[PalmStateCrawler]

So as my signature says, I have a tw, bw and my fiancees ttr. I have received the go-ahead from her to find another toy. I have four options: street bike, dirt bike, 4wheeler or jetski. For safety reasons I am trying to rule out the street bike? For year-round fun I am ruling out the jetski. So I am leaning towards a more powerful dirt bike or a 4wheeler. Trying to keep my budget around $1500.





**Ah crap. Just realized that I posted this in performance and customization. Hopefully admin will have this moved to the off topic and other bikes section.

 

[assquatch20]

This is hypocritical, but I find four wheelers to be dangerous, at least in comparison. They're good tools, but I don't like getting crazy on them. Working the bars will beef up your upper body quick as well.



For $1500, I'd find an old UJM and do a light restoration on it, or make it a scrambler or something.



For that kind of money if you want a bike that's ready to go, get an old XL or some other dual sport though.

 

[truckeebeerman]

I'm a pretty good fan of the classic XS650, still lots of support, and people dig them everywhere you go, but it'll keep you somewhat sane where the streetbike/crotchrocket, might just want you grabbing all the throtle all the time....

 

[rmcglad55]

I think either the older UJM (per assquatch20) or a Suzuki DR650.

 

[Kev250R]

If by Four Wheeler you mean ATV I vote for one of those! There are LOTS of good values out there, last Christmas (day after actually) I picked-up a '99 Honda 400ex for a little less than $1,500. It had been sitting for a while and was in need of basic maintenance (all things I would have done anyway) but it's proven to be a great quad! I spent a week flogging it in Moab last May, the tires (original knobbies) took the brunt of the beating but mechanically it never missed a beat! Easy to work-on too.



I'll admit to being biased though, I have three other quads and love riding out in the desert! If you have any questions about ATV's shoot me a PM or E-mail and I'll do my best to answer them.



Happy hunting!



Kevin

 

[RTG]

Quads can be really fun!!



I vote for a Quad~

 

[niqhowie]

look into some old raptors!!! i picked up an 08' 350 yamaha raptor for 1400 not too long ago. awesome lil toys they're pretty much the same thing as a warrior engine wise. i would LOVE to put that in my tw200

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

Still deciding but have been leaning towards a raptor. Theres a guy in charleston with a 04' 660 w/ a 720 big bore kit and a lot of other mods for $2200. A little out of my price range and may kill me but worth taking a look at.

http://charleston.craigslist.org/mcy/3357118170.html

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

I am gonna take a look at a 04' klr650 tomorrow with around 15k miles for $2300. What do you guys think? http://columbia.craigslist.org/mcy/3338913277.html

 

[small's]

Atvs are nice because they are fun in the all year! I have been back and forth between atv's and dirt bikes since i was 7 or 8 years old and they each have their goods and bads. I dont think they are any more dangerous than dirt bikes. Yeah if you flip it you could be in for a hurtin but your not as likely to twist an ankle or put it down either. Im guessing your looking for something fast since your looking at a raptor with a big bore kit. The 400ex is a great all around atv. They make decent power and are reliable as anything out there and very little maintenance. About all of the liquid cooled 450cc+ atv's are pretty fast if thats your bag. I went from sport quads to a 04 kawasaki prairie 700 4x4 and have never looked back. Its alot of fun and i can use it for hunting or ripping through deep snow/mud and it runs as good as alot sport quads. Jetski's are like boats! The best two days of owning them are the day you buy them and the day you sell them. Alot of fun sure but unless you live on the water you have to have a trailer for it+license plates for it then you have to buy a tag for it and then you have the time and gas in your vehicle to get it to the lake and back. Well thats just my opinion but theres Alots of options out there for sure... Keep us posted.

 

[jflynn]

My vote. (I just went to Craigslist in your area and looked at what I'd like.)



You already have a dual sport, so unless you are planning on getting into long rides away from home to explore trails, save the bigger dual sports for later. If, however, you have no way to transport your toy, another dual sport may be a good idea.



If you really are looking for a "toy" I would tell you to get a 125-250cc dirt bike. There really is a difference when all of the lights and extra weight are stripped down. If it were me, at that budget, I'd look for a 2-stroke with less than 100 hours on the engine and no frame damage (assuming I had a place to ride it legally and the riding equipment to stay safe (MX boots, helmet, armor, etc)). I've never been a fan of quads, and the dirt bike will keep your riding skills sharp and your body in shape.



