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| Deepsky |
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Deepsky
Derestricted Danger
Joined: 07 Feb 2012
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 Posted: 17:16 - 08 Feb 2012  Post subject: Trying to reach a verdict for my next bike... |
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Hey guys.
Finally getting back round to getting a new bike this year - been long enough, I can't stand it any more without a bike 
Thing is, I really can't make my damn mind up and was wondering if people had any useful insight to the bikes I have in mind or possibly bikes I've not considered...
Basically, my last bike was a Honda xr400r. Brilliant bike, had it all sorted, edelbrock pumper carb, stage 2 hotcams, fmf titanium 4 exhaust, full customised suspension - the works. Loved it to bits (cant believe i had to sell it really  )
But I'm looking for something similar but with a bit more poke.
I have been considering the XR650 which would be ideal for alot of the road riding I will be using it for but is possibly bordering on the heavy side for the off-road use. Plus, it was nice that i could get my XR400 on the local mx track, bugger off putting a 650 round it! 
Really, whatever I get needs to be able to take alot of road riding & hooliganism which will be it's primary function - I'm not too bothered about running it out at top end cruising about as it will mostly be for hacking around local country lanes and the odd short run into town and back which isnt far and is mostly 30's and 40's. As long as it'll do 60 comfortably.
But i need something that's going to stand up to some off-road as well. I know the XR400r tecnically wasn't really a mx bike and tbf, it seriously pushed me to my own limits of endurance chucking it about and was totally masochistic on the times I did take it to the track as it was heavy but was still a hoot showing up all the little cocky shits on their posh kx's and yz's that mummy and daddy bought them but can't ride for shit 
best thing as was i could ride there and back as well as I had the endurance acerbis fuel tank so it'd run for a good while.
But yeah, my other current options are possibly a yzf426 (modded for road, obviously) or the suzuki drz400 which I've read good things about but again, I would really like something a bit more pokey.
Just wondering what you guys might suggest?
As long as it's not a KTM I'm all ears   |
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| Fizzer Thou |
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Fizzer Thou
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Quote Me Happy
Joined: 15 Jan 2005
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| Deepsky |
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Deepsky
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Joined: 07 Feb 2012
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| Posted: 22:09 - 08 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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| Fizzer Thou wrote: | https://i467.photobucket.com/albums/rr33/mickjphotos/Picture685.jpg
How about a Husaberg 570 if price is no object?
I love my XR400 so much I kept it when I bought myself a KTM 450 as well.Great bikes both. |
Yeah I knew after I sold my XR it was a bad mistake... Especially after I'd spent so much modding it!
Ah well easy come, easy go eh.
Hm, Husaberg... Definitely not something I'd thought of - heard good things about them in the past but can't say I'm too up on their models and specifics, just had a poke about on google and utoob and the 570 looks to be a beast of a machine. Will do some reading up and give it some thought, thanks.
Do you know much about them, maintenance wise, running costs, reliability?
Tried looking on ebay for prices but they don't seem to be all that common.
| Joe wrote: | Rather than a do it all bike how about two cheaper bikes - one for the road and one for the dirty stuff?
A two stroke enduro bike for the muddy stuff and something suited for the road. I wouldn't like to ride a highly nick-able offroader into town and leave it unattended.
That way you get something good in the mud and good on the road, rather than something that's OK on both. |
Hm, if I could I would have two bikes but it's the cost of having to run, insure, tax, mot both. Plus I've not really got the space.
I'm not really to worried about leaving my bike anywhere - I don't go into town all that often and if I do I'm not there for long and have a chain & disclocks which I use to secure my bikes up with.
I work out in the sticks so if I ride into work it'll be tucked away in the workshop safe and sound anyways, I have a car for if I need to go anywhere for extended periods or anywhere 'dodgy' so...
And sorry, no two-strokes 
I'm a 4 stroke thumper man
Plus, there's just simply nothing more satisfying than hooning around on asphalt like a hooligan on a crosser/enduro  |
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| drzsta |
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drzsta
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Joined: 20 Apr 2009
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| Posted: 06:31 - 09 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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WR450, muff said - bulletproof engine, good power.
Ally frame or steel won't matter to you really, Had from new since 2004 to 2011. Never missed a beat!
(P.S. I now have a KTM and I don't like it! - it's not a yam  )
____________________
Current Bikes - BMW S1000RR ‘17 & KTM 690 SMC-R ‘12 |
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| Deepsky |
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Deepsky
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| Posted: 08:34 - 09 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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| drzsta wrote: | WR450, muff said - bulletproof engine, good power.
Ally frame or steel won't matter to you really, Had from new since 2004 to 2011. Never missed a beat!
(P.S. I now have a KTM and I don't like it! - it's not a yam ) |
I know some people love KTM's to bits but personally I'm really not a fan.
Some people say that they're unreliable but my mate's two bikes seem to be fairly reliable, possibly not built to the same standard as i would expect, but it's just the parts that are the issue, way more expensive than most other manufacturers.
Plus, organge... Ick.
WR450 - yeah definitely something that would be ideal tbh, i know I said yz426 in the original post but I actually meant wr450  (fail, i know. Give me a break though, I'm a honda man )
From reading it seems that it will comfortably handle all the road bashing it will get, bone stock top end around 80mph so it will comfortably sit at 50/60mph down the little lanes around here and have plenty more poke than my old XR.
