Which Bike To Get?

[XR6T8080]

gday,

ive decided its been too long between drinks as far as motorbikes are concerned and thought I would accessorise my XR6 turbo with a nice YZ426 or wr400 or something like that... but since its been a while since ive owned a bike I thought I would ask the members and see what they think.

I was tossing up between a second hand yz426f, or a WR400 / 450 im not going 2 stroke because I cant be bothered with the running costs of a 2 stroke bike. Can somebody tell me the difference between these two bikes? if there is any real difference?

im looking at mostly enduro sort of trail riding, I might even look at an XR400, however I have riden an XR250 and wasnt fond of the riding position when sat down, im looking at around the 400cc range, im 85kgs, and spending probably between $3500, to $6500 on the bike.

Any advice would be helpful.

Wes

Gold Coast

[turtle33]

how tall are you? what skill level are you?

man the wr400 and the 426 for that matter is getting on and the matainence will be 3-4 times that of the xr or any 2 smoker for that matter. Make sure you get a rego'd bike that way you will have heaps more places to ride. If you want a thumper than make sure it is electric start. Answer the first 2 questions and I will start to suggest bikes,

[XR6T8080]

my skill level would be a 5 / 10

ive always had larger cc bikes, and 4 strokes, from what I know 2 strokes are just lots of maintenance, constant rebuilds etc, coz of the higher revs. and no low end torque for water and mud, but correct me if im wrong.

most of the 426's im looking at only have a few 1000' ks on them, and some of them havnt even been taken off road, for anywhere between 3 - 6 grand. since im no where near a professional rider im not going to shell out big bucks for an 07' anything.

the last bike I had was a TT350 which was fun, but pretty heavy.

[xrdreaming]

A good mate of mine as a WR426, it's got some real snot about it. He never as any problems with it reliability wise, it has been a great bike

[AceofSpades]

In my opinion, if you wanta yamie, get the best condition WR450 you can for the money. nothing beats the electricl leg when trying to kick the bitch over! I just sold my WR400 and stepped up to a GasGas 450. mmm efi and eleccy leg!..

if you do get a WR dont just get on it and go WFO!, be gentle until your used to it, cause if they arent jetted right they have a laggy type power delivery

[turtle33]

the 426 is a total bitch if you not a good rider, the wr450 is tame in comparision. 5/10 a drz400/klx400 (same bike) is the weapon of choice. Your idea of 2 strokes is a fair way off. The new hypo 4t's need constant matainence valve clearances, oil filter changes 300-500ks and the list goes on. Dont be fooled into thinking that because the bike is lighter than it will be easier to ride, all the new light weight machines are a handfull and will kill you in a blink of an eye. The drz is considered a bit old school (conventional forks etc) but believe me you can ride it all day (comfy seat) do 1000k oil changes and it will just tractor up any hill. I laugh at all there so called experts in the bush who must have the latest and greatest and say that this bike is sh*t, mines so good cause its 5kg lighter and has xxx hp. Man if you really think 5kgs is goin to make a difference on a 220kg+ rider and machine, then I really dont have time to listen to the dribble coming out of their mouths. I see it all the time in the bush, the local "metal mulisha" fuktards look the goods but are total spastics when it comes to the 1st hill. They dont like it when you come past them at 120+ on the back wheel and slap their helmets. Dont get a bike that is 10 classes ahead of you, you will get sick of picking it up and repairing it. Ps: save $1000 atleast for gear. The whole point of riding is to have fun and come home safe not to see who can crack 150 in the car park. I rode a 1989 kdx200 with 7000k's on the clock with a top speed of 85k/hr and still had it straped down and in the yoot waiting before the 1st 06 ktm 450 even rolled in and the course was only 9.5k long. Ride every bike you can and pick the one that is most suited to you not the one that scares you the most.

for 6.5 k you should be able to get an almost new drz/klx.

[Chooka]

The Turtle man speaks some truth and concur with everything he has said!!! DRZ is bullet proof and won't bite!!

