Motorcycle Recomendations

[mooster]

drz400 is a good choice. more oomph & top end of a 250, but not the weight of 650 class

i also modified a scabbard from my horse gear to use on my bike. I felt a bid odd riding local hwy w/my gun over my shoulder.

 

[TheGDog]

I've done an extensive amount of riding over the years.

That CRF250L should work decent enough. A WR250R would have been more dirt-worthy. But that push-button engine start will likely prove it's worth in your situation a time or two, no doubt about that. On that same vain, you'll need to practice getting off the bike, standing beside it, and practicing walking-the-bike beside you by working the clutch and gas and front break. Often times when you're attacking a hillclimb you might get to a point where you're not going uphill anymore because your momentum slowed down and you dug in with the rear tire. So ya get off so you're unloading it with all that weight... then you try to "bulldog it" (walk beside it and guide it with inputs to the handlebars) to walk it up the remaining bit of the uphill. Lotta times this will happen just shy of cresting that hillclimb.

BUT... first and foremost.... you're going to have to get the suspension setup for you personally. DirtBikes are a very personal thing. You HAVE to dial them in for the specific user who is riding them. Proper adjustments to the suspension can make that bike feel night and day better.

I'm guessing chances are you didn't know any better about the fact that you have to adjust the sag of the rear suspension once you sit upon the bike suited up in all your gear. So... you probably started her up and just went for a ride. If the suspension is not setup properly, you will have a horrible time. In contrast, once the suspensions is setup and dialed in for your current weight and skill level, it should feel much more like you're riding a fine and precise line. Everything will be easier.

For us bigger dudes (I tend to hover around the neighborhood of 225-235Lbs) a lot of time you ALSO have to order an aftermarket stiffer spring for the rear shock. They often come from the factory with springs on them which are geared more toward people who weigh less than I do.

To some degree... you can sorta makeup for too weak of a rear shock by adjusting the preload adjuster on the rear shock. It's these two special kinds of locking ring nuts on the shock body and their job is to pre-compress the spring somewhat to get it into (or out of) the more stiffer part of the spring's initial resistance. The more you tighten down the preload adjuster rings, the more you're losing some of that supple initial travel of the spring, and as a result, the rear end will get to feeling a little "pogo-y" at times over things like braking bumps, you encounter before a berm, for example.

Another thing which you will NEED to learn how to do is view the schematics for your ignition switch! Learn how to hot-wire your moto if you have to! If you fall out there and the light/speedo/ignition switch area takes a hit... it's very likely you'll jack-up the ignition switch and will be stuck out there, unless you have a slope you can bump start it with. (And even then if the switch is completely ripped up, ya might still need to complete the connections) So definitely checkout the schematics and visually inspect your ignition switch to recognize the colors of al those various wires and which two you'd have to splice to bypass that switch. Also.. just in case ya EFF up and leave your house to go hunting and forget THE KEY! (Doh! Another thing that will happen if you go riding long enough.)

You're going to need to study up on how and when you need to tweak your suspension clickers in order to cure symptom X or Y that you will notice, once you get more comfortable with riding and start to push it.

Get yourself a Bash Plate! To protect your engine/frame/transmission cases from getting bashed upon rocks you're traversing. You crack a case out there.. you're leaking fluid and you're EFF'd. Make sure you have a tool kit with which you can at the very least yank out a tire and change an inner tube while in the field. Inclue some JB Weld in that toolkit, to potentially fix a radiator hole. YOU WILL some day have to change a tube in the field!! Know that! So you'd better get some experience working with smaller field tools doing that. Typically the tire spoons in those kits are very minimal and don't offer a lot of leverage. So they're more tricky to use, gotta take smaller bites of tire at a time. And.. a 6-Ply tough desert terrain front tire is a major PITA to put on with small tire spoons, and not much better with large ones either. Know the procedure for inflating the tube initially WITHOUT the VALVE STEM IN IT... so that upon exhaling the air, the tube then unfolds inside the rim so no folds to develop a rub and make a hole and go flat. Fil the tube with Slime Fix A Flat too. It can buy you some time towards riding back to truck before the tire completely goes flat.

