What $1500 woods bike

What would you choose and what would you stay away from? Looking to get a bike to play on at my inlaws house. They have some land (about 30 acres) mostly woods with about 5 acres of fields. We used to ride there years ago, I had a 1987 XL250 and my wife had a DR100. We upgraded to a CR250 and a YZ80 and the woods got to tight to be fun anymore.

Now we want to get back into trail riding. my daughter can hang with Grandma while we teach my son to ride. My kids are getting a ttr50 or similar. My wife is looking at a crf230.

We got a beat up TTR225 last year on trade for some road racing gear. I road it, had tons of fun, but it isn't the bike for me. I will beat it up,too much and it felt a little small to me (5'10" / 195 lbs).

I can't decide if I should get a older XR250 or XR400 or ??

I have been looking through Craigslist and nothing is jumping out at me in that price range. I want something that will be reliable and fun and not too old that it will be hard to get parts for (factory or aftermarket).

I am partial to Honda and Yamaha, but would consider any brand. How does a dr350 stack up to the XR250?

If I were in your shoes, I would be looking for the best XR that I could find. The 250 would probably be just fine, and your more likely to find a nice 250 in your price range.

I used to race a KTM 350(2 stroke), it was the best woods bike that I personally ever owned. Although it never left me stranded, it was maintenance intensive, parts were not available locally, and a couple of times I had to wait for a shipment to come in from europe.

Anyway, my point is, that as great as my KTM was, if I were to get back in to trail riding today, the XR 250 would be my first choice. They are simple, reliable, low maintenance, parts are available almost everywhere, and I've never seen one dead on the trail. I can't say that about many other dirtbikes.

Many times in deep woods riding conditions the weight and power of bigger bikes can become a liability, and less powerful bikes like the XR 250 are at no disadvantage at all.

                                 lowmandparts are available almost everywhere.

I was thinking about buying a really nice XR250 a few years ago. Then I rode it. For $1500 you can do a lot better than an XR250. I would recommend a KDX 200/220, the newest YZ125 you can find, or a mid 2000's Husqvarna CR/WR 125/250. All light years better than an XR250

I really had no problem wooding on a 100, so Iwas planning on a 125.

N Sperlo wrote: I really had no problem wooding on a 100, so Iwas planning on a 125.

I have had two XR100s, a DR100, a TTR125 and a TTR125L. now the TTR225 I have is too small. I would wreck a 100 in no time at all. Plus I need something with more suspention travel and large wheels to clear fallen trees ruts and light jumping. Honda has a CRF250 nonmotorcross bike that looks perfect for what I need, but they are new and nowhere near my self imposed budget.

Ok how bad of an idea would this be? kTM525

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcy/3629624607.html

Has to be better then the 2001 Cannondale MX400 That I found last night.

Wait, didn't you say conditions were too tight for a CR250? You could knock most of the trees down with that!

Rusnak_322 wrote: How does a dr350 stack up to the XR250?

I have a DRZ400 and it's pretty heavy in the woods.

I was thinking Yamaha TW200, but you may be beyond that with your experience. I know I want one or a Honda Reflex.

I am not serious about the KTM. I actually rode a friends 525 years ago, both in a hare-scramble and on a motocross track. It was a beast, spent the enite time in 3rd gear where I was using 1st thru 4th on my CR250. It is just depressing, I have been looking almost daily on Search Tempest for bikes within a 500 mile radius for going on 4 weeks and the XR250s that I see for $1500 are beat.

Then I come across that KTM that looks soooooo nice and clean for only $500 more.

I am trying to find a bike now, when it warms up in the spring, they are going to be asking a few hundred more. But maybe there will be more on the market.

Keep in mind I rode a WR400 in tight woods quite a bit but found myself wishing for something smaller/lighter a lot in the really tight/snotty stuff. When it opened up a bit I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

If the woods are really tight, you need to stick with a lightweight bike. The Kawi KDX's are good choices, as is the KTM 200. The DR350 is okay for fireroading, but no tight woods for me. As much as I like the old XR's for their reliability (I had two 250's, a 600 and a 400), they are too porky and slow handling for genuinely tight woods. The 600 in particular was a 300 lb handful.

I learned quickly that the explosive 250 MXers were not the ticket unless they were toned down with lower compression and a flywheel weight. Then they weren't bad power wise but the suspension valving was set up for MX and supercross hits, meaning it would beat you to death over roots and other small bumps so the suspension needed softer revalving and stiffer springs. I know that sounds bass ackwards but trust me it works.

