Stuck in the Middle - XR - CR - CRF

[DougTx]

1) Your physical size (both height and weight are important) 6'2", 255lbs
2) How physical / aggressive are you ? Mild to medium
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ????? Trails, Park, Motorcross track is lot's of fun but nothing nuts, pretty mild having fun on track.
4) Do you have any riding experience? lots when I was younger, about 1 year recently
5) Do you think you will race ? Never
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work? Some yes, top ends and such probably not.
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)? I like Honda, on 2 vs four I have had both recently and the hit of my CR250 was way to quick and violent.
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry? All of them are close. Dallas, Tx
9) How much ($) do you plan to spend on a bike? $3500 or so, more for the right bike if I find a real nice one
10) Do you live in California? No thank God...
11) Your age? 38
12) anything else that you think would help form an opinion
Ok, I first bought an 02 XR400, loved it except I started riding the track and it was raked short and NOT meant for jumping. I loved the smooth delivery of power and control but it was a tank and before I spent $600 to $1k getting the bike suspension setup for riding more like I want I instead bought a 2001 CR250. It handled great, much lighter and rode fine. I liked it. Ok I had real problems with the delivery of power. I guess I have heard it called "pipey" but it was a normal two stroke at idle and ran great, once you got into the power band it was violent and hard for me to control. I tried riding it for a while but it was hard for me to stay on center and in the attack position because if I chopped it I would shift and when it hit, I would shift. I loved the bike but the delivery of power was just to "on/off" if that makes sense.
So I sold it and got out fine, in fact just great. Now I am looking at a CRFX50X (first X meaning I am trying to decide 250 or 450). Ideally I would love the ride of the CR with the smoother power delivery of the XR. Is the CRF(X) the right bike? 250 or 450? I will pay to have the bike setup for me either way but I really want to get settled in on a bike before I spend money on making it mine. I have no desire to race but I love to ride and jump around and sometimes putter after my wife on her 4 wheeler. The Electric start seems like a dang fine idea also. I have ridden the XR for 30-40 minutes at a pretty quick (for me) pace on the track and made a mistake and washed out or high-sided it and was tired and kicking that beast was not really that much fun even tuned right. So big power is not my concern. I would be fine if the 250X made power like my 400 and am concerned that the 450x would just be more of the same a#$ whopping the CR250 gave me :)

Anyway you guys have helped me out on my last two bikes. My only regret is selling the XR400, no matter that I made money on it, I would keep it because for bullet proof riding and puttering around on the trails it was really unmatched but I am hoping the CRF(X) will offer me the best of both worlds?

Thanks to all and le me know your thoughts...

Doug in TX

 

[jb_dallas]

Thats a tough one. I would imagine with your size, a 250F would leave you wanting more. I would probably go with a 450. Depending on how much trail riding vs track riding you plan on doing, that would determine which model. For example, a 450F (MX bike) vs a 450X which is more of a trail bike. Either way, whether you go Yamaha, Honda, Kawi, or Suzuki the new generation 4 stroke is a very high maintenance machine. They are not like your XR400 which is more of a "change the oil every month and ride it" kind of bike. I had an XR500 for many years and never touched the engine, my YZ400F is nothing like the XR. I would be careful buying certain years of the 450F/X as they tend to be higher maintenance than other models because of their weak valve train design. I have never owned a CR450F, but there are many many threads on this topic. You can read more about that on this site. Bottom Line - If you dont like performing regular maintenance, dont buy a new generation 4 stroke.

 

[Chili]

Doug I hadn't ridden much over the last 5 years and when I did I found my 250 2 stroke to be a bear to hold onto or control, especially if traction was poor. Rode my son's 250F and was instantly hooked on the 4 stroke advantage. I did find a 250F to feel a bit weak and opted for an 09 KX450F. The 450 has enough power to scare the bejeezus out of you BUT it doesn't hit like the 2 stroke and seems far easier for me to handle than a 250 smoker. Given that the off-road models will be more tame I'd suggest the CRF450X, WR450F or the KLX450F.