New guy from Fleur-De-Lis!

No problem we all started out as newbies at some point.

Just keep an eye on the ride out section when you get a bike sorted.

Hi Hywel,If your looking at a drz ,you will need to know there are 2 different models the "sport" and the" E"for Enduro,the sport has road lights and metal tank,the E has lights,alot more power and a plastic tank.
A mate of mine got an E thats still got the original chain and sprockets done very little, he was on about selling it ,think it could be on a 04 plate.let me know if you are interested.

I got 2 x 250's for sale Flower! One of them is very close to you too! Wyllie! It's a Yamaha wr 250 taxed and mot, lights just no indicators, £1500....
Or a Honda crf250x same again re. Lights but £1700......
Both vgc. Both were my bro inlaws....both tried it but couldn't get into it!
Big wooses! Pm me if interested.....
How far you doin on the roads?....these type of bikes are not the best road bikes realistically, but ok if your only a short few miles away...they will eat tyres if on the road too much......best of luck...skip.....

One more point to think about fella is: size! Yours! If like me your a typical Welshman (short in the leg) some bikes can be quite tall, if heavy too, like a drz400 then u will be picking them up off the floor a lot! Which can get very tiresome after a while, this is why a lot of lads on here now ride 2 strokes! We're mainly short, old 40 something's!!! Enjoy looking!

And - your close to a lot of us beaut! So no worries about a ride out....

sheepshagger wrote:Hi Hywel,If your looking at a drz ,you will need to know there are 2 different models the "sport" and the" E"for Enduro,the sport has road lights and metal tank,the E has lights,alot more power and a plastic tank.
A mate of mine got an E thats still got the original chain and sprockets done very little, he was on about selling it ,think it could be on a 04 plate.let me know if you are interested.

I'm with you. Does the "E" in question have indicators? I like the sound of a 400E.

Skippy wrote:I got 2 x 250's for sale Flower! One of them is very close to you too! Wyllie! It's a Yamaha wr 250 taxed and mot, lights just no indicators, £1500....
Or a Honda crf250x same again re. Lights but £1700......
Both vgc. Both were my bro inlaws....both tried it but couldn't get into it!
Big wooses! Pm me if interested.....
How far you doin on the roads?....these type of bikes are not the best road bikes realistically, but ok if your only a short few miles away...they will eat tyres if on the road too much......best of luck...skip.....

I'm planning on using it as a commuter hack when the roads are all salt and slush, 15 miles each way, but maybe in the dark sometimes so I wouldn't mind indicators... is it easy/possible to retro-fit 'em onto either 250?

In terms of tyre wear on the road I probably wouldn't run on full-on hardcore knobblies all the time unless I really took to trails more than I expect to. At a quick glance tyres for these bikes all seem pretty reasonably priced compared to the road rubber I'm used to buying and I know some boys in a good workshop who fit boots for me so it isn't a massive concern.

Unfortunately, after doing a bit of digging, it seems like; off road bikes advertised for less than a grand = awful shonky looking old things and non road legal machines.... I may have to rethink my budget, not a big deal though considering I KNOW I enjoyed my session off-road the other month and the bike could be a doorway into a proper little new hobby as well as being a fairly practical way of splitting some abuse away from my road bike

Skippy wrote:One more point to think about fella is: size! Yours! If like me your a typical Welshman (short in the leg) some bikes can be quite tall, if heavy too, like a drz400 then u will be picking them up off the floor a lot! Which can get very tiresome after a while, this is why a lot of lads on here now ride 2 strokes! We're mainly short, old 40 something's!!! Enjoy looking!

Height wise I'm 6ft and I can get along fine with a KTM 990 Adventure R on the road and the CRF250 I used in North Wales was a doddle, but as you say I understand something like a DRZ will be quite a bit heavier than the Honda to wrestle about and pick up off the ground... a two-fifty may be a better option, depends on what deals I see about though I s'pose!

Skippy wrote:And - your close to a lot of us beaut! So no worries about a ride out....

Can't wait! :bounce:

Welcome to the forum hywel

sheepshagger wrote:
A mate of mine got an E thats still got the original chain and sprockets done very little, he was on about selling it ,think it could be on a 04 plate.let me know if you are interested.

If this is the guy who came on the xmas ride, it's a really nice bike.

With buying an offraod bike, it goes a long way knowing some history, have a look on ebay, there are loads saying " just had rebuild " why would you have an engine rebuild then sell it? They either haven't or when it's apart have found its shagged, so history is good.

If you are looking at a drz, then there are 3, the E ( Enduro version ) flatslide carb, stiffer rear shock, minimal electrics, palstic tank, lighter sub frame. An S which is the dual sport, with a steel tank, indicators horn & everyhing you would get on a road bike. Diagphram carb, less power, then the SM, which is the same as an S but super moto, 19" front wheel road tyres upside down forks & shit off road.

Like the others say, they way a ton are great for trails & mountain tops but hard work in the woods. Reliability is good & they are simple to work on. You can fit indicators to an E if you are ok with electrics, Make up some brackets to mount them or buy the built in mini jobs, take a live off something ( kill switch or ignition is ok ) & get a switch off an S, prob an few hours work.

Anoyher one to look at again for reliability is an XR, no rads to damage when you drop it. Both sell pretty well too, so if you think it's not for you, then you can get shot of them fairly easy too.

As Cavey & skip have said, the more focused enduro bikes are better offroad, but being a bit more highly strung, the running costs are more, plus they don't ride as well on road.

If you do decide to go for a drz, pm me & I can tell you all thethings to look out for.

Go on, you know you want one!

Awesome, great help!!

I'm thinking that maybe I should stop being such a giant fanny about indicators and get a proper trail bike with just lights and a reg plate. Then maybe use my initiative and wire in some removable/foldable indicators myself or summat, it's not rocket science is it.

My only real reservation at the moment is the price, but I suppose if for some reason I fall out of love with it or can't find the time to use it often enough, a bike owing me £1500 will probably still go for £1500 further down the line... if it isn't destroyed in the mean time of course!!

Sorry no indicators on my mates,cant remember if it was the xmas ride,but he has been out with us he was the one knackered lying in the bog

Still makes me laugh