brand loyalty

[Aaron WildeMember]

My first bike was a Yamaha and I have one and a half now. I am hesitant to change brands but probably for the wrong reasons. Has anybod changed and really regretted it later on ? I don’t want this to turn into a brand pissing comp. So I would rather brands brand names be kept out if it will keep this thread civil. Also . Is getting a 250 silly if you have only ever had 400 odd cc bikes. I have seen guys ride small bore machines way quicker than I could ever hope to ride. And they don’t wear you out as quick. But will I feel like I have been short changed in the power department if have only owned bigger bikes. I don’t really want to highly modify the engine as one of my friends has a wr 290 that goes like a 450 but is too unreliable for me. I also don’t have much time to decide unless I want to ride a push bike on the raiding Mexico ride that is 2 seconds away.

[Bruce CurtisMember]

if you can’t ount a small-bore you can’t ride..

really it is quite that simple, want to improve your bike skills and have fun?

who cares who has the best top-speed, leave that to the zx14 crowd, fun is why we do this, go for the most fun.

and doesn’t really matter what brand in the end, they all make good uns and bad’uns.

I have heard really good things about the 300-350cc 4T class bikes…..

spend some time on a small bore, learn, smile and move to something else again if you feel the need.

in the tight stuff it doesn’t matter wether you’ve got 45 or 50 hp, you spend most of your time at the 15-25 hp area anyway, the more flexible you become as a rider the more relaxed you get

[ianMember]

have you ever tossed the idea of a 2 stroke Aaron, light weight heaps of power ,electric leg and they are still carburetor and very easy to do maintanence yourself. After having a bigbore for the last 2 bikes i was in the same dilemma and i do think its a mindset that we think a 250 wouldnt have the go you want but it probably would but you have to rev them pretty hard to do so.
After having the 300 for 12 months ( and like you say not mentioning any brands because i probably would have had a husky if it had the electric leg) i made the right choice im still not sick of the power of it and it still gives me a buzz everytime i open it up and has the torque to lug up hills as well with the lightweight of a 250 which in turn doesnt wear you out.
I done a 2 dayer from barrington to buladelah via stratford and back last weekend , it was 3 50 km all up with about 30km of firetrail and road and the rest was full on and yes i was sore and buggered but thankgod i was on something light

[Adrian GaleMember]

I looked at changing from 2st to 4st with another brand ,but the look of the bike didnt turn me on for starters. Sure it felt nice to ride but it didnt give me the same buzz as what I had before. I stuck with what I knew and dont regret it.

How fast you ride depends on how long and how far you turn the throttle.

It isnt the size of the bike it the fight,its the size of the fight in the bike. 👿

I do love my wheelies and having more CC’s would make it easier to do, so I will just have to get better at doing them.

Just my opinion.

[GregMember]

Forget what others think Aaron, ride as many different bikes as you can and be happy with your choice

Good luck mate

TB

[glennMember]

Mate , swap brands! go red mate, I recon you would look good on ahonda CT110 (postie) at least then we might be able to catch you in the bush. You proved on sunday that its not all about horse power.i rode the new ktm 250 exc 2 rides ago and I think I found a bike when I get rid of the DRZ, I will just need to get used to high maintainene programs. brand,smand, its what you like not what colour they are.

(Pep tells me the 2012 KTM 350 are a bit alright so I may look at on of them,)

Boony

[Nick JacksonMember]

A good mate of mine just went to Dirt Days on the weekend and what he said surpised me , he really wanted a 300 2T as he thought it would be a good pairing with his 690.he rode 3 bikes

What he said was

1: the 300 2t was super light but he had trouble getting power to the ground and found it hard to keep his chosen line ( leave that to experts like Galey !!)

2: the 350 4t was great to ride , power went straight to the ground and handled amazingly.

3: the 450 4t was the same as the 350 in most ways but he liked the option of the extra grunt and felt it wouldn’t bore him and the 350 might.

4: the guys on dirt days also rode the Husabergs the day before and the general consensus was if they were to buy a bike the berg 450 was their pick.

