Dirt Bikes - Value For money?

JohnnyBoxer

JohnnyBoxer

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I have one of these, 2007 bought at 3 months old and 500 miles.

Came with 21 months BMW Warranty etc for £3995 (discounted by BMW from a RRP of about £6k)

XChallenge-Right.jpg


So in Dec 2007 it cost me £3995 and for that I get a well built capable offroad bike, Fi which is road legal and can take me on road or offroad with relative ease................in my book £4k was a fair price

Currently I'm without a Trials bike, but have owned 4 of these in the past

4RTLeftFull.jpg


That is a 2005 Honda 4RT Trials and wished i'd kept it :blast

To get an equivalent bike, a 2008 - which could have had a hard life, second hand prices are between £3500-£4000 (on a bike that had a RRP of the same £6k new)

I know they are completely different bikes and the Trials bike is singularly focussed, but I can't see the value of £3500 for a nearly 2 year old bike, which is very much single purpose. I know there are cheaper Trials bikes, but the only one I fancy is the 4RT

So for £3500-£4k .......................I cannot really see the VFM...............can you??

VFM must have some bearing on it for me
 
There is a different in bikes for pleasure and bikes for pain (competition).....

Mentally, I have almost past my racing mindset...... unfortunately, spent most of my adrenalin vouchers driving forest rally cars in the 90s, so no real competition attracts me at present, but the trail bug I still have, as many know.
I love my X-Ch, she is a fantastic bike, and I am really thankfl that Possu contacted me when he knew of the low-miler.....
Yet, I have noticed a few of us'chaps' returning to the roots, and the latest is Pipster, giving his 950SE up and returning to the trials scene.....
So, I can see me going the same way, well, not giving up the trails, but maybe swapping one of my trail bikes for a trials iron....

Timpo....;)
 
Trials are such a good craic...................but of competition with a friendly atmosphere and it's cheap as chips (after buying the bike:augie)
 
I think that,unless you can get big discounts off list,the answer is to look for almost new, like your Beemer. You'll never get any massive amounts knocked off a trials bike because the mark-up from trade price to retail price is much smaller. There are plenty of mint S/H ones around though, just keep watching T&MX and have a wad ready.
Paul Sadler at Acklams in Harrogate has some lovely almost new Betas for sale BTW. Evo 250's are rather nice.
 
A cheap value for money way into trials is via the twin shock scene, i have a couple of pre 65 trials bikes and a twin shock (74 ossa 250 mar), whilst pre 65 prices are astranomical for a good tidy competative bike a good twinshock can be had for around £1000, these bikes as long as they are looked after wont depreciate too much , if at all and there is a wide selection available. Get along to the classic dirt bike show at telford in february and have a look.
There are more and more clubs now catering for the twinshock scene so riding them competativly is not a problem.:thumb
 
FERRET said:
A cheap value for money way into trials is via the twin shock scene, i have a couple of pre 65 trials bikes and a twin shock (74 ossa 250 mar), whilst pre 65 prices are astranomical for a good tidy competative bike a good twinshock can be had for around £1000, these bikes as long as they are looked after wont depreciate too much , if at all and there is a wide selection available. Get along to the classic dirt bike show at telford in february and have a look.
There are more and more clubs now catering for the twinshock scene so riding them competativly is not a problem.:thumb
Click to expand...

True......................but the Twinshock scene in Yorkshire Centre is somewhat more limited, because it's so competitive and the terrain favoured is a lot of big rocks:eek:

I had this, for a few years but it wasn't getting used that much - so sold it for £3000 in 2009
Majesty175RightSideJan2006.jpg


Replacing it to a similar standard will cost £3-£5k:blast - I only like Majesty or Hondas

I like Beta's but have never ridden and they probably ride better than a 4RT, but I so love the Honda build quality
 
JohnnyBoxer said:
but I can't see the value of £3500 for a nearly 2 year old bike, which is very much single purpose. I know there are cheaper Trials bikes, but the only one I fancy is the 4RT
Click to expand...

Get a piggy bank. Put £1.00 in for every "dab" you do.

You'll of paid for it in year :D
 
Johnny, with regards to the big rocks around Yorkshire, are the sections not routed to take into account the bikes being used, surely if you go down the route of a modern trials then the routes will definatley be over big rocks!:thumb
 
FERRET said:
Johnny, with regards to the big rocks around Yorkshire, are the sections not routed to take into account the bikes being used, surely if you go down the route of a modern trials then the routes will definatley be over big rocks!:thumb
Click to expand...

There are the usual 2or3 routes, but all bikes ride the same routes, whether they are Twinshock/Modern or Pre 65

There is no specialist route for Twinshocks, however there are Pre65 clubs which cater for just that, but Twinshocks aren't allowed

Yorkshire Clubs have a Twinshock class sometimes, but you all do the same routes and marking is the same
 
North Wales/Cheshire/Shropshire Twin Shock club:

http://www.borderclassic.net/news.php

They have a twin shock trial at least every month, all year round.

I entered their Gresford Boxing day trial a few years ago (on my brothers TLR125). Nice and relaxed "competition".
 
Yeah ive ridden with border classic, theyre routes are laid out with twinshock / pre 65 bikes in mind, dont get me wrong, the sections arnt easy but they certainly arnt like modern trials bike sections, good craic and if you so desire you can be as competative as you like. As Spot says they do a trial each month so a trip down this way once a month isnt that bad!
 
FERRET said:
Yeah ive ridden with border classic, theyre routes are laid out with twinshock / pre 65 bikes in mind, dont get me wrong, the sections arnt easy but they certainly arnt like modern trials bike sections, good craic and if you so desire you can be as competative as you like. As Spot says they do a trial each month so a trip down this way once a month isnt that bad!
Click to expand...

Pity we have nothing similar in the Yorkshire Centre:augie
 
Spout said:
Get a piggy bank. Put £1.00 in for every "dab" you do.

You'll of paid for it in year :D
Click to expand...

If I followed your plan, I'd pay for one in a week going by what happened the last time I owned a trials bike.

Do I have to put £5 in if I land on my head? :augie
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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