Advice on 2002 EC250 for my son

[michaux]

I am looking to get a bike for my son, 5'10 tall, 14 years old.
Has had a few hours on a Honda CRF150F.
Mainly fields, trails and some very mild motocross tracks.
A 2002 bike has come up. Seller is an enthisiast / collector so probably in good condition.
Would this be a good bike for him to cut his teeth on,or should I go for a newer Honda CRF230F?
What should I look for when inspecting it (other than the usual)?
Thanks

[Rick]

As a VERY long time 200 owner the GasGas is a great bike! Power is very liner, suspension is not awesome, but good with a little tweaking. Should have 43mm WP4357 forks, which parts are very easy to get. Rear shock is good stuff for entry level rider.

The cockpit of the GasGas is a little small, I'm 5'11 and have no problems.

Overall should be fine!

Good luck

[liv2day]

+1 to Rick's commentary. I've ridden my brother-in-law's GG250 several times and although the power hits harder than it does on my 200, it's very tractable.

I'd say that if your'e willing to invest the time in getting the jetting sorted, as well as the suspension bits, it'd be a great bike. More than likely, your son is going to be amazed at how light she feels in comparison to the CRF150. Not that there's much different in actual weight (no clue - maybe there is...lol), but where she carries the weight makes it awesome on the trails.

And the front end is planted; biggest thing that sold me on my 200 over the KTM 200.

I'm 5'10" and going on 44 - cockpit of my 200 is perfect for how I ride (trail hack). I bet your boy likes the bike once he adjusts to the power delivery difference from the 4T

[michaux]

Many thanks for the reply. What tweaks need to be done?

[liv2day]

Originally Posted by michaux

What tweaks need to be done?

My $.02, get the jetting so it's linear (my bro-in-law's jetting was awful when he got the bike - big power hit in the middle that would make the front end head north).

Get the suspension sorted so it's plush and ready for the stuff you'll ride. Probably don't need to do a ton out of the gate - get the compression/rebound set for his weight and riding style, then go from there (don't know if that year would need a re-valve - have to dig through the suspension sub-forum).

Other than that, just ride

[firffighter]

Originally Posted by liv2day

My $.02, get the jetting so it's linear (my bro-in-law's jetting was awful when he got the bike - big power hit in the middle that would make the front end head north).

Get the suspension sorted so it's plush and ready for the stuff you'll ride. Probably don't need to do a ton out of the gate - get the compression/rebound set for his weight and riding style, then go from there (don't know if that year would need a re-valve - have to dig through the suspension sub-forum).

Other than that, just ride

Couldn't agree more. My 14 year old rode my EC250 a ton 5 years ago and he loved it. He was pretty small at the time, but the I had it jetted for smooth torque and he never had an issue. Great bike!

[funmachines]

My 16 yr old son is riding a 99 200 and still enjoys it. He is now 6 ft and with a tall seat and tall bars it still works for him. We put a flywheel weight on to help with slow rocky trails and to help him manage a 2T coming from a small Yamaha 4T.

[n1kos]

125cc 2-stroke. Enough power to beginner to veteran ...After few years look bigger one.