Lightweight motorcycle recommendation

[signing off]

Honda went back to the Trail 90 for the modern world. Trail 125 for the win.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

Would the x-trainer be ok for my first bike? If I skipped the Honda and just went all out. How is reliability of beta vs Honda? Thanks

I wouldn't even consider a Beta. Parts and service may prove to be a big issue. The Yamaha XT250 would seem to check a lot of boxes for you. It's street legal, mild mannered, light enough, bomb proof and has the lowest seat height in its class.

 

[idahodave]

Wit all due respect, an xt250 is a heavy pig with a terrible suspension and parts (mirror/blinkers) angling off of it everywhere that WILL get broken off. They are great around town and maybe a two-track road. Then again, if all you want to ride is bumpy roads then there are a million other option….like the TW, and the Trail 90s/125s.

They are ALL torture on a real, single-track trail. This is not a guess. Suspension matters, and so does weight. About the ONLY thing those types of bikes have going for them is seat height. You can match that with the 230/250F….and have a MUCH more trail-worthy bike though, for less money.

i still vote a CRF250F given the little information I have at hand, but make no mistake the x-trainer is a fantastic trail bike with a very solid record for dependability. Anyone that says otherwise is revealing a decided lack of experience with motorcycles on USFS, single-track trails.

dave

 

[Ice-kub]

An older ktm 200xc or xcw would be deadly. Two of my buddies have borrowed my 04 300exc when their four stroke race bikes went down, they both sold their fancy four strokes and bought 09 and 14 300xcw's. They will go anywhere with the right tires. If you are going to be climbing quite a bit, invest in an electric cooling fan kit. I don't have one, they do, I notice it, but I don't use it for hunting in fall, usually dead of summer.

The 200xcw is a sweet rig if you can find one. Buddy's wife has one and it makes my 300 feel like a lumbering oaf, which it most certainly is not. Not near the power of the 300 but it feels like a ballistic bicycle to me without the extra weight. Very smooth power delivery.

If you're going to ride it for the spring/summer first, I'd say a used ktm 200 xc/xcw not an sx.

I've had numerous people in my riding group run into issues on the trail with their old bikes, two of them being inexperienced at the time and shorter and had them ride my bike 5 miles back to camp while I limp theirs home, they both have ktm 200s now.

 

[BBob]

@idahodave @MotoHunter39

So a guy just has to have my TW so he's gonna take it away. Borrowed another friends Honda this past weekend to play on skinny tires again. Lookin hard at that X-Trainer

 

[idahodave]

@idahodave @MotoHunter39

So a guy just has to have my TW so he's gonna take it away. Borrowed another friends Honda this past weekend to play on skinny tires again. Lookin hard at that X-Trainer

Stop looking and JUMP brother. A month of riding will have you laughing at the limitations of the TW by comparison. ZERO downside to the X-trainer if it's within your budget.

Dave

p.s. The CRF250F is still a VERY good choice, and closer to the characteristics (though MUCH better) of the TW if you want to play it "safe" in terms of your selection.

 

[Aperventure]

Yamaha TW200. Lowest seat height, super stable and rack comes from factory. Much less power / slower and less suspension as compared to CRFs tho. Not sure how much that’ll matter tho? Maybe In 10 miles your 2 mins behind?

If you want something more comparable and Older XR250 dual Sport in good condition and spend money maintaining it. Air cooled lighter weight.

 

[idahodave]

An older xr250 dual sport is pushing 280ish. A current TW200 weighs 278 pounds.

A crf250f weighs 265.

The new Beta X-trainer is 216 pounds. You WON’T find a lighter trail bike…at least one that is actually trail capable.

 

[jeffpg]

After much struggle with owning a carbureted bike with my traveling lifestyle, I finally let my TW200 go.
Has anyone had any experience with the Honda Trail 125?

This modified version of the little Honda is quite interesting...

 

[7mm-08]

I’ve researched similar posts but wanted to get recommendations for a few specific criteria. I will be heading to Idaho to hunt next year with two guys who hunt off of motorcycle/dirtbikes. They both run crf250f and seem to really like them especially for the price. They are both however 4 inches taller then me and 20-30lbs heavier. The crf250f seems to check every box besides it’s heavy. I may be completely wrong but it would seem to me that a lighter weight bike would be easier for me to maneuver through difficult terrain. Im a beginner, 5’7” and about 170lbs. I’m more of the buy once cry once mentality so I’m ok spending money. Id like to be able to put racks on it. I’ve seen ktm and beta make lighter bikes but not sure how they are for a guy of shorter stature and which model would be best. Appreciate any input.

I was in almost exactly the same position a few years ago. A mature, short in stature beginner who had an interest in hunting off a dirt bike. After too much research and some test rides, I bought a Kawasaki KLX 140R F and I couldn't be happier. I have all sorts of friends who hunt off dirt bikes. They all encouraged me to buy a 250 cc bike. They are experienced riders who are all bigger and younger than me. They all warned me I'd outgrown the 140 in a year. They failed to understand my true objective, which was to use it as a tool to get further away from trailheads without hiking for hours, which I have historically done. The low seat height and low weight of the KLX are great confidence builders. Consider this bike before you buy.

 

[keystone112]

Unless you expect to be pulling it out of deep mud by hand, I think the weight won’t be a problem.

 

[Basher]

I was in almost exactly the same position a few years ago. A mature, short in stature beginner who had an interest in hunting off a dirt bike. After too much research and some test rides, I bought a Kawasaki KLX 140R F and I couldn't be happier. I have all sorts of friends who hunt off dirt bikes. They all encouraged me to buy a 250 cc bike. They are experienced riders who are all bigger and younger than me. They all warned me I'd outgrown the 140 in a year. They failed to understand my true objective, which was to use it as a tool to get further away from trailheads without hiking for hours, which I have historically done. The low seat height and low weight of the KLX are great confidence builders. Consider this bike before you buy.

Good advice here. I’ve been a bike guy my entire life (95% sportbikes, but still). Learned to ride at age 9, I’m a trained service tech and while not current I was factory certified on Kawi and BMW products. I like peak performance, and am always interested in the finer details.

That being said, the above post makes an important point: the OP isn’t racing here, they’re using the bike as an agile means of getting around. A comfortable, easy to ride, robust bike is a better fit for someone in that position than the latest and greatest racing ride. Just like with rifles, the mission drives the gear.

 

[idahodave]

KLX 140 is a solid choice for a hunting bike…especially if you’re older.

dave