Motorcycle Recomendations

Dirtscoots

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 1, 2019
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232
Location
Oregon
I think he'd have have much better chance of not killing himself on a 200-250cc 4 stroke. Those KTM 300s are beasts but I could never in good conscience reccomend a 2 stroke pushing 50+ hp to a beginner...
Man I would have to disagree with you on that one. Mainly if you are comparing to any of the motocross 250f s. They are pretty high strung needing rpms and high geared. The 300 has a lot of low end. I would recommend a 150 or 200 Ktm two smoker giving the riding level. Those bikes are awesome trail machines.
 

Wapiti66

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
155
Lots of good options for bikes under 250 lbs, I’d trade for something lighter and you will learn faster and be safer. I’d also go 4 stroke with a quiet muffler, those 2strokes are loud and obnoxious. Gonna wake up the entire mountain on most 2 strokes.
 

Coach529

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 8, 2016
Messages
294
Location
Idaho Panhandle
I spend a ton of time in the mountains every year riding single track.

i-rHZHhMk-L.jpg


A 300 two stoke is tough to beat. Super easy to ride, quiet and goat like. That being said two stroke exhaust stinks.

If I was to buy a bike just for hunting it would be similar to a TW200. Maybe an older XR250 or 400. Something super quiet and stone reliable with no exhaust smell.
 

h2so4

WKR
Joined
Oct 10, 2019
Messages
630
Location
Colorado
Lots of good options for bikes under 250 lbs, I’d trade for something lighter and you will learn faster and be safer. I’d also go 4 stroke with a quiet muffler, those 2strokes are loud and obnoxious. Gonna wake up the entire mountain on most 2 strokes.
Maybe the old 2 strokes. The new ones are
Just as quiet if not more than 4 strokes. Plus it seems the sounds from a 4 stroke travel further than a 2 stroke. The 200 2-stroke I had was not overly loud and didn’t need to be pushed to high revs (aka loud) to get around. I’m just defending 2 strokes overall. I always support a quiet exhaust for any dirt bike for any application.
4 stroke is still my vote for the OP. But if you think you want a Ktm 300, do it. 😬
 

Wapiti66

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
155
Maybe the old 2 strokes. The new ones are
Just as quiet if not more than 4 strokes. Plus it seems the sounds from a 4 stroke travel further than a 2 stroke. The 200 2-stroke I had was not overly loud and didn’t need to be pushed to high revs (aka loud) to get around. I’m just defending 2 strokes overall. I always support a quiet exhaust for any dirt bike for any application.
4 stroke is still my vote for the OP. But if you think you want a Ktm 300, do it. 😬
I stand corrected, I haven’t been around any new 2 strikers….I know they’ve changed a lot since the Ronnie Mac Screaming eagles
 
Joined
Nov 1, 2017
Messages
560
Location
Coeur d' Alene, ID
You will want to get a bike you can put a good rear rack on. Riding a quarter out on your back vs on the rack makes a huge difference. A TW, TTR, XR, WR would be your best choice for a hunting bike. If you want to ride for pleasure and hunt with the bike, then the WR is the choice. The bike you are riding can handle a rack, but its closer to a road bike than it is a single track bike.
 

IdahoElk

WKR
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
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2,500
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Hailey,ID
I spend a ton of time in the mountains every year riding single track.

i-rHZHhMk-L.jpg


A 300 two stoke is tough to beat. Super easy to ride, quiet and goat like. That being said two stroke exhaust stinks.

If I was to buy a bike just for hunting it would be similar to a TW200. Maybe an older XR250 or 400. Something super quiet and stone reliable with no exhaust smell.
I’m a 2 stroke husky rider all the way but would never recommend one to a novice for hunting purposes, just the seat height alone compared to a tw200 is one of many reasons why.
 

IdahoElk

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Oct 30, 2014
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Hailey,ID
I stand corrected, I haven’t been around any new 2 strikers….I know they’ve changed a lot since the Ronnie Mac Screaming eagles
You are correct, they aren’t quieter than a 4cycle. I ride all summer with 2 strokes from 125 to 300’s nothing is quieter than a tw200
 

HutchWV

FNG
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Messages
26
Location
WV
I have a ttr230. Super simple bike. I had racks made. Put some headlights on it. No complaints. EFI would be nice though. Honda makes one of those. You really don't need lots of power just to get around. I loaded probably 100 lbs on that ttr230 and it was fine out on the rough single tracks.
 
