Dirt Bikes, quads, & mowers... (Not sure if this belongs here...)

[Alpha.Geek]

(If this is the wrong spot, please place this in the off-road section?)
Sooo, been out of the game for a long time, like almost 30 years off my Susuki RM-50, and RM-80.
I had it for a few years at least, and I don't think I ever changed the oil in it, and didn't know better.
Friends had some KX-125's and a KX250, and they would leave me in the dust before it bought the farm.
The RM-80 stopped running, and I sold it for like $150 (I think it was the RM-80), as a kid.

With some property about to clear escrow, I think I need some toys get to where my F150 FX4 can't, without clearing some trees (in due time).
I need something to take the chainsaw into the trees and make some clearings for camping,a nd making some shooting ranges on my own land, soon.

I guess something like a KX125 or KX250 would work (not sure if I could get used to the power of a KX250, being ~30 years behind in experience), or if I want to change the oil that much (per recommendations) on a 2-stroke.

Since COVID came I put on a few, and was under 220 Easter before COVID, but been drinking quite a bit more with a pissy teenage daughter, and the wife going through "the change", she won't "let me horizontal-exercise" as much as I'd like to... maybe 240lbs now.
Trying to eat a little better, but still sipping on some barely and hops. I am pretty good about not getting bigger, so this is probably my max weight I will ever be (and my calves still show tone).

We were looking at sit-down, or zero-turn mowers to clear some paths on this property, and make some trails, BUT looking at even used QUAD prices, maybe it's a better idea to get a newer quad and a tow-behind mower for grasses, and some saplings just to get the truck into areas w/out getting grasses and saplings stuck in the grill.

Not looking to break the bank, and want a pretty-good bang for the buck on used cycles/quads...
Questions follow:
1) Is an older KX250 enough for a guy @ 240LBS (and maybe a smidge lighter, in the future)?
a) is a running ~10+ year old KX125 or KX250 even worth buying these days?

2) Do tow-behind quad mowers (gas and power on the tow-device) do pretty good (on saplings too)?

3) What engine size quad, assuming you have to chase hogs (or possible tweakers) off your land, for some get-up (at 240lbs)?
(Of course I'll have a 9mm carbine with a 33rd Glock mag, or an AR on me...)

4) Older models to look for(, as I have been out of the game for MANY YEARS)?
a) 2-stroke, or a 4-stroke?

5) I assume a 4-stroke would last longer between oil changes?
(Computer geek, sorry for the ignorance.)

I am not looking to "shread jumps and corner like MXers", but just get around the property quick (34+ acres).

 

[toddnjoyce]

I’d look for a 4wd ATV and attachments. Pretty sure anything from the big 4 + Polaris/Can Am would be useful for what you’re wanting to do.

 

[Eastexasrick]

1. No, I am in your range and my wife's 350 Grizzley is the smallest I am comfortable on. Mine is a Polaris 570, bought it used at 5 years old for 3k
1.a yes as a play toy, or for company .
2. yes if you get one with a large motor, 8 hp or better.
3. 500 cc and up.
4Yamaha Grizzley, Honda Rancher, any CanAm. any Kawasaki, most of the Polaris family. Do not buy a no name Chinese import. Parts are imposable to get. Age is not as important as use, try to stay under 500 hours. Parts get hard to find at about 15+ years.. but Honda stocks parts longer than most. Also there are more Polaris after market parts out there for 10 to 20 year olds than any other brand.
a. the 2 strokes are all gone,

Kubota and Kawasaki make the best work horse UTV quads but they go high $ until they are totally dogged out.

Check out Proxibid, Nutt Auctions. they sell a lot of ATVs and UTVs. in your area. You may not buy but it will give you an idea what they are going for.

 

[baboon]

Small engine repair place is going out of business, he has various used quads & side by sides. I think he might be motivated. A buddy just bought a gas powered golf cart with a dump box on it.

 

[Eastexasrick]

First go there now! see above.
Second if you don't grab one there the best deals I have found are on the low use, older carbureted models. They will be for sale as not running or running poorly. I have bought 5 like this always the same problem. Bad Gas. You can not fix it by additives or external sprays, ya gotta pull the carb. Disassemble and get the sold matter out of it with lacquer thinner or acetone. The gas tanks are plastic so no rust but you still need to flush them. Clean the carb, flush the tank, a new fuel filter and done, The owner will say I just had the carb rebuilt and it won't run. Sure you had it rebuilt and then it sat for another year with shit gas in it and it gummed up again. The later injector models are a little more work to get running but the same issue, shitty old gas.

