Newbies Forum

okay, im new to the dirt bike scene, have owned a quad in the past but sold it for school and now im scratching that proverbial itch but want to get into dirt bikes instead of quads. Ive never really rode a dirt bike before but i can catch on pretty fast im sure and have riding buddies that i can go with. Im 6'1" and about 200 lbs and i found two bikes that im interested in: an 02 YZ125 and an 02 YZ250. the 125 is for sale for $1450 and the 250 is at $1750. I dont plan to race or anything, I will probably do mostly trail/field riding and do some mild jumping when i become more comfortable with my bike. I just need some input on what would be best and am open to recommendations. thanks!  

Welcome b_. Here is the issue....The 250 is a good deal (IF) in good shape, And will fit you perfect. BUT, This is your first bike and its a hand full if your not used to it. BUT...lol the 125 will be allittle small.
Have to ask how old you are.
And recomending a YZ 250 as a first bike is not somthing i'm cumphy with, But if you are going to get one or the other, The learning curve is going to be the same, But will have to have MAD respect for the 250.
Can you ride your friends bike and see how comertable you are with power on a bike?  
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Ruff!

Thanks woods, both bikes appear to be in great shape, and I'm 19 yrs old. And I stand corrected, the 250 is a 98' not an 02'. There has also been a 96' yz250 come for sale for $1500 in the same condition if that is any different. And, I could ride my friends' bike except for Im at school right now and he's a little over 500 miles away at home where I'm gonna ride this summer. lol Might I ask how big the size difference is between the 125 and 250? thanks again.  

Your making this hard. You want the newest bike you can get. and knowing little about how to work on a older 2 stroke this will be a issue.
The 125 will be fun to play on, And with reg maintnence it will be good . I say get the 125 at this point.
Reason why...Its cheap, Good to learn on, GREAT power and will pull you around and safer.
Get the 125 and it will be Alittle small but there tall for a 125. You want to have fun, It will do it!  
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Ruff!

Thanks alot woods! i was kinda leaning to the 125 anyways b/c the seller is closer to me, and im afraid that the 250 would overwhelm me at first. And i'll take your word that the 125 has enough power    hopefully I will can get the bike with no problems! thanks again,

b_smith  

Let us know what you deciede...  
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Ruff!

At your height and weight you might want to go with a 250.What kind of places do you plan to ride? Do they involve any hills? What are your buddies riding? If they're on 250's then you may not be able to go everywhere they go on a 125. Is this just a temporary ride to learn on or something you plan to keep for a while. If you plan to keep it a while then you might find a 125 a bit underpowered. From what I know about the YZ250's from that period, the powerband is actually quite forgiving and userfriendly compared to other 250's. Just think about what you expect your bike to do and choose accordingly. Have fun and good luck.  

well i plan on riding here around lubbock, which is mainly flat, but then at our ranch around roswell,nm its more sand dune-ish then at my buddies place in huntsville,tx is more hilly. So yeah i guess I'll be riding hills a little bit, but more flatland. And now that I think of it, I might wanna ride and learn to do a little mx in the future when im more comfortable. And the ppl I ride with are one of my girl friends who rides a cr125 and my buddy rides a crf250. and my buddy is about 2 inches shorter than me and about 175-180. And I do plan to keep this bike a while as I dont really wanna hassle with selling and buying another bike, plus I dont really want to have to dole out the extra cash for a new bike since im in school.  

Hills and deep sand can suck up horse power. A 125 can do the job but keep in mind that it will demand that you be very aggressive with the throttle or it will tend to fall off the power and sputter out and die. Its a simple fact that 125s lack the torque to pull down at low rpm as the powerband comes in at around 6000 rpm vs. about 3000 rpm for 250s. The best thing you can do is ride your girlfriend's 125 and see how it does for you. So whatever you choose come back on and let us know how you do.  

Sorry I've been away for a longgg time. lol I couldnt spare the cash this summer to get a bike but now I have enough from my intership to buy one....and Im going with the 250. The 125 was fine but the 250 was just more fun...and powerful. Ive also found a hare scramble/grand prix series that goes on during school around the lubbock area and im planning to ride the beginner class in those so thats another reason Im going with the 250. Im also planning on getting it plated with removable street legal necessities so i can ride it 10 blocks to school on warmer days to save wear and tear on my truck. Im still looking to spend about 1200-1900 dollars on the bike and was wondering what some good years were for different 250's in the late 90's and early 2000's such as the 98 KX being known as a good bike. Ill keep you updated with what i go with. thanks  

its probably better to put the wear and tear on your truck instead of 2 stroke or that 2 stroke will be biting you in the ass with major internal problems. 2 strokes are not meant to be ridden on the rodes especially mx bikes. riding it 10 miles everyday will kill it and you will have a dead dirt bike before you even have a chance to get on dirt.  
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Ride 2 strokes, buy 2 strokes, save the 2 stroke.

1998 cr125
2002 cr80

well maby an 125 would be good how bout a 250f since he is a little heavier for a 125 i mean a 125 woul work to  

i like his 250 plan. except for the road riding. the 250 will take A LOT ot get used to though. quite powerful, that what makes me fun good luck ~pat  
PEACE GUYS ITS BEEN A BLAST!!!!! ~patrick

So basically the general concensus is "no" for a 2 stroke on the road? I'm not against buying a 250f or 450f either, they would eliminate pre-mix and jetting issues (right?) but ive heard valve problems are a mjor PITA. Im not really planning for it to be a regular commuter...maybe just 3-4 times a week at no more than 5 miles a day and hitting 50 mph if im lucky. But the four-stroke would shine here. Its really only 10 blocks to the parking lot at school....and yes i know you have to use the clutch shifting gears on the street unless you have some type of cushioned drive...which i wont. I could also make the gearing taller for the street and change it for off road....thats not too complicated is it?  

well 4 strokes got valves, more expensive top ends, way more moving parts so about a million things can go wrong with it. and if something does go wrong, it will be big bucks to fix. but i think the 4 stroke will be better suited for road use.  
______________________________
Ride 2 strokes, buy 2 strokes, save the 2 stroke.

1998 cr125
2002 cr80