It's not the riders that are clamoring for 4T's and I think this pole proves it.bud said:Interesting result. I was thinking 4ts would outnumber 2ts 10:1 these days in the US... I'm sticking with my 2 strokes as well for the time being.
Harley_rider said:From a Mechanics point of view I prefer 4 strokes, they weigh more and have more moving parts in the engine which is a draw back for most people but, because of the oiling system they last longer and require less engine rebuilds.
Cheaper to operate and less polution because of no oil mix in the gas and uses less fuel because of not having an open port on the compression stroke.
Even with low compression can be started easy because of the valve system gives better compression.
I dont get to ride dirt though because all my dirt bike time and money is spent on my sons bike, so my 2 cents is strictly form working on engines for 27 years.
jaction125 said:I don't race so I really don't have a need for the competitve edge of a four stroke. :silly:
motometal said:While I respect your experience as a mechanic, I don't agree with all of your opinions. Regarding how long the engine lasts, take a look at Eric Gorr's suggestions on four stroke maint...any more than 30-50 hours without replacing parts, and you are asking for trouble. That's two hours a week average for 25 weeks. I've seen many 250 two strokes go way longer than that without any loss of compression or failures. No worries of wearing through thin coatings on the valves.
Never in my experence have I ever had to spend that much time on maintence on either a 2 or 4 stroke,
never had Valve problems because of any coatings, steel valves arent coated, most valves and seats can be reground to proper sealing and that is after years of use in most cases.
Not following you on the valves and ease of starting, go to any race and you can bet that the guy stuck in the corner kicking and swearing is on a four stroke, as opposed to the two stroke where it generally starts within a few kicks even if it was laying down for a while. Yes, the starting has gotten better, but still not equal.
From experence 2 stroke with 65 pounds of compression will not start, 4 stroke with 50 pounds will start.
The technology is out there to make two strokes very emissions friendly, look what they are doing with outboards. Properly designed exhaust with efficient scavenging forces that unburnt fuel right back in the chamber to be burnt, not out the tailpipe.
the oil mix is the main waste in 2 strokes, you burn 4 ounces per gallon of oil, in a 4 stroke in good condition with no leaks you only burn gas.
- - -
But I am not a dirt bike racer so my openion is strictly based on experence from working on engines and the frequency of major repairs.
4 strokes are much more complacated to work on but once you know how they are a piece of cake.
The main thing is if you find a bike you like and it gets the job done for you then you are all set, be it 2 or 4 stroke.