Recommend me a starter trail bike

Giles · Feb 23, 2012

It's good to start small and sort of do an apprenticeship. You learn stuff that I can't explain. Little things like the feel of a bike, steering it with your knees, relaxing, carrying speed over nasty bumpy bits, balance ..... you name it, (you current off roaders..) think of all the sixth sense, naturaly instinctive things you do off road .... you learn that on a small bike.

And then you start to get bored with it. So you push the limits of you and the bike a bit more to get that buzz. And so you learn yet more. You get braver, more confident .....

Start small and work up. It honestly is the best way. :thumb2

g00ner · Feb 23, 2012

Like Giles said, start small and you'll be a lot happier. Easier to control, throw about and pick up cos you will fall off - a lot at first. Once you get the hang of it you might want to get a bigger bike but I bet it won't be that much bigger.
I ride my XT660z on the lanes but it's a lot easier and a lot more fun on my 200cc trailie :thumb2

MarkShelley · Feb 23, 2012

I had a go on a friends KTM525 a while back and it was a much smoother ride and easier to control than my KLR250 as the suspension is in a different league, however if you are just green laning the KLR should go everywhere that the KTM can, just a fair bit slower! The TRF are supposed to stick to a voluntary max speed of 25mph so in theory that should not become an issue. If this is to be adhered to the likes of the KTM are a bit wasted in my opinion. Doing an enduro is a different story of course as I found out last year!

ChasF · Feb 23, 2012

JohnnyBoxer said:
Problem with the 650 is that you have to be committed sometimes and 'gun it' when it gets tricky, getting the back end a bit 'squirrelly' or lifting the front wheel on the power over an obstacle or jumping a ditch/rock

This is fine if
a) You're a confident rider
b) You're experienced
c) You're on decent knobbly tyres

Discount any of these three above and 53hp and 150kg fuelled will bite you back

For my 2p, 150kg is about the upper limit for proper off road riding for most people. "Getting the back end a bit 'squirrelly' or lifting the front wheel on the power over an obstacle or jumping a ditch/rock" on a 200kg plus bike is the domain of god's - mere mortals wisely bottle out. Independant of the size of the bike if the trails are the slightest bit damp using anything less than a road orientated knobbly (TKC) is pointless as your fighting to stay on the bike and any skills you may learn doing that are just wasted when you put proper tyres on.

Peak · Feb 23, 2012

This is very cool

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...postcode/st138dx/page/1/radius/1500?logcode=p

Timolgra · Feb 23, 2012

ChasF said:
Independant of the size of the bike if the trails are the slightest bit damp using anything less than a road orientated knobbly (TKC) is pointless as your fighting to stay on the bike and any skills you may learn doing that are just wasted when you put proper tyres on.

Perhaps the mud in France isn't very slippy :nenau

It really comes down to what sort of riding you're planning to do.
For soft southern shandy drinkers trails a bigger bike is ok but a few hours ago this afternoon was a 250 in a bit of a pickle up in Snowdonia where a heavy bike would have been an even bigger pickle

The very narrow ledge runs horizontally right to left in this photo where the two riders are standing...try that on you GS with knobbly tyres.

JohnnyBoxer · Feb 23, 2012

ChasF said:
For my 2p, 150kg is about the upper limit for proper off road riding for most people. "Getting the back end a bit 'squirrelly' or lifting the front wheel on the power over an obstacle or jumping a ditch/rock" on a 200kg plus bike is the domain of god's - mere mortals wisely bottle out. Independant of the size of the bike if the trails are the slightest bit damp using anything less than a road orientated knobbly (TKC) is pointless as your fighting to stay on the bike and any skills you may learn doing that are just wasted when you put proper tyres on.

Don't really understand your reply?

A 650cc XCountry is 150kg fuelled, so talking about 200kg is irrelevant because we're not talking anything bigger in this situation

Fit some decent offroad tyres - TKC as a minimum, I use MT21's or 908 RallyRaid on the rear and the XChallenge is fine offroad and will perform as well as others in the same class and better than those deemed more appropriate

The G650 Series perform very well offroad, for their size

ChasF · Feb 23, 2012

JohnnyBoxer said:
Don't really understand your reply?

A 650cc XCountry is 150kg fuelled, so talking about 200kg is irrelevant because we're not talking anything bigger in this situation

Fit some decent offroad tyres - TKC as a minimum, I use MT21's or 908 RallyRaid on the rear and the XChallenge is fine offroad and will perform as well as others in the same class and better than those deemed more appropriate

The G650 Series perform very well offroad, for their size

I was agreeing with you. I know this thread wasn't about big GS trail riding but I was just trying to make the point that a XC or 690 (perhaps) are light enough to be useful trail bikes for ordinary riders (when fitted with decent tyres).

Edit: The other issue for big bike riders is are your fellow riders happy to pick you and your bike up several times a day?

JohnnyBoxer · Feb 23, 2012

ChasF said:
I was agreeing with you. I know this thread wasn't about big GS trail riding but I was just trying to make the point that a XC or 690 (perhaps) are light enough to be useful trail bikes for ordinary riders (when fitted with decent tyres).

Edit: The other issue for big bike riders is are your fellow riders happy to pick you and your bike up several times a day?

Ok................thanks Chas

Ref your edit........................don't fall off

Recommend me a starter trail bike

Giles

Well-known member

g00ner

Well-known member

MarkShelley

Very similar to Paolo Maldini

ChasF

Well-known member

Peak

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Timolgra

reformed

JohnnyBoxer

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ChasF

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JohnnyBoxer

Well-known member

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