I thought this was interesting as it goes against what a lot of mags say, and valuable info as it’s from a trailrider like us.

Sorry to drop a brand name , couldn’t really tell the story otherwise but it was more for comparison to highlight individual views about bikes we are told we WILL like and what we actually do have the most fun on

[scott bockingMember]

The ride I did on the weekend with TB had four bikes and all were different capacities. There wa a 250, 400, 450 and a 650. We all rode the same trails and we all had a lot of fun. The best riders will be the quickest regardless of capacity unless you are riding flat open terrain. Have you spent any time on Bolls 250 mate? Don’t be worried about how much you have to rev them as they are built to handle it.

STM

[peteMember]

I love my bike and have been happy with it from day one, but in saying that when it comes time to up grade I will explore all options,
I had big bore’s and found that in the tight stuff ( which I prefer ) guys on smaller bikes were right up me, so like husky, I went to a 2T and found that I’m quicker and less tired at the end of the day.
A mate of mine went from a 450 to a 250 and he is quicker, I guess when it comes down to it, it’s horses for courses but when it comes to brand loyalty, some people find what they like and stick with it, and some keep searching for that better bike.
In answer to your question ” has anybody changed and regretted it ? ” no I haven’t cause I love bikes and would rather have a postie then nothing at all.

PTW

Ps. If it’s not orange it’s a lemon.
( sorry aaron I couldn’t help it )

[James RookyardMember]

I have a 450 and just love the power in the open going. I reckon at times in tight rocky stuff a 250 would be heaps better though. I was 30seconds behind a 250 at yellow mountain and I could not catch him over 170km of riding so that says a lot about power in open going as well……
I ride a different coloured 230 as a farm bike. its fun.
I tend to stick to one brand as the special tools you have to make tend to be more similar. Having said that I also have a third brand for my oldest boys bike. Sometimes the brand you prefer just does not make the bike you need.

[ChrisMember]

Went from a 250 to a 400 and never looked back, I liked the 250 but I felt it just didn’t have enough power and felt like I was always wringing it’s neck, I reckon if your around 80-85kgs then a 250 would be great any heavier and might need some more cc’s to haul you around. I personally just like the feeling of having the extra horses under you and you know there is power when you need it. I am tempted by the new breed of 350’s but I would have to ride one first and I also like the 500 but think that may be a bit too much, don’t want a 450 cause everyone’s got one.. As far as brand loyalty goes, it’s really whose got the bike that I like and that suits me regardless of brand.

Cheers
Chris.

[scott bockingMember]

It is not such a big deal in the cities were there are a lot of bike shops but in regional areas you can be limited to choices by your local dealers. No point owning an exotic bike if you can’t get a basic part on a Saturday morning.

STM

[murph the surfMember]

Good point STM!

I have stuck with one brand, because my kid has the same brand and like Jimmy stated most tools you make up will suit both our bikes. A lot of parts eg wheel bearings, brake pads etc are the same over the whole range our brand.
This means we can easily stock spares in the shed.
Cheers
Murph

[Jeffrey SmithMember]

I would have a go on Boll’s 250 if you haven’t already and see if the difference in power is something you can live with. Not just down the street though as that is when you will feel it the most, but in the bush.

When I changed from my TT600 to the DRZ400, I felt a drop in the power when I nailed it going down the road but when I got in the bush the DRZ felt more powerful because it came on quicker (admittedly the TT was getting long in the tooth and in need of a refresh).

I also used to go from riding the FE550 to the DRZ400 without being disappointed with the power difference, mainly because the DRZ was so much smoother and so more comfortable.

How did you enjoy the TTR on the weekend, did you enjoy your riding any less?

[ianMember]

this is a good point you want dealer support for your brand

King STM wrote:

It is not such a big deal in the cities were there are a lot of bike shops but in regional areas you can be limited to choices by your local dealers. No point owning an exotic bike if you can’t get a basic part on a Saturday morning.

STM

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