looking for a bike for the wife

cragwl · Post by **cragwl** » 03:34 pm Apr 26 2012

My wife loves to ride her ttr125l. It is way to short for her but she feels safe on it. Mabey someday she will want to have a better performing bike. Until then, as long as she feels comfortable she will ride.

diymirage · Post by **diymirage** » 07:42 pm Apr 26 2012

thanks for all the help guys

i got my mind set on the TTR, it seems to be the best bang for the buck (mainly since ther are several of them around)

but i still find myself tempted to buy a chinese bike for half the price
i know the TTR is a better bike but untill i know for sure how well she likes it i wonder if it is worth the initial investment

Post by **scheckaet** » 07:53 pm Apr 26 2012

it ll b hard to resell ur chinese crap, while the ttr will retain most of its value...

Post by **SS109** » 08:11 pm Apr 26 2012

scheckaet wrote:it ll b hard to resell ur chinese crap, while the ttr will retain most of its value...

Yep. Also, good luck finding parts when you need them and, trust me, you will need them!

cragwl · Post by **cragwl** » 08:59 pm Apr 26 2012

I had the same thought years ago and bought a Baja 50 for my kids. I can say buy experience they are poorly made. There is no comparison to a Japanese or Uro. bike. I had a heck of a time finding parts. It's kind of like mountain biking with a bike from Walli World, sure you can do it, but you may destroy it and kill your self in the process. Not worth it.

diymirage · Post by **diymirage** » 09:09 pm Apr 26 2012

maybe its time to start taking up a collection?

sped66 · Post by **sped66** » 10:03 pm Apr 26 2012

My girlfriend rides the xr200 well enough. She's a lightweight at 114 pounds, but at about 5' 6" or so she can touch the ground with both feet. Xr's can be had fairly cheap sometimes, yet retain value pretty well for nice ones.
Great beginner bike but can also induce grins for the more experienced on tight singletrack, providing basic mods are done to let the motor breathe. Simple, reliable 4 stroke. Mine makes a good all around buddy bike.
TTR's have their following as well so I'm sure you wouldn't regret purchasing one. E-start is definately a plus for most women.

I just sold this '87 model to a friend for $600. Not a steal, but a very fair price I thought. He didn't try to talk me down at all. (I'm keeping another '87 just like it but in better condition.)

SilvFx · Post by **SilvFx** » 11:46 am Apr 27 2012

You are going in the right direction. Look for the best deal on TT-R 125 L DRZ-125L, KLX140L, CRF100F (XR100) or CRF150F. I would make sure you get the 'L' version at her height she will do fine with the larger bike (CRF150F is pushing the envelope due to weight and seat height) Bigger wheel size (19'/16") will help clear obstacles better on the trail. If you buy any of these for the right price, you can turn in one year/one season(which is about how long she will be riding these beginner bikes) and sell it for within $100 of what you bought it for.

Started my 5' 4 1/2" daughter on CRF100F, moved to KX100 in after one summer of riding (with flywheel weight and smaller front/larger rear sprockets), and now moving to KDX200 for this summer. Seat cutdown, kouba linkage and she is still on tip toes with KDX....and we'll see how it works.

The KX100 would be great for a shared bike with a 14 year old, but a very bad idea to start her on a KX100 initially. That bike rips...29 hp...vs 8-10 for any of these trail bikes. In fact, I think the KX100 is faster than the KDX200 since the weight is 156 lbs. vs. 223 for KDX (but the KDX is more trail friendly). When she is riding the crap out of these beginner trail bikes and needs better suspension...time to move to the KX100. And her riding style will need to be aggressive with the KX100 or any of the 2 stroke minis...at least in Colorado it needs to be with altitude and some steep trails (not sure about Michigan). There is no hitting the gas in middle of a steep hill...gotta keep the revs up.

Post by **fuzzy** » 12:35 pm Apr 27 2012

Friend of mine has a TTR230. It's definitely a girls bike. Tinyest thing with 18/21" wheels on it I've ridden.

smokehouseman · Post by **smokehouseman** » 08:29 pm May 03 2012

I have a nice bike if your still looking it's a 2005 DRZ125L with upgraded suspension would be perfect for your wife http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/mcy/2975336773.html

TrophyHunter · Post by **TrophyHunter** » 09:46 pm May 03 2012

Some good suggestions here. The best one being - stay away from off brand and Chinese knock off stuff. I had a mini buggy that required the valves to be adjusted after 3 hours of run time. It wasn't a maintenance item - just wouldn't stay adjusted. I checked out Baja Motorsports (now closed BTW) as they warehoused in the Phoenix area. They had over 180 complaints at BBB so that answered it for me.

She can't enjoy it if it doesn't run. So great that she's willing to get out there with ya.

diymirage · Post by **diymirage** » 10:20 pm May 03 2012

smokehouseman wrote:I have a nice bike if your still looking it's a 2005 DRZ125L with upgraded suspension would be perfect for your wife http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/mcy/2975336773.html

nice looking bike but about twice what i am looking to spend

Post by **Julien D** » 10:32 pm May 03 2012

I'm gonna maintain my vote for a clean kx100. 2 strokes.. mmm. Just sayin.

diymirage · Post by **diymirage** » 10:28 am May 05 2012

Julien D wrote:I'm gonna maintain my vote for a clean kx100. 2 strokes.. mmm. Just sayin.

though i agree that a 4 stroke dirtbike is not TRULY a dirt bike i still think that i want her to start of learning on a 4 stroker

so far i like the TTRs the best, plus they can be had in good shape with electric start for under a grand
(no too mention that she looks good in blue)

Post by **Julien D** » 10:32 am May 05 2012

I don't blame ya. I'm starting my daughter on the XR80 and my son on the z50 for the same reason, lol. I'll have the boy on a 2t as soon as I can though.

cragwl · Post by **cragwl** » 10:38 am May 05 2012

Funny, my wife loves her ttr because it is blue.

I like my kdx because it rips through the trails

Price, e-start, blue, your set. Buy one and teach her to ride. Good times ahead.

sped66 · Post by **sped66** » 01:31 am May 08 2012

diymirage wrote:though i agree that a 4 stroke dirtbike is not TRULY a dirt bike...

Errr... WOW.
I find myself wishing you'd elaborate on that statement. I'd like to see just how deep this rabbit hole goes.

Post by **Julien D** » 05:44 am May 08 2012

sped66 wrote:
diymirage wrote:though i agree that a 4 stroke dirtbike is not TRULY a dirt bike...
Errr... WOW.
I find myself wishing you'd elaborate on that statement. I'd like to see just how deep this rabbit hole goes.

4t trail bikes have their purpose. Modern 4t MX bikes? They have a purpose too, but I think that purpose is taking your money.

Post by **scheckaet** » 09:45 am May 08 2012

as much as I agree with the previous statement, I got the feeling that if they still had 2 strokes, they'd be so high strung and modded to get as much ponies as possible that the issue would be (somewhat) the same. (bottom end bearings, rings, piston,
clutch plates...)
Imagine a KX 250 on steroid, modded like a sup't up KX 100 running 25,000 RPM ...

Now I wanna try THAT!

UI Vandal · Post by **UI Vandal** » 03:31 pm May 08 2012

There are enough modern KTM 2Ts for the comparison. My buds 300 EXC had 250 hours on his top end before rebuild, clean as a whistle and no slop from the bottom end. I would have to disagree with that assessment of "if" manufacturers still made them they would not be very reliable and/or super high strung.

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