Which 80/85cc bike?

[Woody_393]

I'm really wanting to get my son an 80/85cc 2-stroke (yz, cr, etc) bike.

I'm wondering if any of you can tell me what bike might be the best bike?

I'm thinking YZ, but I'm just not sure.

Any tips on what bike and why?

[Synyster06Gates]

I love my YZ 80. It kills my friends CR80's in every category. But, it's an 86. The CR's are 86 and 89

[Silver_Fox]

Woody, we had a kx85 for my nephew. The KX and YZ are less pipey than the non-powervalve CR making them a bit easier to ride. My daughter is now on the CRF150R coming off a KX65. Wow, her confidence and ability increased immensely. If your kid(s) are aggressive and can attack the track they will be able to ride the 85cc 2 strokes just fine, mine is a bit more timid and has trouble feathering the clutch to keep it screamin in the corners and the 150R is the answer. You can ride it "gently" or open it up and it rips. Good luck shopping.

[ShaneRider]

kx85 all the way, those bikes are the perfect mini bike, thats all i grew up on were kx 65's then 85's and i loved them, i never had any problems and they were a blast, i rode some yamahas and those were pretty good too i must say

[MotoMan]

No first hand experiance but I have never heard anything bad about the Yamaha's or the Kawasaki's. I know I will be going blue for Jace probably next year if he is big enough.

[Woody_393]

Originally Posted by Silver_Fox

Woody, we had a kx85 for my nephew. The KX and YZ are less pipey than the non-powervalve CR making them a bit easier to ride. My daughter is now on the CRF150R coming off a KX65. Wow, her confidence and ability increased immensely. If your kid(s) are aggressive and can attack the track they will be able to ride the 85cc 2 strokes just fine, mine is a bit more timid and has trouble feathering the clutch to keep it screamin in the corners and the 150R is the answer. You can ride it "gently" or open it up and it rips. Good luck shopping.

Thank you for this info.

I thought I remembered reading that their were some bike that had power valves and others that did not. So thanks for this info.

The 150R would be the ticket for sure if I had the money. Being that I don't have a bike, that means I can't buy a new one for him, which means more than likely a 2002+ yz or kx 80/85.

Who knows though, I'm asking that he pay some on it too since I'm sick of them trashing stuff and not giving a crap. I'm afraid I may be the pushing desire behind a bike though, so maybe he won't end up getting anything, but we'll see.

I'm just looking at this point, and i wanted to know what I should be looking for.

[crdude]

Id go with the cr, but thats only because its the only one worth spending money on haha just messing around. cr 80's are the only 2s mini's I'v rode so Im not much help on the subject. Were acually thinking of selling my ol' cr80... its just been sitting ever sense I picked up the 250.

[A5spdTaco]

YZ, had two friends with YZ's, never had a problem. quick too.

[Blitz393]

Woody, I talked to a couple of my buddies at the track with kids on 80's or that recently moved up from 80's and the general consensus was that the Kawasaki is best for a youngin' such as yours that is just coming off a 65. While they are quite capable of being ridden fast, they have a forgiving powerband that is least likely to buck a rider off. The Suzuki was also recommended by nearly everyone as a second choice, as it is similar to the KX but with a more "snappy" hit and has to be ridden higher in the RPM range. Of Course, Mike suggested the Suzuki but his boy Chad Slater sometimes runs the Open money class on a RM85... He never wins but it's kind of cool to see a 12 year old keeping up with a bunch of 450's out on the track for 6 laps

Rob

[DUDEONAYZ125]

yz i have a 1983 yz 80 i REALLY LIKE IT but also i like yams anyway my second choice would be a cr what kind on budget are you on (hope you dont mind me asking)

[pragmatic393]

FWIW~The KX85 was our choice as well. I know it's hard to tell the "true" performance differences (especially with 12 year old riders ) and both the YZ and KX being so close in performance. But, for some reason my son and his bud, who has the (YZ85 same year model), trade-off on their bikes often. Both agree that the KX is easier to ride and much smoother. Go figure

[pjg351]

I'd say go with the YZ 85 we have had 3 over the years, and they are bullet proof and fast when you want them to be.

[Silver_Fox]

Originally Posted by pjg351

I'd say go with the YZ 85 we have had 3 over the years, and they are bullet proof and fast when you want them to be.

I thought you bled green?

[pjg351]

Originally Posted by Silver_Fox

I thought you bled green?

Only in 4 strokes

[Woody_393]

Originally Posted by pjg351

Only in 4 strokes

Thank you all for this information. I am not finding too many KX's, but plenty of YZ's and only 1 RM (lots of CR's but I'm not going for a bike that will scare the crap out of him).

As far as money, it's really up to my son(s). I am pretty tired of my boys trashing stuff, so the deal is -- if they want a new ride, they have to pay 10%. So if they want a new one they need to save $300+ or if they want one a few years old, they only need to save $100+ or so.

This is also ensuring they actually want to ride, since I believe I want them to ride more than they actually do. So if they do, they will come up with the $$ if not, they didn't want it that much anyway. I just need to keep that all in check because my desire for them to ride is very high, but I don't want them to be forced to ride if it's not something they really want to do, or even enjoy doing.