also what to look out for when buying one

If it were me, I'd get a late-model four-stroke. The power delivery is smoother and they're easier to ride. Check out the Honda CRF250 (or at least the CRF230). Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and KTM all make excellent bikes. Some people only buy certain brands (mine are Honda and KTM), but they are all such advanced machines that any of them will be more than enough bike for you. Get at least a 230cc, but only if you're willing to need to buy a bigger bike in a year.
For the record, I ride a 2003 CRF450. If I had bought a smaller bike, it simply would not have been powerful enough, and I'd have had to buy a bigger bike. But I've been riding for over 20 years, and so I knew I needed a big bike.




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