Cost of rebuilding 2 stroke vs 4 stroke

AllOver · Feb 19, 2007

Hey all,
I'm going to be getting a dirt bike come May or August, but I'm undecided. All things equal, I would get the YZ250F without thinking twice, but I am concerned about future costs. How much would it cost to rebuild the 250F engine as opposed to a 250 two stroke? I know 2 stroke is cheaper to rebuild, just by how much? I'll be using this bike mainly as a trail bike, but I will also use it for some racing here and there. I should count on doing a rebuild how often? (4 stroke vs. 2 stroke) I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, but certainly not enough to rebuild an engine. Thanks for info.

oldguy · Feb 19, 2007

It all depends on what you call a rebuild. On my sons 250F the preseason valve train, topend, timing chain, and general going thru everything else runs about $400. A 250 2 stroke for a topend and general going over is around $125 and I can do it in my garage.
A total engine grenade you are looking at probably $1500+ for the 4 stroke.

2 strokes for life · Feb 19, 2007

A hole blown engine rebuild on a 250 2 stroke is affordable and one on a 450F is an arm, leg, and more if you can stand it.

oldguy · Feb 19, 2007

2 strokes for life said:
A hole blown engine rebuild on a 250 2 stroke is affordable and one on a 450F is an arm, leg, and more if you can stand it.

Exactly why I wish my son would go back to 2 strokes

AllOver · Feb 20, 2007

"A total engine grenade you are looking at probably $1500+ for the 4 stroke."

I know that no one can say for sure how long an engine takes to get "grenaded", but generally speaking I could get at least 3 years out of an engine before a full blown rebuild? I will be doing some racing on the bike, but it will be in the entry level classes, so it's not like I'll be racing the bike as hard as possible every single weekend.

Thanks for the input so far, helps me out tons in my decision.

oldguy · Feb 20, 2007

AllOver said:
I know that no one can say for sure how long an engine takes to get "grenaded", but generally speaking I could get at least 3 years out of an engine before a full blown rebuild? .

You could get 3 years or 3 minutes. There is no set timeline.

By not revving the bike to the limits will help longevity and so will very regular maintanance.

Justin 250 · Feb 20, 2007

I was told by the guys at yamaha that as long as you change your oil and keep your filter clean you should never have to rebuild your motor. I was also told by the yamaha crew that as of 2008 all 2 strokes will be gone and everything will be 4 stroke, well at least for dirtbikes anyway. Think theres any truth to that.?

-Justin-

trial_07 · Feb 20, 2007

Yamaha obviously wants your bike in their garage, and wants your money ;) There is obviously more than that, or else I wouldn't be so poor...

oldguy · Feb 20, 2007

Justin 250 said:
I was told by the guys at yamaha that as long as you change your oil and keep your filter clean you should never have to rebuild your motor. I was also told by the yamaha crew that as of 2008 all 2 strokes will be gone and everything will be 4 stroke, well at least for dirtbikes anyway. Think theres any truth to that.?

-Justin-

almost as true as the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US dollar ;) . The guys at Yamaha were giving you a pretty good sales pitch.
Yes you have to change your oil and filter but don't forget adjusting valves, replacing the timg chain, new valves when the OEM wear out, ......... it doesn't end soon
Yes they are dependeble but they need regular (often not cheap) maintanance.
I have been told by the guys I know at Yamaha they plan to make 2 strokes as long as people will buy them.

trial_07 · Feb 20, 2007

Off-topic, but how much does Honda OEM valves cost for a CRF 250? Is there a sort of guide or article here on DRN on how to replace or adjust valves?

2 strokes for life · Feb 21, 2007

Justin 250 said:
I was told by the guys at yamaha that as long as you change your oil and keep your filter clean you should never have to rebuild your motor. I was also told by the yamaha crew that as of 2008 all 2 strokes will be gone and everything will be 4 stroke, well at least for dirtbikes anyway. Think theres any truth to that.?

-Justin-

That is what they want you to think so that you buy a new liquid cooled race MXer they can charge you too much to rebuild it for you. As for the 2 stroke thing, Yamaha said they might call it quits as of 2008 along with Kawasaki. But remeber that KTM just did a hole new engine for there 250 2 stroke. Canada will not be allowed 2 strokes of 2010. That means no new 2 strokes but the old ones will have a grandfather title.

