Looking for Bike Suggestions

[dataplex]

Well, I'm coming over here from the New Bikers forum. My wife didn't like the idea of a street bike so I'm compromising with her and looking at off-road vehicles. My family has a 500 acre ranch in Texas and I'm trying to figure out what I should be looking for.

I don't quite understand the difference between motocross, dual-purpose, enduro, trail, etc, or the power/performance I should be looking for. I'm 5'10" about 200 lbs. and I've got some experience (1-2 years) on a smaller 80cc honda about 8 years ago.

I would do some short (< 1 mile) trips on the road to get to another part of our property, but the majority of my time would be spent in heavy grass, hills, and brush. I like manual bikes and prefer a 5 or 6 speed transmission in cars at least.

Suggestions on make, model, power, etc? I'm looking to buy used with good durability and low maintenance. I'd like something that maybe my wife could handle eventually also (so I can upgrade ). Would a 250cc be a good starter?

Thanks in advance.

[fireguzzi]

have you looked at a Yamaha TW 200? they look pretty fun and they are street legal. Then you could pass that off and upgrade to something like a KLR 650 or a DR or something similar.

[Big B]

+1 on the TW200 those things are a riot to bomb around on!

[dataplex]

That bike looks like it has huge tires on the back! How does that handle for jumping and stuff? I would like to do some jumps with this bike so maybe weight is a concern as well. What is the difference between enduro, MX, dual-purpose, and whatnot? Is there a guide or something to this kind of a thing? I'm going to go talk to a local bike shop today and see what they say.

[dataplex]

After work I went and talked to a local motor sports dealership. They recommended something like a Honda CRF230F for mostly trail use and some MX stuff. They did say it wouldn't do too well on the road so I may just stick to a ditch if I have to ride between properties.

I also looked a CRF250R but it was a bit too pricey for what I wanted. Should I buy new or wait for a while for a used bike?

[Logitech105]

The crf230 is a great bike, I own one, an '04. less than a mile between properties!? that bike will do perfectly fine, it's no streetbike, but it's not like you cant go on the pavement It has a really agressive tread pattern, so id be careful still. ask me if you want to know anything about it.

seems you want to get an enduro but also want to take jumps? well i recommend the kawasaki klx250s
http://kawasaki.com/Products/detail.aspx?id=206

[Big B]

That bike looks like it has huge tires on the back! How does that handle for jumping and stuff? I would like to do some jumps with this bike so maybe weight is a concern as well. What is the difference between enduro, MX, dual-purpose, and whatnot? Is there a guide or something to this kind of a thing? I'm going to go talk to a local bike shop today and see what they say.

yeah the tires are moderately ridiculous, but with those, and the low gearing, the tw200 is purt near unstoppable, and very forgiving. it's not a very good street bike (craps out around 60 mph) i wouldn't want to do any insane jumps on it, but it'll handle smaller ones. i just walked out to the showroom and sat on the one we have in stock. another nice thing (especially if you want the wife to learn) is the seat hight is considerably lower than alot of dual sports

[dataplex]

After looking at this bike on the web a bit, it seems like a really good fit. But the price tag is pretty high. If anyone has a lead on a good condition used '07 or '06 in Texas I would appreciate a PM. This goes for the CRF230F also. That TW220 just doesn't look like the bike for me. I'll see if there is a dealership in my area (Bryan, TX) though and check it out in person.

Thanks for the help!