New Adventure


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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
Soooo. One thing I've wanted to do for a LONG time is get myself a dirt bike. In fact, originally I'd planned on buying a dirt bike before I got my FZ. My wife was the one who convinced me I'd use a street bike a lot more than a dirt bike. She was right and I'm so glad I decided to do that. But I've been wanting to add a dirt bike to my garage for a while. Now, with all my medical issues I haven't been able to ride my street bike much, let alone start riding a dirt bike. It's kept me from really being active at all.

Well, my procedure that should get rid of the neck pain that's been hindering me is in a couple of days. I've gained a lot of weight back so once I'm not as limited physically I really wanted to start doing something to get back in shape. So I started looking into getting a new mountain bike since mine is OLD and just beat to death. I hadn't priced bikes in years and I about crapped. A decent bike (not even close to top of the line) for the kind of trail riding I like doing is a minimum $3500. I started thinking, I can get a good used 250 dirt bike for less than that easily. Trail riding a dirt bike is pretty much everything I love about mountain biking and none of what I hate. And it's a great workout too. So in a few weeks after recovery and I'm sure the procedure has worked, I'll be on the hunt locally for a solid dirt bike in the $2500-$3000 range.

I talked to a guy who's wife works for my wife who's got a 2008 KTM 530. He wants a lot more than I wanted to pay ($5000) and it's quite a bit more power than I wanted. (I'm still very much a novice in the dirt.) But it's kind of perfect. It's plated and fully street legal so I could ride to the trails rather than having to trailer the bike. So if I have the cash, that might be an option. What I'd love to find is a Honda CRF250X or Yamaha WR250F around $2500. Something I could ride to trails, trailer to one of our many local tacks or even the desert occasionally.

Anyone on here also have a trail bike? Also does anyone from California have a good explanation of the Green sticker/Red sticker rules? I've never had anyone really be able to explain it to me properly. I'd get a regular MX bike if that's what's out there. But if I can find one that I can have plated it would be kind of ideal.

I don't have any actual pictures of the KTM but I believe this is the same bike.


This is like the Honda I was looking into.


And the Yamaha.
 
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ej'sfz

New Member
I've got a buddy sellin a super clean honda 450 with spare wheel and paddle and small enclosed trailer for 3500 I believe
Dirt bikes are great man thats what I started out on growing up In the desert
I sold my ktm to buy my fz. It was an 00 lc4 640 and I loved it. Street legal too

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FastFreddy

New Member
That red KTM reminds me of that movie where the rider in the Baja 1000 gets lost and rides through a black budget time travel experiment in progress in the desert and ends up going back in time and riding around the wild west, jumping over baddies on horses while under fire and saving the girl of course.


Sounds like the 450s are too much power for novice dirt riders, whereas the 250s are just right.
 
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ignatz

New Member
I started with a CRF450r and loved it for the desert. Mostly ride at glamis in the sand and a few times at ocotillo.

Loved having that bike but only rode it about 4 days in the last few years which made me decide to switch to street.

My understanding of red vs green sticker is the red sticker bikes usually have different cams and the lack of a spark arrestor in the exhaust, think emissions and fire danger. When it comes down to it a red sticker bike will allow you access to certain park/recreation areas during certain times of the year, usually the hotter summer months that have a higher fire danger.

You can check out the last revision of the redd sticker riding seasons in the following document, http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1234/files/2007 carb revised riding seasons.pdf

My buddy wants me to get a dual sport so I can ride with him when he gets his M1 but I'm waiting for him to follow through before I invest in another bike.


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RoadTrip

New Member
Yeah, I would love to get into dirt bikes as well. At one time I dreamed of hitting doubles on the motorcross side of it, but who am I kidding that ship has sailed. But, technical trail riding could be just as fun, its more about finess and prolly has a nice long learning curve to keep it interesting.

The main concerns would be finding good trails, and maintenance. But, if the bike is cheap, then the risk is low, you just get the bike and see where the new sport takes you.
 
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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
I learned to ride on a CRF450r. But I was also just putting around a motocross track in 2nd gear. Even though I know how to ride and have some bike skills, I think a 250 is what I need to go with. I have friends who've been riding the tracks and deserts for years who don't ride 450's just because it's really more than is needed and enough to really get you in trouble easily if you're not really comfortable with it. Plus if I'm going to be doing more technical trail stuff, less power and weight would be better anyway.

