Some of us love to play in the dirt. If you want to play in the dirt with your motorcycle, there are innumerable options available to you. However, if you’re an aficionado of old motorcycles and dirt bikes, which ones would you choose? We decided to delve into history and have a look at what classic dirt bikes we’d love to have in our garage. Some were obvious choices, and others were quite surprising. Whatever the case, you’d have to be a fan of getting your hands (and your riding gear) dirty to own these. We’ve chosen some based on their pedigree in racing and how popular they were with the junta, while others made the cut due to their rarity and superstar attraction for being a part of pop culture. Not all of them strictly meet the definition of ‘dirt bike’ as we know it today, but they all can hack it on a dirt track, there’s no question about that. No matter which of these is parked in your garage, they will be certain to plaster a grin on your face along with some muck. Here, then, are 10 classic dirt bikes we’d love to own.
10 Honda CR125
Honda’s success with 125cc two-stroke dirt bikes can be traced to the Elsinore from the early 1970s. It is what made Honda a force to be reckoned with in the off-road community. From there, 125cc Honda dirt bikes took a quantum leap in the 80s, culminating with this, the 1989 CR125 at the end of the decade. Displacing just 125cc, this two-stroke motor nevertheless made 37 horsepower at 11,000 rpm and peak torque of 18 lb-ft arrived at 10,000 rpm. It was a smooth curve, however – which meant wringing it for all it was worth wasn’t as difficult as you’d expect it to be if you knew what you were doing. The CR125 was reliable, could be managed by intermediate riders while still being enjoyable for experienced riders, and it won’t be too difficult to find one in good nick today!
9 Suzuki RM125
The RM125 has a cult following, and with good reason. It was so good that it was in continuous production from 1974 to 2008 (pictured) with minimal changes. It got improved in 1990 with an upside down front fork, in case you’re interested in getting the absolute best RM125 for yourself. It made similar power to the Honda, but had similar characteristics of being gutless down low. However, that means only the skilled will be able to extract the best out of it – and in the hands of a competent rider, it can still show those pesky young 250 4-strokers a thing or two in a race. Of course, we’re not going for biggest or best here, it’s just a 125cc anyway, but we would like one from 1981 onward, with its full floater suspension, adjustable saddle, better power reed system, and stronger gearbox.
8 Yamaha YZ400F
Next up we’re going to go from ring-ding-dinky 125cc two strokes to a four stroke, 400cc single. And not just any four stroke dirt bike; this is the one that made the world sit up and take notice of four-stroke dirt bikes. It showed the world that the tech wasn’t non-competitive. Yamaha had a five-valve-per-cylinder engine in the FZ750 in 1984, and it took that concept to the YZ400F. The result was 42 horsepower at a stratospheric 11,200 rpm redline. To cut a long story short, this is the first four-stroke motorcycle to win an AMA Supercross race in 1997, and the AMA Supercross championship in 1998. This is the motorcycle that revolutionized the world of four-stroke competitive dirt bikes, and that is reason enough for us to want one.
7 Triumph Bonneville Desert Sled
So far we’ve looked at small (or smallish) dirt bikes that have made history by proving themselves in the ultimate proving ground: motorsport. The Triumph Bonneville Desert Sled has nothing to do with motorsport. What it does have is charisma, thanks to one Steve McQueen, who made his Great Escape by jumping this motorcycle over a fence. The Desert Sled was based on a T120, and modified by McQueen’s friend and stuntman Bud Edkins. Edkins then built another for desert racing, for McQueen. It could be credited for giving birth to the scrambler motorcycle genre. If it is good enough for Steve McQueen, it is certainly good enough for us. In the words of Sheryl Crow, ‘you’d never catch us tonight’ if we had one of these.
