Getting into motocross

[MG]

Posted this in the offroad section but no replies, so:

Hi guys, just after some advice.

Did the Yamaha Off Road Experience at Golding Barn last weekend, it was my first go on an off road bike and I absolutely loved it. Having done quite a bit of mountain biking before, and knowing how to ride a motorbike really helped, and I felt like I picked up a lot over the course of the day.

Now to my question - I'm on placement from uni for the year, so I have some time and most importantly money to get an off road bike. I was looking at doing some trackdays on my CB but my restricted licence causes problems there, so I thought I'd look at going off road. I have flackwell heath and slough mx tracks not far from my house, so am I right in thinking that as a noob I can just get a bike and go there on a practice day and ride?

As to the bike, I'm looking at either a 125 2T or a 250F. I rode a YZ250F at the experience day, which felt very quick, but looking on ebay I see them coming in between £1600 & £3k. Ideally I'm looking to spend <£1500, so I've also been looking at a YZ125 or CR125. Obviously I'm not going to be racing the bike, and I have access to a workshop to maintain it, so which is the more suitable bike for a beginner? Any other suggestions would be great!

Thanks
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'03 Honda Cityfly 125 > '02 Honda CB500S > '98 Honda CBR600F

[TomGT]

DON'T try motocross, it's not off-road riding, it's getting 60ft air off jumps, it's 30 bikes converging on a corner about 10 feet wide.

I'd happily ride off road, but I'm not ashamed to say I don't have the bollocks to ride motox.

Some of the injuries people have are unbelievable. The worst was when a lad landed a jump badly, stood up to fetch his bike when another bike landed on top of him, then a third bike ran over them both, 2 fractured skulls, broken pelvises, cracked ribs, the third rider was paralysed from the waist down.

Another lad came off on a corner, and impaled himself on a chestnut fence.

This may be a sweeping statement but where jumps are involved I'd steer well clear.

Plus the expenses are ridiculous, those bikes cost about £4000, tyres need to be replaced after each weekend, and the engines seem to get rebuilt 4 times in a season. The thin shirts they wear cost about £50, and helmets aren't cheap either.
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1992 ZXR 400

[Joenitro]

I like yamaha yz 2strokes. For me they seem a bit more user friendly than some of the others and I think that a 250 is easier to ride than a 125.

Might be worth getting a flywheel weight to make the power delivery slightly less manic until you get used to it.

There are loads of motox practice tracks about but be prepared to be roosted by young kids. I think i'm quite tastey on a sportsbike but got my arse handed to me on my mx bike.

Make sure you get the best protective gear that you can afford as you will fall off.

[drzsta]

Get a 125 2t, learn to ride - then buy a 250f and ride it like your 125.


A 125 will be more than fast enough for a beginner.
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Current Bikes - BMW S1000RR ‘17 & KTM 690 SMC-R ‘12

[G]

Should be able to get a decent bike for that, still.
And yes, there will be plenty of days you can just turn up and ride providing you've got the very basics.

[MG]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far

[MG]

[Joenitro]

An xr400 is a lovely big but an absolute pig to start. I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I recommend a 250 2stroke cos they're far easier to ride than a 125. You don't have to be "on pipe" as much. They are also much cheaper than a 4stroke and easier to work on.

[MG]

[G]

Afraid I'm not that up on the specifics of different motocross bikes. (If you were talking enduro bikes I could offer mroe help ).

[MaybeGuy]

[Joenitro]

[quote="mikeyg143"]

[Joenitro]

[MG]

[MG]

[MaybeGuy]

[Joenitro]

Yeah your right. Thousands of xr owners are wrong

[Joenitro]

[MaybeGuy]

[andyscooter]

i work on a motocross track at weekends

we are just a practice track

we charge 24quid all day for adults and 16 for kids

im a bit out of your reach though as im in the midlands

a lot of our adults seem to start with an 85cc big wheel bike then go on to a 125cc

most off road 125cc bikes seem to be a hell of a lot quicker then the on road versions (im guessing they are not restricted like 2 stroke 125 road bikes)

i used to help on a race team as a mechanic we used to use a tyre every 4 races but we did enduro we also used to strip and clean and rebuild the engine every two races but the person that ran the team was loaded and had a cr400 and a rm250 both brand spanking new but that was about 15 years ago

we get people at our track not do much maintence in 14 meets that we have but they tend to break down and then want there money back

worse accident i have seen was a young lad died after jumping 30 foot high and then coming off the bike the bike came down on him and the handle bar went through his armour i said i would never work at a track again after that but im back on one

worst we have had in three years is a broken collor bone and a broken leg
will also advise that remember if you are working and you come off and hurt yourself in such a way you cant go to work they may refuse to pay you as you injured yourself doing somthing dangerous but riding a bike on the roads the same
also remember that you ride at your own risk at all tracks and DONT try and sue the owner

or turn up with no spares and break somthing and want their money back
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[G]

If you do want to do other sorts of riding, you could consider a 250cc enduro bike. These have a massively flatter power delivery than motocross bikes, so less worry about it flicking you off.
Almost as light as a motocross bike, but a bit longer service intervals, pretty much as good suspension and much easier to take greenlaning and on enduros etc.

[MG]

[MG]

[G]

There are a variety of places that do enduro 'track days', but less than motocross.
Have a look at 'enduro land' which moves around a bit and generally has some very nice tracks.

A 2 stroke enduro bike should be fine on jumps - they only weigh a little more than a motocross bike. Suspension is a little softer as standard to cope with different terrain, but I always found it was myself not the bike that was the limiting factor .

In some cases the enduro bike will have the same frame as a motocross bike - they're still designed to take serious abuse, as they'll have plenty of other nasty stuff to overcome - ie rock gardens etc.

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