The Least Risky Scenario

[jmstallard]

I'm thinking about getting a 4-stroke off road motorcycle, and I don't want to spend thousands of dollars. Without getting into the weeds, it looks like there are two basic choices:

1. New Chinese bike
2. 10+ year old Japanese bike

I get that the Japanese brands have higher R&D budgets, with more thorough QA, but entropy, coupled with young males thrashing the crap out of things, I wonder if the amount of maintenance on a 10+ year old Japanese bike is going to end up being roughly the same amount of maintenance that a brand new Chinese bike would require. Or maybe more...or less...I'm not sure. What do you think?

[rossw]

I have bought 3 10+ Japanese bikes myself this summer and know a friend who also bought 2 10+ Japanese bikes. Of the 5, 1 came from a kid whose father maintained it but had no clue. Air filter had not been cleaned in forever, wheel bearings needed changing, handlebars were bent, etc. Got it for a great price and don't regret the work it needed. I knew it when I bought it.

The 2 Gio's I rode required "almost" no maintenance, but I became frustrated with trying to find parts when something did break or I wanted to change it. If you love searching the internets looking for parts, and waiting a couple weeks for them to arrive then you will have no regrets with the Chinese bikes.

If you are like myself, and want to maximize ride time and minimize time in the garage the Japanese are the way to go. I am able to order parts, in 10 minutes or less, to my door in a day or two and have 100% confidence they will fit.

[pete]

A chinese bike will last if it's not thrashed to with in a inch of it's life all the time..

My TTR250 is now 8 years old... motor has never been apart or any part replaced other than normal wear & tear components...
If you do replace a part on a 10 year old japper it is then good for another 10 years in most cases..


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[rideMI]

1986 Yamaha tt225 just normal wear and tear with thousands of miles on it and the motor has never been apart.

[BlackBike]

If this is such a big deal and you are looking for a 250 you could go the csc route without fear.

[Weldangrind]

The bottom line is that a China bike requires a sense of humour. If you're not into taking total responsibility for the maintenance of your bike, Japanese is a better bet. I'm a sucker for punishment, so I have several China rides.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

The bottom line is that a China bike requires a sense of humour. If you're not into taking total responsibility for the maintenance of your bike, Japanese is a better bet. I'm a sucker for punishment, so I have several China rides.

[jmstallard]

Interesting advice; thanks for the input. I'm thinking a 10-yr old Japanese bike is the way to go. While I have the ability to wrench, I don't want wrenching to become the hobby, either the actual wrenching or the pre-wrenching research.

I'm looking at the Yamaha TTR125. Yeah, I know...go bigger, but I want small, light, nimble, and relatively slow.

[Weldangrind]

I think you're making a good choice.
I'm one of those odd people who enjoys wrenching as much as riding. Maybe more. China bikes aren't for everyone.

[culcune]

If you are considering smaller bikes, you might still want to consider a Chinese pit bike. I think the way they are designed and used, pit bikes seem to hold up quite well. They are much lower cost than full-size Chinese dirt bikes, such as the Apollo 150. I think the Chinese pit bikes will make a near-perfect 'learning' bike. Start with Taotao's DB17 and go from there. http://taotao.us/index.cfm/dirt-bikes/ Apollo and a Coolster put out some low-cost, decent quality pit bikes in the 125cc range. The distributor for the Hawk 250 enduro carry Apollo and Xmoto bikes as well. http://www.therps.net/# That being said, if you can get a reliable used TTR125 for the same cost as one of the Chinese bikes, go for it.

[pete]

I'm a Yamaha fan though & though but it
pains me to say if you are after a small jap
dirt bike look at a used Honda CRF150F....

if yer after more power down the track for around $200
you can get a 175 kit with cam...175 kit is a stright bore job
no resleeving... gives another 3.5hp but when it only has 12hp
to start with 3.5hp is another 28%...A noticable diffrents...



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[jmstallard]

Originally Posted by culcune

If you are considering smaller bikes, you might still want to consider a Chinese pit bike.

I had initially been researching Chinese bikes. I even put together a spreadsheet comparing the specs of various models (I think I'm up to ~28 models so far). Only recently have I been questioning whether a Japanese bike is feasible.

[jmstallard]

Originally Posted by pete

if you are after a small jap
dirt bike look at a used Honda CRF150F....

I'll take a look, but power is really not a priority for me. Thanks for the suggestion.

[b44]

go jap mate, better support & parts
China bike ok if you can rebuild yourself, but if your not into it , it end up costing more than a older jap bike.
ttr230/crf230 cant go wrong