Dirt Bike FAQ

Pressure from world bodies over noise pollution has stopped production on a couple of the well known brands of 125cc including Kawasaki and Honda. Popularity to race the 125cc has also been down as they quite often have to race against the 4 stroke 250cc and they usually get beaten (of course there is exception to that depending upon the rider onboard).
Part of the reason that honda developed the 150cc was to replace the 2 stroke 85cc although I don't know if it has been as successful as they would have hoped as the idea was for them to race against the 85cc and in America they don't allow that as they race in their own class. Australia has them racing against the 85cc.

On a public roadway ? Yes, you sure do…..with the proper endorsement. 150cc and lower (class "L")….151cc and higher (class "M"). It also needs registration & insurance. You are 13, so it will be a few yrs till you can even get a license…..I hope you have private property to ride on until then.

Take out the spark plug and hold the body of the plug against the cylinder pot, kick it over and see if you are getting a spark on the plug, if not try the end of the plug lead and see if you get a spark from that, if not , you have ignition troubles, if you have a book for the bike look up ignition answers to the problem.
If the ignition is alright see if the fuel line is in order and fuel is getting to the carburetter, and the float is not stuck down, or you have water in the carb, or dirt, also your fuel filter clean, or needs cleaning.

Why even bother with a small engine? As you learn to ride and improve, you're just going to need a bigger bike. If you get a 150cc, you might as well get a 50cc and soup it up. If you're going to get a smaller engine, get a 125cc two-stroke engine (i.e. a CR125, YZ125, etc.).

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.

Well, of course there would be….if you could show me a 250cc "Pit" bike I'd be happy to point them out.

By definition, a "Pit Bike" is a small bike, usually ridden around in the pit area at races, etc. You'll usually find the 50cc variety bored out up to 192cc- small bikes that have been modified with aftermarket parts.
They grew from being a mode of transportation in the pits to being fully modified little race bikes that are used in competitions specifically designed for that type of bike.
Pit bikes typically don'y get much bigger than 150cc. No standard definition of what constitutes a pit-bike by any major governing body exits, but the normal requirement is a 10"-14" front wheel, and a 10"-12" rear.

When you are up in the 250cc range you are looking at a full fledged motorcycle. Either a motocross or trail bike, 250cc isn't considered a pit bike.

It needs to be a 4 stroke, not 4 cylinder. The turn signals need to be a certain distance from the centerline of the bike. You probably can not take it on divided highways, I think it's a 250cc minimum. The lighting kits can be quite expensive if it doesn't already have the necessary lights, especially the tail-light and license bracket. If it came with the correct lighting then it is probably already titled as a street legal bike. You will just need a safety inspection and insurance.

A 125 to 150 is not really for a child. It will be tough to get something for 500.00 that is a major brand. Remember a Honda, Yamaha Kawaski, Suzuki will hold some value especially the entry level bikes. It is hard to tell you what to look for since you did not mention his size, age, and skill level.

Sorry mate, but if you want this info, use google and find it out.

For a reply to tell you EVERYTHING about these bikes, the user will just go to the Honda website and cut / paste all the text.

You would be better searching your self, that way, you can get the info you need, and not loads of stuff you dont need.

You can buy from an individual, who may or may not have taken care of his machine, or from a dealer who can stand behind what he sells. Individuals with bikes can be found at cycletrader.com and there are dealers that sell dirt bikes on every street corner. If you're planning on riding in SoCal, better think about a four-stroke instead.

Its a four stroke and use 10w 40