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byke95 |
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byke95 World Chat Champion
Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 10:12 - 24 Aug 2005 Post subject: Easiest/cheapest way to get started |
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Hi,
For a while now I've been looking to get an off road bike; a supermoto would be great but I have a feeling getting a decent one is well out of my budget!
I've got a ZX6R and want a cheap/reliable off roader to commute and have a bit of fun on. I considered a 125 for a while but after having a go on one I just can't take the lack of forward momentum! As money/insurance/running costs is an issue I'm thinking about getting a 250/350 - maybe supermotoing it after a while or (if all goes well) selling the ZX6R for a decent supermoto.
Anyone got any suggestions where I should start, around the 1k mark would be ideal.
Oh, and although I'm happy to do basic services and simple mods I'm not quit up for something that needs rebuilding/blows up all the time so reliable is important.
Many thanks ,
Phil |
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spitfire |
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spitfire Trackday Trickster
Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Karma :
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knockout_bar |
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knockout_bar Scooby Slapper
Joined: 06 Jul 2005 Karma :
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Posted: 13:33 - 24 Aug 2005 Post subject: |
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Thats a pretty good list Spitfire.
However, if you want something for road use, I wouldn't get anything under a 400. Simply because pretty much all off road bikes aren't geared for the road and you end up having to pull 7,000 + rpm just to get 70mph.
An example of this (not an "off road" bike, but a trials bike); A mate of mine has a 270cc trials bike. I had a go on it once, I got the bike up to 1,000 rpm and let the clutch out slowly, next thing I knew the bloody front wheel was off the ground, and I was only a hairline above tickover! , but that bike would struggle to reach 70mph, even though you could climb a wall on it (yes, i've seen it been done).
400cc + bikes can be geared for the road and still wheelie in 3rd gear, which still gives you plenty of whack for off the tarmac.
The DR400 would be an excellent choice, although it seems to me like it's a bit bulky, never ridden one tho.
Again, the XR400 would be just right, but it depends on how much you want to spend. They're made by Honda so you shouldn't have any major problems with it (unless you seriously abuse it, but you'd have to have some balls to do that ).
How about an old CR500? Ok, they aint the best lookers, but they pack punches meaner than Tyson. The old XT500's are pretty nice, they sound sweet aswel. ____________________ 125 trail bike, custom bars, handguards etc. - ?500.
"egg flied lice" - R6jonny (inspired by McGee) |
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byke95 |
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byke95 World Chat Champion
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G |
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G The Voice of Reason
Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :
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spitfire |
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spitfire Trackday Trickster
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spitfire |
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spitfire Trackday Trickster
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byke95 |
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byke95 World Chat Champion
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G |
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G The Voice of Reason
Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :
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Posted: 10:02 - 25 Aug 2005 Post subject: Re: Easiest/cheapest way to get started |
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Anyway, if you want to do motorways, I'd be looking at something with an absolute top speed of at least 80-90.
My DR600 actually wasn't too bad, wasn't as agile as Korn's xr250, but would sit at 91 on the motorway (full throttle, head ducked right down ) - which meant that if you were sitting at 70-80 it wasn't under quite so much strain and had a bit of acceleration left.
Dry weight of 134kg I think, which isn't too bad compared to some of the others.
If you're doing mostly on road stuff, expect off road tyres to get eaten up, or so Korn tells me. |
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Korn |
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Korn Admin
Joined: 01 Feb 2002 Karma :
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Posted: 12:21 - 25 Aug 2005 Post subject: |
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The 400cc enduros are a pretty good balance for on/off road use, Honda XR400 comes to mind as they are user-friendly and pretty bulletproof. You can pick up right bargains on the older ones, and there are often Supermoto conversion kits to be found on eBay if you're that way inclined. Like G says tyres are an issue with using dirt bikes on the road, if you use 'proper' knobblies they will wear very very quickly, one month from a set of tyres is not unknown!
For mostly off-road use my favourite tyre is the BFG Crossengo, it's a road legal enduro tyre and will handle anything up to very deep mud but the tread does disappear fairly quickly on the road:
https://www.fittersmotoren.nl/img/bfg-corsego-2.jpg
For mostly on-road usage the Bridgestone TW301 / TW302 tyres are very good, they still work fairly well off-road but won't mind being used on tarmac. Softer mud or loose sand will bog them down but the compromise is worth the extra life on-road:
https://www.tiresnstuff.com/bri-tw301,tw302.jpg
As for motorways... they're no fun! If you really must use one there's usually a nice patch of field/forest running alongside... ____________________ 3516 Miles, 11 Countries |
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byke95 |
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byke95 World Chat Champion
Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 12:30 - 25 Aug 2005 Post subject: |
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Spitfire, Knockout, G and Korn: You're all true gents, thanks for the help, I'm feeling much more prepared!
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spitfire |
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spitfire Trackday Trickster
Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Karma :
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 18 years, 250 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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