But I will keep that 450 you mentioned in mind. With a trailer, that's a hell of a deal.
 
J

JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
Wow. That is a hell of a deal. Ill keep that one in mind for sure. I have a trailer but its really a friends i store at my house for him.

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J

JT

Monster Member
Elite Member
I just recently purchased a 2006 $1200 it was a heek of a deal considering prices I was seeing around town and it has upgraded front and rear suspension, and un breakable asv levers a Yoshi exhaust, renthal bars ect.


I have since registered it and got it current and taken it apart so I could service and paint it...


new valves and springs, intake cam, exhaust cam, and cam chain.


oil service, air filter, new spark plug, new coolant, also got a paddle tire for the Pismo sand dunes. im just about ready for summer!


Im looking to name it any suggestions would be appreciated. so far I have a few


night hawk
night rider
Black mamba
(for u walking dead fans) Michone was suggested lmfao
 

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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
Bike names should be hot chick names! Although a friend has his crf450 (Betsey) and his Husky supermoto (Matilda) lol

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latony007

New Member
Nice JT, that would be a blast up a pismo. i have only rented quads out there and that was a lot of fun. Although i do think naming your bike is a little odd id go with Sandy, goes with chick names and works for Pismo too :)
 
J

JT

Monster Member
Elite Member
latony007 said:
Nice JT, that would be a blast up a pismo. i have only rented quads out there and that was a lot of fun. Although i do think naming your bike is a little odd id go with Sandy, goes with chick names and works for Pismo too :)
Click to expand...


I purchased her specifically for Pismo so your suggestion along with Johns commandment about hot chick names.... so Sandy it is
 
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latony007

New Member
JT said:
I purchased her specifically for Pismo so your suggestion along with Johns commandment about hot chick names.... so Sandy it is
Click to expand...
I feel honored :)
I might be able to handle a dirt bike a Pismo, at least if you go down you got nice sand dunes to land on instead of rocks. :D
 
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ej'sfz

New Member
JonKerr said:
Wow. That is a hell of a deal. Ill keep that one in mind for sure. I have a trailer but its really a friends i store at my house for him.
Click to expand...
sounds good, id take it off his hands if i had the room, and really the cash haha.
let me know, its in borrego so you can test ride right off the porch into the desert lol.
 
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bleedinblue

Senior Member
Elite Member
Your interest in the mountain bike thread Jon reminded me of this one, any updates?I recently had a conversation with one of my uncles about green stickers, Indiana actually adopted them in 2003 when Cali did, we just don't issue red stickers.Id hate to ramble but I can post about that some if your interested on the green stickers perks in my state, they actually change depending on county here.
 
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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
Well, the dirt bike's been put on hold for now. My car was getting to the point I was going to need to sink a couple grand into it to keep it running safely. Money I wasn't going to get back out of it. So I decided trade it in and to use the cash I was hoping to buy a bike with and put a down payment on a new truck instead. (which I've been wanting to get for a couple of years now) I do still want to get a bike. But it's going to have to wait a little while. :rolleyes: I may get just a straight up track bike that I can take to the desert if I can find one super cheap somewhere. (I have the truck to take it anywhere I want now ;) ) But the plated trail bike is going to be way out of my price range now.

Hey, at least I've got a nice new cage :D



 
J

JT

Monster Member
Elite Member
JonKerr said:
Well, the dirt bike's been put on hold for now. My car was getting to the point I was going to need to sink a couple grand into it to keep it running safely. Money I wasn't going to get back out of it. So I decided trade it in and to use the cash I was hoping to buy a bike with and put a down payment on a new truck instead. (which I've been wanting to get for a couple of years now) I do still want to get a bike. But it's going to have to wait a little while. :rolleyes: I may get just a straight up track bike that I can take to the desert if I can find one super cheap somewhere. (I have the truck to take it anywhere I want now ;) ) But the plated trail bike is going to be way out of my price range now.

Hey, at least I've got a nice new cage :D



Click to expand...


Clean truck!
 

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