I had this same dilemma a few weeks back. I was urging to get another bike and have been riding 2-stroke MX bikes exclusively since 1991 - had bad experiences with 4-strokes when I was a kid (they where too low on power and clunky handling compared to my friends 2-stroke MX bikes that gave me that "roller coaster thrill ride" rush I just couldn't get enough of and didn't have to worry about breaking a vertebrae off a two foot jump, lol.)
I was so close to having a brand new 07 KX250 leftover shipped to me, then I found a deal (or as I should say, steal) for invoice out the door on a leftover 07 KX450f and so far with a mix of trail riding and a little MX track today I couldn't be happier with it. It actually re-sparked my riding hobby more than I thought - I've been riding it sat & sun every weekend where my last bike (04 KX250) just seemed to sit in the shed for months at a time - I already can't wait to take it out riding tomorrow. Just the fact that it's different and not the same old KX250 I owned like six times in a row just makes riding much more exciting and interesting, lol.
It's a 4-stroke which in the past I always hated (damned parents wouldn't get me a bike I wanted until 91 when they finally gave in - so I rode from 86 to 91 on crap I absolutely hated and wound up riding friends bikes more then my own, lol, I remember giving my one friend like 15 nintendo games just to borrow his KX80 for a weekend, hehe) - but anyway it's not the retarded DR's or XR's my stupid parents used to buy me when I was I kid that I hated so much. This new MX 4-stroke is just a rocketship! No boring power here (or handling for that matter) on the 07 KX450f! And the handling... I'm telling ya it's got to be one of the, if not thee smoothest handling bikes I've ever owned or ridden since 1986.
I honestly didn't know what to expect from it. Reading about the engine braking how you have to change your riding style etc... but to be honest with you, I don't feel I had to change my style at all. First jump I hit I stayed perfectly level, nothing felt out of the ordinary... People said they're too powerfull? (the 450s) but it feels just spot on perfect to me. I really couldn't ask for a better and more fun to ride bike. The bottom end torque is fun for lugging around lazy man style on the trails, but then you can go on the MX track and go balls to the wall F1 style....very versatile feeling machine, both power and handling wise.
I thought there was no way I was going to ever be happy with a 4-stroke which I grew up as a kid hating, but I'm glad I decided to try one of the new MX machines out instead of getting another of the same thing that I hate to admit, but was simply getting totally bored with.... As far as the 2-stoke is concerned, I would like to see both bikes sell so that way you could switch back and forth when you got bored of one or the other, lol. :nod:
johncon23 said:
Hi ive been doing some reasearch i have ownd 2 strokes my hole life been riding abought 10 years+.Im 175 pounds and i ride a 2003 cr 250r its a great bike lots of power.I am trying to figure out if its worth it to buy a 450 crf.I dont like the fact its a 4 speed.But is there anyone who can verify its worth the buy? :yikes:
Well I didn't like the 4-speed when I took a quick spin up and down the abandon train tracks with two of my friends YZF450 and 06 KX450f. I definitely missed a 5th gear for wide open runs and they definitely felt like they wound out too quick and I kept looking for a 5th gear, but my 07 KX450f is perfect with it's 5 speed. I would say get a 450 with 5 speed and try it out. You'll really never know until you have one of your own to try out real good.
gwcrim said:
That whole plug fouling issue on two strokes is such a crock of bull pooh. Jet it right and you'll never foul a plug.
And the whole '500s will put you in the emergency room' story is BS too. A little throttle control goes a long, long way.
Well said. :cool: