any dirt bike riders

[joe0813]

Any dirt bike riders in here? looking to buy my first dirt bike and had a question. I havent been on a dirt bike since i was 12, so 20 years. And even that was just goofing off on a friends bike in a sand pit. In 2006 i bought my first street bike and have been riding on the street since. I was looking at 3 different bikes, all brandy new. 2020 ktm 250sx-f (4 stroke) 2020 ktm 250sx (2 stroke) and then a honda 250rx (4 stroke)
Question is what one to buy for a beginner for trail riding and just having fun riding powerlines and that type of stuff. Would a two or four stroke be better?

 

[KJ]

Two stroke it is easy to work on and save you money on maintenance.

 

[joe0813]

Two stroke it is easy to work on and save you money on maintenance.

Im a car mechanic so I'm not really worried about the maintenance prices since id be able to fix it all myself. Im more worried about getting a bike and it either being to much to start out on or not enough and then i get bored of it.

 

[Champ128]

Four strokes are a bit more beginner friendly in my opinion. Two stokes have a much narrower powerband that can be difficult for beginners.

 

[Swanky]

Long time MX-er here, still ride casually. Like anything else it depends on what you're looking to get out of it - the four strokes will arguably be "easier" to ride for casual trail riding, the KTM will be a bit edgier and may need de-tuned a bit to be ridden at a slower pace and ridden lower in the RPMs on trails with limited space to stretch it's legs. (Had a 2017 250SX myself and it was just a handful on the trails, it wanted to spread it's wings on the track)

I'm very biased, as a racer in the early 00's the sweet song of a two-stroke is still music to my ears, but will agree with KJ - the maintenance long term on a modern four stroke will be much higher. Just a tradeoff to weigh your options!

Best of luck :)

 

[joe0813]

Thanks guys... wish the dealers had demos so you could take them for a few hours and beat them up. Everything ive been reading on is saying what you guys said... trails = 4 stroke and track = 2 stroke. But the sound of a two stroke is amazing.

 

[Swanky]

Will never be anything like it IMO! Always love watching old race tapes from that time frame. Miss them.

Modern four strokes are night and day over the last decade, I'm competent in rebuilding my two strokes but four strokes I'd definitely be a bit more intimated - your mechanical background would make things much easier I'm sure.

Out of the 3 you mentioned the 250SX-F would give you the most versatile steed, great bike for the track if you happen to venture out but could easily handle trails and casual play around home with little to no mods, KTM has stepped up the quality of their builds so much as well, hard to argue the Austrian brand now versus any of the old "Big Four".

I can remember when KTM had such hideous looking bikes too, but they learned and outshine the competition on the regular now!

 

[joe0813]

The KTM sx-f is definitely my top pick right now. Fiance is also getting a bike but shes sticking with a little kawi 140 four stroke

 

[Champ128]

Will never be anything like it IMO! Always love watching old race tapes from that time frame. Miss them.

Modern four strokes are night and day over the last decade, I'm competent in rebuilding my two strokes but four strokes I'd definitely be a bit more intimated - your mechanical background would make things much easier I'm sure.

Out of the 3 you mentioned the 250SX-F would give you the most versatile steed, great bike for the track if you happen to venture out but could easily handle trails and casual play around home with little to no mods, KTM has stepped up the quality of their builds so much as well, hard to argue the Austrian brand now versus any of the old "Big Four".

I can remember when KTM had such hideous looking bikes too, but they learned and outshine the competition on the regular now!

I’ll never forget The sound of Doug Henry on the track when he was the only one on a four stroke. It took a long time before I was a believer in 4 strokes and I still love the sound and smell of 2 strokes.

 

[joe0813]

hard to find any long term use on any of these bikes since they are brand new. Only one i found is one KTM 250sxf needed the engine rebuilt after 25 hours of use.

 

[joe0813]

After doing a ton of youtube watching and reading up on different sites and listening to you guys advice, i think i picked out my bike.... I think im going to go with the honda crf250RX. 1. its a four stroke so little better of a beginner bike. 2. Its geared more for trails and just goofing off. I will probably never go to a track until i get a lot more experienced and by that time I will probably want a different bike. I really would love the KTM but after everything ive been reading, both the 2 and 4 strokes are really more for track use

 

[Swanky]

Nice pick! I'm sure you wont be disappointed. Be safe and enjoy!

 

[joe0813]

Thank you for the help

 

[jd371]

I'm very biased, as a racer in the early 00's the sweet song of a two-stroke is still music to my ears

Oh yeah, the sound of a two stroke! Raced a Honda CR500R back in the 80's.

 

[joe0813]

I would love a two stroke but i think id end up wanting to push myself to far with it

 

[joe0813]

Well little update on the bike choice.... I tried 20 different dealers in all of New England to get my 2020 honda crf250rx. No one has them and honda refuses to ship one due to covid. So i have been doing a lot or reading and found a different bike. Going with a 2020 yz250fx. The bike has been getting amazing reviews and actually was ranked higher than the honda. Dealer was nice enough to hook me up by giving me the bike at dealer cost and a 200 dollar gift card because I am a firefighter. So now they have a lifetime customer.

 

[Swanky]

Congrats! They are good bikes indeed. Perfect for what you're after. My first bike was a Yamaha, still have it to this day actually. :)

Crazy times we are living in with product availability, we're so easily spoiled anymore it seems!

Be safe, ride on! ;Stig

 

[joe0813]

wooowee picked up the brandy new bike. Question though, how long does the suspension take to settle in a bit? Rode it at the dealer to get it into the back of my truck and Im barely tippy toeing it. All the bikes ive ever rode were a little bit older so everything was well settled.

 

[DaddyFish]

wooowee picked up the brandy new bike. Question though, how long does the suspension take to settle in a bit? Rode it at the dealer to get it into the back of my truck and Im barely tippy toeing it. All the bikes ive ever rode were a little bit older so everything was well settled.

You need roughly 10 hours ride time for the suspension to settle in. Then get straight to setting the static sag for your individual size/weight.
I quit racing a few years ago at the ripe old age of 54, so I'm not up on the very latest Yami suspension. But "Cut me and I bleed Yamaha blue" was my montra for life.
You'll love the agility of the 250 four stroke, excellent choice. Power is strong and manageable. Keep the air filter clean (and oiled) and the oil & filter changed every 10-hours of runtime. Use Simple Green to keep it clean and the engine should last you 500+ hours before needing anything major (valves, piston/rings).

As for the KTM... Keeps Taking Money - but they are the hottest production bikes on the market today. Remember, horsepower does NOT come free.
Have fun!

 

[FactoryKTMmotocross46]

That's a nice bike. Have you used the power tuner app? I'm wondering how that interface is.