Farm usage dirt bike

Grueller

Hi folks. I am looking for a farm use dirt bike. Something to cart me about farm roadways to bring in the cows. The plan would be to shoot down to collect the cows, leave the bike and walk them up as they are slow moving creatures. Walk them back down after milking and back on the bike to shoot back to the yard.

It doesn't need to be pretty as it will live in a constant state of muck and sh1t coatings. It does need to be reliable and cheap to maintain. I am 6'2 and 13st10.

Any recommendations?

zubair

Do you have any experience riding already? The type of terrain you'd be on, particularly within a field where there is or was livestock can be dodgy, holes all over the place covered by grass, not great conditions if you have no experience. There is a reason that quads are the go to for buzzing around farmland, you can carry a load and pull a trailer if needs be and can cross most terrain comfortably, no need for safety gear, farm clothes will be fine. I wouldn't recommend riding around a mucky farm in a pair of wellys and a flat cap.

galwaytt

...not much help, I know, but I had one of these here a few years ago, and like a muppet, sold it. I've been keeping my eye out for it ever since on DD etc, to see if it ever comes back up for sale.

our old bike, 98 G 10377



A natty thing with 2 carriers, great mudgaurds, hazard lights as std, crash proof indicators etc etc. The new model has 2 sidestands: one each side, depending on which way your road is cambered !

It's still a current model in NZ : doesn't show on the bike listings, but is on the Farm vehicles page: https://www.suzuki.co.nz/farm-atv/range/farm-bikes

goblin59

galwaytt wrote: »

...not much help, I know, but I had one of these here a few years ago, and like a muppet, sold it. I've been keeping my eye out for it ever since on DD etc, to see if it ever comes back up for sale.

our old bike, 98 G 10377



A natty thing with 2 carriers, great mudgaurds, hazard lights as std, crash proof indicators etc etc. The new model has 2 sidestands: one each side, depending on which way your road is cambered !

It's still a current model in NZ : doesn't show on the bike listings, but is on the Farm vehicles page: https://www.suzuki.co.nz/farm-atv/range/farm-bikes

****, they look like great craic!

Goose81

Grueller wrote: »

Hi folks. I am looking for a farm use dirt bike. Something to cart me about farm roadways to bring in the cows. The plan would be to shoot down to collect the cows, leave the bike and walk them up as they are slow moving creatures. Walk them back down after milking and back on the bike to shoot back to the yard.

It doesn't need to be pretty as it will live in a constant state of muck and sh1t coatings. It does need to be reliable and cheap to maintain. I am 6'2 and 13st10.

Any recommendations?

I was looking recently for an older say 2004 off road bike to completely strip and rebuild for something to do, however looking around off road bikes are so overpriced on the used market its not even worth buying used from Europe/uk or Ireland.

Lads wanting 4k for 20 year old bikes, 6k would get you a brand new one or 1 year old.

My mate sold a 2012 250 Kawasaki 5 years ago for €2,500, that bike now would now cost nearly double that used for the same year.

CJhaughey

Farm bikes are called ag bikes in Australasia, Suzuki and Yamaha sell them.
Very handy for farm usage where a quad is too bulky or heavy to use.

https://www.yamaha-motor.co.nz/products/motorcycle/off-road/agriculture/ag200f

https://www.yamaha-motor.co.nz/products/motorcycle/off-road/agriculture/ag125

https://www.suzuki.co.nz/farm-atv/model/dr200se-farm/farm-bikes

Grueller

zubair wrote: »

Do you have any experience riding already? The type of terrain you'd be on, particularly within a field where there is or was livestock can be dodgy, holes all over the place covered by grass, not great conditions if you have no experience. There is a reason that quads are the go to for buzzing around farmland, you can carry a load and pull a trailer if needs be and can cross most terrain comfortably, no need for safety gear, farm clothes will be fine. I wouldn't recommend riding around a mucky farm in a pair of wellys and a flat cap.

Have experience of riding and falling too!!!!!!
A really dislike quad as if you flip they are on top of you. The terrain I will be on is farm roads only. They are perfect non tarred surfaces as if they weren't cow lameness would be a huge issue. Far better than forest roadways. The bike will never be on grass. Cardinal sin of farming would be allowing scramblers onto pasture.

An Ri rua

Grueller wrote: »

Have experience of riding and falling too!!!!!!
A really dislike quad as if you flip they are on top of you. The terrain I will be on is farm roads only. They are perfect non tarred surfaces as if they weren't cow lameness would be a huge issue. Far better than forest roadways. The bike will never be on grass. Cardinal sin of farming would be allowing scramblers onto pasture.

