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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 21 May 2022
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So I've just spent a great day riding a CRF300L at an off road riding school and I've learned so much. I think its probably one of the best days I've ever had on a bike!
The CRF300L was such a nice bike to ride, very smooth power delivery and quite torquey for 300cc but a bit beyond my budget at the moment.
Thanks to all for the advice I've received so far
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  #2  
Old 20 Jul 2022
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doiteain View Post
The CRF300L was such a nice bike to ride, very smooth power delivery and quite torquey for 300cc but a bit beyond my budget at the moment.
Thanks to all for the advice I've received so far
The 250L isn't that much slower. And they change hands for much less.


Buying a cheap bike can be a false economy. Cheap bikes are only cheap for a reason. By the time you put it right it could cost more than just buying the right bike in the first place.

Any old (or cheap) bike needs to be purchased with extreme caution or mechanical knowledge.

Good luck
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  #3  
Old 20 Jul 2022
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Yamahas and Hondas rival eachother in reliability. Yamaha is number two in terms if wirld wide sales/dealers, with Honda as number one. Yamahas have generally been one notch more performance oriented vs road/cruisin/comfort for Hondas. They have generally also offered one notch more power per cc - or so is my impression.

A WR250R might be a good option (not to be confused with the allmost identical wr250f which is the racing cersion and not road legal. They are a bit pricey for their age as the okd ones sre still in high demand. But, since you can find okder ones, you can get a decent specimen at half the cost of the Honda. That bike will take you anywhere.

They often know vevs hard life. Get ine with a working iriginal tachometer (so you inow the mileage), snd get one with kess than 25.000 kns on the clock - that should give you tons if fun fir nany years.
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  #4  
Old 24 Jul 2022
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so your only a shorty ! ........ The xt225 ( s erro) is a great bike but it is awful on the road !due to its lack of power . How much do you weigh ?/
If you are average weight ( 70 - 8- kilo ) i would a Honda crf 250l would be a great start for you, k ,,,,,,,
This advice comes after 30 years trail riding oh join TRF
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  #5  
Old 10 Aug 2022
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I chose to go with the yamaha tw200. Like PO I'm a small person at 1,68, around 50kg. Lowest seat height and weights only 260 lbs after taking off rear foot pegs and swap the battery for a lithuim battery.

My TW goes up to 115 quickly, then slowly to 120k/h on the speedo. Someone heavier like 75 kg, top speed 105 to 110 k/h.

One has to rejet, and drop five teeth on the rear sproket from 50 to 45, this lowers the RPM around 800 rpm at 100k/h.

It doesn't break down and it's very easy to work on.
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  #6  
Old 10 Aug 2022
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The only problem with the TW is the rear tire choices, here in Europe you can't easily get away with mounting ATV tires.

It's a pity there aren't more decent quality small bike choices, here the Rieju Tangos & MRTs are a really good choice but they don't have a big support network outside of Spain.
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Old 10 Aug 2022
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Top speed only matters when you are trying to get somewhere in a hurry. I remember crossing Spain, over 1000km from Santander to Algeciras, keeping the speed to 100 kph so my knobblies would be intact for Morocco. It probably only took two hours longer than travelling at the legal limit.

250cc is a lovely size of motorbike but it took a hit all those years ago when the learner limit was lowered to 125cc. I have a neighbour who uses a 125cc on the trails in Spain but he says it is positively dangerous on steep hill trails as it can't produce the power needed.
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Old 10 Aug 2022
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Yes .. 250 cc is the sweet spot for an off road bike . and around 25 hp
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  #9  
Old 11 Aug 2022
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Cullis View Post
... I have a neighbour who uses a 125cc on the trails in Spain but he says it is positively dangerous on steep hill trails as it can't produce the power needed.
Depends on the definition of steep, I've taken a Tango (with a whopping 9hp) up some stuff that people on Enduro bikes struggle with because they're just spinning their tires on the loose rocks ... you can't get up a step more than 12" or so though, because it doesn't have enough power to lift the front wheel at short notice
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