i am in a real dilemma here and need advice. i used to ride 250f's, a 02 yzf and a 04 crf, i loved them both, but when the crf started having top end problems i decided to switch back to a two stroke and bought a 05 yz125. well, it was fun for the first few rides, but i wasn't long before i started to miss the torque of the thumpers, and to be quite honest, i'm sick of this bike and what some thing else now. can you 200sx owners give me a little insight about the bike? how would you explain the power of the 200sx, someone told me it is like having a 250 engine in a 125 frame is this true? does this bike have the ability to be lugged at all? and information would be greatly appreciated.
questions for 200sx owners
- Thread starter JustinC
- Start date
jackdrinker
Member
- Apr 11, 2003
- 431
- 0
I'm in this same boat for an 06' bike except it's the 200XC-w or 400E/XC...
I was just at Detroit Eurocycle looking around...
I'm coming off of an 03' RM250 set up for woods....
I was just at Detroit Eurocycle looking around...
I'm coming off of an 03' RM250 set up for woods....
Well, it doesn't have the breath of power of a 250, but a lot more mid-top than 125 for the most part. It dosen't like to be lugged around, it's got a viscous hit with the power value set for MX. You can adjust the power value some to reduce the hit, I added a fly wheel weight and 3 teeth on the back. It's light, real fast and great for MX, good woods bike after some minor changes. Just depends on how you ride...trying to sell mine, went to the thumper.....
Joe
Joe
I have an 03 - it is a lot different than a 4 stroke. Drepends on what type of riding you are going to do. For MX it is really fun, has a zappy engine. However it can be a handful when the track is wet. They can be set up as a good woods bike - that is what Dick Burleson rides. You will probably need to smooth out the engine by adjusting the PV and and adding a FWW.
The bikes come stock with really rich jetting low and mid. Getting this right will have an affect on low end. The stock suspension needs work also.
Mine has been very durable so far though - a top end costs $150.
The bikes come stock with really rich jetting low and mid. Getting this right will have an affect on low end. The stock suspension needs work also.
Mine has been very durable so far though - a top end costs $150.
elf
Member
- Jun 7, 2003
- 695
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The 200sx is like a 125 on steroids, more power every where. More low end than a 125 but not as much as a 250f.
But honestly its not going to feel as light as your yz 125, and the suspension...... might be almost as good as your previous bikes if you spend some money and time setting it up.
But honestly its not going to feel as light as your yz 125, and the suspension...... might be almost as good as your previous bikes if you spend some money and time setting it up.
elf nailed this one. My last bike was a 1999 yz144 Eric did. It was every bit as fast as my buddies 2001 yzf250. Even faster when I had traction. My 200sx would eat up my yz. The suspension needs a little work, but its really not bad just different. If you ride the bike like a 125 you'll be crazy fast. If you ride it like a 250 you'll be slow for a 250. The bike can be made to feel more like the 125 or 250 with some easy changes. You can jump up 3 teeth in the rear and pretty much throw first and second gears away. I've also tried and exc pipe and shortened the stock silencer for indoor use and it was really snappy. It really hit hard, but didn't feel like a tractor like a 250 nor as smooth as a 4t. Just light fast fun. Very fast.
- Thread starter
- #11
thanks for all of your responses guys, i totally forgot about the thread. i am so confused when i comes to what bike to buy. one minute i want to keep my 125 and have eric gorr build a 144, next i want a another 250f, then i start thinking about a 250 two stroke, it's like a constant cycle. i really love 250f's, but i am alway worried about them blowing up, even if i bought another yamaha which seem to be the most reliable, there is no guarantee it wont drop a valve or something, and if it did i could never afford to fix it.
- Thread starter
- #13
elf, under the bikes you have listed you have an 05 200sx, did ktm make a 200sx in 05? i called some dealers in my area to see if any of them had any 04's left, the salesman at the one dealer said he a had an 05 left. i end arguing with this guy over it.
No, elf was just able to do something I've been toying around with in my mind for a while now. Read his thread on the conversion. As far as the 200sx goes I feel the suspension could be better. In all honesty though I've never ridden a bike that has had the suspension done by a professional so I don't know how bad it really is or isn't. I do feel the bike doesn't feel balanced all the time and the front end does tend to push or understeer. Some of this could just be how I ride too. One thing that really does bother me about this bike is that it's almost to narrow. Now I know why McGrath and Langston ran aluminum tanks. They needed more width to squeeze with their legs. I have to force myself to keep my knees back further to grip the sides of the seat instead of the tank and shrouds.
overthebars
Member
- Jul 9, 2005
- 8
- 0
I think it is a bit of an overstatement to say a KTM 200sx has the power of a 250, but not excessively so. By adjusting the powervalve & choosing the different pipes, the ktm200 can be have a great bottom end with a fair top end, or a fair bottom end with a really decent top end, but it is hard to get both like you can with a lot of 250 strokes. But it will run away from any 125, particularly on the bottom end.
But the bike is about the size and weight of a 125, which makes the compromise in power of a 250 worth it, in my opinion.
Tom H
But the bike is about the size and weight of a 125, which makes the compromise in power of a 250 worth it, in my opinion.
Tom H
- Thread starter
- #17
elf said:
no, you didn't cause the argument, the guy at the dealership did. when we were on the phone, he said that the 200sx he had was an 05 model, when i told him that ktm discontinued the 200sx after 04 he told me i was wrong. it really wasn't much of an argument, i eventually just said, "ok, your right" just to shut him up.
I was just wondering now that the 200sx is extinct and the 125cc class is pretty close. I wonder if KTM might produce a 144sx. They always seem to have a model for every situation. I bet that would be a kickass bike. I would probably have to ditch my 200sx. Just a thought.
- Thread starter
- #20
i thought i read somewhere that ktm is concidering building something along the line of a 144sx since the ama is allowing 144's in the 125 class now. either that or they might have an optinal kit available to buy that consists of a larger cylinder and a modded head and pv.