Help picking next (dirt) bike

[sakura]

Hey all....

Newbie to the forum + new to offroad. I've put in 9 months or so on my '18 KLX250 and have loved the bike. Been riding it offroad every week, sometimes 3x per week offroad. School has been in session and every time out i learn new things.

Lately though I feel like I am ready to take the next step. Some generous people at trails have let me try a few real dirt bikes and the difference has been off the charts. Like wow...I never knew how light, nimble, and flick-able a bike could be offroad. On the trail I could do things that I never imagined with the klx, not even close. Felt like $1M dollars

What do you guys think would be a good real dirt bike for me?

My complaints about the KLX which aren't fair because it is *not* a real dirt bike but what I struggle with are:

weight - no denying it, the thing is 300+ with handguards, skidplate, rack, etc.
suspension - plush but you get rocked over the whoops I do and then it is like boing-boing.
power - i dropped a couple of teeth in the front but the bike doesn't have that grunt that the 250cc dirt bikes I have tried.

I have developed my technique, read articles, ask people for tips at trail so not neglecting the rider half of the equation.

Some bikes that crossed my mind:

CRF250RX
KTM250 EXC-F (or XC-W)/Husky equivalent
WR250F/YZ250FX

There are some cheaper bikes like a CRF250F or TTR230 or a KLX230R but I have a feeling that a) the suspension would still be too soft, b) i would quickly outgrow them, and c) they are built to a cheaper price point.

I want a bike I can grow with but that doesnt scare the daylights out of me (so no 300's or 450's). Probably want to stick with 4 stroke because it is familiar and I am LAZY Also I would probably lug a 2 stroke so much to foul plugs all the time. Do not want. Also love fuel injection, so easy and handy :wow

For use, it would be mostly trail, lots of sand + whoops, small jumps but seat height is no problem...I am limber

 

[banshee01]

Crf250x or wr250f would be a good. Are you looking to buy new? What is your budget?

Do you know about green and red sticker registration?

 

[Mario]

The KTMs (and Beta/Husky equivalents) 350 comes with plates, very handy if you want to continue riding dual sport. No sticker required.

Edit: I thought I've seen someone make a street legal 250...

 

[sakura]

Am quickly familiarizing myself with red/green sticker laws. I would say i am OK with either since I can and do ride out of state sometimes in great spots. Very lucky for me definitely. Also there is supposed to be grandfathering and other uncertainties. Seems best I pick the right bike and the rest will be OK.

Love the KTM/Husky street legal lines. People rave about the 350 like you suggested. They are a little steep though for me in price and euro dealers seem to be less willing to negotiate $. In an ideal world a 350 or 390 rr-s. A girl can dream

 

[Eric B]

It's hard to beat the models you suggested, for reliability, capability & fun factor. Keep trying other folk's bikes as well. A 200 or 220 2stroke can be "lugable" and feel even lighter than the 4 strokes you have sampled. Fouling plugs is probably not as common as you think.

 

[1962siia]

Never fouled a plug on my ktm200xcw and I'm a lazy rider who rides a gear high and lugs it alot. :laughing. And this bike may be for sale soon, unless EricB convinces me to keep it.

 

[Guoseph]

The KTMs (and Beta/Husky equivalents) 350 comes with plates, very handy if you want to continue riding dual sport. No sticker required.

Edit: I thought I've seen someone make a street legal 250...

There are a few left over 2019 KTM 250 EXC-F's for sale at steep discount. KTM brought them over from 2017-2019 but everyone wanted a 350 instead. Fully street legal from factory but legs just slightly shorter for any real dual sporting. Just picked one up and really like the little quarter liter, for my use case 350 wasn't worth the extra $$$.

 

[Eric B]

There are a few left over 2019 KTM 250 EXC-F's for sale at steep discount. KTM brought them over from 2017-2019 but everyone wanted a 350 instead. Fully street legal from factory but legs just slightly shorter for any real dual sporting. Just picked one up and really like the little quarter liter, for my use case 350 wasn't worth the extra $$$.

Great info Alex.

 

[usedtobefast]

A WR250F would be a great choice. But be careful, some years were red sticker (I guess Yamaha didn't want to deal with the paperwork?), but most were green. That last year or two I believe they are back to red sticker. But should be easy, just see what the current owner has and when you get it, it will stay the same (so if green sticker, will stay green sticker).

I would not recommend the Honda CRF250X ... they had valve issues, but maybe if the current owner has receipts where they were replaced with Kibblewhite valves it would be ok. But the Yamaha is rock solid, so why take a chance?

The leftover KTM 250 EXC is a fantastic suggestion! You get it new. You get a plate. No red/green sticker craziness. Will be able to ride it anywhere, anytime. Only negative is new bike price.

