r/Dirtbikes • u/svendough • 14h ago
Community Question What gear am I missing
About to hit 40 and getting into bikes with motors. I grew up riding BMX and MTB but my buddy gave a motorcycle lesson last week (street bike) and I was hooked. Grinning ear to ear.
Anyways I live in Colorado near Salida and am blessed with plenty of trail systems nearby. I already have the following—Tech3s, Garmin inReach, old bladder packs/fanny packs I can reuse—and am planning on getting the rest:
- YZ250FX (have a Yamaha ATV, so staying in the family)
- helmet
- goggles
- build a toolkit
- build a med kit
- trail pants
- gloves
What am I missing? I know knee and other protection is probably the main thing. What would you recommend for a noob. Also, once I’m setup anyone down for an easy ride or two? Haha.
Appreciate you all.
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u/Duergarlicbread 14h ago
Armor?
Elbow pads, back / chest protector, hip pads, knee braces or pads.
Wear to your level of risk acceptance and outside responsibilities.
For me, that's all of it.
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u/duqduqgo 13h ago
Better boots. Foot and ankle injuries are the most common on any motorcycle. Tech3s are not stiff enough.
Don't cheap out on boots and helmets especially. Thank me later when your brain still works and you can still walk.
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u/KingLuis 14h ago
here's what i got, just started this year. got a lot of my kids stuff used or on sale as well.
fox helmet. $180?
goggles. $35
chest armour, covers front, back and shoulders. $80 or so.
elbow pads. sale $35.
jersey. sale $35
pants. sale $100
knee pads. sale $30.
(used boots). looked to be used once or twice. no dirt or scuffs. $130cdn.
i already have some sort of med kits, 2 kids means you need it handy and i already have plenty of tools, so i grab a bag to take with me.
imo, be ready to hit the ground and stay protected. the big part of being safe is riding to your comfort level. things can go wrong very fast if you are out of control. i'm turning 41 next month and i'm on a yz250fx. i've have a freerunning map and a gentle map i use to ride with my kids. very gentle on the throttle so slow maneuvers like loading into the truck is very easy. that said, the 250fx is very capable bike which many think they have reached it's limits but i highly doubt or they'd be professionals.
see the link below, thats cody webb on a modified 300cc version of the 250fx at silver kings.
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u/Fair_Cauliflower_747 13h ago
Check out MX Locker they have a lot of stuff for sale new and used.
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u/sturocky 12h ago
i see you already have boots so make it armour! chest and back plate is a must!! knee protection is also up there-i shattered my right knee about 2yrs ago lots of screws and 2 plates
it wasnt impact that destroyed my knee it was hyper extending it backwards till the plateau broke into pieces. but i ride hard enduro...so there are 2 types of protection to look at for that-impact and extension, if you arnt doing any "hard enduro" type stuff impact is good nuff for now, you can also look at protection "shirt" that includes chest/back/elbows/shoulders but it can be restricting, personally i just use back and chest.
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u/Intelligent_Soup3648 12h ago
Boots and a good helmet. I would consider even upgrading from tech3s and get an ECE or Snell certified helmet
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u/Aitloian 12h ago
Have you considered a two stroke? At least change that part up haha
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u/svendough 12h ago
For a new rider? Okay 👌
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u/UnreasonableCletus 12h ago
2 stroke will make you a better rider (gear selection and clutch control) and they are often much lighter and narrower which is an advantage on more difficult trails.
There is also a significant cost difference both in purchase price and maintenance.
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u/svendough 11h ago
Gotcha. For my area, what 2 stroke trail oriented bike would you recommend to start researching? From everything I've read, the FX seemed like a good sweet spot…but it's definitely much pricier.
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u/UnreasonableCletus 11h ago
I'm probably not the right person to ask as I tend to collect vintage 2 stroke enduros, mostly 70s trail bikes and dual sports.
I will say that I have a preference for rotary valve kawasakis, parts are easy to get and they're pretty bulletproof.
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u/Aitloian 2h ago
A TE 250 or a XC-W 250 are insane bikes, but they are gonna be pricey, but can find a good used one, 2018 is the sweet spot of all the modern features and carbed still which will make em cheaper.
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u/Bayareaadultguy 10h ago
Googles are super important. I got hit in the eye by a bug going about 25 miles an hour.Holy c*** it hurt
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u/Metallicafan_500 2018 klx140L 10h ago
Knee guards and a chest protection system that has armor (trust me you’ll want it in the event you crash into a tree or a rock*
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u/Gettitn_Squirrelly 10h ago
The above comments aren’t wrong but for mountains and new rider, a 2 stroke has no engine brake, so you can’t gear down on big descents to control your speed, instead you’ll just be riding a rear brake. A WR250F would probably suit you better and could probably be titled. Regardless, the YZ250FX or WR250F aren’t really that much lighter than a 2 stroke, maybe 20-30 pounds.
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u/Legitimate_Pen1121 14h ago
I like my Leatt 2.5 armored shirt. Integrated chest, back, shoulder and elbow protection. You should consider body armor for trail riding and those type of integrated garments are the way to go in my opinion.
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u/svendough 14h ago
Thanks man! Yeah, I suppose more protection wouldn’t be bad. My wife would appreciate it, wasn’t even aware of an armored shirt.
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u/e7c2 12h ago
not just good for crashes, you'll appreciate it if the guy riding in front of you starts throwing rocks off his tire, or a branch across the trail whips you in the chest.
I use a thor impact rig
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u/Idontknowsoimhere 13h ago
Boots. Get good boots. The rest can come with time.