Dirt Bike FAQ

An Enduro is acually a dirt bike that can be ran on the highway, so therfore if you want an all around bike I would go with the enduro, that way you can run it wherever you want to!

Perhaps add a few more details about your height as that makes a difference as at 13 there is a great difference in how tall people are.

Just go along to a dealership and have a sit on a few different bikes to judge how big a bike you can manage. The crf150r is a really great bike and you would be able to race that for a couple more years. If you are really tall you could look at a 4 stroke 250cc.

Specialized make great bikes.

Hey you might be interested to know Honda is coming out with a 230 enduro version for 2008 that is street legal! check out there official web site to see it .
When you say capability what are you referring to ?
Are you going to do free style ,motocross, trail riding or street.
The 230 is a very dependable bike ,one of Honda's oldest engine formats .they have been putting this motor in there stuff in some form or another for 30 plus years.thus the Chinese knock off bikes are trying to copy them due to the patents expiring on them ,though the Chinese ones don't have the same reliability as the Honda's do .
If you can be more specific with your intentions for the bike i can make a more precise recommendation.
keep roostin,
motocrossman

Not sure of what you consider a dirt bike that is not an enduro. I have always put off-road bikes in one of 3 categories: dirt bike, enduro/dual sport, and adventure. Honda has the CR250 and CRF250 that are true dirt bikes.

Bikes are only legal to ride on public roads if they came from the manufacturer with that intent. In other words if you own a duo-sport or enduro type dirt bike that came from the manufacturer with headlight, tail and stop light, license plate holder and turn signals it is intended for street use on public roads. If it came with everything for riding on public roads except turn signals it may still be legal for street use as turn signals didn't become mandatory for all street bikes until sometime in the seventies. And the reality is most cops don't know or bother with keeping up on which bikes should have turn signals and which don't legally have to. I don't like the looks of stock turn signals and take them off. I've never been cited for not having turn signals when rousted. They tend to stick to the old standbys, handlebars too high and pipes too loud.

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Go in to your local motorcycle shop and ASK a salesman. They deal with these every day. They can recommend something and you can see it for real in front of you. Take the boy with you. You do not have to buy anything! Then you can look in the want ads or place ads for a used one. I have many years of riding and have owned about 10 different bikes. I started on a suzuki 90. It was street legal. I bought a yamaha 90 enduro for my nieces and nephew. I took them out in the country and put the bike up on and old plastic milk carton making sure the wheels didn't touch it. This way after lots of DRY runs, I could start the bike up and then they could get the feel of shifting. When I was convinced they knew how to shift and could manage the brake ( me saying STOP at any given time while they were practicing with it running) then I could turn them loose in an open field. All of them did excellent with proper training. I would say start him on something like an 80 or a 90.

Good Luck!!!!!

Jason gave you very good advice. He is a little mistaken concerning the wide ratio gearbox. It is designed FOR woods or enduro riding. Notice the headlight. It means that the gears cover a wider spectrum of speeds. His first gear is very tall or fast. A motocross bike is always at high rpm and maximum possible speed. He needs to slip his clutch to make that gear suitable for slow riding. First gear on the WR is low enough that you can leave the clutch out and still putt around. I feel that the WR250 would be OK for you. The YZ has the close ratio box, for the track. The 2007 KTM 200 is a 2-stroke. It is an XC, or XC-W for the wide ratio. The 200 EXC (US)was last seen in 2005 according to Cycleworld.(Also 2-stroke). These are good bikes, but expensive. The Yamahas are 4 strokes as you likely know. You can do a search on any model that you choose. You will get opinions from people who actually own these bikes as well as from magazines. You will learn things like recurring problems that certain models might have had. I know one for road bikes that is very helpful. It is bikez.com. Very cool site. It might cover dirt also. Anything that you choose will be fun. Something that will still satisfy you as your skills increase is the goal. Pros are still having fun on these 250 4 strokes. They can be modified to the hilt as well. Lots of money though. Good luck with your choice. Have fun.

Although there are advantages and disadvantages to both, it is a mute question if you plan to buy a new dirt bike,in the USA, because the 2 strokes have been legislated out of production by our EPA. In reality, you can find a nice used 125 or 250 two stroke , made in the last ten years very reasonably priced, and easy to rebuild if need be. A 2 stroke is light, and quick. However the newer 4 strokes are actually lighter than the latest 2 strokes. A current class leading 4 stroke, such as a YZ250 F, or CR250 F is a few pounds lighter than the last 2 strokes. However, the horsepower on the earlier 2 stroke MX bikes was higher than the earlier stock four strokes.The 4 stroke makes more torque, especially in the lower power range, and thus is easier to ride for the novice rider. Basically, the 450 class 4 strokes make currently 55 plus HP, equal or better than the two strokes. The newer bikes have a lot better suspention, are lighter, and the enduros have electric start. If you are a new rider, try a Honda CRF230, or a Yamaha TTR 230 for a reliable, fun to ride dirt bike . If you are a taller person, with more expierience, try the WR series Yamaha , or CRFX series Hondas. Again there are no new two strokes after this year, and actually only the 85 class was made for 08. If you are looking for a first bike to learn on, a used 2 stroke 125, or 4 stroke 250 either one will do the job. Hope this helps.