Nice and common too and still made so can get a newish one - what is reliability on these like?
I had a yamaha xj600 once and it was as reliable as a rock - is yahama still good? |
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| G |
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G
The Voice of Reason
Joined: 02 Feb 2002
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| Posted: 10:23 - 09 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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What's your budget, first?
I haven't found KTM parts to be that much more expensive than others. Thanks to them doing a good job of standardisation, you can conveniently mix and match a lot of second hand bits.
Husaberg is a good shout*. As is a similar Husky.
How about a CRF450X if you're a Honda fanboi? Pretty sure the 450 replaced the 650 as Honda's Baja bike.
The 2 stroke enduros tend to handle motocross tracks a bit better.
Were it me, I'd go for a small 2 stroke enduro for dirty stuff, then a big 4 stroke enduro for the road stuff.
Well, lies. I'd go for another 2 stroke actually .
Do you have access to a 4 wheeler than can take a bike to track?
A cheap
* Shhhhs, no one tell him they're owned by KTM! |
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| Deepsky |
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Deepsky
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| Posted: 15:38 - 09 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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| G wrote: | What's your budget, first?
I haven't found KTM parts to be that much more expensive than others. Thanks to them doing a good job of standardisation, you can conveniently mix and match a lot of second hand bits.
Husaberg is a good shout*. As is a similar Husky.
How about a CRF450X if you're a Honda fanboi? Pretty sure the 450 replaced the 650 as Honda's Baja bike.
The 2 stroke enduros tend to handle motocross tracks a bit better.
Were it me, I'd go for a small 2 stroke enduro for dirty stuff, then a big 4 stroke enduro for the road stuff.
Well, lies. I'd go for another 2 stroke actually .
Do you have access to a 4 wheeler than can take a bike to track?
A cheap
* Shhhhs, no one tell him they're owned by KTM! |
Budget is not really an isue per se, but I would ideally be looking to spend around the 3-3,500 mark or less. Obviously will be second hand and am looking for something low mileage, good condition and around 4-5ish years old which is fairly reasonable.
Yeah i have a car & trailer but I don't really hit the mx track up very often, so it's a bit pointless getting another bike purely for that purpose (even if it's a wrecker), might as well just get an all-round jobbie that I can blat round every now and then. I won't be doing anything too manic - My XR400r stood up to being abused on a mx track even though its an enduro so im sure any of the other bikes talked about in this thread would be able to take the odd afternoon out except for the xr650... Which I'm sure could probably handle it, but I probably couldn't. Those things are pigs 
Plus I have some space issues which isn't going to change any time soon as it stands, any bike I get is going to have to live in the utility room
Most of the riding I'll be doing will be fields, woods & forest with some green laning & maybe a bit of sandy stuff every now and then, plus of course plenty of road bashing.
I was hoping as well if anyone could offer some insight or experience of any of these bikes as well - how they ride, any issues to look out for, how are they for servicing and self-repair, are they as hard as nuclear nails or as soft as a choir boy's arse? |
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| boundy |
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boundy
Nearly there...
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
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| Posted: 19:50 - 09 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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I've owned a few off road bikes so I'll give a you my view of what I've had
1992 Honda CRM 250 - great little bike, very good road manners at the expense of being not as focussed off road. Makes a great little trail bike.
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s95/boundy69/Motorbikes/28082009045-1.jpg
2004 GasGas EC300 - What a stonker of a bike, power of the 2 stoke with the traction of a 4 stroke, rubbish on road unless you want to go balls out, then its really fun, would be a great bike if bits didn't keep falling off.
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s95/boundy69/Motorbikes/IMG_0036.jpg
2002 KTM EXC400 - The ultimate all rounder, loved this bike to bits, would do the enduro loop at Four marks track no problem, spend a day at Ashdowm MX track or 100 miles of green lanes across Salisbury Plain. It pulled like a train, was good on fuel and never let me down.
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s95/boundy69/Motorbikes/2011-08-11163610.jpg
2000 KTM EXC250 - only just got this one so can't really comment on how good it is.
Don't rule out an EXC400, they are that good. Handy for me as I live 3 miles from a KTM dealer. Not sure what you mean about them being expensive, so many parts are interchangeble with other models it makes it nice and easy to get bits, especially as every other bike you pass on a trail is orange, so if you do break down some one will be along shortly with the bit you need.
Don't forget, regardless of what bike you get, they will all feel like crap on the road with Enduro tyres fitted.
There is no perfect all rounder, go out test a few bikes, see what you like, don't rule out anything untill you've had a go. |
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| Fizzer Thou |
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Fizzer Thou
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| Deepsky |
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Deepsky
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| Posted: 12:38 - 12 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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Thanks for all the repluies guys but as it turns out a second option has presented itself...
It's ironic, isn't it... As soon as I start thinking about getting a bike one pops up from nowhere and lands in my lap
It's not really what I was going for, but a friend managed to grab an XJ600 at an INSANELY low price for me which is identical to the divvy I had years ago...
I have a soft spot for the divvy's so I couldn't say no
12k miles, not a single blemish at all, just needs a bit of paint. £350.
So I guess I'll be hacking the divvy about for the time being and see what the future brings I guess  (hopefully a bigger house with a garage so I can have more toys! )
As a plus, this divvy at £350 still leaves me with plenty of beer money! |
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 14 years, 35 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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