Ok i am 16 years old and have a budget of $5000.

I cant get anything above a 125 and i was wondering which brand/model would be best for a beginner but still be very fast and perform well.

Also when you suggest something can you say what the top speed it?

And do most bikes have a speedometer?

-Thanks

1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
6 foot 125 pounds
2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
Medium on both
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
with friends, or off roading
4) Do you have any riding experience?
Nope
5) Do you think you will race ?
No, if I do it will be small racing.
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
Not really
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
Dont know
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
Not sure
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike?
up to $5000
10) Do you live in California?
Yes
11) Your age?
16

First! dirt bikes do not have speedometers... nor do they need them. Second, it is really hard to tell the top speed of a bike bcause it can be DRASTICLY altered for 30$ and Ten minutes work.
ok.. now for bikes
you said that you are limited on size.. so im going to explain the differance between a 2 stroke and a 4 stroke.
A two stroke will have roughly twice the peak horsepower of a fourstroke that is the same CCs for example: you have a 125 two stroke and a 250 four stroke, the two stroke will have the roughly same peak horsepower.
but, the four stroke is alot easyer to ride and will speed up the learning curve slightly.
Now for bike sugestens.
all of the Japanese main four (honda yamaha suzuki and kawasaki) are excelent bikes.
I would look for a nice 125 two stroke from any of these brands.

Your 6 foot and 125 pounds? I would agree with the 125, Any of the four main Japanese bikes are great and KTM also has really nice bikes.

The first thing you need to do is stop thinking about top speed when you are thinking dirt bikes, especially as a beginner. Any bike will have the capability of getting you going a lot faster than your skill can handle. You can always gear up to go faster but you trade off low end torque, which you are going to need for climbing hills.

Can you explain the 125cc limit a bit? Is that what your parents have said or did that come from some other source? If you are limited to 125cc then you definitely want a two stroke as you are way too big for any 125cc four stroke. You might want to go back to the source of that limit and see if it could be 125 two stroke or 250 four stroke.

As 2storkesrock said, dirt bikes don't typically have speedometers. There are models that are technically "dual sport" bikes that are capable of being street legal and therefore have a speedometer but I wouldn't recommend getting a dual sport as your first off road bike.

Since you live in California you need to become familiar with the "red" and "green" sticker issues. Unlike most other states, California requires all off road vehicles to be registered and they will get either a "red sticker" or "green sticker" based on their smog emission equipment, or lack there of. A red sticker bike is limited in the season that it can ride in the public OHV areas. Any two stroke, 2003 or newer will be a red sticker bike and many of the four stroke MX bikes are red sticker as well.

The good news is that a bike 2002 or older is grandfathered into a green sticker so if you decide on a two stroke you may want to look for a 2002 model. It is a real bummer when your friends all want to go to a state OHV park but you can't go because it isn't red sticker season.

Many people who ride in the desert get away with cheating the rule as the desert typically doesn't have much enforcement. As a result you will find a lot of bikes for sale that don't have any sticker / registration at all. I recommend that you buy a bike that is properly registered as it can save you a lot of trouble later down the road.

Here is a link to the California DMV website that will provide more information:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/ohvredgreen.htm

With your budget you should be able to buy a really nice bike and all the necessary gear to go with it. As a minimum you need:

Helmet
Boots
Googles

I also highly recommend:
Gloves
chest protector
knee pads

A good pair of riding pants will stand up to the falls you are likely to have a lot better than jeans will.


Rod

With no riding experience, I wouldnt recommend getting a 2 stroke larger than a 125. To answer your question about the top speed of different bikes, the answer is faster than a beginner can go without breaking their neck. Like Rod said, its not all about top speed, especially for a beginner.

my parents said 125 is the highest i can go but, i might be able to convince them to let me have a
2009 CRF230L.


I know id get a bunch of safety gear but would this bike be a green or red sticker?

Also what do you think of the bike?
Is 4 stroke bad or something?

4 strokes arent bad at all. Personally, I prefer 4 strokes, although opinions vary. I think the CRF230 would be a good first bike and it will run for a long time. I would imagine that the 230 would be more "sticker friendly", but I dont live in CA, so Im no expert on that topic. Keep in mind that a 2 stroke and a 4 stroke are two different animals. A CR125 (2 stroke) will be quicker than a CRF230, its all about engine design, not necessarily displacement (cc - cubic centimeters). For example, think of an Indy car....those engines are very small, but they can run 220 mph.

4 strokes are good beginner bikes because they have power all the way through. The 2 strokes get their power once the RPMs get up and can be a bit harder to ride. For trails and all a 4 stroke would probably suit your needs best. I am not sure about the 230, someone else on here would be better to tell you about which one.

does anyone have AIM and would be willing to answer some questions?

being 6' tall at 16yrs old, I don't think the CRF will have the suspension you need. If you can convince them to get the 230, you might as well go for an XR250. A little more power than the 230 but an all around better bike. The 230 also has that garbage drum rear brake.

You're folks really need to get off this "125cc max" thing. Show them some of these posts. We'll learns em somethin. A 125 4 stroke is built for 10yr olds. Just stand next to one... A 2 stroke 125 race bike will run laps around an XR250. The XRs are great learner bikes and the 250 has head and tail lights if you're feeling froggy at night.