Green Laning bike question

alliasjay · L Plate Warrior Joined: 04 Aug 2015 Karma :

Greetings fellow bikers.

I'm interested in getting into green laning and have been looking around at a decent bike to purchase.

I'm only 5'7 and weigh 60kg. I'm not the tallest of people so that kinda limits me on the sizes of bikes as I want to be able to put my feet down ofc.

I am considering a Honda XR400. Looking for something that I don't need to fully service after every ride out. It's only going to be used on roads to get to the green lanes so I don't really mind about top end performance, but something comfortable that will be ride-able for a full day enjoyable and good for any technical bits that the green lanes will be offering.

Are there any other bikes worth considering? I had thought about the Suzuki DRZ400, nice to have an electric start but at the cost of higher maintenance, slightly taller and heavier.

Any thoughts ideas or suggestions? Smile

Many thanks for your time

trevor saxe-coburg-gotha · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Nov 2012 Karma :

Wrong forum alert - possibly. XR400 is kick start only, and although it's got a decompression lever to save your right leg, they can still be a total bastard to relight once they've gone over. Bland though they may be, for a total novice a more recently made 250 4t would almost certainly be the better option. CRF250L or KLX250 - these also have the advantage of indicators, so make life on the road easier (assuming you're not going to trailer the bike to wherever you ride it). Hand signals are all well and good, but flashers are a fair bit easier.
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alliasjay · L Plate Warrior Joined: 04 Aug 2015 Karma :

I'm a very quick learner so the total novice title won't last for that long at all. So the bike doesn't really need to be for a total beginner.

It's just finding something that's a good height... not super heavy, preferably bulletproof and something that will provide a good amount of enjoyment Smile

oh and budget would be somewhere around £2000-£2500

thx1138 · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Karma :

yeah post in the Off Road forum.

I ride a CRF250L most of the time I green lane.

I've also used (as far as I can remember) CCM, CRF230, DRZ250, RV125, KMX125, DT125, GS650 Sertao, XR250, Suzuki Serow

The CRF250L has long service intervals. I like it, but it is a little heavy and lacking in ground clearance, and is built to a budget, for example levers don't hinge, front forks have oil damp one side and a spring on the other, so needs lots of upgrades, I tend to do them as and when. Mine now has bark busters, bash plate, haul loops, fork gaiters, carry rack, off road tyres, mousses.

I've binned the mirrors, and the tool box, the tool kit was hopeless for green laning, I've made my own up and use a Kreiga Dry PAck on the rack. The indicators still work, for the time being....

Kick starts look cool, but when your muddy boot has slipped off the kicker for the umpteenth time in a row after having an off having an electric start is nice.

Good thing about the CRF250L is that there are a load of second hand ones coming up now, often with lots of little upgrades.

Mine has taken a total hammering, and still works. Though the instrument panel sort of doesn't anymore. I've ridden it over obstacles that are too gnarly for it, or at least I've tried to and then not managed them.

Finally, after 2 years I think I can ride beyond the bikes off road ability rather than my own.

Not too bad on the open road on the stock tyres, which are okayish on a green lane, but not wet mud baths.

Here is a video of a fairly typical green lane that I ride, filmed on my CRF250L back in Feb this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDDy1BOWPzg