Bike Option #2: 2007 KXF450 leftover - Help guys!

[Kawi4life]

Instead of buying a bike halfway across the world and having to deal with shipping I went around to my local dealers and found a 07 KX450f - it's being offered to me for $5500 + $25 doc fee. That's considerable cheaper than the new 09s and in my price range.

One thing that scares me is some kid was at the shop last night buying a spark plug for his CRF and it cost him $54 for a sparkplug? WTF?

My options right now is a 07 KX250 for $4400 + $690 shipping or a 07 KX450f for $5500 and it's ten minutes away from home.

In a way I kinda want to try something different but I'm a little shy of the new 4-strokes with the complaints of being too hard to start when hot, checking valves all the time, expensive rebuilds etc. But on the other hand as die hard of a 2-stroke guy as I am I'm kinda just sick of them and feel a little more enthusiastic about trying out something new like a 4-stroke. Also the 4 banger does have a higher tech frame and suspension.

What do you guys think? Any major problems or concerns with the 2007 KX450f bikes? Are they normally pretty solid machines off the showroom? They have good power? I don't want something that feels like a enduro.... I want a machine with some kick! :nod:

Thanks....

 

[biglou]

I bet that $54 plug is for the new 09 CRF450R. Cuz I have one and it's got a lot of letters and numbers in it. And those letters and numbers aren't cheap...

I don't know that much about the 07 KX450, but I seem to remember folks liking them pretty well. That's a pretty good price, and I guarantee it will have plenty of kick!

 

[Kawi4life]

I bet that $54 plug is for the new 09 CRF450R. Cuz I have one and it's got a lot of letters and numbers in it. And those letters and numbers aren't cheap...

I don't know that much about the 07 KX450, but I seem to remember folks liking them pretty well. That's a pretty good price, and I guarantee it will have plenty of kick!

Cool... I really haven't payed attention to bikes in the 2000's, especially the new 4-strokes. Say if I where out riding around and shut the motor down would it be real difficult to restart a minute or two later? I remember when my friend brought down his 06 KX450f to show me and I don't remember him having a problem starting it, but that was three years ago but still think I would of remembered if something was wrong....

As far as price, the dealer said $5500 + $25 doc fee out the door was the absolute best they could do and that if they had to go lower they would just keep the bike, but do you think it's possible to try for more or is that already rock bottom price for a 450f?

I have a couple other dealers in mind I think I'm going to call around tomorrow. It would be nice to get the new fuel injection KX450f for the easier starting but that machine is just totally out of my price range - around $5500 is the max I want to spend and I only like to buy brand new bikes, well at least for motocross/offroad machines.

I also want to make sure there's no major show stopper problems with that year.... if anyone knows anything, let me know.

 

[_JOE_]

Like Lou said, most people like the kx450. No major weaknesses that I know of. The chassis and brakes will be better on the 450 and as long as you take a few minutes to set it up right it won't be hard to start. The 450s are easier on engine parts, most people are too scared to beat on them. They are gnarly torquey. I don't think you will be disappointed with power.

5500 sounds fair for a leftover. You won't get much more bike for your money. It's always worth calling around to make sure nobody wants to beat that deal though.

Good luck!

 

[_JOE_]

Oh, and that 54 dollar plug? You can run that for a long time. It's not ever gonna foul out and is made for the conditions it's being subjected to.

 

[Kawi4life]

Well I'm glad to hear about there not being any major show stopping problems/defects with the 07 450, but vs the 07 KX 2-stroke? I just hope I wouldn't have to much of a problem adapting to the 4-stroke. I might pick the bike up as soon as tomorrow.... If anyone else wants to chime in with an opinion I'm all ears...

 

[ScottYZ250]

I find explaining the difference between a 250 two stroke and a 450 four stroke simple (for people who have never had a four stroke). The two stroke is like driving a stick shift car, while the four stroke is like driving an automatic. They'll go the same places, can do similar things, but different.

I also agree with everyone above, you won't be disappointed with the power! I gave up my 02YZ250 because once I bought my 04CRF450 (I always wanted to own both a two and four stroke), I never wanted to ride my YZ anymore...

Just my 2 cents.

 

[biglou]

I seem to remember that they corner very well. And it might take a generic CR8E plug, but you'd have to look that up. They can be had for about $4. And you would have to try really hard to foul a plug, but it can be done. I've never had any trouble starting or restarting any of my 4-strokes (2001 YZ426, 2004 YZ450, and 2009 CRF450), hot or cold. All I ever changed on my YZF's was dropped the pilot jet to 42 in the summer, and if I remembered, bumped it to a 45 in the winter.

Power... Let's see, it's hard to describe the feeling of the 450's. Do you watch NHRA drag racing? It feels like you're launching one of the top fuel cars when you hammer the throttle, whether you're at a dead stop or already rolling. The available torque is enormous and addicting! And they will rev out, as well. Just be aware of engine braking the first few rides. Where the 2stoke would coast, the 4stroke will pitch you forward if you're not ready for it. That also applies in the air. If you have a good feel for what you're riding, you should have no problem.

As for the $5500, I'd say that is a pretty smokin' price. I think that's what I paid OTD for my 04 YZ450F.

And like Scott, I went from my YZ450 to a YZ250 2-stroke and rode it for 3-1/2 years and liked it fine. It was light, very quick, etc. I didn't really lose anything that I could tell to the 4-strokes in race starts, so maybe it's that crazy torque that brought me back! That, and the fact that the new red 450 is probably smaller than the first 250F's!

