I've read some posts on here about the older bikes making just as much power as the new ones and it got me curious if that was true or not.... I got out some old MX magazines from the late 80's and looked at some of the dyno charts of a few bikes to see how they compare with the newer ones...
I was surprised at the difference...In MX bike terms the differences are huge..
The 1988 YZ250 made 36.2 hp.
1987 KX250 made 38.9 hp.
1987 CR250 made around 35 hp.
1987 CR125 made 25.2 hp.....125's now are making close to 34 hp (KTM).
250's are making around 46 hp or so...About a 10 hp difference which doesn't sound like much but that's a huge difference on a small bore 2 stroke..Not to mention the bikes today are about 12 lbs lighter...Some 125's are making close to what the 250's made back in the 80's....However, you have to admit that the torque of the 250 makes a big difference evem though peak hp numbers are close...
I was surprised at the difference...In MX bike terms the differences are huge..
The 1988 YZ250 made 36.2 hp.
1987 KX250 made 38.9 hp.
1987 CR250 made around 35 hp.
1987 CR125 made 25.2 hp.....125's now are making close to 34 hp (KTM).
250's are making around 46 hp or so...About a 10 hp difference which doesn't sound like much but that's a huge difference on a small bore 2 stroke..Not to mention the bikes today are about 12 lbs lighter...Some 125's are making close to what the 250's made back in the 80's....However, you have to admit that the torque of the 250 makes a big difference evem though peak hp numbers are close...