6 Husqvarna 400 Cross
Sticking with the McQueen connection, this is another motorcycle that was made famous by his love for it. This was one of the stars of the movie On Any Sunday, and appeared on a Sports Illustrated cover photo with the man himself. Unlike the Triumph above, this Husky had the chops to perform in the world of motorsport as well, having won the 1969 and 1970 500cc World Championships with Bengt Aberg at the helm. It made 40 horsepower from its 396 cc two-stroke single cylinder motor, and weighed a light 231 lbs. Handling was sublime for its time, although those drum brakes are something we’re sure any modern rider will find an acquired taste. Form followed function: the bare aluminum tank patches were the points that the rider’s legs would grip it, which eventually turned into a go-faster design hallmark, much like a fairing on a 150 cc motorcycle today!
5 Kawasaki KLR650
Some will argue that the KLR650 isn’t a dirt bike, and they’d be correct. However, the KLR has over the decades become more and more a companion to those looking for a ‘one size fits all’ motorcycle. The KLR650 could always happily do most enduro duties along with commuting; rider skill over the decades has developed to the point where it has become usable as a dirt bike for certain tracks as well. Its exclusive focus on purpose to the exclusion of all else and its refusal to update itself until legislation forces it to (see: EFI and ABS) also lends it a brutish charm. We’d specify a year of KLR we prefer, but the KLR doesn’t care – and we’re never going to get a pristine, unmodified, un-accessorized one anyway. For that is the KLR way.
4 Kawasaki KX500
The KX500 is equal parts revered and feared. This is the motorcycle that defined the open class in MX for a long time. It was deemed unrideable because of the insane power output (over 61 horsepower in a 234 lb motorcycle!) but proved doubters wrong by winning every single Desert Nationals race from 1992 to 1995, and kept winning the championship until 2001. The cherry on top was winning the Baja 1000 from 1988 to 1996. To put this motorcycle into perspective, today’s 450s are approaching its power output now, a mere two decades after it went out of production. We’d prefer either the second-gen KX500 made from 1985 onward with its liquid cooling, or the third gen with the inverted front forks. Plus, the initial batches of the KX500 had a reputation for being unreliable.
3 Honda CR500
The CR500 went into production at around the same time as the Kawasaki KX500, and has quite a few similarities with it. The similarities are expected since they were designed for the same class of racing. The CR500 made nearly 61 horsepower, going up to nearly 68 horsepower for its most powerful iterations. Dry weight was 223 lbs, and top speed was in excess of 90 mph. This was almost too much power for the ‘80s, and the CR500 went on to become a legend in the hands of the right riders. It had a surprisingly usable powerband, though – you could theoretically just leave it in third and ride a full course. We’d pick one from 1987 onward, as they came fitted with disc brakes at both ends – liquid cooling had found its way onto to CR500 in 1985.
2 KTM 250 EXC/MXC
KTM’s 250 cc dirt bikes don’t have a very illustrious history. Its beginnings had it opt for different chassis style to the norm, among other things, and the suspension was never quite right. However, by the 90s, KTM had got its act together, and the 250 EXC/MXC was the best 250 out there, no matter what you put it up against. It was so dominant that by the time the 2000s had rolled around, the Japanese had given up on the 250 cc class altogether. We’d like ours with a flavor of ’99, please – the fastest of the lot. Twenty years on, a KTM 250 EXC will still give you thrills like a modern dirt bike, and will be more than enough for all but the most skilled riders.
1 Yamaha DT-1
The Yamaha DT-1 is a very important model not just for Yamaha, but for motorcycles in general. It was the enduro that led the way for the Japanese into off-road motorsport. It had a 246cc air-cooled two-stroke engine that made 18 horsepower, and weighed 231 lbs dry. It started off as more of a street motorcycle adapted for racing, but it was still miles ahead of the top off-road machines of the time, which tended to be heavy twin-cylinder British twins modified for off-road use. Initial DT-1s sported twin rear shocks with 3 inches of travel, but Yamaha soon learned that more travel would help off-road machinery. It soon changed the rear to a monoshock. The original YZ250 motor has the DT-1’s bore and stroke, and we know how good YZs are. The DT-1, because of the history it created, tops our list.