Most DualSports don't come with any Rim-Locks on them... if you're going to do ANY real off-roading AT ALL... you need Rim-Locks. They hold the bead of the tire against the rim so the valve stem doesn't get sheered off when you're hammering a bunch whoops. So you'll need to order some of those and install them and likely use some adhesive weights to counter-balance them to some degree... though for strictly dirt that's not necessary to counter balance though. On the streets it'll bug ya a bit the front end shakin' up and down when at speed.

There are even replacement products if you don't want to use an inner tube you can use these foam inner tube inserts which are meant to replace an inner tube. Enduro and Hare Scramble guys that have to go thru very precarious terrain which often pokes thru a tube sometimes opt for them. But they add some weight.

Ask around about which parts to safety wire so they can't fall off the bike, and which various bolts should be Blue Loctited down before you even go on your first ride.

Biggest thing that causes crashes in the dirt is "riding over your head" (faster than your skillset realistically can handle) and riding when you're very fatigued. Well as a hunter you're gonna no doubt be riding sometime when you're very fatigued. So.. take it CHILL! Ride much more leisurely when you're aware that you're spent and a bit exhausted. When riding, STOP and DRINK the moment you feel decently thirsty. Your grip strength on the handlebar grips can be affected quite a bit by dehydration.

Learn to tell yourself to relax your death-grip on the handlebar grips whenever the terrain you're upon opens up and gets a little easier to ride over. Otherwise... n00b thing... you'll be ridin' around with a death-grip like a vice on the bars and your forearm pump will be hugely problematic.

Also since you plan on using this for hunting purposes.. that means you plan to ride that bike when load bumps up in weight be almost a whole 'nother person added on. And I mention this to you because if you encounter a long and meandering single-track downhill trail line that requires a lot of creeping with the front-brake on... that extra weight is gonna KILL your Triceps on the back of your arms. Have them begging for mercy if it's a long technical downhill that you need to be cautious and on the brakes with a lot. The struggle is real on that!

Also in terms of setting up your bike.. actually try riding/shifting it with the intended boots on you plan to wear while hunting. You MAY find you need to re-mount the shift lever and braking levers rotated on their spindle shafts so that they give you more room to fit the toe of your boot under them with minimal foot movement. Also on most bikes these days they have adjustable levers where you can dial in the positioning of those levers away from the handlebar so they are at THEE most comfortable position to grab without having to ever really try. All those little DETAILS are what make your ride fun and enjoyable versus really working you hard over time.

 

[TheGDog]

I spent a lot of time on a DRZ400 as well (License plate was DRZAV8R, would occasionally take it to MX tracks for S & G). They are a good value for dollar. They are heavy when you have to pick one back up though. The stock exhaust can is HEAVY! To ditch weight I removed the buddy pegs and put on an aftermarket aluminum silencer/spark-arrestor.

Make sure you have the correct spark-arresting type of device needed for the forest you intend to go into. Most are just silencers, and not actually legal spark-arrestors. So make sure you know for sure that you have the kind you need on it.

For the DRZ400, do a 3"x3" hole in the top of the airbox, and you may need to fuss around with the carb, in order to slightly richen it up. Here in CA they come to the dealer tuned way lean to pass various air quality standards.

A fuel injected DualSport is better if you can find one reasonably priced. Then you can buy an after market programmer which will allow you to on-the-fly switch over to a different fuel mapping curve when you're about to hit the trail, and then swap it back to the on-street one when you're done. Plus you don't have to fuss with changing jetting for altitude and thinner air. It auto-senses that with the O2 sensor and adjusts accordingly.

Another place to save some weight is to replace the stock lead-acid type of battery with an equivalent lithium one made by a reputable offroad products company. That save a LOT of weight right there too.

Oh.. and uh... get yourself some Bark-Busters too. they can help prevent you from slamming your hand on the handlebar into a tree and jacking your fingers up something fierce.

 

[TheGDog]

PS if ya go for a DRZ400 at some point, you'll likely want to get the Gel-Seat at some point, especially if you end up routinely having to do some stretches buzzing the motor on a Fwy here and there.

 

[BullElk]

having owned a few 90's and 110's i can say with certainty these bikes do not have the ground clearance for back country single track in idaho. the 125 is no different. ive hunted off my YZ450/ KX 250(2 stroke) and my honda fat cat. low and slow and quiet are the best option with weight. second best would be my two stroke and yes THEY are a lot quieter than a 4stroke. the sound on a 4 stroke carries much farther.

