The Four Stroke Must Die In This Lifetime


BoneBuster

Member
Apr 22, 2001
49
0
Before any of u 4 strokers start to flame my a**, I didn't write this, I found the following article at http://www.johnnyairtime.com/the_four_stroke_must_die_in_this_lifetime.htm. Thought some of u 2 and 4 strokers might get a kick out of reading it

----------------
The Four Stroke Must Die In This Lifetime

When engines were first created, they didn't produce much power. They were heavy. They had too many moving parts.
They were called four strokes.

As time passed, engineers figured out how to design an engine to do the same job with half the effort and produce twice the power from the same displacement. The new engine was much lighter. It had very few moving parts. It did everything the four stroke couldn't do.

They called it a two stroke.

The two stroke rapidly showed its superiority by dominating racing, including motocross and road racing. Now they keep two strokes away from the four strokes in road racing, because they run lap times 3 or 4 seconds faster.

When jumping a four stroke, the rider will discover that a four stroke lands very hard. Its mass, changing direction abruptly upon landing, just feels bad, like landing while riding and hanging onto a huge log. Flatlanding a four stroke is an exercise in pain management. Heavy bikes just land hard.

There's something about a light bike when jumping...it lands more sweetly than a motorized anvil. Jumping is a violent thing, and we need all the help we can get to take the curse off of those brutal landings.

In motocross racing, four strokes sometimes get the holeshot if conditions are slippery. The fun is over after that, when the rider tries to hang on to a bucking, bouncing, farting refrigerator known as a four stroke. You'll notice that four stroke riders in motocross usually tire, fade and get consumed by two strokes like a hog getting consumed by tigers.

The rider might try to continue going fast after being totally exhausted by the four stroke, but arm pump will make the bars rip out of his hands, sending him splattering headlong in a clumsy, unflattering and embarrassing manner.

Then his grim tasks are in front of him, looming like a snarling bear. First task: pick the bike up. If the rider is wearing the requisite back brace, weightlifting belt and kidney belt, maybe he will survive the first test without requiring sacroiliac surgery.

Then the hard part: starting the engine back up. As we know, four strokes don't like to start after they fall down. They're like temperamental Baby Hueys. Big, fat and they don't do what you want them to do.

So the rider kicks the four stroke and kicks it - not the bike, but the kickstarter. Kicking the bike itself comes a little later.

If you've ever kickstarted a four stroke, you'll know it's the yuckiest feeling in the world. It feels like you're pushing your leg down into a mud bog or a huge fruitcake, then it's hard to lift your leg back up. Why? Because four strokes suck! Do this 20 or 30 times after falling during a lung-busting moto and you'll certainly know what leg pump is.

What could be worse? I'll tell you what's got to be the worst. Having a four stroke that's always hard to start is hell on earth. Of course I don't know firsthand.

So let's review. Four strokes are heavy. Two strokes are light. When jumping, four strokes land like a sack of snot. Two strokes land like a feather. Four strokes don't produce much power for their size and weight. Two strokes produce a lot of power for their size and weight. Four strokes have many moving parts that wear out, like valves, chains, cams, etc. Two strokes don't have valves, chains or cams. Four strokes make a rider very tired on the track. Two strokes don't tire the rider as much. Four strokes are temperamental and hard to start after they fall. Two strokes start back up quickly and finish the job. Four strokes sound like loud, obnoxious flatus. Two strokes have a pleasant tone.

Next thing you know, the same ignominious individuals who push the four stroke on us will be trying to sell us on steam engines, and an old industry will be re-born, along with all the hop-up shops that will spring up, claiming to make the steam engine compete with a two stroke. Like the four stroke hop-up industry, it will be all about making money from fools who want to turn a pig's ear into a silk purse.

Those who try to ban two strokes should be forced to kickstart four strokes 8 hours a day, work on rebuilding four stroke top ends 8 more hours a day and race 24 hour motocross races on the weekends with a four stroke.

Yes, the four stroke must die in this lifetime. Trying to revive the four stroke is a sick, twisted endeavor, kind of like keeping a vegetable on life support and trying to make him do jumping jacks.

Hopefully my kids grow up to see a world of two strokes, with a ramp in every garage and a two stroke in every pickup truck. I wanted to pass on the gift of riding to them, so I just bought a Honda Z-50 for the kids to learn on.

Oh NO...it can't be true...

I BOUGHT A FOUR STROKE!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!
 
Last edited:

Jamir

I come and go
Aug 7, 2001
1,939
0
Who ever penned this is an obvious idiot! This would have been try ten years ago. First of all, I had a 98 YZ250. That thing landed a jump like a ton of bricks. My 400 is nice and smooth, everytime! If the guy does not like 4 strokes, he has every right to choose not to buy one. That is all! There is no need to rant about how they should be put out to pasture. Doug Henry more than proved that the four stroke can be a condtender in the two stroke world. I am sure that Honda will prove that this year also.

As far as kicking them forever. I have had had to kick my 400 the same amount of times that I did with my 250. Oh, the comment about spending time rebuilding the top end of a four stroke. Why? I don't plan on doing that for a few more years. By then, I will probably be buying the RMF400!
 

nephron

Dr. Feel Good
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jun 15, 2001
2,552
0
Hey thunder Dowd didn't look too bad on the mighty 520 this year either

....for the holeshot & first 2 turns. Wow, awesome. After that--bye bye.:silly:

From what I could see, the 2 most successful 4 stroke riders this year were Ferry & Ward. I think the key with those 2 was their strength, & resistance to fade. Unfortunately, Wardy in particular, had several mechanical issues. I can remember one time when a Pro Circuit powered 2 stroke flew right by him up a hill while he was billowing tons of blue smoke. They said: air box hole. Hmmm--I don't know much about that one. Seems when I pull the aircleaner off the 950 DP I don't see a lot of smoke...:think

I love 4 strokes, don't get me wrong. But when they are at their pinnacle, it's gonna cost the average joe bookoo dinero. You're going to be looking at special weight-saving alloy cases, motors designed to run better without crank counterbalancers, probably closed loop fuel injection, titanium top-end components--you name it. I may be wrong, but that's the way I see it.

I for one just think it would be easier to apply a bit of thought to the premix issue & design an oiling process that does not result in so much smoke. It's kind of analogous to the AK-47 vs. M-16 issue. The AK's success was spawned by SIMPLICITY , and has proven one of the most longlasting and efficient designs available. Unfortunately, we're being pushed toward complexity by outside forces--namely the tree huggers.:mad:
 

Top Bottom