Joined
May 3, 2020
Messages
542
Looking for recommendations on motorcycles/dirt bikes for hunting. I live and hunt Idaho. Mostly archery elk and deer. On the maps I see great access in most of the units on dirt bike and very little on 4-wheeler. I bought a Honda CRF250L (dual sport) bike for the purpose of getting back in deeper then camping and hiking. I have very little motorcycle experience but I'm willing and excited to learn. I see and hear a lot of guys hunting with bikes around here and know it's done, I'm primarily looking for advice on bike choice. I like the CRF250L but it's heavy and I really struggled ridding single track with it. I'm not sure if that's because of my inexperience or the bike. My question is, would a dual sport bike like the Honda be a reasonable choice to continue on for my purposes or should I save myself some headache and sell it and now and buy a lighter bike? I prefer not to drop 10K on a higher end bike like a KTM. my buddy has a Kawasaki 250 4 stroker that weighs about 260lbs while my bike is 320lbs, I wonder if that weight difference would make learning and hunting from much easier, or it's really a matter of more practice and doable with my honda.. Thanks in advance for the advice.
I’ve been looking hard at the tw200 myself. Isn’t going to win any races, but msrp under 5k, reasonably light, very reliable, fat tires and great stand over height seem to be perfect for hunting. I think the stand over height would be very beneficial with a pack on for walking through and up rough or muddy terrain without having to dismount. I figure at a 50ish mph top speed it’d still be fine for cruising around town too.
 

Elk97

WKR
Joined
Feb 14, 2019
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767
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NW WA & SW MT
Riding single track with no pack or a very light one is fun. With 50+ lbs on your back it's nothing but hard work and dangerous. A low seat height and low gearing allows you to "walk" through the sketchy parts. My sons have a Honda xr 400 and Yamaha Wr 450. I can't ride them well because of seat height and weight. I use an old 87 Honda tlr 200, 210 lbs, kind of a trials bike and it works well but better suspension would be good. The TW200s are kind of heavy for a 200 but a lot of people love them. I'd think something like a Yamaha 225 might be about perfect.
 
Joined
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Santa Rosa, CA
A TTR230 might be another option, a bit lighter and more sporty than a TW200 while still being lower and more manageable than than the bigger bikes.
 

ridgefire

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Joined
Feb 24, 2012
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western wa
I would recommend a tw200 or a Honda Fatcat for trail riding with your pack and bow. Your not gonna win any races but they are low to the ground and easy to ride. The Fatcat does not have a clutch so really easy to ride.
 
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BBob

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Southern AZ
TW200 user here. Nothing fancy or cool but so easy to ride. I welded a couple of tabs w/studs on the swingarm to attach a Bakcou ebike trailer to it.

 
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Honda has come out with a new trail 125. Street legal and 259 pounds. Looks like a very low center of gravity too. Have any of you tried one on single track? On paper it looks like it would be a steady trail plodder and has build in rear rack.
 

BillW

FNG
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Oct 3, 2021
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North Texas
Honda has come out with a new trail 125. Street legal and 259 pounds. Looks like a very low center of gravity too. Have any of you tried one on single track? On paper it looks like it would be a steady trail plodder and has build in rear rack.

Looks to be decent on two track. Thinking it would struggle on some single track stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

BBob

WKR
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Honda has come out with a new trail 125. Street legal and 259 pounds.
We had the little 70's and a 90 when I was a kid. I'd pick a TW over those things for sure. A 70 might be cool though for a really small package to haul around for a quick run here or there. Back in the 70's a friend went everywhere on an old Tote Goat. He slid it under fences and went a lot of places on that thing.

We also had a Honda TL125, even as a little kid I could ride that thing about anywhere. If one found a used one somewhere that might make a great trail bike.

And another thought. As a late teenager I owned a Bultaco Alpina 250. Slow but that thing also went anywhere I wanted. Any of those old trials bikes could make a great trail bike.
 
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