ok then you guys. ive been interested in this thread ever since its started and have read basically every post.
now im lookin at the new hummers and the tomohawk kx's on ebay. now the thing i wanna know is how good are these bikes straight out of the box? because i will have no cash left after i get it to be able to buy anything for it. the only stuff that i would be able to do to it would be all the adjusting and tweaking with out buying new stuff. so what do guys reckon? do you think they are alrite out the box?
Mate they're good bikes within their limitations.
Pay $12,000 for a 250cc Jap motorcrosser and you'll get a 32 kw monster engine that will do frightening things.
Issues to consider though are:
Can you handle it
Do you need it
Can you afford it
Running on the boundry of materials technology - the bike's going to be clapped out after a season's hard racing - and then you're looking at more bucks to recondition the engine.
A hummer won't give you that kind of performance - but it will give the Honda XR a run for it's money. Hotted up engines are available for a small further investment though.
It costs a fraction of the amount you'd spend on a Jap bike - both to purchase and to service and buy parts for.
The newer Hummers are quite well built and are pretty reliable engine wise.
There is a lot of scope for tinkering and upgrading, which you can do at home with basic tools. That will teach you a lot about mechanics and keeping your own bike in good condition.
You feel a lot more confident about doing you're own servicing, if stuff-ups don't cost you a fortune.
A lot of folks like the pit-pro - but I think that stems from the good press their mini bikes get and this reputation rubs off on the bigger bike. A pit pro will cost you more money than a Hummer and personally, I don't think you get anything more for your money!
To minimize the amount you spend on a Hummer - look at the prices indicated on the e-bay feed-back. Choose a price you're happy with at the lower end of the scale - and stop bidding once the bike goes over the price.
Often, if a bike goes for a high price - the next one off the rank will go cheaply.
Do not concern yourself with colour - go for lowest price.
Make sure you get a Hummer with the solid billet swing arm - not the older welded jobbies. The pictures on the Dreamrider site will show you the difference.
When you get your Hummer - read all the advice on this thread and implement it - especially the section on setting up the bike when first received.
That's about it matey - enjoy!