0
Enormous want.
Another country heard from.......
Scottie, have you inquired as to what weight rider the Beta is set up for as delivered and/or whether or not the dealer would be willing to swap springs for you prior to delivery? I realize you aren't my size but you are also not the typical jockey sized rider that the manufacturers spring these things for from the factory. Getting the correct spring rate on the bike will likely be one of the first things you should do along with the bash guards to protect your investment. Riding it under sprung for you could become entertaining for those riding with you and potentially painful/frustrating for you. Of course this is a moot point if you have already considered this and plan on having the suspension resprung and revalved for you and the riding you plan on doing at the time of purchase.
It all boils down to personal finances.
IMO, at MY level (with kids in college, already a shitload of bikes, and other expensive hobbies=no where near unlimited dirt bike budget) I'd be crazy to buy a new dirt bike, UNLESS I was racing/riding a ton, and in shape and sharp with my riding skills so that the bike's power and tight handling would affect my finishes or enjoyment. A lot like the choice of bike for starting road racing; It takes a while before the bike is holding you back, in speed or enjoyment. lol maybe forever?
All the people warning about beat dirt bikes are right, too. Dirt bikes get WAY more played out than any street bike I've seen, and the problem is, as a new dirt bike rider, it's hard to know what to look for. A lot of things might be counterintuitive:
Never raced? I see this as almost a negative...fair chance (not certain, of course) that owner doesnt know how to maintain it, then! (Race pits have a lot of shared knowledge and hazing of those with clapped out bikes running dirty or played out parts)
Lots of spares? Usually by necessity, from many thrashings
3rd or 4th owner...not good, either. Just by probability, at least one of them neglected it, and all of them decided they'd prefer not to own it.
Dream find: original owner who bought a new one, found out he didn't like it or got hurt before neglect could even take a toll, OR an experienced racer who is an expert at maintenance, and is only selling it because he needs a new bike every year or two to remain competitive.
Crib notes: HUGE variance in the quality of even the same model used dirt bikes, and an experienced rider can tell right away which ones are tight and which ones aren't. Every control and moving part of the chassis gives it away...
Last edited by Imbeek; 02-22-16 at 12:03 PM.
Yes, I'm a fatty. Glad we cleared that up, now CEO has no reason to bother with this thread anymore...
I guess it depends on who ya talk to, the XT is "soft" by design, which sort of lends it to being user / newbie friendly. That said in one of the vids posted earlier, an experienced rider / tester said he wound in the pre-load on the forks and thought it was fine out of the box (he was like 6' IIRC).
I may indeed ask to have stiffer springs included with the bike, but would likely be starting out with it stock as I'm a 110% dirt noob. Plus, I need to lose some more lbs anyway!
that's what i mean by a couple hundred... your frustration + your time + your experience + your tools + the parts.I guess it depends on your threshold. My 200 has been pretty darn good to me. It had a few gotchas hiding in the shadows... botched helicoil drain bolt repair, the borked electrics repair, shot wheel bearings, and clutch master rebuild
the things you listed aren't uncommon issues with a used bike. and yes, ratty plastics, decals and a torn seat work just fine, so do shot bearings, but if you're buying a used bike for good money and the PO doesn't maintain or replace that shit for the next owner, there are more bills lurking.
~$4500-6K for a two year old, raced, KTM 300 is not that far off in price. assuming, of course, that you have the funds to play with in the first place. key point here. to me, if i'm in the ballpark of $5K for a dirt bike, i'm looking at new. i got my 250 for $6,200 OTD. $8,500+ is a different story.
this is all i'm saying. i've always bought used... except twice. i agree if you shop smart, used can be great, i've always had good luck. but they still needed $100 or so in maintenance parts.
we're also talking about a very specific type of machine in this thread. while i'm a huge fan of smaller 2-strokes in the woods, i think Beta really nailed it with this bike. it's got all the pluses of a small bore while stuffing the pluses of a big bore in the frame and tuning it to suit. big win for riders who will eventually want more than an orange 200 can give them.
Beta 200RR
Dave needs you on commission. You smooth-as-fuck there.
