What's NI like for getting into motocross/dirt bikes?

[specialbrew]

How's it going,

Seeing as I don't seem to find much time for track days (and find the money half the time) I was thinking about getting into another type of motorcycling. I keep seeing dirt bikes about for not much over a grand, was wondering what NI is like for using them? I don't really have time to find private land to ride on.

Basically, I have a few questions as I'm completely new to all this type of motorcycling. Haven't even ridden a dirt bike since I was about 6. I'm based in Belfast but willing to travel a bit, have a trailer already. So;

- What's the cost like compared to track day/short circuit riding?
- Are the bikes cheaper to fix than sports bikes? (like if you break a rear set etc.)
- Are there tracks that are available on weekday evenings and weekends? This is the big one for me
- How much are these tracks to have a go on?

So yeah, I'm kind of interested in it if it's gonna be a little cheaper and more accessible (the main thing for me really) than short circuits. Looks like good craic but I'm probably useless on a dirt bike anyway.

Cheers lads

 

[DriftnSlide]

My youngest cub was at it for a while.
It is cheaper than track days.
They are less expensive to maintain, but if your buying a 4 stroke, make sure it has had a rebuild with receipts before purchase, with not many hours on it, as it will be expensive when they go bang. Maybe look for a good 125 or 250 two stroke instead. Although they are getting rarer and a bit more expensive to buy these days.
Your biggest problem will be finding somewhere to ride it. Most legit places don't last long before they are closed. Although Desertmartin is open all year round afaik, but a bit of a trek. We were lucky enough to have permission on a cpl of bits of land, but also used a local unofficial grasstrack place on waistland and thankfully didn't get any hassle, as a few others use it aswell and are sympathetic to the neighbours regarding noise and time.
Your best bet is to join a MX club and go racing. It gives you more opportunity to ride it at various places, it's not expensive to enter and you'll meet others who may give you permission to use their land/track.
Invest in good gear, along with a kidney belt and elbow and knee braces/guards.

 

[DriftnSlide]

 

[Dusty]

Wouldn't bother with it myself, anyone I know who is into it is crippled with injuries. Ok in your twenties, wait till your forties when they all come back to haunt ya.

Does lookalike good fun though, consider the minibike racing at nutts corner? Cheap to buy enter and run....

 

[neil-c]

My dad is very involved in NI Classic Scrambles club. To take part you need a twin shock bike (one with two rear shock absorbers) and a days racing is £40. You should be able to pick up a bike for £1500-£2000 and it will be worth the same amount in a year if you decide you don’t like it. They have a Facebook page you can look up. It’s a very friendly bunch of guys, mostly 40-60 to be honest but there are a good few guys in the 20-40 age bracket. You could easily get help from some of them to buy a bike that isn’t a dog, and they all pull together to fix any bikes that break down on the day.

 

[specialbrew]

My youngest cub was at it for a while.
It is cheaper than track days.
They are less expensive to maintain, but if your buying a 4 stroke, make sure it has had a rebuild with receipts before purchase, with not many hours on it, as it will be expensive when they go bang. Maybe look for a good 125 or 250 two stroke instead. Although they are getting rarer and a bit more expensive to buy these days.
Your biggest problem will be finding somewhere to ride it. Most legit places don't last long before they are closed. Although Desertmartin is open all year round afaik, but a bit of a trek. We were lucky enough to have permission on a cpl of bits of land, but also used a local unofficial grasstrack place on waistland and thankfully didn't get any hassle, as a few others use it aswell and are sympathetic to the neighbours regarding noise and time.
Your best bet is to join a MX club and go racing. It gives you more opportunity to ride it at various places, it's not expensive to enter and you'll meet others who may give you permission to use their land/track.
Invest in good gear, along with a kidney belt and elbow and knee braces/guards.

Cheers for the info.

I was actually looking at 125 2t bikes like the yz125. They seem very reasonably prices too most of the time.

