? for you dirt bike guys/gals

[boat boy]

Kid is currently looking at a Honda 450. I know nothing about dirt bikes otherthan my cousin use to race Husky's back in the 70's. We were at Chapperal MS yesterday and he was looking at the KTM's. Need your 2 cents.

[My Man's Sportin' Wood]

All I know is that Jeff (who has ridden and raced lots of bikes) said his next bike will be a KTM.
Our son just moved up from a 70 to a 125. He's 11 and thinks he's big sh!t now. :D

[Baja Big Dog]

Kawasaki 450....if your looking at an "X", If your looking for a "R" get the honda....and stay friendly with the local motorcycle mechanic!!!:D
Id tell him to step to man hood, and get a XR650, but they quit making them!!!!:mad:

[Tom Brown]

When ever I seek dirt bike advice, I always go to the Internet's foremost authority on the subject....
ThumperTalk.com (http://www.thumpertalk.com/)

[fatboy95]

Old memories racing, Husqvarna, Montessa, Greeves, Bultaco:)
Started with a 64 Honda 250 Scrambler

[boatnam2]

dont even ride anymore but the kid has had 3 450's this year and his pick is the red one.The yellow one and blue one be sure to get the warranty!

[KREGER]

I love my CRF 450 Honda. The best prices are at OTD Motorsports for sure!!
http://otdcyclesports.com/

[RiverRatMike]

YZ 450 is the only way to go. the best and you'll be doing the least amount of wrenching. Red, yellow, orange and green be sure to get a warranty.

[killerbeez]

If he is looking at ktm's have him check out ktmtalk.com.I have ridden pretty much every make out there and can honestly tell you that unless you are a near pro level rider,you will not be able to tell much a difference between any of them,just pick your favorite color. My last few bikes have ben ktm's and I loved every one of them. The cool thing about te ktm 450sx that it is an electric start. You really cant go wrong with the other 4 though,they are all good bikes.

[beach gomer]

Didn't know you could get a warranty on a CRF 450 R.

[Sleeper CP]

Kid is currently looking at a Honda 450. I know nothing about dirt bikes otherthan my cousin use to race Husky's back in the 70's. We were at Chapperal MS yesterday and he was looking at the KTM's. Need your 2 cents.
What is his riding experience? How old is he and what type of riding or racing does he plan on doing?
Sleeper CP
Big Inch Ford Lover

[Screemy1]

What is his riding experience? How old is he and what type of riding or racing does he plan on doing?
Sleeper CP
Big Inch Ford Lover
what he said.... what type of riding, and experiance.... unless he is a track only guy.... a side stand is a must out in the forests and deserts.... a wr or simialar..... it blows me away at peeps that do nothing but trail and woods riding.... but get "track" bikes.... and have him sit on a 250f, if he is a little guy, they have plenty of power and have a nice weight to them.... I have a friend with a KTM and he loves it.... yeah, he is a tail rider with a track bike too.... maybe I am getting old.... but electric start and a kick stand are important to me..... having electric start does not really add weight to a bike these days......

[Outnumbered]

I ride a KTM 450EXC and the bike is bullet-proof. The Honda 450 is also a great bike. Just about all the new bikes are super reliable. Just like was stated above pick a color:D I would suggest he rides a few bikes before he drops the coin for a new one. They all feel a little different.

[boat boy]

Thanks guys, but late last night he signed on the dotted line and bought the Honda 450. As for his experience I really don't know. He has several friends with dirt bikes and I'm sure he'll be riding with them. He has logged in several hours on 700 Polaris Sportsman.

[Racey]

Don't buy the honda if you ever want to put a headlight on it, I own one, it's now in peices in boxes at my shop because the oiling system sucks, poorly designed ignition stator windings melted and starved the bottom end of oil, They yamahas are alot better designed for longevity and accessories, they are Dry-Sumped, and aftermarket light kits don't interfere with the stock ignition system. The WR's are bitchin bikes, the YZ's with an E-line or Baja Designs Stator kit kick ass too, and you can run almost 200 watts of light off em.
Also have you considered the 250 four-strokes, They make tons of power, unless you are a helluva fast rider the 450 makes too much power to use, you never get the thing anywhere close to full throttle riding trails, making them sort of a handfull to ride because you are always weary of the throttle snapping on you. The 250's are faassst and you can ride them alot harder if you are a beginer-intermediate rider, I've talked to at least 5 people that originally bought 450's and then ended up going down to 250's after a couple seasons and they said they would never switch back, and these were 6 foot ~200lbs guys, not little horse jockeys. if i bought another bike it'd be a 250 next time, go ride one and you'll see what i mean about power.

