Dirt bikes come in all shapes, budgets, and sizes. One thing they all have in common, is that they are great fun to ride. Modern dirt bikes can be pretty expensive, and buying used can at times be something of a lottery because of how hard these bikes get ridden. There are, however, a few models that are for the most part safe bets.
Dual sport bikes had waned in popularity for a while, but have had a minor resurgence as people are starting to recognize the value in owning a bike you can simply ride to the trail, as opposed to loading it on a pickup or trailer. Some brand-new dual sport bikes are genuinely affordable, used bikes even more so.
10 Yamaha YZ250
The venerable two-stroke Yamaha has now been around for close to 20 years, only receiving updates to its chassis and suspension, but retaining the same engine.
In short, getting an older bike is not going to leave you in want for power, and most enthusiasts will have already upgraded the bike and done necessary maintenance (which with high performance two strokes involves an engine rebuild).
9 Kawasaki KDX200
The old dual sport was quite simply brilliant at everything, the fact that they made these bikes road legal was a stroke of genius.
It is a relatively high performance two-stroke machine, so much like the YZ you need to be prepared to rebuild the engine every so often, but the fact that you can ride to the trail makes it so much more versatile.
8 Honda XR650L
To put this bike’s longevity into perspective, it first came out in the early 90s and hasn’t changed all that much.
As a result, you get unbelievable value, as it retails for just a few hundred dollars more than the new CRF300 Rally.
7 Yamaha DT125
Few bikes in this world are as reliable and simple as the old two-stroke DT, for a small, light bike it has ample power too.
One thing you will need to alter for the trail is its gearing, which is tall, for street use, but we suspect that if you are in the market for something like this you are not going to use it as a commuter (although you could if you wanted to).
6 Suzuki DR-Z400S
Like the Honda, you can still get one of these new, but for the DR-Z there is a pretty good argument for opting for a used bike instead.
So many of these things were made over the last 20 years it has been in production and so few updates made, that getting one from the 2000s will cost half as much and still deliver just as much capability and performance.
5 Yamaha TW200
The TW is the ultimate trail bike, with solid high-end grunt it will go just about anywhere, just pretty slowly.
So as long as you don’t mind its leisurely speed, it will negotiate even the most technical of trails and the odd major road too as it is still perfectly road legal.
4 Kawasaki KX450f
By the mid 2000s, Kawasaki had more or less perfected the four-stroke dirt bike, it was and still is a high maintenance performance bike, but it delivers incredible power.
On paper, it might have about the same power as the other bikes, but just like it dominated on track in the 2000s, it will give you an edge too. Just make sure it at least has a straight frame, these bikes see unbelievable amounts of abuse and the cheaper they are, the more likely something is terribly wrong with them.
3 Husqvarna XC500
If you are after something a little more exotic, and a little more classic by nature, you can find one of these beautiful bikes for next to nothing.
They were developed to be the best desert racers of the day, and although they lacked the technology of their contemporary competition, they made up for that with sheer speed. These bikes have an outdated suspension, awful brakes, but are capable of 100 mph. They are terrifying in the wrong hands, but incredible fun if you are able to hold on, you have been warned…
2 Honda CRF450L
The CRF has now been around for a few years, and they offer exceptional value on the used market, often priced right in line with the new CRF300L.
It is a chalk and cheese kind of comparison and considering how reliable Honda made this 450, it is well and truly a safe purchase.
1 Yamaha XT350
What makes the old XT stand out is how advanced it was for the time, although it was still air cooled it had a DOHC engine, so it revs hard and feels a lot more like one of the high performance dirt bikes of the era.
It had very tall gearing from the factory, so if it hasn't yet had a bigger sprocket installed, that will be your first purchase to make it trail ready.