Seems that the biggest issue is where to ride them to be fair. I will also need to buy a bunch more gear which is a bit daunting considering what I've paid for gear in the past.

I would be aiming to race eventually but like I said I'm sure I will be utterly useless for a good while. But the sporting aspect is what I'm aiming for, not really looking to just ride about fields and stuff.

 

[specialbrew]

Wouldn't bother with it myself, anyone I know who is into it is crippled with injuries. Ok in your twenties, wait till your forties when they all come back to haunt ya.

Does lookalike good fun though, consider the minibike racing at nutts corner? Cheap to buy enter and run....

I've already got injuries from sports bikes so I'm not really concerned with that, it couldn't be any more dangerous to be fair.

Ah I've looked into it before, but I would look a bit ridiculous on one of those bikes. Plus I don't think it'll give the jollies I'm after.

 

[DriftnSlide]

Cheers for the info.

I was actually looking at 125 2t bikes like the yz125. They seem very reasonably prices too most of the time.

Seems that the biggest issue is where to ride them to be fair. I will also need to buy a bunch more gear which is a bit daunting considering what I've paid for gear in the past.

I would be aiming to race eventually but like I said I'm sure I will be utterly useless for a good while. But the sporting aspect is what I'm aiming for, not really looking to just ride about fields and stuff.

Don't be worried about being cr*p at racing, they always have a novice class.
There used to be a practice track at Blaris in Lisburn, although i'm not sure if its stil open.
If you call into Stephen or Maurice Russells shops for a few bits they wil maybe be able to point you in the right direction, regarding practice tracks, clubs and racing.

 

[specialbrew]

Don't be worried about being cr*p at racing, they always have a novice class.
There used to be a practice track at Blaris in Lisburn, although i'm not sure if its stil open.
If you call into Stephen or Maurice Russells shops for a few bits they wil maybe be able to point you in the right direction, regarding practice tracks, clubs and racing.

Cheers, then I'll maybe look into racing. It's kind of a way for me to get better at short circuits too so I want to do it right.

Do you have any ideas what a good starter bike would be? I only know a few of the big names but they're all expensive. Also I'm 6ft if that matters. Thanks again

 

[DriftnSlide]

I'd be looking at a 125/250 2t as you said, or a decent rebuilt 250 4 stroke with low hours on both. A 2 stroke will cost you about £400 if it goes catastrophically wrong, a 4 stroke a helluva lot more.
KX125/250 are good enough, usual problems with powervalves sticking or stretched cables but easy fixes. They sometimes are hard to select 1st gear, but it's a stretched sump plug causes it, again an easy fix. Apart from that they're pretty much bulletproof. CR125/250 are a decent bike, but listen for a bottom end rattle in them or seized/partially seized rear shock linkage. The shock linkage is easily sorted.
The SX125/250 is decent if looked after, but KTM bits are expensive.
The YZ I found to be very, unstable and harder to get on with compared to the others, but make excellent mid and top end power. Not sure about the Yamaha reliability though in the 2 strokes. The RM is a good all rounder, but I would rate the KX or CR first.
You'll find if you have done a bit of track day and fast road riding that you'll find it easier as your brain is used to faster speeds, it's the hanging on over the terrain takes a bit of dialling in, but you'll not take long to get there after a day or two on a track.
Start on a grasstrack somewhere, legit or not, until you get dialled in with the feel of the bike, before you hit the, whoops and jumps.

