A friend of mine wants to get in on the fun and get a dirtbike so he can ride with the rest of us. But what bike to get is a big problem. Here's why:

He's 15 and not the biggest kid around...around 5'10 135 lbs. He has basically no real experience with riding, other than a Quadsport 80 a few years ago. Obviously he needs a bike that he can learn on without the fear of getting hurt badly, or it being too hard to get the hang of it on. Problem? Well his had really isn't set on the idea to begin with, and he surely will not get him a bike this year, and then next year get him a better bike, as was the case with everyone else I ride with. So that certainly makes it difficult...

My friend Jordan and I both started on XR200s. They're great for around my trails, because the trails are slow and tight. Those bikes are easy to learn on, with just enough to punch to keep you excited and trying new things. But...they cannot hang with 125s, which is what everyone rides now, and they can't jump for the most part. It's probably the best bike for him to learn on, but down the road a few months, when he gets good, he's going to be upset because the bike simply cannot keep up, I know firsthand what that's like.

Two of my other friends started on TT-Rs. A TT-R 125 is too small in this case so that's out of the question. A TT-R 225 is in my opinion a very poor bike. It's slower, heavier, and worse in almost every aspect than an XR200 in my eyes and not a good choice for him.

So what's left? Well, as I said he has very little experience, hardly any, and putting him on a 125 would be very dumb I think. Why? Well anyone I know that tried to learn on a real bike like this got very discouraged and usually lost interest. It's not easy to learn the basics of riding on a bike that isn't made for cruising or going slow. They're perfect once you know how to ride, but in this case that doesn't apply.

I have a few thoughts in my mind right now...One is a 250cc, 4-stroke trailbike, such as an XR or a TT-R or a DR. They have strong, yet manageable power, and can hang with a 125 in the trails. They can even be jumped on most of the jumps we have. The one problem is their weight. He's not real hefty and picking one of these things up time and time again when you're learning (at least I had to pick my first bike up a lot) gets tiring for anyone. And with a 270 lb motorcycle, it doesn't get any easier. Plus the size itself is difficult to handle for a beginner, and the worst thing that can happen is for him to get discouraged and want to stop riding. This right now honestly though seems like the best option.

Option number 2 is a smaller MX bike. He talks about the KX100 a lot but I have my doubts. I know that with an 80cc bike, you really gotta rev it out to run it right, and the low end on it is just not there. Now that's not a problem once you know how to ride, but in learning, you don't want something that you're just going to keep stalling. When I ride, I'm constantly doing clutch work and keeping the bike in the optimum revs, it's like second nature now, but last year when I first started riding, it would have been a total chore to worry about the the bike running while also trying to balance and all that. I would imagine a 100cc two-stroke to be as difficult or even more so at first than a 125, simply because it would have less power out of the powerband range and would crave more revs, something that beginners seem to have trouble with. The good thing with this option is that he could basically ride anything we did after he got good, but my concern is, would he ever make it that far?

So it's a little more complicated than it should be, the best choices are basically out. Bottom line is he's got to find a bike that's easy enough to start on, but with plenty of room to grow to keep up and have fun as he gets better. What would you guys suggest? I really appreciate any advice. I cannot wait to see him get into riding.

I obviously don't know your friend, but I learned to ride on a YZ125 last year when I was 15 and loved it. I thought the power made it really fun and made me want to learn to master it in the woods, it definately didn't discourage me. Normally I wouldn't say this, but maybe a 125 is the best choice for him. Especially if you and all his friends ride them, you can help him learn.

Yeah, I really was thinking the same thing. The woods around my house are so small and tight, they're not even fun really on a 125, but about 10 minutes away are some real open trails with the jumps and everything and that's where we mainly ride. He can learn there.

How about looking at a KDX 200? Plenty of power to grow with, but docile enough to learn on and a very easy bike to ride slow for a beginner but he can grow for awhile with it.

I was thinking that too. But I thought it might run more like a 250 MX bike, and that wouldn't be good for starters.

jaypro,

That's the beauty of that bike. It is forgiving enough that a beginner can learn to ride on it and has enough potential to grow with a rider as their skills increase. As for running like a 250 MXer, well you can make them run ALOT better, but this bike will be much, much easier to ride for a newbie than either a 250 or 125 mx and will suit him longer than the XR 200. Besides that, the bikes are very reliable, lots of info on them( here at DRN and others) and the price of the bike and parts is relatively low.

Either that, or you don't want him to get a bike that'll spank your 125 in the woods! Just kidding, but I couldn't resist!

looking new or used? If you wait, can anyone say crf230?

I think the kdx is the best because it has good low end and it can be made to rev out hard when the time comes, from what i have seen the crf 230 looks more like an xr100 than the crf 450

Yeah, well now the plan may not be going off. His parents aren't too hot on the idea, mainly because they think he's doing it for a fad so they told him he would have to pay for it himself. So that would certainly mean used. Also abou the CRF230, I have to agree, it's just an XR200 with new plastic. And it's a good bit heavier too, it's made for competition with the TT-R 225 really, just like the CRF150 is made for the TT-R 125.

i have to disagree with both of you, from what I see its not a xr200,it has more 28cc and it has new suspension. only 15 pounds heavier that the 200.
it will be better than the xr's, it redesigned. Had to defend my hondas.
Sorry to hear about your buddy, wish my parent would have even offered to pay for mine. :silly:


wow those are BIG