Hi There, new to site no bike yet but looking…

[Allan MccubbenMember]

Hi I’m Allan, I currently ride a CBR954 Fireblade Sportsbike but am looking to get a trailbike as licence is getting endangered these days. I have been thinking of a Dr400z or something with service intervals that are similar, the last trailbike I had was a cr80 as a kid and I am now 35 years old… any advice on suitable bikes would be great looking to spend $4000 to $5000 just to start with….

Laugh away!

[Dwayne OMember]

Welcome to OBT mate.
Where abouts are ya from ???

A DRZ400E ia a poplular steed around here for sure

I reckon ya can`t beat the WR250R though for service intervals :blink:
But if ya want the extra herbs, a Banana or KLX400R (same bike) could be the go

See ya on the trails when ya get ya bike

[GregMember]

Yeah welcome go a DR for a decent all rounder get the suspension done and you will be alright

TB

[drewMember]

Hi Allan,

welcome to Old bulls.

i won’t laugh unless you crack a joke

there are a few here with DRZ’s seem capable allround bikes.

i don’t own 1` or haven’t ridden 1.

keep scouring the papers, sites and fleabay you never know where or what you’ll find.

+ with the 2010 bikes rollin out you may find a tradein.

where are you located?

send the sponsors of the site an email or call them see what they have, tell em you’re an old bull.

best of luck & enjoy

drew

[Adrian LeeMember]

Welcome to the site mate,where are you from? Hopefully your an auto elec from the N/W suburbs of victoria :laugh: :laugh:

[drewMember]

oh yeah i forgot as Eagle said the unripe Banana’s are ok too :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Anonymous]

Welcome to OBT mate, hopefully when you sort a bike out we’ll see you around. A DRZ would be a great option they are good all round bikes. If want to do more hardcore stuff in time any of the 250’s would be a good option.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to OBT Alan.

Like everyone else has said a DRZ would be the go, but it depends on what size bike you are after. Another alternative would be a TTR250 if you are after a bike that you can abuse and never worry about servicing, although you will grow out of it pretty quick.

[Allan MccubbenMember]

Thanks all, I am from northside of Brisbane but have just scored a new job for which I have to move to the south side somewhere around LoganLea.

What are the service intervals on the KLX450R? I though they were one of the new high mantianace models? WR250R is one I would put on my list, how do the KLX250S rate? The only reason I though to go for a 400cc was after coming off the Fireblade I was worried about not liking a lack of power but this may be the wrong way of looking at it? :unsure:

`02 wrote:[/b]

Quote:

Welcome to OBT mate.
Where abouts are ya from ???

A DRZ400E ia a poplular steed around here for sure

I reckon ya can`t beat the WR250R though for service intervals :blink:
But if ya want the extra herbs, a Banana or KLX400R (same bike) could be the go

See ya on the trails when ya get ya bike

:unsure:

[PaulMember]

Welcome to Old Bulls Allan954.

I think any of the low maintenance 250cc bikes will have you a bit dissapointed since you obviously like the power of the Fireblade.
DRZ400e is a good all rounder, especially with the suspension modified for the rider.
I think the newer KLX450 is too but I dont know its service intervals. The KLX is a bit tamer than the real competition bikes so it might be a good option compared to the almost 10 year old design of the DRZ.

Have you thought about a 2 stroke bike?

[Eric SmithMember]

Hey Allan! Welcome to OBT mate!

I think you may have the wrong idea on “power” of dirt bikes. They are not like a sport bike and the power is delivered differently and if you think about it, that HAS to be the case. Power is not the be-all and end-all when off the bitumen.

Most blokes in the tighter riding are faster on a 250 4-stroke or small-bore 2-stroke because the power delivery is much friendlier. (Waiting for the outcry…)

What you’ll find is that the DRZ400 is:
[ul]Plenty powerful for a “Returned” rider (back to dirt bikes after a layoff)
User-friendly to ride
Relatively long service intervals (bearing in mind that 1000km is reasonable for a DRZ for slower riding, although you can stretch this out with gentler road/trail riding. I wouldn’t though. Mine was serviced every 300-500km.
Heavy, which becomes noticeable once you get more serious with single-track, hill-climbs etc
Under-suspended unless you weigh about 65kg
Cheap to sort out (Suspension front + rear about $600 – $1000)
[/ul]

But think about the WR250R as a serious option.

[simon burkeMember]

Gday Allan
welcome aboard mate.
i have an xr 400 for sale if you want it.You need a really strong right leg and a heap of patience…as do the people you ride with…then again maybe i just fall off too much

The bikes the boys have mentioned are the go,xr is good but can make or break you.
Im broken :blink:

good luck with your purchase…

Its not what you ride….but who you ride with

Bol :woohoo:

[jamieMember]

G,Day Allen,
I see what you mean about self preservation, cameras every where down here, i know youve got the radar vans up there to deal with,good luck with the upcoming purchase.

cheers

[AlexMember]

Welcome mate. Now I’m sucked into this conversation I may as well flick a 2c coin in too.

Here is my attempt at a blanket (and debatable) recommendation:

Learner/Inexperienced/Average weight:
– Mild 2 stroke (E.g DT200/KDX200)
– Anything light but not aggressive or large capacity
– Old school small 4 stroke (XR250/TTR250/DR250)
– Mild small 4 strokes (WR250R/KLX250)
– “Trail” not “Enduro” bikes

Average skills/Trailblazer/Heavier than average:
– Mild or old school 4 strokes (DRZ400/XR400/LC4)
– Newer “Enduro” 4 strokes (250/450)

Experienced/Likes to do it tough/Fit/Single track demon:
– Any of the above
– Anything light and powerful
– Anything 2 stroke
– Large 4 strokes

I really think that too many “less seasoned” riders jump on bikes that are too heavy and/or too powerful nowdays. They really do themselves a disservice because despite being dangerous to themselves and others it can really spoil the fun and set the boundaries too high or the learning curve too steep. There’s also the high chance that they learn the wrong style of riding too that will hold them back from improving – hard to explain. I liken it to L plate teenagers learning to drive in monster trucks. Yeah it looks good in the garage but they’ll never really get good at driving it or any other normal car and sooner than later someones gonna get hurt

Good luck and welcome to the world of dirtbikes “braaaap!”

[Allan MccubbenMember]

Thanks Axel and others, I agree with what you say about people geting in over their heads and that is why I have asked for help. I am 90kg & 170cm short, I would like something low maintainance as I would like to keep my road bike on the road until I see how much I like the trail riding? I luved it as a kid as did everyone I’m sure.
What is the up keep like on the 2strokes?
Do I need to register the bike for trailriding(that seem to be the case)?
I have a ute for transporting to rides but what to trailride as was never much of a jumper..never been to a dirt track!

I’m thinking of the DR400Z but am wondering about the weight, I do like to go hard on my road bike, so I will want to get up it a bit but I know I’m in for a big learning curve first…No death wish here!

[Author]

Posts