 

[specialbrew]

I'd be looking at a 125/250 2t as you said, or a decent rebuilt 250 4 stroke with low hours on both. A 2 stroke will cost you about £400 if it goes catastrophically wrong, a 4 stroke a helluva lot more.
KX125/250 are good enough, usual problems with powervalves sticking or stretched cables but easy fixes. They sometimes are hard to select 1st gear, but it's a stretched sump plug causes it, again an easy fix. Apart from that they're pretty much bulletproof. CR125/250 are a decent bike, but listen for a bottom end rattle in them or seized/partially seized rear shock linkage. The shock linkage is easily sorted.
The SX125/250 is decent if looked after, but KTM bits are expensive.
The YZ I found to be very, unstable and harder to get on with compared to the others, but make excellent mid and top end power. Not sure about the Yamaha reliability though in the 2 strokes. The RM is a good all rounder, but I would rate the KX or CR first.
You'll find if you have done a bit of track day and fast road riding that you'll find it easier as your brain is used to faster speeds, it's the hanging on over the terrain takes a bit of dialling in, but you'll not take long to get there after a day or two on a track.
Start on a grasstrack somewhere, legit or not, until you get dialled in with the feel of the bike, before you hit the, whoops and jumps.

Been looking at KX CR and YZ bikes my main worry is the size of them, whether they're too small or what. I'm definitely going 2t, I just fancy one, however I don't really want to spend much initially however. My budget for the bike will be quite small, I was thinking around 1200 quid. I've seen a few in that price range, I wouldn't be scared of a top end rebuild if it comes to it.

Yeah I'm aiming to start small and safe. Actually I have done dirt biking before; I rode my track bike through a field (accidently) don't think I made it 20 feet before I got chucked off lol

 

[DriftnSlide]

A 125 upwards will not be too small.

 

[amcm1]

In the same position myself now looking for a bike, just for a bit of fun, nothing serious. Anyone had any experience with a crf450? Had a 125 before and after a month I had got used to it and lost all interest so dont want to buy a 250 for the same thing to happen again. Both a 250 and 450 can be picked up for the same money so has anybody with experience of them any opinions to why one would be a better buy to the other? I'm more biased to a 2 stroke in regard to cheaper maintenance

 

[DriftnSlide]

TBH a 450 is overkill for a fun bike. You wont find many practice places to get past 3rd or 4th gear.

 

[amcm1]

My thinking of the 450 was less high revs therefore less maintenance. Your theory would suggest why theres so few 450s for sale and so many 250s, obviously a lot less 450s being bought unless for serious use

 

[big-lew18]

KTM 350 is what you're after. More manageable than a 450 without losing too much power

 

[DriftnSlide]

I wouldn't look past a GasGas 300 if you find any.

 

[Chris666]

I wouldn't look past an enduro bike tbh(unless you plan to race) Benefits include easier to ride generally, road legal, less rebuilding

Another place of note may be Cornerstone Off-Road Motorcycle Academy - Larne - Sportclub | Facebook

 

[DriftnSlide]

Where is the cornerstone place ?

 

[Chris666]

Ballyrickard Rd, on the right hand side after Raloo Fishery

You go up past Firgrove Stables and it's the first big farm on RHS, you can see the slurry tanks from the road (pic upside down)

 

[AlpineF30]

I used to ride a Suzuki RM 125 and an RMZ 250. Used the local track at Seaforde and a local farmer allowed us to use his land. The bikes and kit cost circa 4k. Came off one day and totally destroyed my ankle. Every winters morning is a disaster trying to get out of bed.

 

[DriftnSlide]

Where is the cornerstone place

QUOTE="Polobrat666, post: 3435398, member: 17316"]Ballyrickard Rd, on the right hand side after Raloo Fishery

Ooh ok. Never knew about this. Might be a place for the cub to get one last blast on his bike before it goes and replaced with a car.

 

[Delboy23]

My thinking of the 450 was less high revs therefore less maintenance. Your theory would suggest why theres so few 450s for sale and so many 250s, obviously a lot less 450s being bought unless for serious use

If it’s just for fun then go 2 stroke for sure, 4 stroke is costly when they go wrong.

 

[Dervhead]

Our very own Johnny Rea seems to be a fan of Magilligan MXPark, never seems to lay out of the place..

Photo credit: Maurice Montgomery.

 

[DriftnSlide]

Off season fitness and practice for JR. Not too shabby on an mx bike, back to his roots.