Thread: Farm bike advice please

Good on ya! It pays to try before you buy. Especially for kids that look like pipecleaners!!!

You have competing pros and cons in the field you are looking at buying into. A bike like a mudbug feels lighter as its weight is a lot closer to the ground. But its got fuck all suspension. Its still heavy, but more manageable heavy (for beginners) than an equal weight bike sitting up high on lovely plush suspension. CofG takes over more easily, esp at low speed.

Buying second hand: Most 2nd hand farm bikes are off dairy farms, as they don't last long being bathed in cow shit all day every day. Whereas a dry stock farmer will usually buy a new farm bike and keep it till it stops for good.

A year or so ago there was a great buy off Suzuki NZ. They imported a 40 footer full of Jap assembled TS185s. retailed for 3K inc gst

I have ridden most farm oriented bikes, hauled an awful lot of deer out of the hills on Ag100/TF185/XR250's.
There was no joy riding the AG100 and Mudbug. They just do a job. And pretty bloody well if I look back at what I subjected them to. The better suspension on the XR family of bikes, and more modern Suzi/Yamie/kawasakis farm bikes makes them a wee bit more satisfying to ride.

Enduro bikes are another whole world, And are a delight to jump on anytime. I will often use mine for moving stock or heading off pruning, cause it puts a smile on your dial just to be on it. Cant say that I ever felt that way on my Mudbug.

So, in a round about way I guess I'm saying that it may pay to get them competent on a smaller lighter 2nd hand bike (not too second hand!) before shelling out on a more modern, more comfortable, more capable bike in a couple of years. Both my kids learnt to ride on the old mudbug, and have the lovebites on their shins to prove it! The bike.....also received some lovebites from their riding, after many years of me keeping it pretty tidy