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I've been asked buy a freinds wife to buy him a new bike. 450 four stroke he is not a bad rider, but as a mechanic he makes a good plumber. Where do you start?

Husqvarna 449 is where it's at! I absolutely love mine and I've done 4500 km on it and the only problem I've had is the battery crapping itself.
With the price of them at the moment I will be trading mine in on a new one before they are gone!

 What brand of bike has he had in the past Alex, or even was it a Jap bike or European.

Is he going to work on it at all himself?

What brand dealers are close to him?

Does he need an enduro machine or a trailbike?

 

Has to be a Yamaha WR450.

Good trail bike or Enduro

And as a bonus you'll turn into a weight lifter after picking the fat pig up!

currently a crm250 localy we have blue green and red dealers.The huskies are very well priced but dealers are a bit scarce around here. thanks

Go Yellow Alex if the budget is lower or if its endless orange or the new husky the bergvana, just my thoughts but since he is already riding a 2 stroke why not get him a 3hundgy 2 banger, lovin mine over the big 4 choker just my thoughts but as usual you will get many here. Green gets a good wrap as a trailbike but not as many in our club as other colors. blue huskys are the 2nd most popular bike at the moment, but the normal ones seam to be the most popular probably due to the price, ring Pommy Matt and ask him about his late model husky he will give you a good low down on them. Dave smith for blue huskey 2 banger, Pommy Matt late model Honda 450, I would look at a Beta but I can maintain and fix my own bikes. Its probably easier to tell you what not to buy and why not than what to buy.
Don't buy Sherco not enough dealers and back up service, Pat Rose seams to be only 1 in a few who loves his, enough said. just some ramblings to get you thinking, perhaps other can give you what not to buy and why not.

Yeah, don't buy a Sherco. Total poobox.

Agree with Nathan - the new WR450 is a heavy over rated heap of .......  That's why friends of mine who have brought tham have now sold them .....

 Yazza 

 

And whats the real issue with a Sherco. I have one and find it has heaps of go. There is a dealer in Melbourne, admittedly at Pakenham, but he is good and ready to help/give advice. I'm vertically challenged and it is perfect straight up for me. That said any brand/capacity is ok if it suits the rider their ability and the type of riding they plan to do. Keep an open mind and match what you need with what you want and what you can afford.

Why Yamaha ever brought out a bike that frighten heavy is beyond me!  ???

No issue with Sherco's. Lighter and faster than a 2 stroke, handles better than a KTM. Parts no problem and cheap (not that they need them) Powerhouse MC worth 20 dealers anyday.

Yamaha WR450

Reliability no question especially for someone who is a good plumber. If you cant teach him the basics Alex there would have to be a good Yamaha workshop not far away.

Plenty of after market bits and set up info available.

If he can ride he wont be neading to pick it up often.

Yes, back on topic. WR450 or KTM 450. Its not that hard. With the WR450 i wonder how much of its negative is just forum dribble?

 I know what bike Alex got for his mate! :-X

I put the bike in his shed this morning,when they returned home after mx at bendigo and justin found the bike he was a bit excited.Ended up with wr,had a small play tonight and its a lot better bike than prior models. main reason though was to support local dealer thanks for your thoughts

Well done Alex, hope they will be happy together for a long time.