Two years ago my cousin wanted to get into dirt bikes. He was approaching 40 years old and wanted to join the fun world of dirt bikes... Of course I wanted him to get a smoker, but after a lot of contemplation, I steered him towards a used TTR 250. It had electric start, lights, and was a pretty docile machine, perfect for a beginner... He learned a lot that 1st season, and during the off season, we swapped out the exhaust and rejetted the carb to get a little more punch out of the bike. He continued to made progress. He knew he wanted something with a little more power and liked the 250F bikes... that is until he saw how hard they can be to start when warm.
A few friends has a 250Fs, and when we would go riding, they would kick, kick, kick, kick, pant, repeat... until it would fire. When we were trail riding and we need to stop for a break, we always stopped at the top of a hill so they could bump start the thumpers... He watched myself an others on smokers, one to two kicks and the bike lights up. He is also looking to get a lighter bike as the TTR was a heavy weight. Recently he sold the TTR and is in the market.
He's been looking at KTM's and really liked the 350's. The price is a bit steep, and I'm concerned about EFI, and a few other issues... So he sent me a notice, he's coming to the dark side, he found a 09 KTM XC 250... The bike has electric start, with a kicker, low hours, and needs a new odds and ends, just like any used bike... but I think he finally saw the light... or smoke.
