Smart Buying: Dirk bike buying advice
Ever considered hitting the trail? Selecting the right dirt bike for your skill level and riding style is important. If you want to know more, read up as, Dave Sutherland from Motorcycle Trader's Dirt Bike Trader mag guides you through the good, the bad aBack in the old days, the only real choice you had when buying off an off-road bike was a two-stroke. Sure there were four-strokes then, but they were big, heavy and slow and you needed to be a real man to ride one. These days that theory is blown apart. Modern four-strokes are fast, light and manoeuvrable, and in some ways have almost superseded the poor old two-stroke. To put it in a nutshell, two-strokes are light, zingy and fast but break traction easily and can be intimidating to ride, while modern four-strokes are slightly heavier, very tractable, user friendly and deceptively quick.
Quite a few different dirt bikes are available and all designed for a specific part of the off-road market. The most common are trail bikes, enduro bikes and motocross bikes. They all work well, but are also all very different to ride. Choosing the correct bike for your application is important, so let's have a quick look at what's available.
TRAIL BIKES
These are 'base model' off-road bikes and even though their name implies they'd be an excellent choice for bush work, they're actually about a seventy percent bias towards the road. They're still reasonably capable for light trail riding, but you won't get any sophisticated suspension or hot engines on a 'traillie'.
ENDURO BIKES
This is the way to go if you want to get into serious trail riding. Enduro bikes have all you want and more for bush riding, in fact sometimes they've got a little bit too much for the average trail rider, because most of them are actually designed for racing through the bush, not cruising. Some enduro bikes are less high performance than others and if you're a beginner you should choose one you can handle. And how will you know which one is best for you? Read DBT bike tests; we shoot 'em out and look for the bike that would best suit the average trail rider, not a pro racer.
MOTOCROSS BIKES
If you want to ride or race on a motocross track, get some big air, or join the 'metal mullisha' you'll need one of these rockets. Motocross bikes are extremely powerful, super responsive and very light. They're also noisy and un-registerable, so don't buy one to ride on public land or next to your neighbour's house or you'll find yourself in strife with the cops.
WHAT SIZE?
Most of these bikes are available in either two or four-stoke models and there are different engine sizes available as well. Starting at the bottom of the scale is the little 125cc two-stroke, and then you can get every stroke and capacity arrangement along the way until you reach the top, where you'll find a large capacity four-stroke in the vicinity of 500 or 600cc and more. Interesting thing about dirt bikes though, often a bloke riding a little125cc ring-dinger two-stroke will be quicker than a bloke on a thumping 500cc, four-stroke. It's just the nature of off-road riding. Every model has a good, bad and ugly side. Let's check that out.
125CC-200CC TWO STROKE: THE SCREAMERS
The good
These little rockets are super lightweight, easy to flick around, and if you get stuck on the track you can just pick the bike up and carry it. They're also easy to work on.
The bad
Because of their smaller engine sizes, these bikes are best suited to lighter riders up to 75kg. They also require skill to keep the engine in the power-band for they produce most of their power at high revs, although it should be noted that a 200 has considerable more torque than a 125.
The Ugly
The 125 and 200cc enduro bikes are almost exstinct for some reason, so you might have a hard time finding one. The small motors on these bikes also work hard so expect to invest some money in regular top-end rebuilds.
250-400CC TRAIL, FOUR-STROKE: THE SOFTIES
The good
Low maintenance, soft power and basic engineering means you don't have to be a dirt bike guru to own one of these.
The bad
Trail bikes don't get all the hot stuff the competition dirt bikes get, and as your riding improves you'll get frustrated with their low level of performance.
The ugly
The truth is, these bikes are heavy, slow and under-suspended. Even Chad Reed would have trouble cutting a fast lap on one.
The good
These bikes are so easy to ride, they chug, lug, pull and rev. Amazing! An excellent bike to learn to go fast on.
The bad
They pump out serious ponies for their size and need a high maintenance schedule to keep 'em going. Clean the filter, change the oil, check the valves and replace the top end regularly. That's the price for all that performance.
The ugly
These things rev high, around 13,000rpm, and if you think they'll last forever like an XR600, you're wrong. And if they go bang, you're in deep doo-doo.
The good
Lightweight, instant power. You jump tall buildings in a single bound and they're easy to work on as well. An ideal bike for a young, fit rider.
The bad
Unless you have good riding skills you'll find that all that instant power can be intimidating. These things are fast
The ugly
In dry, slippery conditions these bikes want to go sideways as much as they want to go forward. A new rear tyre and a steady throttle hand are essential to keep a two-stroke hooked up in the slippery stuff.
The good
Everything is nice about riding a 'four five oh'. The power's smooth and there's lots of it. They'll hook up on greased glass and in dry conditions they'll turn inside the best two-stroke ever made.
The bad
As light as they are, they're still heavier than a comparable two-stroke and that can be a disadvantage in certain conditions, like deep ruts. You also need to apply plenty of new-school, four stroke maintenance to these bikes - just like the 250Fs, only not as often.
The ugly
Although a 450 should last a season without a rebuild, you know the time will come soon enough for a top-end job and this can be a problem if you've never worked on a four-stroke. The ugliest point though is if you blow one up; selling the house, wife and car should cover costs.
The good
Midsize, Open class, two-strokes like a 380 are a pretty decent bike in the hands of an experienced rider, since they're reasonably manageable, but a fullhouse 500 is at its best climbing sand dunes or setting land speed records.
The bad
These bikes can vibrate excessively, and at times the jetting can be difficult to sort. It can also be hard to find one because very few manufacturers make them anymore.
The ugly
As we said, midsize two strokes are okay if you can handle them but a full size 500 is ridiculously powerful. If you can ride one of these beasts fast, give us a call and we'll get you a factory ride.
The good
These bikes usually have excellent on-road performance and if that's important to you then you'll find it in a big four-stroke. Their engines are also old-school four- strokes and that means that they should last forever and a day with regular maintenance.
The bad
Big four-strokes are usually designed as dual purpose machines and their size and weight often make them an awkward proposition in the bush.
The ugly
If you do go bush on one of these you may never be seen again as they're big and heavy and not too manoeuvrable in rough going. These bikes are at their best on fire trails and fast gravel roads.
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