Economical green laning

[Fats25]

dern said:

Is there there an economical way in to green laning without risking breaking down all the time. Anyone know any bikes that would fit the book without breaking the bank?

Cheers

Mark

You will laugh - but the cheapest way I did it is through a KTM. Lots of parts, lots of knowledge, cheap to run, easy to service.

There are other bikes that will do the job but with false economy. Have had mates tried to shortcut the initial expense, and end up with the wrong bike XR (no magic button), DRZ (heavy and no kick start), Gas Gas (hard to get parts), and Yamaha (blow up lots!! )

Other good bikes out there as well - Husky, Husaberg, TM but not going to be as cheap to run, and as much knowledge out there. Other cheaper bikes (I cannot remember name but HMan uses them on this forum)that use KTM parts, and are based on it.

Personally I would look to spend £2200-£2500 on a bike. Seems to be the right balance of not too cheap, and not too expensive. As an idea I bought a KTM 2005 450 RFS for £2650. Kept it for 3 years, and spent peanuts on keeping it running. Servicing is only every 15 hours. Sold it 3 years later (approx 4 months ago) for £2350.

Cheap as chips.

[dern]

I know you're right but I have a honda shaped gap in my life and am half way through mondo safari

More seriously if I spent a wedge it'll have to wait until I've finished restoring my kx500 and sold that but for the price of a budget xr400 I'd be ok to do it now. Gues which wins?

[3DP]

DRZ400. Take a licking and keep on ticking.

[xstian]

My mate has an XR400, he calls it the dinosaur. It's an air cooled Honda single, what could go wrong? My mate has had his for about 7 years, and has only had to spend on servicing. They are pretty bullet proof. Just make sure it not a teenagers field bike, because it will be shagged.

Electric start is for girls. I don't have it on my bike and I generally don't find it a big deal. Learn to stay upright if you find the kick start a little too much for you.

[Fats25]

xstian said:

Electric start is for girls. I don't have it on my bike and I generally don't find it a big deal. Learn to stay upright if you find the kick start a little too much for you.

Did I miss the Smilie? A bit easier said than done depending on your experience of riding "off road".

[Andy XRV]

Fats25 said:

xstian said:

Electric start is for girls. I don't have it on my bike and I generally don't find it a big deal. Learn to stay upright if you find the kick start a little too much for you.

Did I miss the Smilie? A bit easier said than done depending on your experience of riding "off road".

No way I'd buy an off road bike without electric start either. Seen too many people breathing through their arse.

Fleegle will remember this guy. After coming off he was a broken man trying to kick start his Honda

[graham22]

Was going to suggest CRF230 for cheap off roading but as you've also asked how to transport an XR400 then I guess you're sorted.

The biggest expense of running an older XR is wheel bearings & brake pads - the spacers & seals wear on the wheels letting water in, the mounts on the brakes wear resulting in uneven contact & wear.

I bought my XR400 in 1999 and sold it 2012, cover 18k miles and most were on long distance road trials with decent results including winning the London Lands End trial.



Starting is a hit or miss affair, my dad had one too, both bikes jetted exactly the same, his would be harder to start & not so clean low down yet would run on it's side. Mine would stall the second it went over. They get hard to start if they've been over or upside down.

Usually kick it a few times with the decompressor lifted & throttle wide open, then just try again to start it normally with no throttle. If that doesn't work repeat but with throttle wide open. If that doesn't work, then first option again. If everything fails, the bike will go stone cold after a couple of hours and will start with the choke

[xstian]

The elec start is nice to have, but if your bike is running correctly it should start easily. When every we go riding there is always someone who is having problems with the elec start. Normally down to lack of use and dead battery's.

I have a Honda CRM250, kick start only. It starts 1st or 2nd kick in the morning, then 1st kick all day long, even if I have dropped it. Elec start will bring nothing to that bike other than more weight. Elec start has only been common place for the last 10 years and we all managed fine before. Like I said, it nice to have, but not a must have for me. Maybe when I'm old and fat I'll change my mind.

[the_lone_wolf]

3DP said:

DRZ400. Take a licking and keep on ticking.

This is the correct answer...

Bloke in the states rode his several hours through the desert after forgetting to refit the air filter, did he harm it? Did he F...

I'm a die hard KTM fan, but having owned a DRZ supermoto a few years back I'd have one again if reliability and longevity was more important than balls to the wall performance...

[Wacky Racer]

Here's my old Suzuki SP370 pictured in 1978 high on the Lancashire moors, I also had an identical SP400 after this, great bikes on and off road, although they were buggers to start though...

Quite sought after now, ideal if you can pick up a good one.

[y2blade]

fk it I'll ask the obvious.

Why not use your BMW GS??????

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bmw+gs+offroad&a...

[dern]

y2blade said:

fk it I'll ask the obvious.

Why not use your BMW GS??????

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bmw+gs+offroad&a...

Because it's fking enormous and I'll give myself a hernia picking it up when I drop it and if I break it how the hell will I get to tescos?

[Fleegle]

dern said:

y2blade said:

fk it I'll ask the obvious.

Why not use your BMW GS??????

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bmw+gs+offroad&a...

Because it's fking enormous and I'll give myself a hernia picking it up when I drop it and if I break it how the hell will I get to tescos?

I have been out with one of these on the trails. Absolutely the wrong tool for the job. Unable to get up steep claggy inclines and when you do come off them they are a fecker to get back up.

I saw one bog its front wheel down at about 30mph on a sandy stretch and the poor bloke riding it broke a rib on his way over the screen. He winded himself on landing and then nearly pulled my back when I gave a hand uprighting it

[Fleegle]

Andy XRV said:

No way I'd buy an off road bike without electric start either. Seen too many people breathing through their arse.

Fleegle will remember this guy. After coming off he was a broken man trying to kick start his Honda

Yep, I remember him. He had to be towed shortly after that. And then he got a puncture.

Never did see him again after that outing

[telecat]

How about the Gas Gas Radonne 200?

[graham22]

telecat said:

How about the Gas Gas Radonne 200?

They are not nice for general green laning, maybe OK for competitive Road Trials but even then the motor is seriously poor - they are an answer for a question that doesn't exist.

[dern]

One thing to bear in mind is that I have no experience of going off road what so ever. I want to learn but I don't want to do that busting up my bmw bus (or me when it falls on me). Like every other gs owner I'm just one endowment policy maturation away from my world trip but in the mean time I want something small and light to dick around on the lanes on that I can pull out of a puddle that didn't turn out to be 'only a few inches deep' and still have the strength to lift a pint at the end of the day.

[Fats25]

dern said:

One thing to bear in mind is that I have no experience of going off road what so ever.

That single line says to me that the XR400 is not the bike for you!

You need something with an electric start.......... trust me I know. Trust me Pete knows. Trust me Andy knows. Trust me Fleegle knows.

As a beginner get something light, easy to fix, dependable, and with a magic button. You have a choice of manufacturers, but don't make life more difficult than it is by picking a tool that makes it harder.

[dern]

Fats25 said:

That single line says to me that the XR400 is not the bike for you!

You need something with an electric start.......... trust me I know. Trust me Pete knows. Trust me Andy knows. Trust me Fleegle knows.

As a beginner get something light, easy to fix, dependable, and with a magic button. You have a choice of manufacturers, but don't make life more difficult than it is by picking a tool that makes it harder.

Ok, I'll give the kick starters a miss for now. Thanks.

[TvrJohn]

rode with the Trail Riders Fellowship for four years, on a WR450, bit of an animal but great fun.
Go for a 250