How to buy new or used dirt bikes checklist!︱Cross Training Enduro 

DON'T ASK US WHICH BIKE YOU SHOULD BUY! We don't do personal bike recommendations. But we have done vids providing some guidelines, feel free to watch these for extremely dodgy general advice. 😊 Should I buy a 250 or 300 two stroke? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-am8SFww0a5U.html Best bike for hard enduro and slow technical riding? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v0cUHPEp4eA.html Should you buy a 450 dirt bike? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fevAD93quQ4.html Two stroke or four stroke? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PmUUxV3c_NQ.html Which bike should I buy? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HIdBljML-80.html

I bought a new 17 Xtrainer, it ran awesome for two rides! third ride I did one of those unintentional front flip maneuvers and broke the rider. Ever since then the wife thingy is really noisy.

You have the best kind of videos for enduro riders.... Keep up the good work.... You are doing us beginners a huge favour and I personally appreciate you work and time put into all your videos. Thank you on the behalf of all Romaniacs!!

And another handy tip is to lock your new bike up well!! Bought a 2015 KTM350exc, used all my savings, the bloke who sold it to me was very nice and always maintained it. Spent about 600 on force accessories and 2 rides later (two weeks) it got stolen along with my dad's bike. We had no insurance on the bikes. Over 8000 bikes are stolen in Australia each year, to many for the police to deal with. So make sure they are well locked up and insured.

Thanks for another great vid Barry and for creating this useful discussion thread. A couple of other thoughts on what to look for. When I was buying my last dirtbike I ended up with a four year old bike in mint condition but along the way saw some absolute horror stories which were asking the same money (more by the time you included the work they would have needed). Over the years, I think I've bought or at least seen just about every flaw you can mention in a used bike so here are a few lessons: 1. Never assume that “the electric starter won’t work because the battery is flat” Very likely the electric starter AND the battery are both stuffed. 2. After a decent test ride with the engine nice and warm, have another close look at the seals. Down low in places like where the gear lever shaft exits the engine, front sprocket shaft, etc. Any trace of oil that turns up after a test ride isn't going to become less significant after a long day on the trails. Unless your hobby is splitting engine cases to change $2 seals, or you can get the bike at a great price, keep looking. 3. Pretty obvious, have a sniff and even stick a rag on a screwdriver up the exhaust after the test ride. It will quickly show you if the 4 stroke you're looking at is actually burning oil like a 2 stroke (ie. running on 40:1 engine oil mix :-). Some clever/unscrupulous owners will clean the exhaust pipe before you get there so check it after you ride. 4. If concerned, don’t hesitate to do a compression test. In fact, bring one with you to every test ride just in case. 5. Radiator water. If it hasn’t got nice clean coolant, you have to suspect at the very least, a few shortcuts such as using water rather than coolant or simply not changing it in the past ten years. 6. Receipts are great. If people do their own servicing, then they should at least have the receipts for the oil they bought? You’d think, wouldn’t you? 7. If someone says, “I don’t have receipts because I do all my own maintenance and get my oil & filters for free from my cousin Vinnie” ask them to introduce you to cousin Vinnie as he'd be a great bloke to know. Just kidding :-) Ask them instead to walk you through the oil change and/or the last maintenance they did. In detail. Extreme detail. Ask for tips & tricks (every bike has something unique worth mentioning). Pretend you know nothing about changing oil and want to know how to do it yourself if you buy the bike. You’ll soon see if they truly change the oil once every 20 hours or once every 20 years. 8. Rub marks. One of the most clapped out bikes I ever avoided buying, seemed pretty good at first glance. Some components and side covers had been replaced so it looked in good nick but it had a bad ‘feel’ which I couldn't pinpoint until I looked at the less obvious stuff such as cable routing, condition of the switches, etc. This bike had seen so many hard miles that the vibration had rubbed hollows in both the clutch cable and the handlebar cross brace! A clear sign that the owner had gotten his moneys worth out of it and you’d best put aside a national debt sized contingency fund for near future repairs. 9. Another clue about a bike to avoid would be something you'll only find out when you are doing 60km or more on a relatively smooth surface. A diabolical wobble from the front wheel indicates a bent wheel (slightly different from being just out of balance but you'll recognise the death wobble when you ride it at speed). My interpretation of the meaning behind this death wobble was: “This bike is so f*(#@d, I can’t even be bothered, balancing the front wheel or tuning the spokes, much less changing the wheel - I just want this bike gone and out of my garage for some other sucker to worry about it.” 10. Rule of thumb: One problem doesn’t mean a bad bike but if you find three or more (e.g.; leaking gear lever seal, oil in exhaust, muck in the radiator) that should be enough to inspire you to keep looking for a bike that has had a more loving owner. 11. Last but not least, listen to your gut. If you THINK the bike will be OK but might need some minor work, keep looking... Seriously. Most of us have had experiences like Gabriel G's comment re his expensive CR250. When you find the right bike, you will KNOW (ie. not hope/think) that it will work out to be a good bike for you. Hope that's useful to someone.