Ah no, if you keep it up on one wheel when on grass, you'll only be doing half the damage.

Joking. I hear what you're saying re a quad coming back on top of you but a quads footprint is way less damaging to a scrambler due to its tyre width.

Not sure if there's many around but a Loncin (Honda engine) could be cheap and alright. Or an old kmx 125 or 250.

There's much more useful tractor bikes, with large floatation tyres, that can be useful even in pulling sh1t.

This could be useful. https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?url=https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/topic/43459-agriculturalforestry-motorcycles/&share_tid=43459&share_fid=80189&share_type=t&link_source=app

I had plans to import something similar (the eco rider) about 2 decades ago when I dabbled in such.

Acquiescence

My advice would be get the cleanest Honda fourtrax 350 you can.

Bikes have all the danger of a quad with none of the utility.

stewienbrian

From experience I’d recommend an old jeep, something small/ short, rav 4 or suzuki , set a/t tyres, far cheaper option over bike or quad and be glad of it in the rain,frost etc, far safer option also.
bike would be absolutely lethal on a greasy cow road ,
If not a jeep ,quad would be next safest option I’d reckon

CJhaughey

I beg to differ quads are far more dangerous than bikes, they are heavier and once on top of you they aren't easily pushed off.
Every year people are killed and injured off quads, an IFA chairman had a bad accident on a quad.

Bikes are small and light and easily moved.
If you can't ride a dirt bike on a greasy road then you are doing something wrong.
Knobbies are made for bad conditions, if you are worried about damage then look for a TW125 or 200 they have big fat tyres and low ground pressure.

Acquiescence

CJhaughey wrote: »

I beg to differ quads are far more dangerous than bikes, they are heavier and once on top of you they aren't easily pushed off.
Every year people are killed and injured off quads, an IFA chairman had a bad accident on a quad.

Bikes are small and light and easily moved.

I don't really know what to say to this.

Get a bike because it's hard to push a quad off yourself?

stewienbrian

Always nervous heading for cows after someone else has been around, contractor etc , a wire left across the road has the potential to do serious damage on quad or bike
Also cow sh.t greasy is worse than ice (rain after a dry spell)
My choice would be a jeep, weather proof, space for reels and few fencing spares and alot safer than quad or bike

An Ri rua

You'll pick up an old Honda CRV that's failed it's NCT for less than 600. Go for one needing tyres, then stick 15" alloys on it and say 235/75/15 A/TS. It doesn't have a diff but doesn't need one if you can drive. Or just A/TS for whatever rims are on it. Even pure road tyres would do for your limited use.
I've a CRV II for 3 years now. Very capable in fields, deep snow, towing, carrying (swallowing) loads. And very reliable. With the righ tyres and the right little jeep for 600-1000, you'd be mad to go for a bike the more I think about it. Pajero Junior and Jimny are the real deal. But too sought after. Na, get a Rav, a CRV or an old X Trail and you can listen to the wireless as you admire your cows' hind quarters

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-crv-rvsi/27032772

CJhaughey

Acquiescence wrote: »

I don't really know what to say to this.

Get a bike because it's hard to push a quad off yourself?

You said:
Bikes have all the danger of a quad with none of the utility.

Quads are not the same as bikes in terms of safety, they are more dangerous because they have a lot more weight.


When they roll they crush people, that is the most common mechanism for injury on a quad. If it comes to a rest on top of you its a bad situation.

Have you ridden offroad much? I'm only asking because in my experience riding offroad a Bike is much more controllable on hillsides and on steep downhills.

Acquiescence

CJhaughey wrote: »

You said:
Bikes have all the danger of a quad with none of the utility.

Quads are not the same as bikes in terms of safety, they are more dangerous because they have a lot more weight.


When they roll they crush people, that is the most common mechanism for injury on a quad. If it comes to a rest on top of you its a bad situation.

Have you ridden offroad much? I'm only asking because in my experience riding offroad a Bike is much more controllable on hillsides and on steep downhills.

I haven't much experience off road on a bike. I have had multiple quads used daily for the last 20 years and ridden on many different farms in my youth.

Have you farmed much is the counter i suppose!

OP doesn't make any mention of hillsides or steep downhills.

I ride my bike to my farm everyday where I get on my quad to bring in the cows and a multitude of other uses daily for which a bike would not be practical, believe me I have tried to justify a bike to myself!