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.

 

[TheGDog]

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.

Unless you're very light-weight, you need 250cc minimum in a four stroke if there are any hillclimbs present along the trail. Plus you're going to want to do a few rides into the area to experience the terrain type in order to make adjustments in tire selection, etc. And also that might make you decide it'd be a really good idea for bark-busters...or... that you really instead need bark-busters together with those hand wind deflectors mounted onto the buster arms for cold environments.

 

[Loggerdude]

TW 200 with back rack, ham on pack front shoulder on the rear rack. Or myself and 240 pound nephew double that’s a challenge for sure but better than walking. Many areas have boulders placed so tight shifter and pegs can get damaged. $2500-4000 set up low miles on Craigslist or facebut market

 

[Idaho_bow_hunter]

Thanks for the replies. The TW200 has come up a lot. I've decided to ride for fun (mostly OHV areas and single track) and for hunting and scouting. Would the TW200 be fun or enjoyable for the recreational riding or is it more of "slow and steady wins the race" bike to get me from point A to B, eventually? I just wonder if it would be worth replacing the CRF250L for it. I would save 40lbs but lose a little HP.

 

[TheGDog]

You'd have more fun, with the riding aspect, on the other bikes. But shaving the weight is always something to definitely keep in mind. Maybe search around for forums where people discuss the bikes you're thinking about and see where they've posted up questions asking how to ditch the weight off bike X, Y or Z you're considering. Every bike that's ever been made has had people wanting to shave off weight from it, trust me.

Aftermarket support is also important to consider. The more you can swap out or upgrade things as you become a better rider and want to start pushing it a bit, the more you'll be happy with a bike that has a lot to offer in that area as well. A bike that right from the beginning has the ability to go faster than YOU are currently capable of. Just because you're not capable of it right now, doesn't mean it's going to stay that way.

Your key here is making a choice that balances between being fun and able to ride on robust trails... while not being to difficult to ride if you're there sitting on it with a backpack with an extra 100 Lbs of meat in it. Therein lies the rub.

Two things that will immediately help the weighted condition are a more tamed powerband delivery and possibly lower sit height, so you can reach the ground better. Those two things will adversely effect how much regular fun you can have on it when you're just out to ride and have a good time. Now, you don't *need* that lower sit height. But... it'll make things a little less stressful in a slow-going situation thru terrain that's sketchy for you. Another thing I mentioned to you in PM is that you should strongly consider a bike with a "magic button" (push-button start) for the hunting aspect. On some bikes that are harder to kick-over, I'd imagine you'd have to start them first, then put on your pack with meat, then re-mount the bike to go. Whereas with a "magic-button" if you kill the engine, you can hurry up and pull in the clutch and "hit the magic button" to get her back to life without missing a beat, so you don't have to kill the engine at some precarious point on the trail. Also good for when you didn't quite get to the top on a hillclimb, and you need to bulldog it and walk it up with dismounted with the engine running, using the controls on just the handlebars to walk it up with you, until you can re-mount and be on your way again.

For S&G, lemme show you a vid I made of a hillclimb attempt, and an example of how you'd have to turn it around under the most adverse conditions. Just so you can think about how having a push-button start and low sit height could prove useful sometimes.

I have a 30" inseam, so I'm here to tell you that you don't really need to be able to touch the ground all that much. (I'm more torso than leg) I usually have to slide my hips off to one side of the seat to get more than just a tippy-toe of the boot on the ground off that KX500. Typically for an MX or Desert bike you're looking at between 36-39 inch seat height before it sags under your weight. And rear suspension sag is generally recommended between something like 95-115mm. You measure from the axle up to a fixed spot on the seat above. Then when you sit upon the bike (all geared-up so you're at the expected riding weight) you measure how much the rear sags down. You adjust the sag with the preload nuts on the shock body. Dab a little Blue Loctite on the thread before you lock the two nuts into each other.

 

[chukar_chaser]

I hunt almost exclusively off a dirt bike. If you are a new rider I would recommend a 230 honda or yamaha. I ride a Honda 250x and a Yamaha yz250x. Stay away from motocross bikes and 450's. The 230 is the perfect hunting bike.

