Best 2 stroke?

[gthoma23]

1) your physical size? - 6' tall and about 165 w/out gear
2) How physical / aggressive are you? - Moderate, trying to get more aggessive
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or? I ride mostly dunes and trails, but i'm gonna start goin to the track this summer. Whatever i get has to rip at the dunes.
4) Do you have any riding experience? Been riding for about a year. About 20 rides in all.
5) Do you think you will race ? No racing for me.
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? Yes I do my own work, who wants to pay for a mechanic to mess somethin up when ya can do it yourself?? :laugh:
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? I prefer 2 strokes just because i love workin on my own stuff, and i think a 4 stroke would be much more difficult.
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? -I got all the dealers by me, but i ain't buyin new, i fall to much..
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike?
10) Do you live in California? Unfortunately not
11) Your age? 21
12) anything else that you think would help form an opinion? - I've been ridin a '03 CR250 if that helps. i think it's a great bike, just want to try somethin else...and newer. i do wish it had more bottom end though.

So if you guys got any advice, please inform. make sure to say years, make it easier for me. like i said above, i prefer 2 strokes, but if ya think i would like a 4 better, let me know.

Thanks.

 

[justalonewolf007]

Well, what you get is going to depend a LOT on your budget.

How much are you looking to spend? (Even a general range will help us greatly).

I'd actually say a 04 (or 03) CRF450F...especially if the CR 250 isn't doing it for you in the bottom end.

 

[IndyMX]

4 Strokes aren't really that much more difficult to work on. There's quite a bit more to them, but if you have a service manual, and are pretty handy with a set of wrenches, it's really not a problem.

I think the real hard part is when you start getting into making them go fast.

 

[XRpredator]

. . . I've been ridin a '03 CR250 if that helps. i think it's a great bike, just want to try somethin else...and newer. i do wish it had more bottom end though.

find an open class 4-stroke. any of them will be different, and will have more low end.

 

[_JOE_]

Ever consider having your bike ported for low end? Maybe an overbore? Your bike is new enough that you won't be gaining a ton going to a newer bike. I've ridden a Gorr 265 and a new 450, personally I don't think the 450 had much on the 265 in seat-of-the-pants acceleration. The 265 was low compression for crap gas too. It's hard to beat the simplicity of a 2t.

 

[gthoma23]

Well, what you get is going to depend a LOT on your budget.

How much are you looking to spend? (Even a general range will help us greatly).

I'd actually say a 04 (or 03) CRF450F...especially if the CR 250 isn't doing it for you in the bottom end.

i guess price would help out. i'm hoping to spend around 3500. so basically a really nice 04 to an okay 06 where i live.

Ever consider having your bike ported for low end? Maybe an overbore? Your bike is new enough that you won't be gaining a ton going to a newer bike. I've ridden a Gorr 265 and a new 450, personally I don't think the 450 had much on the 265 in seat-of-the-pants acceleration. The 265 was low compression for crap gas too. It's hard to beat the simplicity of a 2t.

i think it has a basic blue print porting on it now, but i could be wrong. i actually bought the bike off the original owners brother-in-law or somethin...didn't know much bout bikes.

well what do u guys think is a great bike for the dunes? i always heard that 2 strokes were really good, but i can't see how a 4 wouldn't be better, longer power band and more overall hp.

 

[Tankerblade]

four strokes are really good. more reliable more hp. but all of that comes at some extra weight. which in my opinion doesnt hurt at all for your purpose. but im not sure how the weight would affect your performence at the dunes. if i were you go with a fourstroke open class bike. they are really good bikes.

 

[gthoma23]

it seems like everybody loves 4 strokes now. maybe they are better, but i'm just poor so i never wanna pay for them. like my friend has a '03 CRF that got sand in the engine. he had to get a new cams, valves, and bunch of other stuff that was pose to cost almost 3k, but i guess he got a great deal cause the honda dealership is the ones that put on the filter. but anyway, i could rebuild everythin in my bike for that much. new top and bottom end with a replate would only come to just over 7 hundo.

and man, these new CRF's look they would suck to work on. they got that support goin right around the top of the engine.

but if they ran that much better than my CR, i'd probably take the hit in the wallet.

 

[_JOE_]

The reliability factor isn't great on a modern mx 4t. It's not uncommon to be dropping a grand in the top end. You're absolutely correct that a 2t can be completely refreshed for the price of a 4t head rebuild. Piston life is comprable to 2t bikes in their class. Sure they have broader, stronger powerbands but the cost to maintain is much greater. There are some ways to increase engine life, but there again it's an expensive investment. They really aren't much harder to work on, actually that twin spar frame allows you to pull the top end straight up out of the bike once the tank is off. Why not find a 500 2t to rip around at the dunes?

 

[gthoma23]

Why not find a 500 2t to rip around at the dunes?

have u ever riden one of those? they are knarly! but if that's all i rode then i probably consider it. i think i will probably just get an 05 2t, what ones u guys like that year? transworld and dirtrider had 2 different ratings. i think trans was kx, yz, rm, cr, and sx. then dirtrider was rm, yz, cr kx, and sx...or maybe they were opposite.

anyway, what 2t you guys like that year???

and thanx for all the replies

 

[mongial]

The best way to go about buying a used bike......
1) Set your criteria (+/- 05 250)
2) Establish the Budget ($3500)
3) Shop around till you find the best bike for the buck.

My preference (since I don't race) is Suzukawiyamahonda (whatever I can find in the market) :cool:

 

[magneto]

Have you considered a late model 300 KTM 2 stroke? My friend's 03 KTM EXC makes about the same top end power as a good running 250 but has much more bottom end.

 

[wake_rider]

Have you considered a late model 300 KTM 2 stroke? My friend's 03 KTM EXC makes about the same top end power as a good running 250 but has much more bottom end.

I wouldn't suggest a 300 exc unless you're mostly planning on riding trails. They are not a good mx bike at all, but they do have a good amount of controllable torque for tight trails which makes them GREAT for the trails. Outside of that they can't keep up with a 250 mx smoker...

 

[gthoma23]

Have you considered a late model 300 KTM 2 stroke? My friend's 03 KTM EXC makes about the same top end power as a good running 250 but has much more bottom end.

i want a 300XC so bad, those bikes sound sick!!! i don't think i'd want the EXC, just cause of the wide ratio gearing and softer suspension...my buddy loves KTM so he got me hooked. to bad that i have to get a 07 or newer, which are around 6 hear. but that's my friends opinion, what do u guys think of the older XC's? like '03 or somethin? i thought there suspension was pose to be terrible, which since i'm new would probably suck.