[Baja Big Dog]

We run tours about every other weekend in Baja, and we allow customers to bring there own bikes, you will need to pass the crack pipe if you think the KTM is the way to go in Baja....they are an interesting group of people to watch, orange shirts, orange hats, orange helmets, orange panties etc etc etc...and the real riders are the ones that bling them out, holy crap had one guy bring his 525 down and he had at least 8-9 grand in this thing, we busted his balls the whole weekend, told him they just got in some spinners for the KTM's, and we ordered him a set!!!
They are great on Cabo trips, 1300 miles, and they change oil at least two to three times during the trip. Yea, ride 8 hours, and lay under your bike for two hours servicing it, not much fun. We have brought a few back on the trailer...
Were going to try some Kawasaki's, the new 450's look great, nice oil system looks like it should last better than the Honda's.
Cant beat the xr650's though, unfortunately they discontinued them this year...that sucks, too many people want the "Happy buttons" and don't like kicking a bike!!

[Sleeper CP]

Hey Baja,
I love my 650R. I have two friends that purchased 450x's last year. They both love them. They single track on them and ride Baja. They both actually ride their 450's better than they could ride the 650's.
One of them is a lot faster on his 450x. He says " because it is so much lighter it turns and brakes better than the 650 and the lack of weight doesn't wear him down like the 650"
I'll keep my lounge chair with horse power though.
Sleeper CP

[catman-do]

I had a honda and a Yamaha. I like the seat positioning better on the honda. However, when it came to suspension I couldnt tell the difference. The Honda was a little bit faster. (not much though). Ridden a 525 a few times and didnt like the feel of the rear susp.
I bought my 05' 450R at Hahm and payed 5900 OTD when they were trying to make room for the 06's.

[Dave C]

Thanks. this is what my buddy keeps telling me. I think I gonna pick up the CRF250x.
I'm the slow guy thats always last anyway... Besides whats the damn hurry anyway :D ;)
Also have you considered the 250 four-strokes, They make tons of power, unless you are a helluva fast rider the 450 makes too much power to use, you never get the thing anywhere close to full throttle riding trails, making them sort of a handfull to ride because you are always weary of the throttle snapping on you. The 250's are faassst and you can ride them alot harder if you are a beginer-intermediate rider, I've talked to at least 5 people that originally bought 450's and then ended up going down to 250's after a couple seasons and they said they would never switch back, and these were 6 foot ~200lbs guys, not little horse jockeys. if i bought another bike it'd be a 250 next time, go ride one and you'll see what i mean about power.

[n8dawg]

Its like asking which one is better- ford or chevy?
The word around here is that KTM's break down alot, I have a Honda CRF450R that just flat out rips! Tons of power and can keep right on the tail of most 650's. The "x" are more heavy than the "r" but make for a great trail bike. He's just going to have to pick one and see how he likes it.
Good luck.

[AZJD]

Honda!!! They spend the big R&D $$$$$$.

[GUGS102]

Looks like he has already chosen, but my suggestion is to try each out.
I like the 450 honda for durability , I dislike the ergonommics for long rides, for me it is too cramped. Had a 250X and it was okay until I rode the new KTM 250, nice bike.
Went 50 miles in the forest in Flagstaff on a KLX450 yesterday, REALLY liked the bike. Push button, light, add a plate and go anywhere you want.
Anymore they are all good bikes, get the one that is most confortable, if he really likes to ride make sure he checks the ergonomics standing rather than sitting, that's where the comfort needs to be!

[Baja Big Dog]

Hey Baja,
I love my 650R. I have two friends that purchased 450x's last year. They both love them. They single track on them and ride Baja. They both actually ride their 450's better than they could ride the 650's.
One of them is a lot faster on his 450x. He says " because it is so much lighter it turns and brakes better than the 650 and the lack of weight doesn't wear him down like the 650"
I'll keep my lounge chair with horse power though.
Sleeper CP
Yea the trend is towards the 450, With Cambell and his sidekick kicking everyones asses with the 450's its no surprise that they discontinued the 650. But for the average guy on a long Baja run the 650 will work better!! IMO

[Baja Big Dog]

Looks like he has already chosen, but my suggestion is to try each out.
I like the 450 honda for durability , I dislike the ergonommics for long rides, for me it is too cramped. Had a 250X and it was okay until I rode the new KTM 250, nice bike.
Went 50 miles in the forest in Flagstaff on a KLX450 yesterday, REALLY liked the bike. Push button, light, add a plate and go anywhere you want.
Anymore they are all good bikes, get the one that is most confortable, if he really likes to ride make sure he checks the ergonomics standing rather than sitting, that's where the comfort needs to be!
The KLX is the bomb, we have heard it from a number of sources, we are going to try to work a deal with them, need 20 bikes......we will see!!