 

[popsgarland]

 

[Axxe55]

An eletric golf cart is nice. Very quiet too. We have been using them on the farm for many years now, and they can be bought pretty reasonably from individuals. Just check the battery date codes, since the batteries are the biggest expense of an item to replace if bad or old.

 

[Lonesome Dove]

The KX where race bikes not just dirt bikes. Get a 4x4 Quad you'll use it for ever after.

 

[andre3k]

Not looking to break the bank, and want a pretty-good bang for the buck on used cycles/quads...
Questions follow:
1) Is an older KX250 enough for a guy @ 240LBS (and maybe a smidge lighter, in the future)?
a) is a running ~10+ year old KX125 or KX250 even worth buying these days?

I would hold off on the dirt bike for now and focus on getting a quad or UTV so you can start working on your property.

2) Do tow-behind quad mowers (gas and power on the tow-device) do pretty good (on saplings too)?

The tow behind mowers work good for what they are. They aren't the best tool for taking down saplings, but they are good for maintaining trails and getting into fairly small spaces a tractor can't get to. If you don't have a tractor yet, this and a quad will serve you well.

3) What engine size quad, assuming you have to chase hogs (or possible tweakers) off your land, for some get-up (at 240lbs)?
(Of course I'll have a 9mm carbine with a 33rd Glock mag, or an AR on me...)

350cc size engine is probably the smallest I'd go, with 4wd being a must. I have a Polaris Sportsman 570 that's been great for me, plenty fast. Get a good chainsaw and possibly a brushcutter and you'll have a decent start. Having friends with tools helps out even more.

4) Older models to look for(, as I have been out of the game for MANY YEARS)?
a) 2-stroke, or a 4-stroke?

Again, stay away from the dirt bikes for now.


If I had to do it all over again I would say that the ATV purchase was a solid investment. The pull behind mower was quickly replaced by a tractor. If you have tools and are mechanically inclined then go the used route and find a package deal on an old diesel tractor with a box blade and a bush hog and you can do a lot of work with that.

If you know that's not you then suck it up and find a package deal on a new tractor. You have a warranty and for the most part, wont have to worry about reliability issues. Get the biggest tractor you can afford. Right now every manufacturer is offering 0% or very low interest financing. You're a property owner now and I would try to acquire a tractor as fast as I possibly could.

This is the setup I started out with.

 

[Axxe55]

I would hold off on the dirt bike for now and focus on getting a quad or UTV so you can start working on your property.



The tow behind mowers work good for what they are. They aren't the best tool for taking down saplings, but they are good for maintaining trails and getting into fairly small spaces a tractor can't get to. If you don't have a tractor yet, this and a quad will serve you well.



350cc size engine is probably the smallest I'd go, with 4wd being a must. I have a Polaris Sportsman 570 that's been great for me, plenty fast. Get a good chainsaw and possibly a brushcutter and you'll have a decent start. Having friends with tools helps out even more.




Again, stay away from the dirt bikes for now.


If I had to do it all over again I would say that the ATV purchase was a solid investment. The pull behind mower was quickly replaced by a tractor. If you have tools and are mechanically inclined then go the used route and find a package deal on an old diesel tractor with a box blade and a bush hog and you can do a lot of work with that.

If you know that's not you then suck it up and find a package deal on a new tractor. You have a warranty and for the most part, wont have to worry about reliability issues. Get the biggest tractor you can afford. Right now every manufacturer is offering 0% or very low interest financing. You're a property owner now and I would try to acquire a tractor as fast as I possibly could.

This is the setup I started out with.

^^^^Lots of wisdom in this post.^^^^

 

[Alpha.Geek]

Small engine repair place is going out of business, he has various used quads & side by sides. I think he might be motivated. A buddy just bought a gas powered golf cart with a dump box on it.

What is the name of this place?

I actually want a dirt bike/MX bike to just get around the property the truck can't fit, and have some fun by myself,
The quad(s) would be for the ladies to get around, and possibly do the mowing and property-work related stuff, as "they think" they'd break their necks on a bike.

Tractor is in the plan, but at least 3 years away since we can't move to said property (daughter doesn't want to change High Schools), so this would just be for fun, and maybe clear some paths for the F150 to get in to.

Our plan is to put a septic system in, buy a camping trailer, but it on blocks, this is just our "camping/fun" property until we can move onto it in about 3 years. Then live there while we build a house and work the land to our liking.

 

[baboon]

What is the name of this place?