1BAD250 · Feb 21, 2007

for the fun factor you cant even compair the 250f to a 250 2 stroke, my uncle just bought a 07 honda250f & when i road it i was amazed to find that these new bikes are not what everyone says they are , i used to have a xr250r & to me the only thing i can tell difrent is the weight ,& as for the 450f being so badazz ha my buddy scott has had a yzf450 for a little more than a year now & he still has trouble keeping up with me i mean i do have a lot of mods done to my bike but, even when we switch bike just having fun i can feel the diffrance it only pulls so far then have to shift & once in 4th or 5th gear the fun factor is gone thats not the same with my yz250 dont matter if your in 4th or 5th you crack the throtle & the front tire is in the air or youy have a awesome 70mph power wheely, all im saying is i expereanced the feel of the new f serise bikes & i stll dont see what everyone likes about them....GO 2 STROKE SAVE MONEY,HAVE MORE FUN... :cool:

KX250Dad · Feb 21, 2007

We had a 2005 RMZ250, ran great 2/3 its first race season and other than standard affordable maintenance no real post purchase headaches. Then the fun, realizing time for the top to be freshen it pretty much just fell apart, and became unrealiable. All said and done,1000+ not to mention the 300+ prior realizing the press fit intake timing sprocket rotated ever so slightly on the cam... needed some mechanical Viagra to figure this issue out. Point being, with a little experience anyone can trouble shoot a two stroke, the 4F's it appears to me are still being tweaked annually by the manufacturer. All said and done I've read here on DRN the annual maintenance cost ratio comparision 4F opposed to 2T is 3-5:1 respectively.

We wound up full circle and back to two strokes for no other reason than we like the technology, we still compete and with the 144 2T things are getting closer to equal now it's back to skill winning the race. Younger fellows listen up! You decide what bike you like, you decide whether 2T or 4F, who cares if brand X,Y, or Z no longer makes 2T's, and most of all just because some other rider has a 2T or 4F don't feel you have to follow. On the track it doesn't matter what others think, in our case it was pretty cool being the only 2T in a gate of 4F's Better than that afterwards common respect led to great conversation... and no the 2T wasn't last... simply put it was competitive and it was fun.

kawicam250 · Feb 21, 2007

all the dealers that i talk to always make it out like the 2T are gone next year or the year after, but they never do. Kawasaki is still putting out their KX100 which is a good thing because the only other 100 2T is a KTM as of 2007( im pretty sure they dropped the 105SX from either 04-06 or 05-06 and then brought it back in 07'). Suzuki stopped making their RM65, but KTM and Kawasaki are still making their 65's. 2T's still have a good few more years before they stop. KTM is still making advancements to all of their 2T's, as well as their 4T's. KTM still has all of those odd-2T's. 200, 300, 380, etc. on-topic here, a while back, someone( maybe Okie or Rich) said that someone ran a test to see how much a 125 vs. 250F costs to maintain hourly, including oil, gas, lube, etc. the 125 was $10 per hour, but the 250F was double.

actual mechanic · Feb 27, 2007

Justin 250 said:
I was told by the guys at yamaha that as long as you change your oil and keep your filter clean you should never have to rebuild your motor. Think theres any truth to that.?-Justin-

Never is not a word some people should use.. it will definitely make your engine last as long as possible as will not holding it on the rev limiter, but it will at some stage require attention. :ride:

actual mechanic · Feb 27, 2007

trial_07 said:
Off-topic, but how much does Honda OEM valves cost for a CRF 250? Is there a sort of guide or article here on DRN on how to replace or adjust valves?

Replacing valves is something better left to the experts as there are some special tools needed, eg seat cutting/lapping tools. The valves cost about $A110 (sorry don't know conversion rate) :cool:

Britt Boyette · Feb 27, 2007

actual mechanic said:
Never is not a word some people should use.. it will definitely make your engine last as long as possible as will not holding it on the rev limiter, but it will at some stage require attention. :ride:

Four things that will help you get the max life from a 4 stroke are Clean airfilter, change the oil often, check the valves every 1 hours, and.... stay the hell off the rev limiter. Bottom line, if you you want a 4 stroke, it will cost you more to play. Can't afford it? There's plenty of used 2 strokes out there and will be for years to come.

SpeedyManiac · Feb 27, 2007

2 strokes for life said:
Canada will not be allowed 2 strokes of 2010. That means no new 2 strokes but the old ones will have a grandfather title.

Source?

funfactor1 · Feb 28, 2007

2-strokes will be around as long as people are willing to buy them. :)

Chili · Feb 28, 2007

2 strokes for life said:
Canada will not be allowed 2 strokes of 2010. That means no new 2 strokes but the old ones will have a grandfather title.

Please research things before you open your mouth to spew out some crap you heard elsewhere on the internet.

Cost of rebuilding 2 stroke vs 4 stroke

AllOver

oldguy

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AllOver

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Justin 250

trial_07

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1BAD250

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actual mechanic

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funfactor1

Chili

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Cost of rebuilding 2 stroke vs 4 stroke

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