I did a wee bit of searching for the KTM, doesn't seem to be any nearby, here is one I found: https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2019-KTM-250-EXC-F-5006310920

 

[wilit]

I started off riding dirt with an XT225. Probably a step below the KLX, but not far off. Fun, but limited. I stepped up to a WR250F and it was like night and day. Bumping up from 20ish HP to 33ish HP and actual usable suspension was crazy. I just recently bumped up to a KTM 350 EXC and that's another crazy jump above the WR250F. There is so much more power and the suspension again is so much better. Plus, like it was mentioned above, the KTM has a plate.

Obviously there's going to be a bit of a cost difference between a WR/YZ or CRF and a KTM. I will say the WR was as solid as any Japanese bike comes. Easy on maintenance and parts are cheap. The KTM is a bit more maintenance intensive and the parts are a little more spendy. But I really wanted a plated dirt bike and KTM, Husky and Beta currently make the best plated dirt bikes.

 

[byke]

You sound exuberant with a strong appreciation of low weight, I'd recommend the lightest 250F mx'er, which I think is the KTM or Husky. Don't get hung up on the imperfect gearing/suspension for trails and whatnot, it'll work just fine and more importantly you'll have a blast.

 

[Guoseph]

A WR250F would be a great choice. But be careful, some years were red sticker (I guess Yamaha didn't want to deal with the paperwork?), but most were green. That last year or two I believe they are back to red sticker. But should be easy, just see what the current owner has and when you get it, it will stay the same (so if green sticker, will stay green sticker).

I would not recommend the Honda CRF250X ... they had valve issues, but maybe if the current owner has receipts where they were replaced with Kibblewhite valves it would be ok. But the Yamaha is rock solid, so why take a chance?

The leftover KTM 250 EXC is a fantastic suggestion! You get it new. You get a plate. No red/green sticker craziness. Will be able to ride it anywhere, anytime. Only negative is new bike price.

I did a wee bit of searching for the KTM, doesn't seem to be any nearby, here is one I found: https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2019-KTM-250-EXC-F-5006310920

Yeah looks like the local dealers have sold their stock or liquidated some other way. For a while there were a few around here for $7,500 before taxes and fees. Maybe there are still a few of them around, but maybe the ship has sailed.

Used 250 EXC-F's are hard to find since so few new ones were sold, but an older 250 XCFW (no plate) could be another option for a green sticker dirt bike.

 

[Guoseph]

Still not sure what your budget is, but here are some interesting new bikes on the market:

2021 Kawasaki KLX300R - Kawi just brought this classic trail bike back with fuel injection, not as light as as a KTM but more offroad worthy than the KLX250. Green Sticker

2020 Yamaha YZ125X - 2 Stroke version of the Yamaha YZ250FX, extremely lightweight and capable. Red Sticker

2020 KTM 150 XCW TPI - 2 Stroke Fuel Injected (no premix), bike so you never worry about mixture, super light weight. Must get 2020+ if you want fuel injection. Red Sticker

2020 Beta Xtrainer - Lightweight 2 Stroke 300 that is tuned for trails and set up with softer suspension. Smaller and more tame than a typical large bore 2 stroke. Oil injected so no premix but fuel goes through carb. Must get 2020 for new counterbalanced engine. Red Sticker

 

[sakura]

Go riding for an afternoon only to return to many awesome responses!!! Thank you!!

Where to start???

Ok, leftover ktm 250 excf looks great. Haven't seen a proper comparison with the WR250F. Is it more of a 250 SX clone where it's an mx bike pretending to be trail friendly? Or is it the real deal? How is the suspension on the little excf compared to the wr? Tired if having to slow to a crawl on whooped sections right now so good suspension is near the top of my list.

Hard to imagine recent wr's not being green sticker...don't they come with a throttle stop, super quiet pipe, and locked ecu??

Sorry about failing to list budget. I would call it about 8.5k. could be slightly more but then that would kill my accessory budget for a bash plate, handguards...

I think one suggestion was a motocross bike. The light weight is tempting. How could I not like a 235 pound bike. That's like 70 less than my klx! I read they come with transmissions with tall first gears and stiff suspension. Sounds better for track but not so hot for trail use? Imagining lots of stalling in the gnar?

That said i don't want a carb. So no xtrainer or yz125 for me. I've seen a new klx300 and was shocked by how heavy it was. Seems a good bike but I want something lighter and with robust suspension.

That ktm 150 tpi sounds like a blast. Wonder how it would compare to a 250 4 stroke for lofting the front wheel over obstacles. Reviews say it's not so peaky like the usual 125 2 strokes.

 

[dbc]

Humm..
I happen to have a super low mileage, like new 2016 wr250f that I was going to put on craigslist this week.
Has all the goodies + Yamaha's GYTR hop up kit, competition CDI and GREEN sticker.
Reason for selling is I went back to a 450.
About the KTM250excf, I had one. Compared to the wr250f? Both real fun bikes, but the Yamaha comes with far superior suspension- a big plus in setup hassle and extra cost.
BTW, my wife has been riding an '06 wr250f since it was new. I asked her if she'd like upgrade to my '16 and we'll sell her '06- Nope, no deal, have to pry it outta her cold, dead hands. She absolutely loves her 250.

