KX 250 as first bike - will Newbie hurt his self?

[blueridgespeed]

 :|I'm about to get a KX250 - 96 model from an A-level "woods racer" (self-described) that has it set up for woods riding - and he's my weight.  Enduro gear included.  I've been told by a friend that this bike might "bite" and scare me, and I could get hurt - ie: it's NOT a good bike for a newb.

Any advice/opinions?

[GDubb]

The bike will only bite as hard as you let it. These things dont have a mind of their own. Take your time and start out slow. Find a nice open area to practice getting use to the controls and the function of each. Practice throttle control and aggressive body position(i.e. you dont want to have your weight on the back of the seat and crack the throttle open, you want to be over the bars, elbows up in the "attack position" when getting on the gas). Just start out slow, take your time, and ride within your limits and a 250 will be fine and last you a long time as your skills grow into it. In my opinion if you can practice some self control and get used to the bike and ride within your limits the KX250 is a great bike and better to start out on than say a Yamaha TTR 230 4-stroke (great beginners bike) that you will probably outgrow skill-wise by the end of your first full riding season and end up wishing you went with the KX.  Long story short.... ride smart and the KX will be fine.  By the way... how old are you and how much do you weigh?  If you are 14 and 125 soaking wet then maybe this isnt the bike for you, but if you are grown, I'd take the chance.


-G

[Motorrad]

Learn the bike. dont let it learn you.   

I was 140lbs with gear on when I got my first Kx500 )1987... Now that I have grown OUT They just arnt as fast as they used to be...

Go with the 250, and use some brains.. Take the time to teach yourself the right way..

  Being a Trials rider Im a firm believer that You must first learn to go slow before you go fast..... Yet any monkey can get on a bike, hold it WOT for a good while....till they get over their head in a real hurry.

[blueridgespeed]

Thanks guys, that's helpful already.  To answer the above question, I'm ABOUT 40 years old and weigh 180.  I have done a lot of mountain biking, (um, more than 20 years worth?) which has taught me "reading the trail" and looking ahead, etc, even though my first dirtbike ride made it clear there are big differences, too.

I also spent a full summer on a street bike riding 2-up with my girlfriend (er, now wife of 15 years).  And I mean a FULL summer - we rode all day every day, slept in a tent wherever, and covered just about the whole USA - man, that was fun - so clutching, braking, and throttle stuff does still have some muscle memory, and the differences on a dirtbike (clutch fanning, for instance) have seemed easy enough to learn so far.

Yeah, "good sense" taking it slow, and forming good habits are all solid advice that's worked for me in many other "arenas" -so I'm glad to hear folks feel it applies here -

whoo hoo!

[Good]

You'll do fine man, just start slow.

[Hillclimb#42]

96 is a good fast and reliable bike. Thats what I ride. I'd advise a 13-49 sprocket set-up to start. It was a kick starting record, with stock 14-47 on tight trails when I was a newbie. Gearing down, helped alot. New rubber is way safer for controlling the bike. People always think that if they still have some bumps on their tire, that they have plenty of traction. You want square corners on each nobb, especially when new. Bark busters save lots of money on slow speed dumps where the clutch and brake levers take a pounding. It'll be  a crash-fest probably, but always ride with a helmet and boots, ride within your skill level and 99.9% of the time your muscles will be more sore from exhaustion than from your wrecks.
 The 250 is a great starter bike. If you got a 125, you would tame it in a short time and be ready for an upgrade in power. The 250 will deliver the power and be hard to get used to really tapping the power. That equals lots of adrenaline-filled good times. Good Luck

[blueridgespeed]

Bark-busters- check
Helmet- check (won't ride without a good one, ever (anymore)).
Boots- just got some proper offroad boots used, cheap
Rear tire -  uh, it' s pretty gone so THANK YOU! for the advice

I was figuring the old, round, and significantly CHUNKED-OUT knobs wouldn't be an issue until I gained some skills, but now that you mention it, a new tire makes sense.  After all, I don't want to learn skills that only apply to riding on a worn out tire!

[Johnniespeed]

   Throttle control, nuff said. The bike wont hurt you, its the trees that hurt. How about riding in an open field for a couple of hours before embarking on a tight techincal single track ?  At least then, if you fall, the trees wont get you.
  By the way, I think you will be just fine, anyone who asks for advice, is a careful type anyway. Now myself, I dont ask advice, I just WOT until a tree teaches me a lesson. After many trees, I learn throttle control. After many rocks I learn balance, and after flipping over backwards, I learn not to lean back while hitting the throttle. Other people have a different way of learning than I do.
  Enjoy that great bike. John

[KX500freak]

   Throttle control, nuff said. The bike wont hurt you, its the trees that hurt. How about riding in an open field for a couple of hours before embarking on a tight techincal single track ?  At least then, if you fall, the trees wont get you.
  By the way, I think you will be just fine, anyone who asks for advice, is a careful type anyway. Now myself, I dont ask advice, I just WOT until a tree teaches me a lesson. After many trees, I learn throttle control. After many rocks I learn balance, and after flipping over backwards, I learn not to lean back while hitting the throttle. Other people have a different way of learning than I do.
  Enjoy that great bike. John

i had a 91 kx250 ,it was a thrill riding it,
im 220 lbs and i could throw that bike WOT in every situation ,
that is something not recommended on k5 however

[GDubb]

WOT in every situation ,
that is something not recommended on k5 however

  Whatever do you mean? I dont get it... 


-G

[bigfabber]

After 2 years of putting around on a DR100 and an XR75, I put my 14 year old son on a 91 KX250 last year. He did just fine. Its a lot of bike for a beginner, but healthy respect and good gear should serve just fine. Guys who think it's like their Xbox and they can go WOT right outa the box will learn quick or scare themselves silly and take up lawn bowling.

[Johnniespeed]

How much fun is lawn bowling ?  Will newbie hurt his self ?
  John

[bigfabber]

Only if you mess with the wrong old folks. The ones with the co-ordinated white pants, shirts, hats and shoes will take you down! Like anything, it's all about the gear.

[kwakman]

Its only as fast as you twist it. my first bike was kx5; that was three years ago. dont try to do too much too soon, and you'll be fine.

[azdirtrider75]

Throttle Control ! Just take it easy. Don't twist it like you see on TV or at races. Don't be afraid, but do have respect. Just have fun