Looking for a platable dualsport bike to do primarily dirt riding in California, and liking the TE line of Huskies. As much as I'd love to spring for the new TE310, it's a bit outside my budget, so I decided to look for something used - 2006 or later. TE250 seems like about right size for me - don't really want too much power-wise, as I am not that good a dirt rider yet. There is a used TE450 at a local shop that might be interesting, but I'm concerned it'd be too much bike. Would welcome any opinions on this - I'm not looking at flinging myself off jumps - too old for that. More into fireroading, some single track/woods stuff, and general dual sporting here in NorCal (SheetIron run, Death Valley 350, etc). Figure if I get a 250 and want mo go I can always put a 300 kit on it. 450 just seems a bit scary. Thoughts?
I weigh 120 pounds and I'm not terribly tall and I'm a fairly pokey rider overall. I have a TE450, and while it can be a screamer off the top, it is quite a controllable machine for trail and technical. I just wish it had a little more torque off the bottom. I can't say that it has ever gotten away from me in a tight spot, in fact it likes the rider to apply lots of throttle to get through rough stuff and it has the chops in the handling geometry department to handle it. I'm not that rider, but I still love my bike.
Welcome to CafeHusky, dirty_t You've posed some very thoughtful questions. I don't have all the answers, but I have a feeling some of my experiences might be of benefit to you. What is your height and weight? What are you riding now and how long have you been riding? I am 5'1" and have been riding motorcycles for almost 23 years. I used to have a plated Yamaha WR250F. It was mostly a single-track dirtbike that got raced a few times in enduros. I did ride it one the street every now and again, and started to do a lot of big miles while dualsporting on fireroads, in the desert, etc towards the end there. I decided I needed a bigger motor, as the speeds and distances we were doing were surely going to be the death of that high-revving 250. I was reluctant to go with a 450, sure that it would rocket me to an early demise in the singletrack, but I figured it would only be a dualsport, as I have other 2-stroke bikes for the real dirtriding stuff. I went with a 450, and it was the best decision for me. Just because you have all that power at your fingertips, it doesn't mean you have to use every last bit of it. I regularly ride the 450 on singletrack now and it has proved to be a very fun bike for me. I can ride it hard if I feel like scaring myself silly, or I can plonk around in 3rd gear all day taking in the sights. If I were choosing a bike to ride competitively I would go with the 250, as hustling the 450 through the tight stuff pretty much kicks my butt, but for my intended purposes the 450 was perfect. As far as you not wanting too much power because you're not a very good rider yet, don't forget that the bigger motor actually takes less skill to ride. Yeah, it takes a bit more throttle control and restraint to ride one, but the low-end grunt of the bigger motor makes obstacles easier to overcome. You strike me as a mature rider that has nothing to prove, so I'm guessing all that extra power won't get you in trouble. It would have sent me to an early grave 10 years ago, and I was kinda scared of riding one in the dirt, but now it suits me just fine. Different strokes for different folks, though. Lairpost here just went from a 450 to a 250 and couldn't be happier. He likes to ride the tight singletrack, though, so it suits him fine. I think a newer rider will learn how to be a better rider on a smaller bike, as the bigger motors tend to mask shortcomings in skills and tend to make riders lazy. I still ride my 125 2-stroke regulary so that I don't forget how to use a clutch Anyway, that's my take on things. Good luck with your decision and let us know what you decide. WoodsChick
Shoot, I pull that clutch in on the tight stuff on my 450 (as well as everything else) to get it to flick and change directions more easily on singletrack. Beats using up my lazy energy.
Thanks for your input, Ddame and Wchick. You pretty much summed up my conundrum - more power might be easier to ride for a newb, but the smaller bike is more nimble, especially in the really technical stuff. I like what you said about not having to use it all, just cuz it's a 450. And yeah, I've got nothing to prove out there - an old fart just getting back into trail riding after, oh, a 30+ year hiatus. Not to say I haven't been riding all that time - just got out of the dirt and onto the street. And into roadracing, too (AFM). Then I got a KLR to commute on, which I rode daily back and forth to the city - until I lost the job there. I had taken it on some DS rides, knowing it wouldn't be the best tool for those, but figuring as seldom as I went into the dirt, the KLR was the right choice for my commuting needs. The DS rides were a blast, and I met some great people who keep encouraging me to come back and do some more. So the KLR is gone, and now looking for something that I can use just for the DS rides. Since I never raced MX or enduros I don't have the chops some of these guys/women have who are my age (40s, 50s, even 60s). Yeah, I like going fast - the race track in DV was a hoot on the KLR at 50+mph, sliding through the corners. But I've got a healthy respect for the ride and the terrain - and have no need to keep up with the faster folks if my brain is screaming "slow down." So maybe I'll look into that 450 - might be a good way to go after all. Thanks, again, for sharing your thoughts. T
250/310 vs a 450 are 2 completely different types of fun. I could type hundreds of words and still not convey the essence. If the Bay area you are in is the San Francisco Bay Area feel free to come take my 2006 TE250 for a quick street ride.
Hey Dean - yes, SF Bay area. Thanks for the offer - would like to do that, or at least buy you a beer and get a couple hundred words on the difference! I'm up in Marin. You?
Got it. I get down there pretty often for work - about once a week. Maybe we can meet up on one of those days. I'll PM you with more info. Thanks.
C'mon, 250 310 450 ???? Real men ride 610's... No, in all sincerity, go with the 450. It's better to have the extra power and show a little restraint because as time goes on and you gain more riding experience I think you'll be glad you went with the 450. That's my two cents for what it's worth. I know...I know... 2 cents. Jerry
Also you can always gear the 450 so there are no scary spots in the power delivery should you lean that way. However, the little 250 is probably easier easy to manage and flick around, plus as mentioned you can always add the cylinder kit later on. I will also mention that the 610 is a great bike, perfect for the type of stuff you mention. I love mine, but for a off-road newb it is a big, tall, heavy beast. Gentle mannered mind you, just big.
