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New to sport bike selection


tcollins
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Hello 

I have been riding dirt and street bikes for 40 plus years and I am wanting to buy a used trials bike. I am new to the sport and I am not sure which to buy or what year is the best. I have been looking at Gas Gas 300 and Beta 300 ‘s that are 3 to 5 years old. Does anyone have any feedback. 

Thanks 

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300 is utterly unnecessary for a beginner (and probably most other people too). A lot of people advise a 125 or a 200, which is usually a lot less than 200cc. I started by buying a Beta 300 4T which is generally considered to be quite a benign 300, but I'm still a lot happier now with my Fantic 200 (156cc).

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All joking aside the 300 vs 200 argument is most valid for beginners who ride street bikes and have no dirt muscles. With your experiance and size a 300 shouldn’t be a problem. A 300 can also be detuned to make it less alarming on the top without losing the low end torque that makes it easier in some trickier terrain.

There are videos of Toni Bou going over advanced obstacles with his engine off so it is obviously not all about the motor.

One aspect of a larger engine is it can fatigue you faster if you are not subtle with your control. If you haven’t ridden a trials bike you won’t be used to the immediate reaction trials bikes have to input. This is what surprises newbys the most but once you get used to it you depend on it though it’ll still surprise you now and then and that surprise is just a bit bigger with a larger engine.

As stated condition of the bike is probably a bigger buying consideration. I suspect you will be like most riders in that if you try a bunch of bikes one will just speak to you. The best place to look is a local trials event if you can find one. If you’re in the market there will be bikes to try and you get to talk to the owners and it’s easier to negotiate price if you got a wad of cash in hand. Especially this time of year when new bikes come out and riders are looking to sell their old bikes to get the latest “Bold New Graphics” machine. 

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6 hours ago, trapezeartist said:

300 is utterly unnecessary for a beginner (and probably most other people too). A lot of people advise a 125 or a 200, which is usually a lot less than 200cc. I started by buying a Beta 300 4T which is generally considered to be quite a benign 300, but I'm still a lot happier now with my Fantic 200 (156cc).

 

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Always a hotly debated topic...I got my first taste of trials on a Gas Gas 300 and it was fine. As I was learning Trials basics I never felt scared or as if the bike was way too much. Then I bought a 280, another 280, and then 2 300's. You can do fine with a lot less engine, sure, but I think with basic throttle and clutch control a 300 will be fine. Just my opinion...

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FYI on size and power.  At 190lbs and 5' 10" I can ride plenty of advanced stuff on my wife's 125.

On that note I like the little extra my 250 has over that 125 and can easily say I would never need more than a 250.  

FYI: after 6 years of trials I did finally get a 300, wife got it for me as a birthday gift last year.  

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I'm aware I'm coming into this thread late, but at 6'4" and 220lbs, I thought I'd contribute my thoughts also.

i use a 250 and it's fantastic, does everything I need, in the class I ride at, vets and clubman!

i occasionally practice on a friends Beta 200 and that is great at everything also.

The 300's I've ridden seem to knacker me within a couple of hours as they ride you, not you ride then. I can't bully it enough at my standard for it to be fun, but I can bully my 250 or the 200.

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If you were a compete beginner id push you towards a 125 or 200, but if youve ridden dirt bikes for 40 years you obviously arent a total noob. The 300 may catch you out the odd time at the start but could probably adapt to its power, and if its a few years old the edge will have gone of it. As said above they are pretty easily detuned, slow action throttle, retard the ignition timing. 250-300 would be my suggestion.

It also depends where you are going to ride, if you like blasting up big hills, the 125 or 200 will not be for you!!

Edited by faussy
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