I actually want a dirt bike/MX bike to just get around the property the truck can't fit, and have some fun by myself,
The quad(s) would be for the ladies to get around, and possibly do the mowing and property-work related stuff, as "they think" they'd break their necks on a bike.

Tractor is in the plan, but at least 3 years away since we can't move to said property (daughter doesn't want to change High Schools), so this would just be for fun, and maybe clear some paths for the F150 to get in to.

Our plan is to put a septic system in, buy a camping trailer, but it on blocks, this is just our "camping/fun" property until we can move onto it in about 3 years. Then live there while we build a house and work the land to our liking.

I don't know the name, but it's in Jewett on 79. He has all kinds of stuff from lawn mowers to quads never noticed a dirt bike but I never stopped & looked at anything.

 

[jetcycles]

Out of curiosity alone…why a 2 stroke MX oriented bike for light trail use? For reliability sake, I’d look for a used Suzuki DRZ 400 or Honda XR or CRF to play around on. Whatever you decide, a spark arrestor in the muffler would be wise in my humble opinion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ausländer]

@Alpha.Geek
I have 2x 2019 Yamaha Grizzly 700's (one in red, one in camo) as well as a 16' BigTex 60PI trailer (current inspection since I don't qualify for the exemption) that the wife and I have been talking about letting go. I don't know the exact hours on the ATVs, but they are really low. Medical issue and a move not long after purchasing them has prevented us from playing with them as much as we had planned to.

I'm just outside of SA if you are interested. Open to offers - package deal or just the ATV(s)...

 

[FireInTheWire]

First off.... stay away from the motocross bikes. They are no joke nowadays and are phucking wicked fast! Besides.... the gearing & throttle response won't be to your liking. Look for more trail/enduro oriented bikes. I'm 6'4 210 and rode a KTM EXC-250 for many years. I now have a 450 and can ride it like I stole it because I put in the work on my 250 and learned my limitations.

2 or 4 stroke? Only you can answer that one. Just depends on how you like your power. 2 stroke is cheaper and less maintenance. 4 stroke is more expensive and more maintenance. Probably not a factor since you won't be racing.

I have 2015 Can Am Outlander 450 and Polaris Sportsman 570. They have been good and still running strong. We will be getting the drag behind mower if the grass ever starts growing again.

As other have said, the quad will be handy for working the land. They can do a lot and can haul a lot.

Congrats on the property. Sounds like it'll be a good place for the family.

 

[toddnjoyce]

… I'm 6'4 210 and rode a KTM EXC-250 for many years. I now have a 450 and can ride it like I stole it because I put in the work on my 250 and learned my limitations...

As much as I loved my Husky TE450, part of the reason I got rid of it was with a 34” inseam, I could not flat foot the bike.

Not all bad, the suspension travel was great, but having to remount and get going in a boulder field on a hipp was my last straw. It just wasn’t fun.

And I regret not keeping it long enough for it to go to Colorado with me.

 

[Eastexasrick]

As much as I loved my Husky TE450, part of the reason I got rid of it was with a 34” inseam, I could not flat foot the bike.

Not all bad, the suspension travel was great, but having to remount and get going in a boulder field on a hipp was my last straw. It just wasn’t fun.

And I regret not keeping it long enough for it to go to Colorado with me.

When I was racing the Huskies and the Macco 501 were nothing to be trifled with. They ran open class in the scrambles and could take the checker any time there was a decent rider on them. Unfortunately, I was riding for a different sponsor,

 

[bbbass]

he won't "let me horizontal-exercise" as much as I'd like to...

Well, I'm 70 and da wifey is 80... I ain' had any "horizontal-exercise" in 20yrs. No sympathy here.

 

[FireInTheWire]

As much as I loved my Husky TE450, part of the reason I got rid of it was with a 34” inseam, I could not flat foot the bike.

Not all bad, the suspension travel was great, but having to remount and get going in a boulder field on a hipp was my last straw. It just wasn’t fun.

And I regret not keeping it long enough for it to go to Colorado with me.

I understand. A lot of my riding buddies are vertically challenged. I've seen many a spills because they couldn't get sure footed in time. I know their CG is better.... but I'll keep my long legs.

 

[rotor]

I towed a DR mower behind a Polaris 570 Sportsman and very effective. The only problem is mesquite getting the tires of the pull behind mower. The Polaris was trouble free but get an extended warranty for the DR. Fortunately I live less than 1 mile from a shop that can do warranty repairs on the DR. These mowers are brutes. If you can drive a Polaris over it the DR will cut it. Not cheap though when you buy new.