Switch From 4 Back to 2-stroke?

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bclapham

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Nov 5, 2001
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Note to self: dont buy a used thumper, especially not one from Shig.

also, Big Kudos to MXA- anyone read the latest copy, everyone bags on these guys, but to their credit, they turn up and race nearly everyweek of the year, rain or shine (it does rain in SoCal once in a while).

They (as I) have seen numerous thumpers with less than a season on them go bang at the races. Not just the pros, every class from beginner up as seen a few of these thumpers go bang. Of course, we;ve seen a few smokers go also.

the only difference, is that the guys on smokers went to see the Wiseco man that races with us, gave him a hundred bucks and were back racing the next week. Most of the thumper guys werent seen again for weeks or months- major repair costs, lack of parts from so many bikes blowing up and back logs at the local repair shops- yes there are back logs, most people understandably dont want to touch these bikes and there is more expense.

F- the thumpers, they sound like arse and are driving the cost of racing through the roof.
 

motojonny

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Nov 18, 2003
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Shig,

I'll be playing in Grand Junction on the YZ and Mt bike this weekend but thanks. Good luck at Erie! What Class do you ride? I did one RMXA race at Craig. Rode Sr B after taking some time off from MX. 450's rocked on that long start, but I played catchup and finished 2nd overall.

I found the following in MXA, August issue, p.54, which backs up what we both feel to some degree;

Cheaper to Maintain
"Four stroke cost more to own. Don't get us wrong, they are cheaper on a race to race basis because they require very little in the way of maintanance. But they are ticking time bombs. All race engines have a finite life span. Two strokes and four strokes will wear out when their duty cycle is up. But there is a major difference; When a two stroke wears out, you throw in a new piston and get back into action for less then $250. Not so with a four stroke. If it blows up at the end of it's service cycle, which is approxamatly two years, it will ding your wallet to the tune of $1000 to $3000."

For what it's worth, an informative article. Who knows, I'll probably want another 450 sometime in the next year or so. It's a sickness....New Bike Fever!

MJ
 

Shig

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Jan 15, 2004
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Amen brother! I guess I missed the 2-year service cycle by the skin of my teeth on the 02, phew!! I ride Vet A and Open A in RMXA, but I'm coming off a long lay-off. Those kickers in the terrain park at Keystone are hell on tibias and fibulas :( . What a great weekend to be in Junction, tear it up!

Oh, and Bclapham, you don't want any of my old 2-strokes either.
 
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DougRoost

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May 3, 2001
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Anyone else starting to think the excessive noise of the aftermarket thumper exhausts may be a carryover from the Harley craze? Maybe it's all part of a Harley Davidson conspiracy with the AMA...
 

bclapham

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Nov 5, 2001
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i dont know, but i just got off the phone with a friend that has had his hopes of qualifying the GH national crushed when his POS CRF450 blew up 10 minutes after getting it back from the shop.
 

Shig

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Jan 15, 2004
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:laugh: Clearly, I'm no mechanic...but maybe a longer break-in period is necessary
 

Shig

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Jan 15, 2004
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Sorry BC, my sincerest condolences to your friend. Maybe you could loan him your RM.
 

bclapham

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Nov 5, 2001
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LOL- thought about that, i would if it was for a couple of motos at a local race, but any bike will be trashed after a national, especially the way this guy rides.
 

Studboy

Thinks he can ride
Dec 2, 2001
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The cost of the thumpers doesn't bother me because I don't own one, but the noise really does. Everybody here has some 100+ decibal pipe with probably no packing in it. At the sand dunes, you can honestly hear 1 4-Stroke bike over 3 2-Stroke bikes running up the hill. :(
 

steve125

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Oct 19, 2000
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I agree! The excessive noise of the 4 stroke is doing more harm to the sport, than a little oil mixed with the gas, will ever do to the environment.

Not to mention todays high performance 4 strokes require both(oil changes) and burn their fair share of oil also. The worst of both worlds. Excessive noise and oil consumption.
 
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crazyYammi

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Aug 31, 2004
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The torque argument is such a bunch of crap. Why dont they do dyno graphs of a two stroke with someone properly feathering the clutch?
 

mxer842

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Nov 11, 2003
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crazyYammi said:
The torque argument is such a bunch of crap. Why dont they do dyno graphs of a two stroke with someone properly feathering the clutch?

Funny, a guy on a 125 is going to have to be flicking the clutch, running a gear lower, and grabbing them fast to keep up with me; all the while I just roll on the power coming out of a hairpin in 3rd :yeehaw:

The only way a two-stroke is going to be faster than a four is if the rider is a hyperactice 13 y.o. who hasn't had his Ritalin.
 

YZ165

YZabian
May 4, 2004
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crazyYammi said:
The torque argument is such a bunch of crap. Why dont they do dyno graphs of a two stroke with someone properly feathering the clutch?

Couldn't they do the same thing with a four stroke? Clutch works the same way. :clue:
 

mxer842

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Nov 11, 2003
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YZ165 said:
Couldn't they do the same thing with a four stroke? Clutch works the same way. :clue:

Technically yes, but the power is so broad that it isn't neccessary unless you make a serious mistake in the corner.
 

YZ165

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May 4, 2004
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mxer842 said:
Technically yes, but the power is so broad that it isn't neccessary unless you make a serious mistake in the corner.

Did you happen to notice what kind of bike I ride? Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? Mr. crazyyammi said that a two-stroke would have more torque if someone would feather the clutch while on the dyno. I said you could do the same thing(feather the clutch) if you were on a four stroke, on a dyno. Get it?
Do you happen to have a buddy named Rob1111?
 

Rob1111

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Aug 15, 2004
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YZ165 said:
Do you happen to have a buddy named Rob1111?

Ok umm I didn't have anything to do with this conversation. Why would you bring me up? I made a mistake and your gonna flame me after someone else makes a mistake? I appreciated you showing me my mistake and correcting it so I understood what was wrong, but why would you bring me up?
 

YZ165

YZabian
May 4, 2004
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That was before you and I talked. It was a joke, and it won't happen again, provided you don't deserve it. ;)
 

KX02

Member
Jan 19, 2004
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Uh, another way a 2 stroke can be way faster than a 4 stroke is if the two bikes have the same displacement. Have you seen anybody riding a 125cc four stroke and smoking 125cc 2 strokes lately?
 

vic580

Member
May 9, 2002
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Three things about 4 strokes,hard hot starting,maintainence and noise! CR500's forever! :aj:
 

Chris_S

Member
Nov 25, 2002
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crazyYammi said:
The torque argument is such a bunch of crap. Why dont they do dyno graphs of a two stroke with someone properly feathering the clutch?

Using the clutch will only lower tq. at any given rpm...it simply allows the engine to spin up to the meatier part of the powerband quicker.
 

gwcrim

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Oct 3, 2002
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Chris is right about the clutch dyno thing. Slipping the clutch will lose power, not gain.
 

mxer842

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Nov 11, 2003
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YZ165 said:
Did you happen to notice what kind of bike I ride?

Yes, but your attitude and disrespect is far more noticeable. :clue:
 
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