Any thoughts on EFI vs. carb? Never been a huge fan of EFI due to twitchy throttle response at the very bottom of the throttle (on/off like a light switch). Reason for asking is I'm looking at used bikes as well as new 08 models- and the 07 and earlier have the carb, which is tempting. I've read that with the jet kit everyone seems to like for these bikes there is very little issue with altitude - and I'm not probably doing anything more than sea level to 4000' max.
Hello all. I am also new to this forum and considering a plate-able bike after years away from off road riding. I'm also thinking about the dirt only route as an alternative, though Dual Sport events appeal to me very much. I noticed no one mentioned the TE510. Any comments on that as a choice? As for dirt only, what about the '09 WR125? I know those two are worlds apart, but each has a strong appeal. Bill
I would pick neither, because I like to loaf on a dirt bike a lot. Some times I like to go fast, though. On the 125, I'd never get any loafing time and I haven't actually ridden a 510, but I suspect that it would make me do more work than my 450 does on tight single track. If you are a big guy, you probably would like the 510.
Once you ride a 125 you will never want to ride a big 4 stroke again I do have a TE 510 and it sits as i ride my CR 125 all the time.As for tight single track just cruizing loofing around the 125 still works better for me then a big heavy 510.Why people keep saying they have to keep it on the pipe and use lots of clutch work i still can not understand.One more thing for some reason i can not repeat can not stall the 125 once you start it no matter where you ride it it will just keep going Heck if i could gt a desent price for them i have 2 2006 TE 510 plated and calif insured .
I have to agree with that.....there is nothing like going full tilt boogie on a 125 its a bike that teaches proper skills....what people dont understand..is how managable a 125 can be in a tight situation....I never have to slip the clutch on mine and if you do stall it..as long as your still moving it lights right off when you let the clutch out.......
Interesting. These are my thoughts exactly. However having been out of the dirt bike scene for quite a while, I have never ridden a four stroke dirt bike. Years ago, I was a very experienced rider and the light weight, ease of maintenance and lack of gyroscopic steer (apparently something described as a 4 stroke trait) that come with a two stroke are appealing. The inability to get a license plate would eliminate the ability to participate in dual sport events, though, and that is a big negative to me. Anybody have a solution to this dilemma (Husaberg )?
Well, I had a KTM 300exc and then bought an 07 510 for several reasons, and platable was one. I took it home at took off all the DOT stuff and never looked back. For some reason I loved riding it even though it was much harder for me ride at fast speeds in the single track than the 300exc, however the 300exc sat in the garage for almost 15 months before I sold it. I do ride the 510 on the roads around here (nothing more than a couple of miles at a time) and it is pretty stable, but not as sound as my old LC4. All I can say it is a fun all around machine. I want to get back into racing and found out the 510 is a hard bike for me to swing around the single track here in the east. I am no pro by any means, but the one HS I rode last year nearly killed me. I posted whether I should get the 310, but the consensus was to get a 2s for racing adn hold onto the 510. That is what I am going to do. But for all around fun, the 510 will still be #1. (I think)
dirty_t My first thought for you was TE250, it's a good size for just fun trail, fireroad riding, but not one I personally would not pick if I had a steady diet of over 40/45mph. After reading more of your experience, started thinking, as long as you have that learned control of the right wrist, the TE450 might might not be a bad choice either.....sure be a lot easier to ride in dirt or dirt roads than a KLR (assuming 650?) and probably a little better for higher road speed than the 250. Still I would take any offers to ride both and consider what kind of speeds you might really be doing on a regular basis. As for EFI vs carb, in the 2006 or older range it really doesn't matter, you got the carb......I ride anywhere from 2700ft to over 8000ft and while it may not be always be in perfect race jetting, I've found once my bikes have been jetted where I want them I rarely have to mess with it. About all I have to do is fine tune the (extended) fuel screw at, or during, my ride and runs good. As for this: I can be riding in pretty diverse conditions, anywhere from steep tight rocky 1st gear trails to wide open 6th gear runs down dirt roads or sand wash, plus even quite a bit loafing time idling down a dirt road or trail jumping between fishing holes on the stream. The TE510 fits "me" almost perfectly for my varied conditions, however I agree with a couple comments: The 510 (or any big bore) can be more tiring to ride fast or race than a strong 250 4stroke or good 125-300 2stroke.......Why is harder to ride fast? Once you get that big engine mass going, it wants to go straight and fast. You come out of the turn, nail the throttle, it stands-up and launches forward, you chop the throttle for the next corner, sudden strong engine braking throws you forward as you reach for the brakes, lean hard into the turn, and start all over.......when trying to ride aggressive, that extra effort to slow and force yourself into a sharp turn, then hang on exiting, wears you out quicker (same thing on 500 2 strokes) I think I can can actually ride a 510 quicker by being less aggressive, but probably still not as quick in tight stuff as I once could on a well set-up 2stroke Bottomline in my case also, I'll go along with cment: gee......sorry for being so windy
hey ,guys ,all I can say is the 250 is a great bike I have several bikes and I'm not small by any meens and I love to ride the 250 not saying it's my first choise but damm is it fun ,my two boys both have 450 and 250 and my yunger boy will only ride the 250 he love's it and has no issues keeping up both are A riders and are very fast ,my father in law has finally sold his 450 and just bought a new 08 te 250 and can finally have fun when ridding ,if you think the 450 is to much it is and you'll have just as much fun on the 250 put the power up kit on or jet it and put on a pipe ,we use the aproviac and love it hope that help's ..just my 02. cents....