Shoot me a PM if your interested,
Dan

Only pic I have..


Wife..

 

[byke]

Go riding for an afternoon only to return to many awesome responses!!! Thank you!!

Where to start???

Ok, leftover ktm 250 excf looks great. Haven't seen a proper comparison with the WR250F. Is it more of a 250 SX clone where it's an mx bike pretending to be trail friendly? Or is it the real deal? How is the suspension on the little excf compared to the wr? Tired if having to slow to a crawl on whooped sections right now so good suspension is near the top of my list.

Hard to imagine recent wr's not being green sticker...don't they come with a throttle stop, super quiet pipe, and locked ecu??

Sorry about failing to list budget. I would call it about 8.5k. could be slightly more but then that would kill my accessory budget for a bash plate, handguards...

I think one suggestion was a motocross bike. The light weight is tempting. How could I not like a 235 pound bike. That's like 70 less than my klx! I read they come with transmissions with tall first gears and stiff suspension. Sounds better for track but not so hot for trail use? Imagining lots of stalling in the gnar?

That said i don't want a carb. So no xtrainer or yz125 for me. I've seen a new klx300 and was shocked by how heavy it was. Seems a good bike but I want something lighter and with robust suspension.

That ktm 150 tpi sounds like a blast. Wonder how it would compare to a 250 4 stroke for lofting the front wheel over obstacles. Reviews say it's not so peaky like the usual 125 2 strokes.

I don't know what you weigh, but proper enduro bikes like the EXC line and WR line have such soft suspension that they feel heavy, they don't jump well for someone that's out there looking to turn everything into a jump, plus they have the full kit, so they actually are a little heavy. I'd recommend the lightest, or lightest feeling mx'er for how you sound to me, but what are you into? Carnegie? Then it's simple, mx'er works great. We don't even have miles of super gnarly rocky technical stuff out here, you might find a couple hundred feet like I think it's called Rock Lobster at Georgetown, but I get my CRF450R through there just fine. Personally, I think the need for low gearing is way overhyped for 99% of the stuff you find around here. A little skill makes up for A LOT of bike imperfections. Anyway, a good compromise would be a YZ250FX, or an 250 XCF/W.

 

[Guoseph]

I don't know what you weigh, but proper enduro bikes like the EXC line and WR line have such soft suspension that they feel heavy, they don't jump well for someone that's out there looking to turn everything into a jump, plus they have the full kit, so they actually are a little heavy. I'd recommend the lightest, or lightest feeling mx'er for how you sound to me, but what are you into? Carnegie? Then it's simple, mx'er works great. We don't even have miles of super gnarly rocky technical stuff out here, you might find a couple hundred feet like I think it's called Rock Lobster at Georgetown, but I get my CRF450R through there just fine. Personally, I think the need for low gearing is way overhyped for 99% of the stuff you find around here. A little skill makes up for A LOT of bike imperfections. Anyway, a good compromise would be a YZ250FX, or an 250 XCF/W.

Yes, it all depends on what you ride. I assumed by "trails" you meant tight single track. If instead you ride open desert 2 track then you might want something stiffer. That being said a WR or EXC will be world's better than the KLX even in the desert. I remember from your previous post you are of smaller stature, so a MX suspension designed for a 175lb guy might be too stiff.

Btw the alphabet soup goes like this from stiffest to softest:

Yamaha: YZ250F, YZ250FX, WR250F
Honda: CRF250R, CRF250RX, CRF250X
KTM: 250SXF, 250XCF, 250XCFW/250EXCF (same)

 

[Eric B]

MX bikes - 19 inch rear wheel(fewer choices), stiffer suspension & valving. Close ratio gearing. Generally Tuned for upper rpm power.

 

[sakura]

5'6, ~145 (do Xfit + MMA)

byke - you are a bad influence

Yes i have tried carnegie and find two problems with solutions kind of at odds. Some of those rutted, bumpy hill climbs will have the suspension feeling like a yo-yo so the sensible thing is to go slower. Problem is you find yourself feeling short of power. Maybe if I threw a 50 tooth or something in the back then this might not happened so much. Even with that it will still be a 300 pound fish out of water.

Guoseph - thanks for that list. It sure is alphabet soup!

Question - which bike do you all think is the best hybrid do it all? Easy/noob MX + single track + some gnar if I can find it? I have no plans to do 20 foot jumps just small stuff, berms, and playing a little on track. I'm too chicken for the big stuff, cool as it looks.

Eric B - :thumbup

 

[byke]

Normally I'd say you're perfect for a YZ125, but otherwise I'd recommend a 250 XCF, there's no way you wouldn't love it.