Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: choosing a dirtbike, honda cr 125, xt yamaha

Question
I have been riding a 1982 yamaha xt 200 4-stroke for the past year. Now and I was thinking about buying something newer/bigger/faster.  I am 5'11'' 155lbs. and am 21years old.  I enjoy riding alot but dont like having to fix my bike constantly.  Also I dont race, i only ride in the creeks and woods around my house.  I was looking at bikes like a 96 honda cr 125 and a 99yamaha wr 400 but i dont know if the 125 would be prone to a lot of maintenance/fouled plugs just fooling around in the woods and if the wr 400 would be too heavy and too powerful for my needs. Or should i just keep my bike and save my money? Would you suggest any other models?  The main thing i want out of a bike is an awesome suspension to make it easy on my knees.

Answer
Pat,

Thanks for the question. Those old XT Yamaha's are great bikes, but they sure don't have the great legs modern bikes do.

I'd probably go with the 400 since you are tall, and it will be a better woods bike than the smaller 125. Yes, the 125 will be more maintenance-intensive. 2-strokes now are a lot better than they used to be, but a 125 is a pretty peaky bike and not the best choice for woods riding. The 400 is going to have the torque need for short hill grunts and water bars. That would be my choice.

Other models? Consider a modern 250cc 4-stroke dirt bike as well. There are so many choices it's hard to say "this one", and you'll find any bike made in the last ten years a huge improvement over your XT's suspension.

Good luck, have fun!

Bill Roberson