This is what you want.

http://holland.craigslist.org/mcy/3631904426.html

A little old, but a well looked after bike. The guy is a regular on the KDX forum.

That KDX is pretty cool. I love two strokes, had a few dirtbikes and the wife and I both had 2-stroke GP road racers, so I am pretty comfortable rebuilding them (the RS125 needed a new crank every 1200 miles).

I did figure out today that is you search for a xr250r you get listings that didn't show up under xr250

Now I have to search XR XR250 XR250R XR400 XR400R

I found this less than 20 mins away - http://cleveland.craigslist.org/mcy/3579767349.html My old XL250R was street legal and a blast.

I hope it is still around in 2 weeks when my tax refund comes in as I just committed to buy a TTR50 with training wheels that looks real clean for $600. I am going to look at it this Sunday.

Where we are going to ride will be as tight as I make it. Before the in-laws bought the property there were lots of kids riding 4 wheelers in the woods. They had some nice trails, but some a-hole hunters forced the in laws into putting up no trespassing signs and the trails have become overgrown for the last ten years. I plan to make a track in the open field and then clean up the woods to make some trails.

Ok, I hate it when what to buy threads end without the original poster updating on what they bought.

I sold the TTR225 for $800 and bought a $600 2006 TTR50 for my kids (has training wheels).

I came across what looks like a great deal on bike that is exactly the wrong bike for what I want to do.

It is a 2007 CRF450R that was made a supermoto after 15 hours of use in the woods. I bought it as shown with the exception of the wheels, front brake and chain/sprockets.

Came with the stock wheels and tires that look new. It has a full stainless pipe, jet kit, big tank, lights, big stator (adds same as a 12 oz flywheel). Has a auto clutch, bigger aftermarket radiators, big foot pegs, bars, speedo, ohio title, engine guards, step seat, all the stock parts including manuals, two sets of valve shims, aluminum work stand & stock plastics that are as new.

Paid $1700 for the bike and $200 for the extra parts. There is a hour meter on it and he has 120 hours. The owner has thousands of posts on thumper talk, supermoto junky and other forums, he had a 2003 crf450 that he used in the woods, and he was big about defending Hondas being reliable as long as you keep the air filter and oil fresh.

The suspension was kept stock.

I figure that I could sell off parts and sell the bike as stock and still make money if I wind up not liking it.

My wife has found three crf230s that she wanted and each one sold the day after she called on it. We are still looking for her.

Oh, man. You are right, that's not really the bike you need for where you will be riding but damn those things are FUN. Caution: their power delivery is deceptive. My WR would 'come on the pipe' like a 2 smoker, I rode one of those and unlike the Yam it never really had a big burst of power but suddenly I realized the scenery was going by VERY quickly.

that super moto is unreal! oh dear thats awesome

OK, I sold the CRF450. I never even rode it. In fact, it still didn't have a chain or front brakes installed. I spent about $75 total buying a cheap chain, used front brake line and a air filter. I had it up on Craigslist for $3,200 in stock form. Someone came and bought everything except the bigger gas tank for $4,100! Made $2,125 and can probably sell the tank for $200-ish.

I bought my wife a CRF230 and before she rode it, we sold it. She decided that it was too tall. We made a $150 profit.

Yesterday I drove three hours and bought a 2007 CRF150 that could not be cleaner. It looks showroom new.

Today I bought a 2001 XR250R that is very clean.

I think that we have a good selection for the type of riding that I am planning. We are collecting youth gear now, just waiting for some time to start making the track.

Good horse trading. I don't think I have ever made a penny selling anything with wheels and a motor.

Correction. I bought a dumptruck last year and resold it for $5000.00 more but that was the only one ever.

Rusnak_322 wrote: OK, I sold the CRF450.

You made the right decision. It was only a matter of time before it grenaded.

Ya know, I keep hearing that about CRF450's and YZ/WR Yamahas. But I've seen a LOT of high hour flogged on CRF's still going strong. Heck, a bud has a YZ400F he bought new in ~'99 and it's never been apart for anything except one clutch. I bought my WR new in 2000 and I beat the cowboy E36 M3 out of it for 4 1/2 years, it never even coughed. Sold it with the original top end still in place, rings and all, made great power didn't smoke and fired up quick and easy.