Dirt Bike FAQ

Sure it's possible, with engine mods and parts, suspension mods and parts, nitride coatings, aftermarket wheels hubs spokes, tripleclamps, graphix, steering stabilizer, ignition mods , aftermarket exhaust aftermarket air box/filter mods, complete titanium bolt set, shark fin, aftermarket brake lines , wave rotors, engine covers/gaurds and engine plugs, blah blah blah ……..etc, the list goes on. if you are willing to spend the money, there is someone out there willing to sell you something for your bike. they talked about jeremy mcgraths bike last year at the xgames and said he had 100,000 into it. (what parts exactly , i don't know). there is an aftermarket , or upgradeable replacement part for every part on your bike, so if you have the cash , go for it, oh , and send me a pic when it's done. have fun and be safe.

I share your interest in a truly lightweight dirtbike but my riding habitat is federal (military) land so my bike has to be street legal and plated. My current ride is a Kaw KL250 (Super Sherpa). It's a nice bike but too heavy for my needs. I'd really like to find something around 150lbs but that seems to be impossible. Some of the older Jap dual purpose bikes were less than 200lbs e.g. Kaw KE100 and Hodaka 100B+ but their suspensions are pretty rudimentary. Good luck on your search.

Not really. You can change your sprockets to give it a taller top end or a stronger bottom end but you sacrifice the opposite side you choose. Those aren't exactly considered a performance part. They are a performance part but not a high dollar thing like a new pipe. A front sprocket should run between $15-$30 and a rear sprocket should run between $45-$70. You can find them much more expensive but on average that should be the general price range.
You can start of by making sure your suspension is set properly for you, your weight and riding style, and the terrain you ride the most. This will make the bike easier to handle and thus make your lap times faster. That involves no part swaps at all, just some clicks on your adjusters. If you don't know how to do that please don't try. Take it to someone who does. It doesn't take much to dial in your bike so a drastic change to your settings can be catastrophic on the track.
Hope that gives you some ideas.

4 stroke 250cc. You are already too big for a 125 and will outgrow even more very quickly. I dont think a 250 is more dangerous for you. The geometry of the bike and suspesion should be more suited for you in a 250 anyway. Even your weight i would look into getting the suspension set for your weight. You could probably handle a 450-500 weight and geometry wise, but too much power for a beginner.

I like, in order:

KTM has the best suspension, lightest weight, most options and the most power. It is the most expensive and parts can be hard to get. The suspension is great but fussy to adjust.

The Yamaha is great for both racing and trail riding. YZF is better for racing and the WR for trails.

The Suzuki and Kawasaki are about the same and are good for both and they have very tough motors.

The Honda has great suspension and is easy to ride fast but the motors wont last the longest.

BTW, Cycle News sucks and I wouldn't put much trust in what they say. They mostly do street bikes anyway.

I love seeing some of the answers people come up with.
You did not say 250F so there are no valves to adjust, If you forgot to say F then there are valves that require adjusting, but since its a Yam it would have to have a tremendous amount of time on it to see valves out of adjustment.

Two strokes require top end replacement at regular time intervals, not 4 years unless you only ride it twice a year. If you do not ride it hard you should replace the top end as outlined in the manual, You can stretch it out a bit longer.

Lube and adjust the chain every ride it may not need the adjustment but it will need the lube, Clean the air filter after every ride, and use filter oil.

Since fork seals were mentioned 90% of the time a fork seal leaks it has a small piece of grit stuck in it .you can easily clean the seal by using a piece of film and sliding it up in to the seal, do not do this if its not leaking. Seal savers help if you fold them back and clean them out also. Always put your bike on a stand with the weight off the suspension, never leave it sinched down.

Check Tires, Loose bolts, depending on your ability clutches may at some point need replacing. Tires need changing, your terrain has a big part in that. Spark plug etc.
Good Luck hope this helped

Just keep it washed, look it over, and maintain it and it will last for a very long time.

A relatively inexpensive solid trail bike would be a Kawasaki KDX 200 or 220. they are one of the less expensive dirt bikes new and can usually find good deals on clean used ones around the $1000-1500 range.

they are set up for enduro, torquey yet with decent suspension & brakes. I have personally owned about 10 since 1980 and never had any serious problems. Parts are readily available, easy to work on, very reliable and long lasting.

likewise, at your height, it might be a little bit tall for you initially, but you can add lowering links to the rear suspension and slide the fork tubes up in the triple clamps to drop the seat height up to about 2.25 inches without loosing much, if any, suspension travel.

my son raced the area enduro circuit for about 5 years placing in the majority of the events on both a 200 & later on a 220.

Hey man, i know how you fell. i had the same problem and i couldnt decide what bike to get. i wuld DEFINITALEY get a yamaha yz-85. that is the best bike in the 85 classs. they are the fastest, they have the best suspension , and i race mine in motocross for 5 years and it lasted forever it is a great bike and i highly reccommend it. the ktms ar fast but the suspension isnt as good and they are a little expensive

I would say go for a crf150R. the "r" is made for racing which means that it has pretty good suspension for jumping already. You may have problems down the road for going offroad with a motocross bike though. if you want something more tame get the crf150F, but put the bbr shock and spring on it because they are around 30% stiffer than the stock springs & shock. Hope this helped.

You should go to a bike dealership and try sitting on some of them. people are recommending 80's and 100's but i think they may be too small for you, not enough power. you should look into getting a 125, hondas are great bikes, ktm also makes a great bike. also keep in mind that you can lower the suspensions on some of them to fit your height, just ask the salesperson about it and they should be able to help you with it. is this the first time you will be dirtbiking?? you will LOVE IT!! i just started riding in dirt recently and it is so much fun! way better than riding on the road. good luck, be safe and have fun!