Good Starter Trail/Dirt Bike

[Creekside]

What’s a good starter bike for someone wanting to get into motorcycles more? My hopes would be something with decent parts availability that could be picked up reasonably cheap on the used market. I’ve tried road bikes and given my wreck earlier this year think I wanna stay on dirt for a while. I am a diesel tech and industrial maintenance/heavy equipment tech so repairs won’t be a problem.

I should add that I am 5’5 and 125 pounds. I would prefer a lower seat but I know I won’t find something as low as a sportster.

 

[zrxkawboy]

I am 5'7" and ride a Yamaha TTR230. The Honda CRF230 is supposed to be very similar, but I have not ridden one.

I think you'd be fine on a 230, but if you prefer a lower seat height, all of the "big 4" make a 125/140 trail bike. My son rides a Suzuki DRZ125L. It is the most "primitive" of the 4, in that it is the only one in its class without electric start, but simplicity can be an advantage, too. It's been a good bike and he really likes it.

Here's a pic from when we went riding a couple months ago...

 

[joekingcorvette]

I would go with the Honda CRF230 or the 250 if you want a new one. Be ready to pay big money because even the previously owned bikes are expensive. Don't worry about parts cost because these bikes don't break down unless severely abused. I would buy the DUAL SPORT because they are very easy to resell and they are street legal too.

 

[Cujet]

I've been an avid dirt bike rider for all of my life. Started riding at age 7. I'm now an old man.

One thing that is always important to me is suspension travel and suspension quality. Additionally, I very much prefer a linkage type rear suspension.

It's pretty clear that most dirt bikes have a 36 or 37 inch seat height. That makes it difficult for anyone with an inseam shorter than 32 inches to ride them. Yes the bikes settle (called sag) at least 4 inches on the suspension.

In my opinion, 11.6-12 inches of quality suspension travel allows a dirt bike to deal with most common occurrences. When that is reduced to a real-world 6-7 or 8 inches, (yes I know they claim 9) as with so many of the 125cc-230cc play bikes, it makes for a rough ride when the terrain is other than perfect.

All modern dirt bikes are easy to ride and even a full race motocrosser has a very mellow, easy to deal with torque curve. z

My surgeon friend rides one of these epic bikes, they've been around a while, are very light, run incredibly smoothly, and are amazingly capable, it's worth consideration:

https://powersports.honda.com/off-road/competition/crf150r

 

[totegoat]

Main reason I bought a Yamaha XT250 was seat height. Very happy with the bike.

 

[cpayne5]

@Cujet brings up the 150R, which is a great bike. They also used to make a 150F, which is more of a trail bike. Less power, softer suspension, etc. FWIW, the gold forked Hondas are their more race-oriented bikes.

I just picked up a new CRF250F to putt around on. I'm about 5'9" and 210lbs. It is a very good fit for me. It has enough torque to pull me around as fast as I want to go. It was $4800 out the door. It's fuel injected, which makes it start super easy and it sips fuel. It will run forever and hold its value.

The old XR250Rs are legendary. XR200s are also very good bikes, if you can find one that's been well kept.

My wife has a CRF125F big wheel. She's about 5'3" and about your weight. It fits her well. It doesn't have enough power to pull my butt around very comfortably and it's a bit small framed for me. You might fit great on it, though. 2019+ is EFI.

All depends on what you want. Good luck!

 

[RhondaHonda]

I have a CR250 and got my wife a CRF230. For just riding around I really like the 230. It’s tame, comfortable and quiet. The CR250 is loud, fast and has an on off switch for a throttle. Great for going fast but not as forgiving as the 230. Get a used CRF230 if you can find one. I need to replace the battery and clean the carb on mine.

 

[ad244]

What’s a good starter bike for someone wanting to get into motorcycles more? My hopes would be something with decent parts availability that could be picked up reasonably cheap on the used market. I’ve tried road bikes and given my wreck earlier this year think I wanna stay on dirt for a while. I am a diesel tech and industrial maintenance/heavy equipment tech so repairs won’t be a problem.

I should add that I am 5’5 and 125 pounds. I would prefer a lower seat but I know I won’t find something as low as a sportster.

Do you need a license plate or a simple dirt bike for OHV/ BLM trails? - This is a big deciding factor.

TTR125 or TTR230 is a great, cheap, reliable electric start trail bike. Any of hondas XR or CRF Line are going to be excellent based upon your price point. Something with a lower seat could be the KLX110 though these are glorified kiddie bikes due to their size.

Sticking with Japanese anything, youre not going to get anything bad in my opinion.

 

[joekingcorvette]

Here is a picture of my my old Suzuki dual sport bike. It was a blast to ride. I bought it brand new but the main reason I got rid of it was
because it took quite a bit of room in my 3 car garage. I bought the new Honda Monkey to replace it. Both bikes are a blast to ride.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Got my son a Kawasaki klx 125l when he was about your size. Same as the Suzuki drz125l. It’s a fun easy to ride bike. Low geared and soft suspension. Good for cruising, not so great for high speed or jumps. Never had to fix anything other than tires and a carb rebuild.

I’m 6’ about 175lb and ride a Yz125. Sort of partial to 2 strokes from my younger days. I am thinking of getting an easier bike since I think I’m done with track riding.