want to get into offroading, good starter bike?

[salty21]

Looking to get into offroading and and could do with a few recommendations on bikes as i have no idea on what models to search for on ebay. I will be using the bike for greenlanes and local mx tracks. I dont have a car license and wouldnt be able to trailer it anywhere so it needs to be road legal, but it also need to be able to cope with jumps and harsh bumps.

I have about £1200 to spend so not a great deal and ideally would want a 400 4stroke or a 250 2 stroke.

any ideas?
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04 NSR 125(sold) ---- 03 CBR 600rr(sold) ----90 pan euro ST1100 '' ----02 CG 125
94 CB400 Super Four ---- 2000 VTR SP1 (sold) ---- 08 ninja p8f(sold, meh) ----05 CBR600rr

[drzsta]

Any "green lane" bike is going to be shit on an MX track.
My KTM is waaaaay too soft to go at any decent pace.

I'd personally go for a wr450, I sold our '04 Wr that we had from new for 1200, admittedly it had been used for enduros all it's life but that's what the WR's are great at - just keep ploughing on. They also trump an XR in power and general rideability when making good progress on the track.
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Current Bikes - BMW S1000RR ‘17 & KTM 690 SMC-R ‘12

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

XR250 or XR400 for that money. They will struggle on an MX track, as will the majority of "green laning" bikes IMO.

For me I think you're better off looking at green laning/ enduro bikes. Enduro will pose no problems for your XR400/250, then upgrade as you can afford it/decide if you like it.
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My Flickr

[69chris]

i was looking at all sorts of different bikes to replace my crm, after seeing and trying a few xr's i ended up with a drz400e..........as its leccy start and kickstarts are ruthless evil things
got mine for 1100 with a years t+t, new tyres etc and i love it, its perfect for my epic greenlaning exploits




ok, that last bit may not be totally truthful but its plenty good enough for me

[salty21]

cheers guys, will keep an eye out for those mentioned

Any thoughts on a crf 250. Seems to be a couple going for slightly over budget, but i dont mind paying a bit more for one as they look more fit for purpose than other offerings
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04 NSR 125(sold) ---- 03 CBR 600rr(sold) ----90 pan euro ST1100 '' ----02 CG 125
94 CB400 Super Four ---- 2000 VTR SP1 (sold) ---- 08 ninja p8f(sold, meh) ----05 CBR600rr

[Kradmelder]

for what you call green laning, the Honda XR, or a range of KTMs. For thye MX track, you will need a plastic bike
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[salty21]

have a friend of a friend who is selling a GASGAS EC300 pretty cheap.

Have a few questions for anyone in the know.

How hard is it to find parts for these? I've had a quick look on ebay and there are a few bits and bobs but not a great deal. I imagine theres better places to go for offroad bike parts but i wouldnt have a clue where to look

how reliable are they, any reason why i couldnt use one for occasional commuting?

Are these pretty highly strung bikes that need rebuilding after a couple of rides? I dont mind the spannering as 2 strokes are a doddle to work on compared to some of my other bikes, it would be the cost of parts and running bits in that frustrate me.

any info much appreciated, cheers
____________________
04 NSR 125(sold) ---- 03 CBR 600rr(sold) ----90 pan euro ST1100 '' ----02 CG 125
94 CB400 Super Four ---- 2000 VTR SP1 (sold) ---- 08 ninja p8f(sold, meh) ----05 CBR600rr