Dirt Bike FAQ

Ktm 200 xc-w,, cost about 5-6 grand new. they are orange and black.

you can buy a good used bike for around 2800 most likely, any brand will be fine as long as it runs good. check out www.dirtrider.net there is a section on what bike to buy in for forums.

Pretty broad question…

there are varying different bikes designed for all different types of dirt event…

the KTM EXC / MXC / XC and yamaha WR / YZF & honda CRF both of the later with certain mods, are all great enduro, harescrambles, cross country, desert bikes.

the top 4 Jap (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki) and KTM pretty much dominate both SX & MX.

then there are others like the big Honda XR and the big bore KTM 525 that are more dominating in the desert & higher speed events.

then just fun trails type bikes include the Suzuki DRZ, Honda XR 200/250/400, Kawasaki KLX,

A duel sport bike is a great way to start, the 450cc plus bikes are fine on the freeway and decent in the dirt. The 250s are fine for around town but a little small for extended high speed. The bikes are light and agile and don't get damaged so bad if you lay one down and you learn alot by riding off road…and it's fun.

The Japanese bikes are all good, the KTM and BMW are awesome but expensive.

I would sure hope so. KTM bikes is the leading manufacturer of off road and trial motorcycles and is headquartered in Austria. One would think that they have a reason for being the number one.

There is also an annual international hill climb competition in Austria that draws crowds of thousands of people.

Here's a cheap, simple, but effective trick.

Go to a feed store or something similar. Ask them for a big syringe. Give them the needle back and explain it's a tool for your motorcycle. It'll cost you a couple of bucks.

Attach a piece of vent or fuel line to the end of the syringe where the needle was. Remove the m/c cap on the clutch. Fill the syringe with the fluid of your choice. (*side note* In my KTM Magura system I have used the Magura "Blood", 5 wt fork oil, and even run of the mill mineral oil from the grocery store with good results. On my current bike, nothing but the Magura "Blood" will work. Must be the difference in the slave cylinders.) Put the other end of the syringe on the bleeder valve on the slave cylinder, open it, push the fluid from the syringe slowly into the slave and watch the flow out of the m/c. When it runs clean, your done. 'Pushing' the fluid up, or backwards through the system allows the air bubbles to take a natural flow upwards and out of the system.

It's messy, but it's also easy and cheap!

Good luck!

Height and weight are important factors here!!! and likewise, what type of dirt riding you are planning (play riding or trying to be competitive racer)…

but for a 5'4" on up tall beginner rider, a CRF or TTR230 is a very good starting point. these are torquey medium size 4 stroke engines, with a mixture of features yet a relatively medium price tag … these are not what I consider race bikes, due to only mid grade brakes, suspension, power and upgrades to soup them up, but make great trail bikes and are very beginner friendly.

I bought a CRF 230 for my daughter (21 y/o, 5'6" 130 lbs) that fits her great, has controlable power yet enough to get her out of trouble, sufficent suspension & brakes for anything she wants to try (for now). I use her bike to run fence lines and check cattle … I am 6'3" 270lbs, still fun for me or her …

the Suzuki DRZ line is also a good choice, as is the Honda XR, Kawasaki KLX, Yamaha WR and KTM EXC, but there is quite a price jump on these, but likewise, there is a substantial jump in higher end things like brakes, suspension, engine power, and aftermarket soup up parts available…

if you are wanting to get more into racing (MX, SX, ArenaCross or the more open offroad like harescrambles, cross country, desert, etc.), then I would suggest moving more into the lines of the high end 4 stroke race bikes like CRF250, KXF, RMZ, YZF, XC bikes, but again, the price will jump quite drastically on up as will the performance of the machines…

I personally, opt for the KTM brand (not cheap either buying or maintaining) for my race bikes due to their strong power, high performance features and lightweight design for the larger size engine to hall my mass…

hope that helps, but a little more info as stated would help us answer your question better.

good luck and have fun!!! make sure to buy proper protective gear before even starting the bike…

Your jetting could be off or there may be a problem with the exhaust (look here first since it is easier to pull the pipe that the carb…)

Yeah, definitely a 250F. Any of them would be fine. If you plan to ride mainly trails go for the CRF250X, WR250F or KTM 250XC-F. If you plan to ride on MX tracks go for any of the 5 motocross offerings in the 250F class.

U need to register it for on road use, but for off road, not really

They are not better MX bikes. When is the last time KTM won an AMA title. KTM's are more expensive because they use some higher quality components like, better handlebars, tires, brakes, chains, sprockets, etc. KTM is the only one of the big 5 that uses a no-linkage rear suspension. This is a fairly big disadvantage in motocross/supercross. KTM suspension for MX/SX is harder to dial in, needs to be changed more often for varying track conditions and tends to be too "busy" in the rough stuff. It does however work well in the woods. KTM pretty much dominates woods racing because they spend tons of R&D time and money on developing the best woods bike in the world. KTM is known for having a very fast power plant, but it takes more than a fast engine to win at motocross.