You are off the mark on the 2 bangers though as Turtle said, the new for stroke race bikes IE CRF, RMZ Etc blow up constantly and are shocking for anything else but pro supercross/motocross riders who don't mind the rebuilds. Think like 4g's to repair one of these compared to 500 bucks Max for a 2 stoke pistion and rings.

This is why I just bought one of the last ever 2 stoke CR 250's, much better bike for what I want.....

Chooka

Edited 02/04/07 10:21 PM by Chooka

[tmac450]

Dirt biking is a great sport to get into.

You are right that 2 strokes need more regular maintenance than a 4 stroke, but 2 stroke motors a basice and generally need rings and pistons every now and then. They are easy to self maintain and cheap. A complete 2 stroke rebuild would be a few hundred dollars.

While the new 4 strokes are reliable and don't need maintenance as often, when they do they are complicated and expensive with the most common being valve replacements etc. A fourstroke rebuild will almost always be in excess of $1,000.

With trail acess these days, whatever you get, aim for a registered bike. You'll have so many mor places to go, and if you get the right one, they are good enough for track work as well.

The Yamahas are good with the 450 or 250 fs being the pick of the lot. With dirt bikes, bigger isn't better and at your skill level you'll go better on something that's easier to ride. Look at the type of riding you want to do. If it's tight trails or track work then a 250 f is the go. More open trails then look at a 450. Electric start is also a must.

Also, don't be scared of enduro 2 strokes, they have heavier flyweels and are much milder to rider than a MX bike, but that said, you'll be able to relax more on a 4 stroke.

Don't limit yourself to one brand. KTM has been making bullet proof enduro bikes for years and tend to come with better components than the Jap machines, such as better exhaust systems, bars, chains, hydrulic clutches, etc.

The best advice I always give is to ride as many different bikes you can before you jump in and but something you don't like or aren't suited to.

[Chooka]

Sorry Tmac, don't share your sentaments on the KTM's, I think they have gone down hill the last few years.........

I would not be recomending a YZ 250F for the riding he would be doing, he is also on a budget buy sounds of it so I would not touch a KTM that fell into his price range.

best advise is ride as many as you can and talk to a many different people as possible as almost every person differs in what they want to be doing on a trail bike and what they think is the most fun!!

Enjoy!

Chooka

[tmac450]

Sorry Tmac, don't share your sentaments on the KTM's, I think they have gone down hill the last few years.........

I would not be recomending a YZ 250F for the riding he would be doing, he is also on a budget buy sounds of it so I would not touch a KTM that fell into his price range.

best advise is ride as many as you can and talk to a many different people as possible as almost every person differs in what they want to be doing on a trail bike and what they think is the most fun!!

Enjoy!

Chooka

I feel the same about the Hondas.

How could you possibly think the KTMs have gone backwards. Have you had one, have you done a direct comparison with one? What do you base your comments on? I don't think their SXs are much cop, but in the enduro market Euro is king. The other Euro brands are all good, but on a resale point of view you can't go past KTM. The jap bikes have become harder to work on, insist on over restrictive, heavy exhaust systems, poor , cheap chains and require more aftermarket parts to allow for personal rider adjustment. The new 250f KTM is without a boubt the most advanced 250 on the market, hardly a backawrd step! Look at two strokes and JTM are the first to introduce an electric start 2 stroke. With the KTMs ranking in the top 3 of pretty much every industry shoot-out around the world for the last 5 years, I'd hardly say they have gone down hill.

The Yamahas are the best of the Jap bikes but still have pathetic resale and need more money spent on them to get them up to scratch. In my experience (over 19 years of racing) the KTMs are cheaper than the Jap bikes because they don't need to be modified, they are the easiest to set-up to personal tastes and have a much higher resale value (buy and set up a WR for a season for around $13,500, sell it for around $9,000 at the end of the year, buy a KTM for around $12,500, no need for extras and sell for around $10,500 to $11,000 at the end of the year).

As you said (and I said earlier) different bikes suit different people. For the last 10 years the dirt bike industry has enjoyed a market where there are no bad bikes out there. It's pretty much a case where you can pick a favourite colour and you won't go wrong.