Motorbike options.

[$$Noble$$]

hey

Suggestions on a new motorbike out of this list Please

must be around 450cc
bike will be ridden around the brisbane city and taken out on trails every weekend
Price is not an issue (to an extent) around (10g to 14g)
fairly maintenance free as i do not have the tools to fix to often as i am living at college.
I was looking at a WR450f but was told they are not to good to ride in the city as the rings will need to be replaced every 2-3 months because of the riding conditions.
so i am after some more suggestions.

http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/resources/file/eb16bd000416bfe/Lam_scheme_list_040510.pdf

any help would be appreciated thanks

p.s . also who would i go to if i would like to take up a case against dodgy mechanics/ dealers in the automotive industry in QLD.

 

[anth69]

nearly all of the modern 450 four strokes are competition based engines that are highly tuned...and need more maintanance to keep them that way...if your after engine life look at a 'trail bike' , the engine's detuned and the bike is not so competition based ( eg suzuki drz 400, yamaha wr250'R' ) also , have a read here.. http://www.dirtbikeworld.net/forum/index.php ...ask the question if you like , good chance you'll get genuine help but you may get biased opinions also...but hey , thats public forums for ya!

 

[Ivan]

If you are commuting and dirt riding then your options are very limited, mainly due to the maintenance schedule involved in modern enduro 4T's.

There are only really two bikes that fit the profile that your after, and that the DRZ400 and the WR250r. Both are capable off road, and the maintenance won't send you broke if you ride them on the road.

I have been hopeing that Yamaha will release a WR450r, but it hasn't happened yet.

DRZ400
[video=youtube;fYu7DQn5vAI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYu7DQn5vAI[/video]

WR250R
[video=youtube;nbF7ABiFSsI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbF7ABiFSsI&feature=related[/video]

 

[AcTioN13]

Does it need to be a 4 stroke? Can rebuild a 2 stroke the top end in a living room.... almost.

Why not the venerable xr400? Will run forever

 

[mxwill63]

yeah mate, for a bike that you can commute to and from work/trails i would definantly recommend a suzuki DRZ 400. These bikes are bulletproof for maintenance and will only need a refreshment of oil and cleaning of the air filter after every few months of riding. The price of these machines are great, so if you would like to set it up for more trail use, this is easy, as the extra cash could be used on suspension or power upgrades. Check out a few magazines as there are many of these as project bikes. If you are only just beginning to get into dirtbikes and getting a license, these are L plate legal, and are fairly easy to ride, but dont think these are pussy little trail bikes, cause these can put some power down whenever you want it, just not as violent as a WR450f. I am currently riding a DRZ 250 and think its great, though we did need to change the gearing as it was too tall. Even if you dont want a DRZ 400, i wouldnt recommend a 2 stroke, as riding it on the highway will wear your top end like nothing else. A WR450f would be pretty good, as long as you aren't commuting too far. I hope i have helped you a little

end rant

 

[Dirt king]

At the beginnning of the year I wanted to buy a Moto, preferably dirt and turn it into a motard for during the week, to get to Uni, and have the knobby's for the weekend to ride trails and or some light MX.

After doing heaps of research, and talking to many people, it is rather hard to get a fast, yet maintenance free Dirt Bike. As someone mentioned before, all dirt bikes today, especially the 4 strokes are high maintenance vehicles. Because the engines are such high compression engines, producing massive amounts of power, something has to give somewhere, and thats where the maintenance comes in.

A highly compressed four stroke, such as:

- Yahama WR450F
- KTM 450 EXC,
- And these companies competitors with similar models,

They are all highly compressed engines built for racing, when it comes down to the knitty gritty. Therefore this will then entail you having to change the oil in them, from what the factory says every 2,3 or if your lucky 4 hours or riding. That said that is the specs for MX bikes, so the enduro versions might get slightly longer, but they still require their oil to be changed a lot. That said the oil for these, for 4L will cost around $110-$140 depending on the brand, type etc, so it isn't a cheap exercise.

So yeah in the end it my choices became rather limited, and for myself I decided I wouldn't bother, but that said these are some of the bikes I was told:

- Suzuki DRZ 400
- Honda XR 400
- Yamaha TTR250
- And one other I can't remember, sorry.

All of these bikes are really good bikes, and if I wasn't so keen on Moto X, then I probably would have got one. That said from what you said, any of those bikes would be great for trails, so I guess there might be some options there, and I am sure there are many that I have missed.

My vote would be though the Suzuki DRZ400, I have only heard good things about it, and yeah apparently it is a lot of fun to ride. I guess do heaps of research though, you will eventually find the in's and out's of it all. I really recommend talking to some people at the dealers though. As much as they tell you that by the book they should be serviced at these intervals etc, the information they do give you is rather accurate and helpful.

 

[fox-racing]

All the previous comments below are exactly right. A wr450f would suit the riding style great, but they do require the oil to be changed every 15 hours and a new oil filter ever 15-30 hours. Also the valves need to be adjusted every now and then. Although i ride and race a yz250f, doing about 10 hours a week which means the oil has to be changed quite a bit, i dont find a problem with this its only a 5-10 min job if your good with your hands. The main thing is that oil is not so cheap. Using 1.2 litres to fill it back up means you only get 3 and a bit oil changes out of a 4l bottle which is very expensive. Since your willing to spend up to 14g its sounds like money isnt a problem, so if you were to buy a 2010 wrf 450 you would still have plenty of money to pay for oil for a while. There is no other maintenance that i can think of apart from your tyres will wear down quicker riding on the road then offroad. Anyway if i was you id definately get the wr450f

 

[$$Noble$$]

hey guys thanks for the input i think my sensible side is swinging and and leaning me towards to DRZ-400e have been reading reviews for this and they recommend this a good bike apart from the shocking stock tyres that come on it. i guess this may be my only choice i have for now i can always play a bit more when my lifestyle is not so constraint.

Thanks boys

 

[BLKFOZ]

hey guys thanks for the input i think my sensible side is swinging and and leaning me towards to DRZ-400e have been reading reviews for this and they recommend this a good bike apart from the shocking stock tyres that come on it. i guess this may be my only choice i have for now i can always play a bit more when my lifestyle is not so constraint.

Thanks boys

DRZ-400's are known as 'poo carts' in the motard world for obvious reasons - slow, bad brakes, bad suspension all in stock form off course. Anything modded will perform better.

I've got a WR450 motard which apart from bateries and voltage regulator has performed perfectly. In saying that, its an 04' I've owned since new and dropped the oil every 500km, and filter every 500-1000km. Also it still has less than 10kkm on it, so hasn't had any commuting duties - solely for fun.

Good luck with your choice.

Cheers.

 

[Dirt king]

hey guys thanks for the input i think my sensible side is swinging and and leaning me towards to DRZ-400e have been reading reviews for this and they recommend this a good bike apart from the shocking stock tyres that come on it. i guess this may be my only choice i have for now i can always play a bit more when my lifestyle is not so constraint.

Thanks boys

Yeah if you had the spare cash, which you might I would buy some Motard Wheels for it, with the slicks (Well street legal ones) and the some proper knobbies for your offroad wheels. Then you have the best of both worlds.

 

[mxwill63]

hey guys thanks for the input i think my sensible side is swinging and and leaning me towards to DRZ-400e have been reading reviews for this and they recommend this a good bike apart from the shocking stock tyres that come on it. i guess this may be my only choice i have for now i can always play a bit more when my lifestyle is not so constraint.

Thanks boys

just wear the shit tyres fast ( i recommend many burnouts) and buy yourself some new smooth rubber