green laning

[joshwalker094]

hey guys, i know several of you do greenlaning on here, so im wondering what would be a good bike for it ?
im after cheap bike for it, road legal of course.
also what forum is it that you use ?
thanks josh

Well if you had been with us on Christmas Eve the answer was an SV650, a Ducati Monster and a Gladius. Never trust your 75 year old father when he says "I know a good route". Apparently it was more passable when he was younger.

What's your budget? Is it just a bike for laning only, or will you use it for other stuff too, such as commuting or winter hack?

Forgive the ignorance but what is 'green laning'?

[BanannaMan]

What bike really depends on how much and to what extent you plan to take the green laning.
Are you just going to putter about or will you be hardcore riding. racing, jumping, etc.?

Originally Posted by Mrs DJ Fridge

Well if you had been with us on Christmas Eve the answer was an SV650, a Ducati Monster and a Gladius. Never trust your 75 year old father when he says "I know a good route". Apparently it was more passable when he was younger.

PMSL
That's sounds like an epic tale that will no doubt be remembered fondly for many a Christmas to come.

Originally Posted by Sabarius

Forgive the ignorance but what is 'green laning'?

Off road riding.

[joshwalker094]

Bit of a winter hack, maybe commuting, and really just general off roading( not racing jumping ect)
Budget not too sure yet but cheap as chips really haha

[BanannaMan]

Originally Posted by joshwalker094

Bit of a winter hack, maybe commuting, and really just general off roading( not racing jumping ect)
Budget not too sure yet but cheap as chips really haha

Yamaha gets my vote here.
Yamaha XT250 or XT350 's are reliable, near bulletproof and fun to ride.
And faster and (usually) cheaper than comparable Honda's.
I currently working on a 1999 Yamaha quad bike with the same motor as the XT 250. It's outlasted 2 kids and a ton of work. Going to be my toy for the snow now. Waiting on some OEM bits to come this week and she'll be all ready.

[Fallout]

+1 for Yamaha. Pay close attention to the tyres you get with it. I had a little DTR125 as my first bike. I did a lot of green laning with my mate and it was more than capable (my mate had a KTM 200EXC I think). The only practical difference between us was in slushy mud where his proper knobbly tyres meant he could get through it more easily (hence why get a bike with the right tyres). But I personally enjoyed sliding around like a madman, it was more fun, plus I could actually ride on the tarmac at a decent speed.

I really wouldn't worry about getting a dedicated enduro bike or anything like that since you won't be doing anything but trekking through the filth. Just get a yamaha/honda/non-chinese make scrambler style, small engine bike, with either knobbly or semi-knobbly tyre. I wouldn't bother with an engine over 250cc (if it's a 2-stroke), cos you won't use the power and you'll be falling off every ride in the mud and picking up a big bike will get old fast.

+1 for Yamaha XT or a TT250

Suzuki DR 250 or 350, DRZ400 if there's one within your budget

Honda XR400

Kawasaki KLX 250

To be honest any off road bike will do what you need and it's more important to know what NOT to buy

Avoid competition enduro's and buy something designed for use on the road as well, look up the service intervals on what you intend to buy and make sure they are measured in 1000's of miles, and not in the number of hours use.

You can change the tyres, but it's not so easy to change the wheels. Avoid supermotos and buy something designed to do off-road, with a 19 or 21 inch front wheel.

Perhaps the easiest thing to do if you are still not sure, is when you find a bike, post it up here and ask if it's suitable.

[tigersaw]

join the TRF, worth it just for the legal representation if you run a rambler over - and they do tend to jump out in front of you on purpose.