Also, quads take up more space in your garage and as everyone knows you double the wheels you halve your brain.

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

I do have a trailer but I forgot to mention, my fiancee has a blood clot in her arm so I have lost my riding partner for a while. So i'm in the process of getting her ttr in the best shape possible for her since we wont be heading out to any trails until summer rolls around again. I don't think it's safe to ride trails without someone to help info case of serious injury. That is why I have been looking at the dual sports again. I love my tw but I would also like to be able to hit the highway from time to time. The meds that I am on now have pushed me from a spry 185lb fellow to a lumpy 250lbs. So the tw will definitely not pull me as it used to. The klrs seem to be the most inexpensive and readily found ds vehicles around here right now.



Heres the couple i'm gonna try to check out tomorrow

http://columbia.craigslist.org/mcy/3338913277.html

http://columbia.craigslist.org/mcy/3366124234.html



If the klrs don't work out I may have to take a look at this blaster for 1k

http://columbia.craigslist.org/mcy/3357205628.html

 

[zardoz]

Hey if you are considering 4 wheels... why not have a look at a right hand drive japanese mini truck? I sold mine this spring, it was a lot of fun!



z

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

Now that would be interesting! But I would have nowhere to drive the thing. I have to drive about an hour away just to get to the trails here in s.c. Funny thought though.

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

I checked out both of these bikes and I believe I am going to pick up the 04' with 4000 miles for $2200. I have looked into the dr650 as another option but they are few and far between around here. I will go back and test drive it tomorrow evening but It comes with a few extras and has been well cared for. The digital camo is coming off and the yellow parts will be repainted red. I was very suprised that I could flat-foot the thing with no problems after having sat on a 2012 at the dealer recently. The older ones seem to sit lower and it has a 1" lowering link installed already. It took about 1 minute of choke being on to run and I think it may need a good carb cleaning due to him only taking it out every other weekend to keep the fluids running. He has been running ethanol gas and never heard of seafoam. It also has a big gun exhaust that he took off because it was "too loud for national forests" that I will likely put back on and rejet it. Needless to say, I am excited and nervous at the same time! The TW was my first bike so it's a big step up.

 

[jflynn]

I like it. It looks like a good deal.

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

Will do a final check and test drive tomorrow. Gonna take the woman out on the back to make sure its comfortable for both of us. Is there anything I should look or listen for?

 

[DonBenito]

I would just say that a 9 year old bike with low mileage is still a 9 year old bike, and there are a lot more things to break on a KLR than there are on a TW.



$1500 was your starting budget from what you said in your posts, so you're way over budget on purchase price alone, and unless you're a remarkably lucky individual that used bike bargain (like all used vehicle bargains) is going to wind up costing you more than you would like on the back end.



I'm a little jaded as I've had particularly bad luck with used cars and trucks, so with vehicles wherein an unexpected mechanical failure might just mean that you die (i.e., motorcycles like the KLR capable of 100mph+ speeds) I prefer to pay upfront for a solid machine than paying later for parts and labor or worse, medical bills and coffins.



It sounds like you're pretty sold on this used bike (aka somebody else's problem) already, but I beg you to be realistic as to what you're signing up for. in the wrong hands, 400 miles are plenty to wreck a bike. 4000 miles plus 9 years means that you should plan on replacing pretty much everything made of rubber or grease, and once you've done that you're pretty close to bridging the gap between your used bike and a brand new one that works better on the day you pick it up.



Who knows, maybe you'll be lucky and your $2200 KLR will be a winner, but most likely some dude is going to be counting $2200 bucks that he doesn't have to spend on parts and labor while you're wishing that you had another $2200 to spend on all of the parts and labor that the bike still needs.



Hope your luck is better than mine has been if you go through with it!

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

Very true. I have been badly burned buying a used bike before so I sympathize with you. The guy I am buying it from is 62 and retired. The original owner is in his fifties and used it as a touring bike. It comes with service records from the first tuneup and everything in between. This will be the sixth bike I have bought and will take it to my mechanic to have it checked out today. Spending money on used anything is a gamble but I have done a lot of research and this bike is in great condition bodywise and will let my mechanic determine the mechanical condition. Thank you for your thoughts and concerns as they are noted and very much appreciated.

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

Picked up the klr today. I have it in pieces right now but when I get it all back together I will post some pics.