[GUGS102]

The KLX is the bomb, we have heard it from a number of sources, we are going to try to work a deal with them, need 20 bikes......we will see!!
My brother in law is Destry Abbott so it was not exactly a stock bike. I would say the KLX is a very user friendly bike even for beginners. I think your customers would like that bike. It was ripping along and that was at 8000'.
Good luck. I may send you a PM we are thinking of Baja for a boys trip this winter. Can you send me a link to your info?
Thanks,
Gugs

[RiverRatMike]

Don't buy the honda if you ever want to put a headlight on it, I own one, it's now in peices in boxes at my shop because the oiling system sucks, poorly designed ignition stator windings melted and starved the bottom end of oil, They yamahas are alot better designed for longevity and accessories, they are Dry-Sumped, and aftermarket light kits don't interfere with the stock ignition system. The WR's are bitchin bikes, the YZ's with an E-line or Baja Designs Stator kit kick ass too, and you can run almost 200 watts of light off em.
Also have you considered the 250 four-strokes, They make tons of power, unless you are a helluva fast rider the 450 makes too much power to use, you never get the thing anywhere close to full throttle riding trails, making them sort of a handfull to ride because you are always weary of the throttle snapping on you. The 250's are faassst and you can ride them alot harder if you are a beginer-intermediate rider, I've talked to at least 5 people that originally bought 450's and then ended up going down to 250's after a couple seasons and they said they would never switch back, and these were 6 foot ~200lbs guys, not little horse jockeys. if i bought another bike it'd be a 250 next time, go ride one and you'll see what i mean about power.
Haha well I tried to warn him. Had a 02 CRF and the valves burnt up on me the first 20 hrs, and on top of that Honda wouldn't do any of the repairs. My YZ and WR 450's are awesome bullet proof bikes with 1000's of miles logged and not one single problem. :)

[Outnumbered]

Why does everyone love to slam the KTM? These bikes are damn tough. We beat these things on a regular basis riding the same Sonoran Desert that runs into Baja and I can tell you that they do not break-down alot, the parts are not hard to get, and they are not hard to work on. I have seen just as many guys wrenching and wiring their Hondas back together out in the desert as I have KTM's. I think it has a lot to do with how you set your bike up for the terrain that you ride and how well you maintain your bike.

[HPLavey]

I don't think they were slamming the bikes as much as the ridersthey are an interesting group of people to watch, orange shirts, orange hats, orange helmets, orange panties etc etc etc...and the real riders are the ones that bling them out,

[Outnumbered]

I don't think they were slamming the bikes as much as the riders
Hey, I resemble that remark:D

[killerbeez]

Hey, I resemble that remark:D
Hey,I am with ya.I am a track only rider and it seems to me that the honda is a great beginner bike because that is what all the slower guys ride,they ride there bikes like jetskiers ride at havasu,they just keep getting in the way and pose a dangerous threat to all other riders on the track.LOL:D
GO KTM

[Sportin' Wood]

http://www.race-dezert.com/cgi-bin/trader/atl.cgi?ct=2&md=second&id=11882
http://www.race-dezert.com/cgi-bin/trader/atl.cgi?ct=2&md=second&id=11438
I'm not really a brand loyalty kind of guy. But I want a lic plate on my next bike.
I like these two bikes the second does not have a plate but sounds damn nice. Some pretty good deals can be found used these days. The Distric 37 web site has a great for sale section.

[Caribbean Jet]

Kid is currently looking at a Honda 450. I know nothing about dirt bikes otherthan my cousin use to race Husky's back in the 70's. We were at Chapperal MS yesterday and he was looking at the KTM's. Need your 2 cents.
I ride a CRF 450 and its a great bike. KTM's are also great bikes and come pretty tricked out to start. They are a bit more expensive and the they are also a bit more to service. My buddy rides a KTM 525MXC and another rides a 525EXC and its a pain to change their oil. Look at all of the bikes and unless he chooses a Gas Gas or some other Chinese bike he will be fine.