Lightweight motorcycle recommendation

[Overwire]

EFI is certainly nice ( though it can be less reliable) but if you do end up going with a carbureted bike rejetting is not that big a deal if you have reasonable mechanical aptitude. You can probably get jetting suggestions from others on a motorcycle forum, from the folks at your local shop or the owners manual might have some basic suggestions. Otherwise you can just open the carb to see what you have and go a size leaner on the jets and needle position to adjust for the altitude. You can get it good enough ahead of time. You might be ok at 8-9k without doing anything but it won’t be ideal. It is good to learn how to tune the carb based on how the engine is performing and there is no guarantee the factory jetting will be perfect even at 800ft. The are some good resources online for generic carb tuning if you do a Google search.

 

[goodgrouper]

Take a look at the Beta xtrainer as well. Lower suspension linear power and light weight. It’s an awesome bike, i keep one around for my novice buddies to ride.

 

[Archery22]

At 70yrs old I ride a Yamaha TW200, lots of upgrades made, heavy duty racks on eBay. Check out TW200 forum lots good info

 

[Mike Islander]

Check out the smaller Kawasaki off-road four strikes. A 250 isn't a beginner's bike.

 

[PRC]

Appreciate all the replies. As a couple have said, I also am starting to lean towards a 230 bike. Appears the Honda is no longer produced since 2019? So if go that route I’ll look for a used one. Would the ttr-230 be just as good or would I be better suited looking for a Honda? I will keep eye out for Ktm also, but might be overkill for my needs. Appears the 250 Xc-f would be best bet if went that route if I could find a good used one for decent price? Would of course need lowering kit also.

I can tell you from experience that the Honda seats on the CRF is rock hard. Highly recommend ordering a aftermarket soft fat seat or you’ll spend most of your time standing up! Lol also you can go with the CRF 150f and with the rt jetting, piping and a rev box it will do everything the 230f can except for top speed is about 10-15mph slower depending on gearing. Top speed about 55-60. I’ve had both bikes set up for this and made them both street legal also. I’m also 5’7 and the 150 was so much nicer as far as both feet on the ground which is nice for the extreme trails and way lighter if needing to lift over logs etc. they do have a lowering kit you can put on the 230f and is pretty simple to do. Definitely rekey the carb with the cold start kit. Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[PRC]

I live at approx 800 feet and will be hunting approx 7-9k. So next question would be with the 230s not being efi, what is the difficulty of getting jets set right? Is it something that can be set ahead of time with other peoples experience or something you have to mess with when you get there? That is the one advantage of the crf250-f I would assume, that it is efi. But also potentially more to go wrong with that.

These can be set ahead of time or if your handy it can be done in the field.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Can't help ya, I prefer a quieter ride. Mule 1000 e-bike for me.

 

[Peaks&Creeks]

Motorcycle Recomendations

Motorcycle Recomendations

Looking for recommendations on motorcycles/dirt bikes for hunting. I live and hunt Idaho. Mostly archery elk and deer. On the maps I see great access in most of the units on dirt bike and very little on 4-wheeler. I bought a Honda CRF250L (dual sport) bike for the purpose of getting back in...

r.tapatalk.com

Some good perspectives in this thread. I myself fall into the lightweight enduro category. Had a Yamaha WR250R, couldn’t stand the weight and lack of maneuvering on tight trails. Went to a KTM 250XC and couldn’t be happier with it. Get a lowering link if you’re worried about seat height.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bow_dozer]

Can't help ya, I prefer a quieter ride. Mule 1000 e-bike for me.

View attachment 484706

That ain’t getting you to where I’m going.

 

[Baddog]

Look at a ktm free ride

 

[PLO5]

Buy a TW200! Most fun ever and will go more places then my atv or any other motorcycle I’ve had. I feel super confident on it because I can just take me deer off foot pegs and crawl over stuff. When muddy and nasty I can still safely drive it. I can also hop on Highway and cruise up to 55 while getting 70 mpg

 

[Dos Perros]

I'd probably go XT250 over a TW200; gets you a little more guts and EFI.

 

[huntercole]

XT250 or the Honda 250L or the new 300L. Or spend a little more for the beta xtrainer.

My wife is 5'7" also and started on a crf150 to learn how to ride and run the clutch. Then we got her a xt200. That was a good bike, but definitely needed rejetted when we took it out to Colorado. We sold that when we got home and bought a honda 250L for the fuel injection. You if you read around about the 250L you can lower it a couple inches without buying a lowering link. There's room on where the rear shock mounts to drill a new hole then just slide the forks up a bit to match. You'll have to shorten the kick stand a bit though.

I think the tw200s are pretty cool bikes, but they seem expensive for what they are. They do seem to hold their value though.

I have a ktm 690 and it's been from 800 feet in Iowa to 11.5k in Colorado with no issues. I've had no issues with it in the 7 years I've had it.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

Beta 200 or old KTM200

 

[300stw]

1983 xr200. all you need i have had and rode almost every bike mentioned, not many trails in 39,43, 48,49,50,23, 22,24,25. we havent ridden, if the rocks arent bad a bw200 will haul a whole buck or half elk out of some bad steep country,,,

 

[Blacky]

TW 200. Will carry a load and climb a tree.

 

[Brando']

I've never had a TW but they are great bikes. For someone your size and no experience riding I would not recommend anything in the 250 class. You're just too short and you will need to be low to feel confident. At slow speeds or stopping you will really be unhappy if you can't flat foot both feet. I have a CRF230L. I live in Virginia now but I owned this bike when I lived in Idaho. It is a really great bike for single track trails and if you need to you can buzz into town for gas or snacks. I still use it for Forest Service roads but if I need to take paved roads for more than 20 miles or so I take the KLR. If you can find a good used CRF230L I would jump on it.

 

[Buzby]

Especially if you’re a new rider; TW200. It’s super low seat hight will be confidence inspiring. It will get you anywhere, reliably. It’s just won’t get you there the fastest.

 

[Fullfan]

Have a Honda xr600r, it is a beast and is to much for hunting. Just bought my second Honda crf 230. Latest is a 2015 with about 3 hours on it, gave 2700.00 for it. Eletric start, small LED light bar and all good. Bike is reliable and dependable and quiet.

 

[HappyHuntr]

Despite popular use, the tw200 is a no go for me. I am neighbors with a man who lives and breaths dirtbikes and hunting. He has hunted idaho off bikes for 30 years. He is in his 60's and about 5'7 150. Rides a tt-r 225. The problem with the tw and the honda fat cats is because of the wider wheel they dont put as much pressure on 1 spot like a normal bike would. Therefore, even though they are more balanced, slip more and fishtail more do to pressure of the wheel being less do to the wider surface area. Then you get to 2 stroke or 4 stroke. 2 are obviously louder but my friend, Jerry, say's they don't spook animals any more than a 4 stroke. The advantage of a 2 is the ability to use a smaller bike. A 2 stroke 125-150 has about the same power as a 4 stroke 230-250 in a much smaller frame. I'd go 2 stroke 125/150. Most importantly, just like guns our really anything, get something that feels right. And most, most importantly, dont get more bike than you can handle, those trails are tough, your bike and most importantly you, need to be too. Just my .02$