What bike for green laning?

[TravisBickle]

My son and I are looking into testing the water with a bit of green laning.

The first things we need are a couple of bikes, I suppose, before we start looking at kit and meeting up with a local group.

We just want something with as minimal maintenance as possible, something we can just push the button and it goes, every time!

So we're looking at 2020 onwards, 4-stroke EFI measured in miles, not hours. Probably prefer Jap, slightly put off by the reliability concerns of KTM and Husqvarna but not gonna rule them out completely - and the KTM lineup and naming scheme is complicated to say the least, it's somewhat overwhelming when you look at their website! Actually all manufacturer's naming schemes are confusing, but KTM especially.

Not ruling out brand new either.

Also I'm slightly confused by the different terms used to refer to different types of bikes, i.e.:
Dual Sport
Enduro
Trail

Are they all basically the same thing?

Clearly it's got to be road legal for green laning.

With these prerequisites in mind, what are the options?

From the small amount of research I've done so far it seems to be pointing towards the CRF300 or the WR250/WR450 and that's about it.

I'm also very confused about the naming schemes from the different manufacturers, can someone explain these to me please?

HONDA:
As far as I can tell, anything that's intended to go anywhere near the dirt starts with CRF. The numbers obviously indicate engine size. Suffixes that exist are:
F
L
R
RX
Can someone explain what all these mean? Looks from my untrained eye that anything that does not end with an L is not road legal.

KAWASAKI:
From the apparent lack of a headlight on any of their models, don't appear to currently make anything road legal.

All start with either KX or KLX. If none of them are road legal I don't suppose it matters what the suffixes mean, but out of curiosity, what do the following mean?
F
L
R
X
Some don't have a suffix which is also confusing!

SUZUKI
Appear to only have two bikes listen on their website (RM-Z250 and RM-Z450). I assume these are both not road legal and the no-longer-sold in the UK DR would have been the road legal versions?

YAMAHA:
I assume anything starting with YZ, TT or PW is not road legal. So I'm looking at the WR lineup?
Some of the bikes have F as a suffix and some have none, what does this mean?

WR450 appears to be only a few extra KG more than the WR250... and both are WAY lighter than the CRF300 not to mention much more power. Is it fair to say that either the WR250 or the WR450 would make for a better green laner than the CRF300 due to the significant weight difference?

Looking for some education here. Some, if not all of these questions may seem pretty dumb, but that's how you learn is by asking questions. I didn't grow up around dirt bikes so none of this stuff is obvious to me. Grateful for any input!
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2007 Yamaha FZ1 S Fazer
2021 Honda CMX500 Rebel S
2016 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport

[doggone]

The Honda 250L is a good one if not that experienced but benefits from more off road orientated tyres and down gearing by changing sprockets.
The rear shock can be improved I still haven't done mine 10 years on but I aren't all that heavy.
Lots about well under £3k used as people are trading in for 300L

[stinkwheel]

Or look at other makes who are more offroad specific like SWM and Beta.

Beta do one called a x-trainer which is kind of halfway between an enduro and a trials bike. A very capable and forgiving offroader.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Ayrton]

I just started green laning this summer on my CCM 644 and just bought a KTM excf 350 because it's too damn heavy. I wouldn't go for a 450, from what I read they will be too powerful and will tire you out for no real benefit. Stick to the 250s.

My vote would be for a WR250, it's lighter than the Honda CRF, has better suspension (the CRF suspension sucks and you need to get heavier springs) and the service intervals are longer than you'd get on something lighter like a KTM. Lots of good riders in my local TRF group love the CRF though so it's definitely not a bad bike to start on either but I just cant see the benefits over a WR250.

My brother has a KLX 250. It's alright and pretty much the same sort of thing as a CRF with slightly better suspension I think. They aren't super common here though and we never got the 300 here which would make up for the crap power it has.

Join the TRF too and then join your local TRF facebook page to find the meets. I was quite surprised how different it is to road riding when I started and those guys were really helpful

[Jon-W]

Id seriously consider the Honda XR400. They are appreciating in price these days though.

[om15]

Himalayan, can't beat it.
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Alcohol doesn't solve problems, but neither does milk

[Kentol750]

The new himalayan looks promising, 40bhp puts it in drz400 territory (if only we could still get them here).
Wr250 and the like are a bit heavy on maintenance and the letters are confusing, basically honda do a road legal crf450 or 250 but they're pricey and more like road legal comp bikes (wr same).
Crf300l is the bike for someone wanting user friendly and relatively cheap compared to the rest.
I'm waiting for the new 450 himalayan as the extra bhp will make it the pick of the bunch if you need to do more than green lane it.
Had a klx450 a few years ago, was a kx with lights and number plate!
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Some bikes.

[bugeye_bob]

the Yam TT is very road legal, I love mine lol

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

klx
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[stinkwheel]

CT125. Go anywhere, I was beaten in a competitive trial bya 65 year old on one.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Just remembered something about the KLX250 - it won't take a can; there's loads about it on the ADV rider forums. It just won't idle and will catch you out on tricky bits where you're thinking hmm, i did this without a dab on my old bike so should be fine on this one. You probably won't be unless you're on the oem system. Delkevic says no mapping or anything like that required, just slip it on. Yeah - that's b*ll*cks. I wasted money. Should've drilled down into the ADV rider KLX specific thread before hand.

Other than that it's okay.
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Fizzer Thou]

Having owned a Honda XR400 for many years and then riding a friend's KTM 400-RFS-EXC I was very impressed by the lightness and especially that magic button for the starter.I will never go back to having no electric boot on a dirt bike.

As for which bike?Choose something popular so that if you do not enjoy getting dirty and having to spend ages cleaning the bike and all of the gear,that you will not lose much.
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[jeffyjeff]

I suggest a scrambler such as the Honda CL300 or CL500, or maybe one of the new Triumph 400X Scramblers when they come out later this year. Really, any of the Triumph Scramblers would fit your needs nicely.
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History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men - BOC

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[ajag]

Do you have a lot of green lanes accessible where you are? Also, are they very flat? Would the day consist on a lot of tarmat riding between bits of dirt roads?

Something to keep in mind when picking a bike or getting into green lanning.

When I got in my mind I wanted a dirt bike, I did all the research about the bike, built the whole idea of green lanning so much in my head that I ended up with a 250 two stroke enduro bike. Had I done any research about the green lanes in my area I would have realised that a 4 stroke would have been more suitable for me as for what I have around me is small pieces or dirt roads between large sections of tarmac roads which is not really what I was looking forwards to.

My options are now to:
1.- Get rid of or change the bike (more sensible option)
2.- Put the bike on the trailer that I also bought and go ride somewhere else (now this has just become a chore)
3.- Ride the bike on the road a long distance to get to a decent green lane (Pain in the ass)

So basically the bike is sitting in the garage not being used at all. My point is, make sure you have plenty of places to use the bike around where you like so it does not become a chore to use the bike
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Street Triple