because it's so small and light. Basically it's a taller faster version of Kawi's KX80/85. They'll pull power wheelies in the first 4 gears all day so when you feel like being a hooligan it'll happily help you out. Unfortunately I left mine in my parent's basement in Boston. Only reason is because I only had room for 2 bikes in my trailer when I moved to Florida, the Gixxer racebike and the wife's dirtbike. :hammer

Yamaha's TTR125L if you prefer to take the four stroke route. No where near as violent a power band as the two stroke but still plenty of fun. I bought this one for my wife to learn how to ride years ago and she did well on it so it makes a good teaching tool as well. In my opinion if I was going to take the four stroke route I wouldn't buy anything smaller than a 250. We ended up selling the 125 because we weren't using it the way we thought we would. :suicide

 

[TennisFreak]

2 strokes have best power/weight ratio but require a lot more maintenance.

You can find some really sweet dual sports that have great 4 stroke motors and will get you plenty of power and light weight like a 2 stroke.

I owned a Husky TE310 and it was a beast. It did require more maintenance that other dual sports because its little bored out 4 stroke was very high performance.

My pick, and opinion on best of both worlds with low maintenance and high durability?

Yamaha WR250R

Rode on and with these and they are great bike, very offroad capable, and built like tanks requiring almost no more maintenance than a regular streetbike. Plus they are street legal so you can take it on the road when necessary

 

[b3w4r3]

Where will you be riding the bike, and what do you expect from it?

A small pit bike is inexpensive and can be a lot of fun in a smaller area. Plus the motors are pretty bullet proof if you stay away from the Chinese models.

Four stroke trail bikes like the old xr models are also great bikes that will run forever. They are a little heavy and not equipped for full on motorcross riding, but they are more than competent on the trails with friends.

Two stroke motorcross bike is the best for me. I prefer a 250, but 125 and even 80cc are damn fast. They are easy to service and cost tons less to rebuild than the current 4 stroke racing machines. They can do it all from trail riding to full on racing.

Four stroke motorcross bikes have come a long way. I saw a flat out drag race in the dirt between and 360 2-stroke vs a 450 4-stroke and surprisingly the 4 stroke walked away from the other. The two stroke feels faster though because it is more violent and not as smooth on power delivery. The big down side to these 4-strokes is the cost to maintain them. With a lot of very light weight very high speed parts it can easily cost 3 times the money to rebuild a top end compared to a 2-stroke. I've seen top end builds costing $1500 plus. Also from what I have seen they will have to be rebuilt more often than a modern 2-stroke. If you are buying one of these used be prepared.

 

[RaiderGT]

As someone who started in the dirt, and has ridden all manner of dirt machines, my humble opinion:


First how tall/heavy are you?
What kind of area do you have to ride in?
What do you expect from the bike?

I highly recommend NOT starting on a 2-smoker. They are an absolute blast....when in perfect tune and being run wide open and when they arent broken. For doing any kind of trail riding or casual putting or learning the BASICS of off road stunting they are downright miserable and unpredictable. A seasoned guy? Sure no problem, 2 stroke all day.

XR Honda or DR Suzuki. Put gas in it and go. Also consider one that is street legal if that interests you at all.

 

[Jedz123]

This is the closest I've had to a dirt bike:

LOL YEah a FZ1 with Knobbies was a blast on the dirt!!!! And the snow...

All in all though I can't get the idea... I've abandoned the pursuit to understand...

 

[Carnage]

This is the closest I've had to a dirt bike:

LOL YEah a FZ1 with Knobbies was a blast on the dirt!!!! And the snow...

All in all though I can't get the idea... I've abandoned the pursuit to understand...

That's crazy!

 

[PhillyGixxer]

Thank you so much guys. What should I be looking to spend? All over these bikes are over $1000. Just trying to et a general price range. Again I am not looking to get crazy on this fun bike. I guess we all say that when we are first looking.

 

[Carnage]

I didn't spend more than $1200 for either of the bikes I posted. Come to think of it, I've never spent more than that on any of my dirtbikes. I've owned 5. But then again, I always just used mine to fuck around in the trails. I never got into hardcore MX or anything like that. Most of them were Craigslist buys and WantAd buys. I don't think they have the WantAd classifieds anymore. :scratch

 

[grtfast]

If you're looking for something to do slow wheelies with, a 4 stroke is going to have a lot more torque down low and will be a lot easier to control.

 

[PhillyGixxer]

If you're looking for something to do slow wheelies with, a 4 stroke is going to have a lot more torque down low and will be a lot easier to control.

Lower end torque is what I am looking for my hoonigan ways.

 

[PhillyGixxer]

So far I found a few TTR125L going for $1,000. Trying to negotiate that down a bit.

 

[PhillyGixxer]

Still no luck. I guess CL just isn't the place to look. Everything on there is WAY overpriced. Maybe I will find some local guy selling one around me.

 

[600k2]

Where do you look for vehicles outside Craigslist/Facebook anymore? From what I've noticed all the local autotrader mags are dealer ads now.

 

[PhillyGixxer]

Where do you look for vehicles outside Craigslist/Facebook anymore? From what I've noticed all the local autotrader mags are dealer ads now.

Do they still have those bike trader books? lol Maybe even look at the dealer for trade-ins. A local kid as a honda 4 stroke 100 for like $500. He was doing some stunting on it but I forget the model of the bike. Around $500 is a decent price just for a beater bike so I might go back and check it out.

I know the value of sportbikes since I am into them and the ads I see are just outrageous. I understand you are attached to the bike but come on. I see dirt bikes that are older than my current sportbike going for the same price I paid or more. Come on.

 

[PhillyGixxer]

At this rate I am wondering if it's just worth it to pick up a cheap 600 without fairings and set it up with gearing for wheelies and fun.

 

[kevinc]

At this rate I am wondering if it's just worth it to pick up a cheap 600 without fairings and set it up with gearing for wheelies and fun.

Get your red R there might be a cheap 600 in the classifieds :shifty

 

[Carnage]

At this rate I am wondering if it's just worth it to pick up a cheap 600 without fairings and set it up with gearing for wheelies and fun.

Bro a dirtbike doesn't have to be new to be fun. They're often rebuilt anyway. You should easily be able to find something for less than $1200 to just play around on.

 

[PhillyGixxer]

Bro a dirtbike doesn't have to be new to be fun. They're often rebuilt anyway. You should easily be able to find something for less than $1200 to just play around on.

Brah I am NOT looking for a new one. I am looking for an old beater to kick around on. People are listing bikes from 1992 for $1,600 in fair condition. I mean who buys this $hit :wink2:

 

[Carnage]

Brah I am NOT looking for a new one. I am looking for an old beater to kick around on. People are listing bikes from 1992 for $1,600 in fair condition. I mean who buys this $hit :wink2:

Yeah...I just browsed through Jersey CL and didn't find much. You might have better luck in the winter time. :dunno