Another well done video sir! Great advice as always, even though you'll respond and say it's dodgy ;)

I recently bought a 2016 ktm sx 125, fantastic bike. I feel that a kind of guarantee for quality is to buy from someone who races or in this case, he used the bike as a training bike, and another one for racing. The reason i think this is because everyone who races *needs* their bike to function, unlike a bike that has been casually ridden on a farm and never had an oil change.

I love these disclaimers!

those motorcycle ads are too funny. im gonna use these checklists from now on because my gumby brain gets too excited in the presence of a potential new dirt bike. the last dr650 video was crazy too. i heard a friend listening to the vid and the music sounded intense.

Another good option is buying a dealers demo bike. I did this just recently. The bike only had 7 hours, 210 km on it. The dealer also threw in barkbusters, radiator guards, bashplate and pipe guard, 12 months rego, all for $2,500 less than a bare bones standard bike, and it came with full warranty.

This video contained tons of great advice! Well done!

If Street legal (more stringent in the states) make sure brake lights and turn signals work, common items to not fix and might give insight to shoddy electrical work. also, pump the handlebars to check for leaky fork seals (learned this the hard way to many times.)

Great information. Was too worried about a used bike since I've never owned one. Bought a new dr650. Thanks for the info mate.

Great advice, I would add check the primary drive sprocket splines, as it is fast on and off. If the front sprocket was forced on previously it may come off but not go on properly and you are left with cracking the case or hand filing the lands and grooves until back in shape...

Good stuff, Barry ... thanks!

I used to live in the same location as the first ad you showed, what a coincidence.

It's easier to check for oil leaks when the oil gets good and hot. A buddy and I went to check out a used bike, and it looked pretty good. They rode it around the parking lot for a while, and were about to settle, when we noticed oil dripping underneath the bike. It was coming out from under a soft glob of JB weld(didn't see it, and the color nearly matched the casings) that "they didn't know about".

Always fun to look at these AFTER I've bought the bike.. :D Guess I got lucky this time... again..

Ha! Farmington UT, not for from where I am! Keep up the great vids!

Very comprehensive mate!

great timing for this vid I'm going to look at a 2nd hand bike this Saturday.

I left a comment on your facebook page about my 200 exc, Wish I seen this vid a few months back just to cement that idea in my head a bit more of what a harsh world second hand bike sales can be! Great vid mate good work as always!

not sure about other bikes but the drz400 has valve cover bolts that thread into aluminum cam carriages and they strip very easily. brought mine and the guy had wrapped the bolt in tape to prevent it from leaking. first long ride and half the oil came out on the exhaust and my leg.

I got a kx 85 used and had a few problems but they did take good care of it.

Well I bought my bike 2 years old with 40 hours. Guy had it siting in is bar on the second flour. Everything in his house was super clean. It didn't had any problem, in fact it was like new. Sometime it's worth checking the other machine and if everything look clean. The negligent vendor will always super clean the bike, but will often over-look the rest of the garage. Also you can hold a white rag in front of the exhaust while revving the bike. You will see if the bike is burning oil even if the exhaust was cleaned. But don't be too crazy, no exhaust is 100% clean.

I always check footpeg wear, if the teeth on the pegs are worn down significantly but the bikes apparently done bugger all hours you know somethings a miss.

Learn from my mistake. Bought a bike (2002 yz125) from a guy and later noticed minor cracks in both rims. Thought to myself well at least the engine is great so was happy. A week or two later the cracks grew aggressively (imagine going 100km/h on a rocky dirt road and the front wheel splits) and decided it would be safer to not ride anymore. Go look up prices for total engine rebuilds, it is cheaper than ONLY THE 2 OUTER RIMS. So look for rim conditions carefully and I would also say see if the kickstarter is wobbly or firm in place because that could also tell how much the bike has been in ridden.

Only thing I would add is to have a look at the interweb for common model specific problems for the bikes you are interested in. In my experience most of these problems will eventually happen even with good maintenance (it just takes longer), so better to buy a bike with a good level of baseline reliability than one that is prone to s***ting itself.

The dirty house and shed thing can be misleading. Both of mine are a mess, but I treat my cars and bikes like gold. I run them relatively hard so am meticulous about regular checks and servicing, I never want a breakdown or part failure and have never had one. I also fly planes and they are something you always keep in spec and well serviced, for damn obvious reasons. Maybe I'm just the odd man out.

Check head bearings - sweep the bars back and forth. Feel for grime/crunchiness in the bearings.

You pronounce words so clearly for an Aussie I'm terrible with slurring and slang haha

yea i have a suggestion for maintenance part. make sure you arent missing a bunch of bolts on the bike or if they put a million wrong bolts and nuts on the bike. any obvious hard crashes like bent pegs, handle bar levers broken, subframe and rear fender not lined up to back wheel indicating a bend. are the oil or transmission drain bolts damaged or stripped out. check oil for metals. see if bike has lesking seals or fork seals. i encounter many of these problems when buying used bikes..