 

[Bellator12]

Personally I would go with the CRF230- a little lighter/better power than the TTR230. The only drawback is it's e-start only, but they are easy to bump start on a slight hill if the battery gives up on life.
The CRF/TTR would suit you well as you get to exploring single track more, but at your weight you're on the upper limit for the suspension. The CRF isn't easy to make suspension changes to, not sure about the TTR. An XR250 or 400 would be a great choice if you don't mind having a kick start only bike. I swore for years I'd never own an e-start bike because I'm a GD man and I can kick start my bike just fine... well now I own an e-start YZ450FX and I'm a spoiled little baby and hate riding anything that's kick only haha.
If a 2 stroke is tickling your fancy and you can swing it in the budget you might look into something like the Beta 300 X-Trainer- a little lower seat height, lighter weight, and mellower power delivery than their 300RR (which is the equivalent to the KTM 300 XC-W).

 

[TheGDog]

I swore for years I'd never own an e-start bike because I'm a GD man and I can kick start my bike just fine... well now I own an e-start YZ450FX and I'm a spoiled little baby and hate riding anything that's kick only haha.

Yeah man... try having to kick over a KX500 all the time, HaHA! But at least with that, once it's fired up, you become in control of an UnHoly Beast of a machine!! There's nothing quite like KNOWING you've for sure got enough power for whatever you're thinking of attempting on the bike. But yeah man, e-start is soo freakin' nice. I've even seen vids of dudes busting a whip, and they screwed up and didn't get the clutch lever all the way disengaged before they tapped the rear brake... and no worries the dude mid-air just pulls in the clutch, hits the magic button and bada bing, was like it never happened.

 

[Bellator12]

Yeah man... try having to kick over a KX500 all the time, HaHA! But at least with that, once it's fired up, you become in control of an UnHoly Beast of a machine!! There's nothing quite like KNOWING you've for sure got enough power for whatever you're thinking of attempting on the bike. But yeah man, e-start is soo freakin' nice. I've even seen vids of dudes busting a whip, and they screwed up and didn't get the clutch lever all the way disengaged before they tapped the rear brake... and no worries the dude mid-air just pulls in the clutch, hits the magic button and bada bing, was like it never happened.

I know all about it! I have a bunch of bikes including a KX500, CR500 on down the line. the KX is definitely the toughest to kick for sure, even a fresh CR500 is easy to kick through compared to a KX (or at least the one I own).

 

[TheGDog]

Yup! Yup! Kicking over the K5 is serious business at first when everything is cold. And with my shorter inseam, boy is it a workout, cause I gotta jump up to get my weight high enough above the kick lever, and then as gravity starts pulling ya down and your leg bends enough you gotta kick down with a sharp snap to it! Choke-on don't touch the throttle, and just let the magic happen. Then once you can hear she's warming up with the choke-on ya take it off and then keep it going with throttle blips, then when she's fully warmed up she'll idle no problem, but she sounds mean when she does! Like she's pissed off you've got her standing still! HaHA!

And people just don't know man... they don't know how bleeping ready you gotta be to ride the Beast! It's awesome just knowing that if there is anyone in front of you on the Desert Floor, or even an outdoor type of MX track, that you've got a bike that can totally reel 'em in, as long as you have the skillset and conditioning for it.

Only MX bike I've ever been on where in EVERY GEAR it pulls HARD! Like on the '97 RM250 I had, I liked that bike a bunch too, but 5th gear on a 250cc, though it also pulls pretty well... it's not that same BRUTAL in ALL GEARS like the 500 wants to be! Man I really loved that KX500! Sucks having to give up things when various age-related issues start creepin' in. First was my Vision. About 45yo it started taking a nose-dive. Then the lowerback stuff started getting worse. And if I had a little get-off that happened to hit that same area.... would scare me bad, had me fearing if I fell hard and hit that area I'd for sure go paralyzed or something, the way the pain is when that already trauma'd area gets hit. So it was mega awesome while it lasted, but ultimately to be wise I had to bow-down from The Beast and find her a new home. Sold it to some dude who had a property kinda out by the Slash-X Ranch Cafe there across they way from the Victorville OHV area. So I knew he'd freakin' love it out there, since I rode a lot around there as a younger man.

