Sorry, another 'what bike' thread...

[Wozza]

So I fancy a bit of greenlaning. I also want something I can ride to work on rainy days so the CBR can be kept dry. But as it would be a second bike, I don't want something that requires too much maintenance.

First question - 2 or 4 stroke?
I was thinking 4 stroke but then in ads I keep reading 'oil changed every other ride' - what's that about? Or would they have been proper motocross bikes?

So my requirements are:
- good for greenlanes
- good for road use (gearing etc)
- able to take road tyres on a spare set of wheels
- under £1k ?

I had been thinking of an XR400, does that tick my boxes?

Cheers,
Wozza

[silky666]

XR400 with spare set of wheels for under £1k .... Not a chance.
Even by the nirvana like state of G's second hand market, you wont find one for that.
Not one that doesnt require about £600 worth of work to be done.

How many road miles ?:
If its under 20 miles in one hit then any bike will be fine.
But if its more than that, then the 'enduro' focussed green lane bikes (WR/KTM/GG etc) will all give you a) a very sore arse, b) white finger/sore hands, c) head numbingly boring riding along at 75mph on a dual carriageway.

4 or 2 stroke ?:
The 2 strokes will be a real pain on the road. Noisy, smelly and burn plugs like I eat bourbon creams with my tea. They will also be buzzy and headachingly nasty to ride as a proper commute.

What you want is a large cc 4 stroke (WR450/400, XR400, KTM450 etc) ... Much more civilised to ride on the road ... and loads of low down torque and engine braking off road.
The oil changes take minutes, and on the WR and XR you will just need to do them every couple of months or so.
(I suspect the KTM may require them more often) ... But they are very easy and cheap to do.

To summarise: You need a Yamaha WR 400/426/450.
But you will need to up your budget to £1300 ish.
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There's nothing that shouts "Poor Workmanship" more than wrinkles in the Gaffa tape.

Gaffa tape is like "the force" - it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

[Sparks!]

You can have my XR440R for £1000
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Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[silky666]

[Wozza]

Cheers, I'll add the WR to my list. Any older models worth looking out for?

[Gazdaman]

I'd consider a KLR250, get a mint one for about £700. Good enough for everyday road use, good enough to rock some green laning.

Service intervals are massive, only makes about 30bhp.

That or an XR250, something like that.

Gaz

[Imonster]

[boundy]

What about a CRM250, they've got a lot more punch than the 4 stroke XR/TTR/KLR 250, still have massive service intervals and will sit at 75mph on a motorway with no bother

[Imonster]

Aye, CRM 250's are hella fun! Really enjoyed having a little blast on my mates one....
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Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

[Gazdaman]

Would depend on your height too, I rode a CRF230 on an off road day, and it was much too small for me. Good bike though, both on and off road.

Gaz

[Wozza]

I'm 5'10". Thanks for the offer Sparks, I did see your thread but I don't have the money yet, I'm on the verge of starting to save!

[roryntp]

i've recently-ish just bought a CRM 250 to use as an enduro/green laner/winter bike to save on using my CBR in the shitty weather and by all accounts it seems to have been the best choice i could have made.
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1996 VFR 750
1989 TZR 125

[G]

[Grendel]

Sorry for the thread hi-jack Wozza but didn’t see the point in starting a similar thread.

Basically could you get a small supermoto for similar price?

Reason being I have 600 Transalp which I kitted up to be able for green laning but never go off road and due to a shoulder injury find a bit heavy so looking for a bike with similar upright riding position but more road based and lighter?

Or is the price higher as soon as you add supermoto to the bikes name?
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Past bike: 2004 Hyosung Comet
Current bike: 1993 Honda Transalp
Transalp Page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=11418462079

[G]

But surely if you get a lighter bike you might actually want to ride off road - thus would want enduro sized wheels?

I've seen bodged XR400s with two sets of wheels (SM and enduro) advertised for under £1300. My DR600 with supermoto wheels cost me £630 or so, but did need a bit of work.

Generally 'supermoto' does mean more expensive as it tends to have rarer parts/parts bought by people with more disposable income.

[Grendel]

So supermoto are not really suitable as a all year comutter bike?
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Past bike: 2004 Hyosung Comet
Current bike: 1993 Honda Transalp
Transalp Page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=11418462079

[G]

Depends what commuting and what bike.
If it's got lots of motorways or fast dual carriage ways, I'd avoid.

I tend to filter through moderately tight spaces – so the wider bars on a trail style bike mean I physically can’t fit through some spaces which narrower sports bike bars will. Also, I find sports bike bars tend to be just below most mirrors, which trail bike bars tend to be similar height to MPVs, 4x4s and smaller vans.

[Grendel]

I tend to commute around 20 miles a day thought town.
I know what you mean about filtering and wide handle bars. I have the Dakar wide bars and raisers fitted on the Transalp and always get other bikes flying through gaps I know I can’t get through without taking bits of car with me.
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Past bike: 2004 Hyosung Comet
Current bike: 1993 Honda Transalp
Transalp Page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=11418462079