Great video

great video it was very helpful, I'm going to save 1,000 dollars and then make payments for my dad. I'm buying a CRF 150f

Always check forks for pitting or seal leaks. If there is pitting don't ride it until you've smoothed it off, otherwise first time you brake or even sit on it you could screw the seals. Happened to a friend then crashed on the way home from buying when oil leaked onto the tyre.

thank u so much for this vid

Yeah, you can tell a lot about the bike's history just by looking at the owner and their garage. And the way the ad is made. Also an easy thing: Check the bolt-heads to see if/ how badly they've been wrenching on them.

Buying last year's model from the dealer is often a good deal. Just got a new 2018 KTM for $7,999; 2019s are $9,799.

1:44 hey, i live there!!!

Check it on a stand too. Swing arm and linkage bearings get overlooked.

The "never raced" postings always make me laugh. Having a neighbor that is a pro rider has taught me the opposite. His bikes are well maintained because they have to be. "Never raced" usually means, "ran the holy shit out of it on side roads and fields, then threw it in the barn after blowing dirt into the seals and the engine with my new pressure washer"

The best way to buy a dirt/dual sport in my opinion is to buy a completely shot one for VERY cheap, and rebuild it meticulously into your dream bike. This method can work well if you are like me and can rebuild an engine in a day, I found a gas gas 450, bough tit for 1200 since engine didn't run. I rebuilt the entire engine for about 800$ since I do all of my own work, tore it down to the frame and had everything meticulously cleaned by my wife and I, then put it all back together. I sold the bike for $6500 back in 2008 about one month before the recession. I bought a 1992 WR500 with a ruined engine for $200 dollars in 2014, I rebuilt the entire engine for about 500$, and re powder coated the frame, podercoated the frame, etc, and in total I spent about 1200$ for a almost new bike, when a rough one sells for 1500$.

seen all the ads. some are hilarious

lol, that cb-350 ad!!!!!!

0:37 What a scandal! Pure sacrilege! This is not true that a yz 125 could kick back so hard as to break an ankle! I had one in the days and did everything possible for this to happen, even starting the bike with a bare foot. I never succeed. However, even with Scott plastic motocross boots, a 360 could easily do this. ;) I remember that my father was often complaining about the atrocious kickback of his mx 360 1973/74. I remember that one time he was ejected 30 feet in the air and fell back in the swimming pool! Well, my memory may fail me a bit here... :)

Yup i want a ktm 150 xcw and i wanna put a big bore kit on it up to a 200 and i want a hisky 501 or 701 or a drz 400 for the street

visuals: Bent Axles, Powder coated frame (Vin) Cracked Cases, Mixed matched bolts

Wise words oh wondrous Strawberry leader :-)

Buy the biggest most powerful off road weapon you can get your hands on. Only a handful of riders out there can thrash the daylights out of it and live long enough to sell it to you.

Dude I have never seen a DR650 move like that through the woods lol.

If you had to pick between a 250 four or two stroke, and were interested in getting into this cross training stuff, what would you pick and why?

Are your DR mirrors intentially showing us your meat-n-potatas or is it just an un intended benefit for those that get a rev from that sort of thing? great vid mate, funny adds

I have spent a small fortune on restoring my 99' YZ250. It's a beautiful bike now. Still doesn't help my super "Gumby" powers. lol My next bike will be a brand new 1. What is the shortest factory 2 stroke in the 250 to 300cc range?

As a master tech judging my maint by my home shop or paper work is kinda sad old bud. The paperwork doesn't matter not much out there is stood up for theses days. I keep note book on intervals but that's it. My shop is total mess I have 5 things apart 2 more for friends and my wife needed to paint her klx250s frame purple so that's stripped w her back pack tool kit to see if she could. 2nd fins a bike w a sob story. I lost my job can't make payment, or like me after 4y marriage birth control stopped working and had 3 kids by accident. Chances are the machine was loved dearly.

question: how many hours will be too many in a dirtbike? ive recently buy a 12' beta 450 with 215 hs on it and 5500 km.

Mismatched hardware;My yz had SAE hardware in Metric threads.

12

I have 2001 honda cr250 2stroke and i can't turn it on when motor is cold. How could i make it better so it could start better?

#1 rule dont trust anybody... one of my friend sell me his bike and tell me a lots of bullshit, we are not friends anymore... Just put over 1.5k over 2 years on this trash. Long story short, i got a shitty cr250 2001 that cost me 4k :(

Second

Why does my back end kick up when I went over a decent size log?

My bike's just sit and never get ridden anymore..

dont spend more than 1500 and be ready to get wrist deep in it.

What to buy? After month and month of your brainwashing videos we ended up with a RR300 and a grin on the face!