 

[IdahoElk]

Thanks for the replies. The TW200 has come up a lot. I've decided to ride for fun (mostly OHV areas and single track) and for hunting and scouting. Would the TW200 be fun or enjoyable for the recreational riding or is it more of "slow and steady wins the race" bike to get me from point A to B, eventually? I just wonder if it would be worth replacing the CRF250L for it. I would save 40lbs but lose a little HP.

You need two bikes then, The TW200 is a purpose built machine for hunting and slow trail riding and would not make a great bike to do single tracks at speed.

I personally use a 250 Trials bike for hunting purposes and a Bored/stroked Husky 125 2stroke for fun/fast trail riding.

 

[300stw]

ive rode numerous single track in central and west idaho, packed numerous bulls and bucks on a bike, tl250, bw200, tw200, xt225, dr350, xr200, xr250,,, the 88-90 xr200 are great, can use newer xr250 shocks forks, there plush, i hate tw front tires, underpowered,, bw200 pack a boned out bull many times. , rocks flip you off the trail with wide tires but traction like crazy, geared down xt225. pretty great bike,,, all around,,, kdx220, pretty great. just not a 2stroke guy, crf150 eith a big back rack, geared down during hunting season with a light kit is a pretty great bike also

 

[TheGDog]

I personally use a 250 Trials bike for hunting purposes and a Bored/stroked Husky 125 2stroke for fun/fast trail riding.

Doesn't that kill you though riding a Trials bike with essentially no seat to it? They are realistically not meant for people to ride em around seated. However for sure they can creep up the most insane places though if the rider has the skillset.

 

[TheGDog]

You need at least 250cc to be Fwy legal on a DualSport, (at least in my state anyway). Something to keep in mind.

And I hate to have to tell you this.... but in Motos, it's just like guns, you need to learn to walk before you can run. Meaning you're going to need to advance thru the bigger sizes of bikes by putting in your time on the lesser bikes.

Yes.. you can opt to go right to a bigger one, but chances are high you'll have a bad get-off and hurt yourself as a n00b. So the other gentlemans suggestion of getting two bikes is best. Otherwise when you're trying to haul a$$, the hunting specific choice you're likely to be unhappy with if it in that situation you're like me and very aggressive when riding for fun, you'll hit it's limitations in suspension much earlier on the speedometer.

You need tall and long-legged to haul some serious bootay. Traits which don't translate well when creepin and strugglin with an uber heavy backpack on.

 

[ndbuck09]

I was like you in 2019 where I had never really ridden offroad on a dirt bike, only ATV's. Was facing the same decision of trying to find the right bike for hunting but also riding in the summer on trails and fun. I test rode a TW200 and frankly was so underwelmed for the fun aspect of the bike. Sure it probably would work well for hunting single track but there's just not a ton of power there for regular dirt bike trail riding. I ended up getting an 04 yamaha wr450 and I have been pretty happy with it.
One note would be to get your suspension set up by someone who really knows what they're doing with suspension and do it for your weight with a pack on.
For me, the 450 gives plenty of power for anything and going up steep grades is not bad because you know you've got plenty of juice. I'm still not that great of a rider but a summer of riding consistently and challenging yourself without a pack on really helps for hunting!

 

[Pocoloco]

Thanks for the replies everybody. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the tw200, but I was hesitant to get one due to the lower ground clearance and concern how it would do on single track, with anything technical. I assume the wide tires will help but not sure how well the motor will climb.

I hit a single track trail this fall with my pack and rifle and very little ridding experience on my Crf250l and struggled. I think more experience riding this fall, spring and summer will help. I’m just trying not to thrash the bike (and my body) in the process. Maybe I need to look at the crf250f closer and find someone to let me ride a tw200. Maybe a purpose made trail bike would be a better choice.

We live in Idaho and after seeing a shed hunter using a Yamaha BW200 considered getting one for easier access of our hunting grounds. Decided the chance of great bodily harm or death was too high. Only one time have we had motorcycles pass us in our hunting grounds and they were wearing full body armor. Add a hunting pack rifle/bow and your likely increasing your risk. The shed hunter on the BW200 airs down bug tires and likes low center of gravity but the trail he was on was mild and where we Turkey hunt, the elk terrain we play in is nasty