What road legal motocross bike - advice needed

[BE57 TOY]

Hi guys

I am looking to get a road legal motocross bike. I have a full car driving license and I'm 25. From what I've read, a CBT day course will allow me to ride a 125cc. What are the best motocross 125 bikes on the market for green laning and a bit of road riding.

How hard / what do I need to do to get a larger motocross license ie 250cc?

Every website I read seems to tell me something slightly different each time. The laws seem more complex that with cars (take test, drive any car you like!)

Hope someone can help.

Thanks

[cookie42]

for a proper road legal 125 mx bike like a cr or rm etc. i think you need a full licence because of the power they make. For a learner bike youre looking at any of the road biased 125's

[Scooby72]

I think what you need is something like a Kawasaki KMX 125 or a Yamaha DT 125 R. Both learner legal (12bhp) and both capable of commuting & a bit of greenlaning. Neither are in production any more, but still plenty about secondhand.

[pozi]

Scooby72 said:

I think what you need is something like a Kawasaki KMX 125 or a Yamaha DT 125 R. Both learner legal (12bhp) and both capable of commuting & a bit of greenlaning. Neither are in production any more, but still plenty about secondhand.

Either of the above will be your best option, you are allowed 14.6BHP with a CBT so you could tweak the restrictions on them to give a bit more power.

[bimsb6]

I think you want an enduro /trail bike not an mx bike .

[Scooby72]

Technically these are trail bikes, an MX bike is a very different thing.

The trail bike will have lights, indicators etc. Lower softer suspension, a more lightly built frame, and a much softer power delivery.

A proper MX bike will have no lights, is muuuuch more powerful, and is really only designed for competition on a closed circuit.

There are also Enduro bikes which are kind of in the middle, powerful, with a wider ratio gearbox than an MX bike, and just about road legal, but still useful on a track. Maybe worth considering once you've passed your test.

[BE57 TOY]

Thanks for all the info. I will check out those bikes. Are there any similar bikes that are in production?

If I can find a bike I like I'll take the CBT next weekend and be ready to rock and roll.

How hard is the full bike test to someone who's been driving cars for years?

[bimsb6]

You really need to part with more info as to what you want and how much you have to spend before any usefull suggestions can be given as from the posts on here so far you have no real idea yourself , a motocross bike even a 125 can be a real animal of a thing if you are not used to riding .

[3doorPete]

KTM 125 EXC. It'll be restricted though.

[BE57 TOY]

bimsb6 said:

You really need to part with more info as to what you want and how much you have to spend before any usefull suggestions can be given as from the posts on here so far you have no real idea yourself , a motocross bike even a 125 can be a real animal of a thing if you are not used to riding .

Say £1000-£2000.

I'm 25 and I've never ridden a bike before. I love my (fast) cars, so the faster the bike can be, the better.

The bike will be used mainly off road, but there will be some road use too on nice summer days to the beer garden.

I'll use it for a bit then go for a full bike test if its easy enough.

[MrOrange]

BE57 TOY said:

Say £1000-£2000.

I'm 25 and I've never ridden a bike before. I love my (fast) cars, so the faster the bike can be, the better.

If you've never ridden a bike before and you like the grunt of fast cars then bikes are going to change your opinion of "fast" forever.

I had a Yamaha WR450 for a short while. At the same time I had a 320bhp Cayman.

The performance was eons apart. The WR made the Porsche feel so slow.

Enjoy the transfer to the biking world.

[_g_]

As above - motocross bikes are designed to loop tight motocross tracks at maximum speed.
If you want a properly performing dirt bike that "does it all" something like the KTM125EXC would fit the bill, but note that even for the 33hp licence probably aren't legal so definitely aren't for the 14.6hp of a learner.

Not sure if anyone actually restricts them, or just rides them full power.

A 125cc trail bike like the DT125 is a lot less capable, but can be legal.

[BE57 TOY]

Are the restrictions put on these bikes a bit like washers on the accelerator cable? Or can it be out onto a switch so it's all legal on the road and at a press of a button off road I can have more power?

Sorry to be completely bike ignorant. I could talk about running remaps on cars and programming them to say the sport button the on the dash all day long!

[_g_]

I don't think there's any case law in regards to exactly what is legal and not - a throttle restricter at the carb end would probably do the job without having a legal problem. An 'easy switch' less so.

However, people ride derestricted 125cc bikes like people exceed the national speed limit.

[pozi]

BE57 TOY said:

Are the restrictions put on these bikes a bit like washers on the accelerator cable? Or can it be out onto a switch so it's all legal on the road and at a press of a button off road I can have more power?

Sorry to be completely bike ignorant. I could talk about running remaps on cars and programming them to say the sport button the on the dash all day long!

With the 2 stroke bikes there is a variety of ways depending on the manufacturer, just do a Google search and the various plates in carbs, exhausts with washers welded, ecu changes are all well documented to liberate around 25BHP.

The KTM as mentioned is a race bike for the road and only sold as the full power 35ish BHP model, if you abide by the law you will need to find a way of restricting it and then spend dyno time proving it.

However keep in mind that a legal green lane is still classed as a road and the same rules apply limiting your power, unless you have access to private land or pass your test you are a bit stuffed.

The 4 stroke 125's are not actually restricted and only the newer water cooled 4 valvle head bikes can reach the 14.6BHP, the older ones are more like 10 - 12BHP, you could put on a race exhaust and jet to suit but I doubt it would make much difference.