 

[biglou]

The NGK site only lists the 2006 plug, but it's one of the $4-5 ones. NGK PN CPR8EB-9.

 

[Kawi4life]

The kid said he dropped the bike over then it wouldn't start (trying for 2-weeks and couldn't figure it out). Said he tried starting it with starting fluid and that's when the bike shop told him that's when he probably fouled the plug then hit him up for $54 but didn't have them in stock at the time. I wasn't paying attention to the year of the bike, only that it was a CRF. The guy at the shop also seemed shocked at the price when he looked it up but said he was going to order a case of them anyway that they would need them in stock so it probably was for the newest 09?

Now back to my dilemma... I was up late last night reading and reading and reading... and it's like the more I read the more I don't even want any bike, lol. I wish some place close to home had a left over KX250 I'd just go get it. I have another Kawi dealer where I got my 04 I haven't called yet... you never know... they just might have one.

The main things that scare me with the 4-stroke is the all the intense maintenance stories I've been reading. I admit I am super-duper lazy when it comes to maintenance anymore. My last two KX250's where so easy.... clean the air filter when it got dirty and change the crankcase oil every now and then - never even had to replace the top ends in either bike.

The thought of having to load the bike up, take it to the dealer to have the valves checked every 15 hours kinda has me turned off when my last two bikes where virtually maintenance and headache free which I find highly ironic because when I was a kid I was always talked out of the 2-stroke because they where suppose to be such high maintenance. Irony at its finest, lol.

I actually did blast up and down the trails on the 06KX450f the day my friend brought his bike down to show me. It was actually brand spankin' new (first day of riding it). Some things I noticed over my KX250 where....

• Throttle response down low was instant....almost too much bottom end, lol.
  
• Got to top speed too fast and didn't seem all that fast on top-end. Actually felt like it had a lower top speed than the KX250. (4-speed?)
  
• Front wheel would come off the ground easily with even the slightest amount of throttle - at low speed, or near wound out it didn't matter. Twisting the throttle and lifting the front tire was as responsive as turning a volume control on a stereo system.
  
• The bike felt very top-heavy and didn't turn nearly as sharp as the KX250. I really didn't like the top heavy feel, this was the one of the worst things I didn't like about it.
  
• The rear suspension felt "goofy". A little strip of whoops the rear wanted to swap around back-n-forth where my KX250 tracked perfectly straight pinned-and-wound-out and you where barely aware you riding over bumps. But I don't think that is/was a 4-stroke thing because my 01 RM250 also had goofy and unstable suspension on full speed/small whoops and also liked to swap around back and forth. This is the second worse thing I didn't like about it.

I think I'm reading and thinking too much into it... I think I'm going to get the 4-stroke and It will spark some new interest in riding with being a totally new experience for me where as going from a KX250 to a KX250 to a KX250... I didn't ride my last bike that much because I think I was simply bored with having the same basic bike all the time and was too much in a comfort zone with it. I think I need to get something new, fresh, and challenging to spark up my riding interest again. :nod:

I remember the first time I rode a 2-stroke. I had a 1990 DR100 and my friend let me ride his old 1986 KX80 and it was so different (in a good way) it's still one of my most exciting riding experiences ever. My friend couldn't get me off his bike and I wound up buying it from him and rode 2-strokes every since. I think it's that time again to try something totally new and exciting instead of the same-old same-old.

 

[Kawi4life]

Welp... The hunt is over, I picked the 450f today. :nod:

 

[_JOE_]

Well...........where's the pics!!! :think: :nener:

Congrats! Let us know how you like the thumper. :cool: :ride:

 

[Kawi4life]

Well...........where's the pics!!! :think: :nener:

Congrats! Let us know how you like the thumper. :cool: :ride:

It was dark when I got home because I went straight from the dealer to visit my grandfather in the nursing home and I didn't leave him till after 8pm. I can take a picture of the owners manual and the spoke wrench tonight if you want, lol. :laugh: I'll have pics of the bike tomorrow but I don't plan on riding it till the snow melts and it dries up good.

 

[Kawi4life]

Ok here's the forensic evidence, lol.

As you can see there's snow and ice on the ground so I wont be riding it until everything melts and dries up good. I really wanted to wait another month to get a bike but deals like this are scarce around here (I've been trying all over the place for a couple weeks now) and didn't want to lose out on a good deal so I got it even with the crappy riding weather knowing I'll have to wait to ride it. :debil:

 

[biglou]

I waited four weeks and finally had to ride mine in 39degrees and sleet the day after Thanksgiving last year. And have had one ride since!

 

[Kawi4life]

I waited four weeks and finally had to ride mine in 39degrees and sleet the day after Thanksgiving last year. And have had one ride since!

Heh, that's cool. I'm just glad knowing I have a bike once again to ride when I want to. I knew last fall when I sold my bike it was a mistake and I probably wouldn't last six months without getting another one, lol. :laugh: The other week we had 63 degree weather and it was dry and hearing all the bikes and quads riding past my house on the tracks was driving me up a wall, lol.

This is actually the first time the rest of the family didn't give me flack about buying a bike and where actually glad I finally found a affordable deal to get me back on a bike after seeing what I was going through the last two weeks searching and searching talking about it non-stop, heh. :cool: Heck, when I go to visit my 85 year old grandfather in the nursing home he would keep asking me if I found a bike yet, lol, and he used to give me the most flack about buying playtoys and hanging onto money but I guess he'd rather see his grandson happy then some-what miserable, heh. :laugh: