Rode MY OWN dirt bike for the first time

I bought my first dirt bike last week and finally got to ride it. It's an 06 Kawasaki KX100. After borrowing a crf 150f I was in for a major surprise. The 150f is easier to ride but man when the kx hits the power band it's either spinning the rear tire or lifting up the front end. Fourth gear wheelie, just twist your wrist. I won't lie, it was a frustrating day. Trail riding a two stroke is a learning experience. It wasn't as bad as many people said it was.

I used to trail ride a CR125, because that's what I had. Arrgh, what a beating. Later, I tried trail riding an old KX250. Never again. Riding a big thumper is so much better, for me anyway. The last one I tried was a KTM 525 EXC. Oh man that was nice.

Trail riding a 125 you know exactly what I'm talking about. The frustrating part was the dry loose rocky hill climbs. I'm kinda in this bike selection purgatory. I'm a 5' 4'' 21 year old Without buying kouba links and doing seat/suspension cutting I can't realistically trail ride a full size bike. So the play bike thumpers are all I'm really left with. ttr's and 150f's aren't bad bikes. I'm glad I started learning on one. But after three rides the short comings of that bike's suspension were clear. I wish I could afford a crf150r. That bike is just as quick as my friend's 2011 fuel injected Suzuki rmz250. Well when my 130lbs butt is on it. The smokers are cheap and I like the light weight. They have real suspension and brakes and after my ride yesterday I'm going to have to learn to really look ahead and learn some serious clutch control. If anything else it WILL make me a better rider. Funny, a motorcycle mechanic told me kx100's are great wife bikes. Yea if your wife likes a mountain bike with a rocket strapped to it.

ccylecam, lowering a bike isn't that hard. You can lower the front forks in the clamps an inch or two real easy. On the rear, if the shock is diassembled you can add an aluminum spacer under the shock piston to bring the rear down. IIRC 1/4" at the shock = ~1 1/2" at the seat, so take careful measurements first! There are shock shops which will do this for you.

125 2 smokers can make good trail bikes, it's all in technique. You basically keep the engine in the powerband all the time and feed power to the rear wheel with the clutch. Yeah, it takes practice to get anywhere near perfect and is hard on clutch plates but it works.

Nice to know there are other vertically challenged riders out there. My inability to suport the Kawasaurus when stopped is my main reason for selling. I look at current dirt bikes and wonder where the keep the ladders. Back in the Day the most fun bilke was a borrowed 500cc BSA (?) Single. If you could get it started it was an absolute blast on a snow covered dirt road. You controlled the bike by shifting weight front or rear. Front bias and the rear spun. Rear bias and the thing wheelied.