AMTRA.com.au

Hi Guys,

I'm looking at buying my first bike, a few mates have told me look at DR650's?  ???

But as i have never owned or ridden a bike before any help would be greatly received.

Also are there any training schools for trial riding in Brisbane.

Cheers,
James

Depends entirely on what sort of riding you think you want to do.  If it is proper trailriding, ie single track and tight fire trails predominately I would go for soemthing lighter and more easy to manouver.  The TTR 250 could be good, WR250 if you want to go straight to higher performance..  If it is going to be commuting, open fire trails etc then the DR400 or 650 would do the job.  It generally works that the more difficult the type of riding you are going to do the better it is to start with a lighter, smooth powered bike (easier to pick up, get over logs etc). 

Hi James,

The "which bike" question is always a different answer as it depends on what type of riding you plan to do.

If you plan on "adventure riding" which is both on road and off road then a DR650 would be a good choice.  However it will be too heavy if you are going to do off road only, which generally people trailer the bike to, fit full knobby tyres and will have a lot of challenging terrain.  This type of riding is where the "enduro" type trail bikes such as the Yamaha WRF's are more suited.

You will also have to check what the learner licence requirements are in Qld as that will also dictate what bike you can start on.

There are some "trail schools" type tours from the brisbane area.  I would suggest getting a copy of Motorcycle Trader and looking through that as tour operators often advertise.  Alhough not a training activity they can often help you with learning the basics and would have a graded tour type selection to help you progress.  One that comes to mind is SCAR, which I think is based on the Sunshine Coast.

AMTRA is predominantly based in Victoria, with organisations in NSW and SA as well.  We don't have any organisation in Qld as far as I know.

Good luck with getting into trail riding, it is a great way to get out and enjoy the land we are lucky enough to live in.

Mat.

Don't buy one of these without a funeral plan.

http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2008/04/atk-confirms-2009-700-intimida.html (http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2008/04/atk-confirms-2009-700-intimida.html)


On a serious note;

For the newbie on a budget a pre loved TTR250 / DR250 / XR250 / KLR250 four strokes will be good for almost any riding.

There are some advantages and disadvantages to not having radiators.

For the newbie with out as many budget restrictions the Yamaha WR250R (EFI) is possibly the most versatile modern 250cc dirt bike on the market.

http://www.bikepoint.com.au/portal/tabID__5760/ArticleID__120831/DesktopDefault.aspx (http://www.bikepoint.com.au/portal/tabID__5760/ArticleID__120831/DesktopDefault.aspx)

Happy hunting see you in the trail.

Cheers Guys for your help.

In answer to your questions, I'm looking at doing touring of the QLD outback more mainly road but of course with a bit of play in the dirt along the way. ;D

Also thanks for the recommendations on the type of bikes to start off with.

James