tcollins Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Hello I have been riding dirt and street bikes for 40 plus years and I am wanting to buy a used trials bike. I am new to the sport and I am not sure which to buy or what year is the best. I have been looking at Gas Gas 300 and Beta 300 ‘s that are 3 to 5 years old. Does anyone have any feedback. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapezeartist Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 300 is utterly unnecessary for a beginner (and probably most other people too). A lot of people advise a 125 or a 200, which is usually a lot less than 200cc. I started by buying a Beta 300 4T which is generally considered to be quite a benign 300, but I'm still a lot happier now with my Fantic 200 (156cc). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasserguy Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 (edited) Not a 300. 250 max. Edited January 20, 2018 by gasserguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Either brand 250,condition more important than age 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcollins Posted January 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 So why not a 300? I am 6’3 and 210. Will it have enough power? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirdabalot Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 If you've not ridden a trials bike before, compared to a road bike, they're designed by Martians. There's a lot to adjust to and a 250s 20 or so very tractable horse powers is one of them, along with very low gearing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stpauls Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 59 minutes ago, tcollins said: So why not a 300? I am 6’3 and 210. Will it have enough power? Yep, a 300 could be underpowered for you. Perhaps you could get it bored out to 500cc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 All joking aside the 300 vs 200 argument is most valid for beginners who ride street bikes and have no dirt muscles. With your experiance and size a 300 shouldn’t be a problem. A 300 can also be detuned to make it less alarming on the top without losing the low end torque that makes it easier in some trickier terrain. There are videos of Toni Bou going over advanced obstacles with his engine off so it is obviously not all about the motor. One aspect of a larger engine is it can fatigue you faster if you are not subtle with your control. If you haven’t ridden a trials bike you won’t be used to the immediate reaction trials bikes have to input. This is what surprises newbys the most but once you get used to it you depend on it though it’ll still surprise you now and then and that surprise is just a bit bigger with a larger engine. As stated condition of the bike is probably a bigger buying consideration. I suspect you will be like most riders in that if you try a bunch of bikes one will just speak to you. The best place to look is a local trials event if you can find one. If you’re in the market there will be bikes to try and you get to talk to the owners and it’s easier to negotiate price if you got a wad of cash in hand. Especially this time of year when new bikes come out and riders are looking to sell their old bikes to get the latest “Bold New Graphics” machine. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcollins Posted January 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 6 hours ago, trapezeartist said: 300 is utterly unnecessary for a beginner (and probably most other people too). A lot of people advise a 125 or a 200, which is usually a lot less than 200cc. I started by buying a Beta 300 4T which is generally considered to be quite a benign 300, but I'm still a lot happier now with my Fantic 200 (156cc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strengthcoach Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Always a hotly debated topic...I got my first taste of trials on a Gas Gas 300 and it was fine. As I was learning Trials basics I never felt scared or as if the bike was way too much. Then I bought a 280, another 280, and then 2 300's. You can do fine with a lot less engine, sure, but I think with basic throttle and clutch control a 300 will be fine. Just my opinion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcollins Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Thanks for your feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyc21 Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 FYI on size and power. At 190lbs and 5' 10" I can ride plenty of advanced stuff on my wife's 125. On that note I like the little extra my 250 has over that 125 and can easily say I would never need more than a 250. FYI: after 6 years of trials I did finally get a 300, wife got it for me as a birthday gift last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcollins Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Thanks for your feedback. I have been seeing mostly 300’s 2 strokes for sale in my area and pretty much nothing else. Hard to decide to pull the trigger or wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonboy883 Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 I'm aware I'm coming into this thread late, but at 6'4" and 220lbs, I thought I'd contribute my thoughts also. i use a 250 and it's fantastic, does everything I need, in the class I ride at, vets and clubman! i occasionally practice on a friends Beta 200 and that is great at everything also. The 300's I've ridden seem to knacker me within a couple of hours as they ride you, not you ride then. I can't bully it enough at my standard for it to be fun, but I can bully my 250 or the 200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faussy Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) If you were a compete beginner id push you towards a 125 or 200, but if youve ridden dirt bikes for 40 years you obviously arent a total noob. The 300 may catch you out the odd time at the start but could probably adapt to its power, and if its a few years old the edge will have gone of it. As said above they are pretty easily detuned, slow action throttle, retard the ignition timing. 250-300 would be my suggestion. It also depends where you are going to ride, if you like blasting up big hills, the 125 or 200 will not be for you!! Edited January 21, 2018 by faussy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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