I have a Recon ATV and love it. But my wife wants to ride again and I can't fit 2 ATV's in my truck bed. Well, I could but I don't want to stack them or piggy back them. I don't have a trailer and don't want a trailer. So, I'm thinking about getting a small dirt bike so my wife & I can go together. I can fit the Recon and a bike in the bed of my truck. I'm thinking about either the Yamaha TTR 230 or the Honda CRF 230. I don't really want bigger because I'm 52 and won't ride hard. Especially since the wife will get mad if I leave her in the dust. So, a tame bike is what I'm looking for. Also, the 250's have too high of a seat for me. Again, I come back to the 230's. Also, price. Man, they are cheap new and even cheaper used. I see them for $1200 - $1500 on Craigs List. And I will probably only ride 6 times a year maybe. Opinions?

 

I would go with a small trailer and get another atv,that way you can ride TOGETHER
and enjoy the woods better then with you on a two wheeler and she cant follow you
in some of the places you can get to.

 

A two up ATV would be another choice, but bike wise a TW200 might be a good choice if it's main purpose is to ride at a mellow ATV pace.

Fat tires, reputation for reliability, and street legal to boot.

 

They make a deck system that goes over your truck box which allows you to haul two atv's instead of getting a trailer. Guess it comes down to how often the two of you would ride atv's together vs. atv/bike. I have a DRZ400 that is my daily transportation when not using my truck and I have trailed it a few times so the girlfriend can drive my 800 with my kid on her 300. Kind of a pain since the tires on the bike are more street than dirt so it can get hairy at times. Also depends on where you are riding. If it's decent trails that a bike will have no problems it would be good. We ride in the mud a lot so the bike is not as fun. Looking like we may be adding another wheeler to the stable in the near future which doesn't break my heart in the least!

 

You should look into getting a late 70's and early 80's bike. Theyre nearly indistructible and will never brake down on you. Plus, they are very feul efficient.

 

My opinion........if your going to be riding at a leisurely pace you will likely hate a dirt bike. I started out on a dirt bike and went to ATV. Obstacles and trails have to be taken at a faster pace or your basically going to be idling the trails dragging your feet on the ground. The little hill you can chug up on your ATV in low gear means hammering the throttle and working some balance mojo on a dirt bike. Theres also something to be said for being able to stop mid obstical and changing your plan.....do that on a dirt bike and your likely to end up on the ground or rolling back down a hill. I hated trail riding on my dirt bike.....

If your the "***** out" kind of rider then its been my experience that you can flat out own anyone on an ATV on the trails, jumps etc.

Im not.....Im the "no *****" kind of rider....the guy that has NO problem saying "F that....looks like it might hurt....I aint doing it".

For me the dirt bike was pathetic and worthless.

If you decided to go dirt bike Im a Honda fan but I dont think any are particularly or vastly different in the size range your looking. Ive toyed around with buying a 2001 TTR225 with electric start here locally....he wants $800.

Why are you so avert to a trailer? Honestly its been one of the best things Ive ever purchased. I picked up a nice 6x10ft trailer on Craigslist for $400 and I use it far more than my truck to haul stuff......lower to the ground so its easier to load.

 

Yeah, that's kind of why I suggested the TW200. Fat tired, easy to ride, and easy to ride slow.

Or you could do what I did...

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/...D/IMGP1461.jpg

 

Thats a nice bike....but it would have to be about useless on anything but the most mild trails.

Around here we have a few OHV parks but they are nothing like the wide, gravel and groomed trails some states have. Hell some of our roads dont even look as good as some pictures of trails Ive seen. That thing wouldnt get but about 50 ft from the parking lot.....

 

Actually, you would be surprised some of the single track I've had that thing on.

If it is an ATV trail that isn't a technical rock climb, I'll generally give it a go.

Granted, you can't be afraid of having to pick the thing up out of the big rocks or mud.

 

That's something I hadn't thought of. Now I have to rethink my plan. Thanks for the insight.