I think to me it's the combination. I know I *should* probably start with a KDX200 for a year or two and move on. But frankly I'd prefer not to be bothered. PLUS, and nobody has mentioned this yet..... Beta's are available as they are built and in limited numbers. I reckon one will hold its value better than say a KTM simply because there are so few of them and will be trickling into the NE market in the single-digits annually. I bet you'd get around / north of $6k for a lightly used XT in 2-3 years.
I could see the market thing. I think my 200 held value for the same reason. At the time I tried to talk to a dealer about buying a new 200 or 250. He had neither available. The only 2-stroke enduros he had for sale at the time were the 300's. Naturally those are even more common on CL. He said he sold 2-3 300's for every 250 and 4+ for every 200.
I believe that Americans gravitate towards the biggest displacement thing in the room. I suspect KTM has this figured out and allocates accordingly.
I also do not have a very good relationship with dealers. For some reason I rarely get anything approaching favorable pricing or treatment. In fairness I have bought exactly one new bike in my entire life. So I don't exactly reciprocate!
I hadn't ridden a KDX before buying my 200. I insisted on the KTM because I wanted something "really fucking nice" and to not screw around with a machine I'd sell in a year or 3. (Oh, the irony!) I have no regrets. The KTM name lives up and I think the value is there. But I have since ridden a KDX that was priced for 1/4 of my 200.. well, it was fun too. If you're looking for an intro to the sport and have any doubts about it, the KDX is a fine, cost conservative choice too. Smashing a KDX around for a couple years and then stepping up to the one you "really want" isn't a horrible idea. Not saying you don't want this sexy eyetalian. (You do.) But.
If the XT is the new KTM 200. Then it is the new new KDX.
Wasn't calling you a fattie and hope you didn't seriously take it that way. More just something to keep in mind during your purchasing decision process. Pretty much any bike you buy will need some suspension love at some point for you to get the most pleasure out of riding it noob or not. Figured if you could get the dealer to swap it might save you some loot.
Just one of the many associated costs in dirtbiking. Don't know what gear you do or don't have but that'll add up quickly too for quality stuff.
Good luck in your decision process. New, used, Beta, KTM or KDX I'm pretty certain with this group of people to get out and ride with you will enjoy yourself.
I'm definitely going to inquire as to a "total package" including having it sprung / set up for me and some hand guards. It comes with a bash plate stock. I also need full gear, so I asked if they do that too.
There's about $750 in profit per bike if he's to be believed, looks like Beta makes no mention of shipping fees which as they are shipped in handfuls, is fairly hefty. I like doing business with good people and Dave's been awesome this whole time, so I may put it in his court to see what kind of deal he can do to convince me
My MX oriented machine was undersprung for me for woods duty if that gives you an idea of how the MFGs set the machines up out of the crate.
You should see the spring rate jump it's getting now that I'm switching it to sumo duty!
I saw a rider competing at jday in the vet class yesterday who weighed at least 350, no exaggeration, and when he sat on his Kawasaki, I'm sure it sagged less than what the manual recommends. Less than 2 inches sag, it looked like. I thought to myself that the shock spring must be out of a tri-axle or something.
But between him entering the event, and some dudes in their 60's, and some really small girls riding full size bikes thru the gnarly stuff pretty damn well, I felt like a huge wuss for not entering myself.
hah! like Joel said, it's all about fun. no matter what you choose, you're gonna have a blast in the dirt.
but speaking of gear... not sure if this crew knows but ALiAS MX has a gear program called Direct2Rider. membership is free and you get some pretty amazing pricing for gear sets. like $99 - $115 for jersey/pants/gloves/socks or $275 for helmet/jersey/pants/gloves/socks/tshirt.
but again, used is certainly an option here too.. . wanna buy some gear off me? (see how this works? you have monies, i spend 'em)
Last edited by typeone; 02-22-16 at 07:21 PM.
Beta 200RR
amen.
Beta 200RR
Basically tossed it back to Dave's court. Want to try and work out a starter package to include bike w/ hand guards and poss. stiffer springs (I may even keep and install later) plus a full gear kit. I know there's not a lot of margin in the bike and figured we both might end up w/ a better deal while including some accessories and / or gear. At least it works for some more main stream dealers to work in accessories to the deal.
Go ahead and sell all your other bikes now.
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.