Getting into it...

[White Lightning]

did you know that WRs also have a 3/4 stop in the throttle so you can never get the engine WOT,, if you decide to mod it, , I would mod that or switch to the MX throttle first as an intermediate step.  

Will have to keep that in mind.  I'm not going to mod it until I feel I have reached a little closer to the bike's potential.  At the moment is is far more than I need.  Bouncing off trees starts to hurt in your mid thirties

[johne]

I have a TTR250 and most of the posts' hit it right on the head. The TTR is VERY tame and the CR line would be a handful to someone new to dirtbikes or just getting back into it after a long absence. I just wanted something for the trails cause at 47 yrs young I have no need for double jumps and tabletops. For the 3 years I've had this bike it's been nothing short of durable, fun and reliable. Plenty fast (for me anyway) and no need to kick start it if I fall off (which I've done several times). Hell, it doesn't even have a kick starter !!
        Sometimes while I'm riding it I think it would be nice to have the WR450 but then I come back to reality and realize I'm not Ricky Carmichael. I got the wife a TTR125 and my son a PW80 at the same time so we all have fun in the trails. Good luck with your choice.

[black hills]

  Just remember with a 2 smoke, it needs to be rung out, or the plug will foul in short order.  The Honda XR series is good too, but aren't water cooled.  Good luck and have fun!!



Mike

You obviously haven't ridden a modern 2 stroke? My KTM300exc has great lowend, is harder to kill than a 4 stroke, never has fouled a plug (I jetted it properly) and most importantly starts right up after a fall, unlike those four strokes!!  Although for a beginner I think the power delivery on a 250 fourstoke will be easier to handle. I would go with the KTM, WR250F or CRF250. Get the suspension properly set up, or better yet revalved and you are set.

[Johnny Monsoon]

You obviously haven't ridden a modern 2 stroke? My KTM300exc has great lowend, is harder to kill than a 4 stroke, never has fouled a plug (I jetted it properly) and most importantly starts right up after a fall, unlike those four strokes!!  

I dunno, I drop my TT-R125 ALL the time!  It always starts right up, thankfully!

Johne, I've been very surprised to see how much more powerful the TTR-125 has gotten as it breaks in!  Holy cow!  Not a powerhouse by any means, but PLENTY of power to ride the bike to its limits (which I keep pushing).  Fun stuff!

[black hills]

I dunno, I drop my TT-R125 ALL the time!  It always starts right up, thankfully!

You are lucky, some of the guys I ride with have a terrible time starting thier CRF450's and YZ450's after a crash?? Although with emmisions problems I will most likely be forced to go to a 4 stroke before long too.

[bluesurf]

You obviously haven't ridden a modern 2 stroke? My KTM300exc has great lowend, is harder to kill than a 4 stroke, never has fouled a plug (I jetted it properly) and most importantly starts right up after a fall, unlike those four strokes!!  Although for a beginner I think the power delivery on a 250 fourstoke will be easier to handle. I would go with the KTM, WR250F or CRF250. Get the suspension properly set up, or better yet revalved and you are set.

+1......I absolutely love my 300exc, aka: the hero bike.  There's nothing that I can do to kill that bike, starts up with one kick 90% of the time when warm, takes every bump like it doesn't exist, etc.  They are simply amazing bikes, ones that make heroes out of mere mortal riders.

[black hills]

  They are simply amazing bikes, ones that make heroes out of mere mortal riders.

Exactly why I love mine. I have never ridden a better bike in the woods. I can't imagine how bad I would suck with a lesser machine

[livetoride]

Wow,
Thanks all for the insights and tips.. I've expanded my search to the WR250 (yamaha) and the XR series honda's )as well as looking for used TTR's.. I'm worried about the bike feeling "tame".. I've got a bad hip and until I get that replaced it's easy to moderate trails for me.

Anyway,
All is on hold until I find a buyer for the Bandit..

-Peter

[f9mountainman]

Finance a new 2007 KTM 450EXC. Street legal in all 50 states and it supposed to be right up there with the best of the non street legal bikes. I don't have one myself, but from what I have read, they are great bikes. They also have electric start.

[bluesurf]

Finance a new 2007 KTM 450EXC. Street legal in all 50 states and it supposed to be right up there with the best of the non street legal bikes. I don't have one myself, but from what I have read, they are great bikes. They also have electric start.

That's one more cool thing about KTM two-strokes; they don't *need* electric start

My brother has a 450exc.  Great bike, but not for tight woods trails.  Open things up a bit more and that bike is right at home.  The underseat fuse connecting the starter died on one trip and we spent 15-20 minutes trying to get that beast kicked over....same with another friends 525 on a different ride.  http://ktmtalk.com is a great resource for those interested.

btw - ktm used to put "cyc" on the mso instead of "for off-road use only" so were easily plateable in a lot of states....street-legal 2-stroke dirt bikes are completely out-of-hand....near-perfect "single backpack of food from the grocery store" machines.

[f9mountainman]

The EXC is not a 2 stroke, I am sure you know that, but that is what the 2nd part of your seems like you are saying. There are far more things than just riding to the grocery store, that a street legal dirt bike is good for.

The WR's are also great bikes. I have a WR 400, and it is a great bike. Easy to kick start and a blast to ride. Good luck with your search for a new toy.

[hig4s]

The EXC is not a 2 stroke, and there are far more things than just riding to the grocery store, that a street legal dirt bike is good for.

Which EXC are you talking about, Older 200, 250, and 300 EXCs  are 2-strokes The new 250, 450, and 525 EXCs are 4-strokes.

[f9mountainman]

The 450 in which I posted about.

[bluesurf]

The EXC is not a 2 stroke, I am sure you know that, but that is what the 2nd part of your seems like you are saying. There are far more things than just riding to the grocery store, that a street legal dirt bike is good for.

I'm uncertain how you got that impression, since I didn't mention the 450exc in direct context to any 2-stroke data.  The new paragraph (context change) was specifically to differentiate the fact that the 450exc/525 machines are so much more difficult to kick over (obvious: it's why they *have* the extra weight of electric start, and part of the reason that they're not quite as sweet tight trails bikes as the 300exc, etc.)  It appears that you may have become confused because I didn't specifically state "ok, now we're talking about 4-strokes."

And yes, there are obviously more things than just riding to the grocery store that a street legal dirt bike is good for, but imo the quick grocery store run on a street-legal 2-stroke is among the best for a quick hoolie run.    In fact, I think that I'm out of coffee beans....

[f9mountainman]

Sorry Bluesurf. After re-reading my post, I came off as a total A-hole. That was not my intetion at all. I was simply trying to state the fact that the 450 was a 4 stroke so there was no confusion for the guy who started the thread incase he was thinking of looking at one.

[bluesurf]

Sorry Bluesurf. After re-reading my post, I came off as a total A-hole. That was not my intetion at all. I was simply trying to state the fact that the 450 was a 4 stroke so there was no confusion for the guy who started the thread incase he was thinking of looking at one.

No worries, Colowyo, and thanks for the post.  I was just kinda wondering how we got to point C so quickly!  

btw - the coffee bean run was great fun, hehe.