OP is a dairy farmer I would safe it's reasonably safe to assume he's not Hill farming. The utility of the quad far out ways the safety concerns baring some very specific conditions.

CJhaughey

Acquiescence wrote: »

I haven't much experience off road on a bike. I have had multiple quads used daily for the last 20 years and ridden on many different farms in my youth.

Have you farmed much is the counter i suppose!

OP doesn't make any mention of hillsides or steep downhills.

I ride my bike to my farm everyday where I get on my quad to bring in the cows and a multitude of other uses daily for which a bike would not be practical, believe me I have tried to justify a bike to myself!

OP is a dairy farmer I would safe it's reasonably safe to assume he's not Hill farming. The utility of the quad far out ways the safety concerns baring some very specific conditions.

I don't farm but live rurally and have extensive experience off road, not on quads but bikes.
I have been on hills where there were a mix of quads and bikes and the quad riders left the quads off to roll down the hill rather than ride them down.
The problem with quads is that they are rather easy to roll over not even on hilly terrain but on level ground at any kind of speed they can roll.
The OP said they didn't want a quad because of the danger of rollover entrapment.
Hence the recommendation for an AG bike, I am not sure if a properly setup bike would be less useful than a quad, if you look at what the farmers carry in other places its not an issue to carry fencing supplies and a lot of other stuff.
Just because they are not common does not rule them out as a practical nimble machine for farming.
https://www.farmtrader.co.nz/reviews/1505/farm-bike-review-yamaha-ag200e

Hotblack Desiato

Grueller

I seem to have started a fair debate!!!!

My land is good and dry and flat. I have an acquaintance whom is a paraplegic from a quad accident. He was riding across a field with his coat on a carrier. The coat was blowing off and he tried to turn to catch it one handed. As he turned his other hand naturally wrenched the steering round a bit. The quad flipped on him. He is now paralysed from the chest down.

I am terrified of their weight. I got as far as a deal done on a Honda foreman 250 a few months back and pulled out at the last minute. Reading here I am not sure about the bike either.

Thanks for all of the opinions one way or the other. It's all food for thought. Maybe a comfortable pair of hiking boots is the way to go.

Stihl waters

Grueller wrote: »

I seem to have started a fair debate!!!!

My land is good and dry and flat. I have an acquaintance whom is a paraplegic from a quad accident. He was riding across a field with his coat on a carrier. The coat was blowing off and he tried to turn to catch it one handed. As he turned his other hand naturally wrenched the steering round a bit. The quad flipped on him. He is now paralysed from the chest down.

I am terrified of their weight. I got as far as a deal done on a Honda foreman 250 a few months back and pulled out at the last minute. Reading here I am not sure about the bike either.

Thanks for all of the opinions one way or the other. It's all food for thought. Maybe a comfortable pair of hiking boots is the way to go.

Get a 125 dirt bike, not too much power but plenty for what you need, quads as you say are more dangerous compared to a light bike, you'll be fine as most accidents happen with other people, always ALWAYS wear a helmet

Acquiescence

I have a Honda TRX250 Fourtrax and would not recommend it. It's very twitchy compared to the bigger quads I've ridden and owned. It also has less load carrying ability.

I had a Fourtrax 350 4x4 and the extra weight, larger footprint and 4 wheel drive made it far more stable in my opinion. I'd also go for something with electric shift it's fierce handy when doing anything with temporary fences, opening gates etc.

Dohvolle

Something like a DR 250 or 350 would be fine. If you can, the ex British army HD/Armstrong MT350s are fine too, gutless on the road, but plenty of torque for working offroad. Four stroke engine too, not as screamy as the 2 stroke most offroaders have, so it won't scare the animals.

Plenty sitting in sheds unloved around the place, but with some fresh oil in the engine and some new spark plugs, plenty of life left.

The only risk with motorcycles that is equal to quads, if you have an off, get hurt and you are on your own, how long until someone misses you?

Betsy Og

I've an XR250, I'd consider it very safe in a farm situation, most likely spill is to slide on a turn in a field, you'd be back on in 20 seconds. 4 stroke, spark arrester on it, keeps noise down. Bar you go straight into a wall at speed, or off a cliff, I don't think you could get into much bother with it. On the other hand I wouldn't dream of getting a quad - I can't understand why there's no roll bar on them - 'crushed by quad' is something we've all heard. Other than 2 kids going in different directions on a Motocross track, I don't think I've ever heard of an offroad biking death. ATGATT, be grand.