Time for a 250 2-smoke???

[SADude]

I currently ride a modified KDX200, it is the first bike I have ever owned. I have had it for almost a year, I bought it stock and in 3 months was doing things to it to make it more produce more power, torque and handle better. FMF pipe, Boyesen Reeds, air box mod, Jetting, fiddled with different gearing (13/49, 14/48, 13/47) and did a bit of suspension work.

The problem I have is one were if I run a 13/49 gearing, the torque is fairly good for the slow stuff, but to short to gain enough momentum for getting up those big long rutted hills were you need a bit of speed to skim over the ruts. If I run longer gearing it carries more momentum but not enough power for the slow steep hills and I end up clutching a lot and the bike gets a bit warm.

I weigh about 210lbs in my socks and quite close to 230 - 240 with kit on. I don't want a 4-stroke and I don't want a KTM as parts are too expensive. Which 250 will make a good trail bike, YZ, KX, RM, CR? I ride mainly with guys with 250's and all of them say that the KDX power is what is holding me back at the moment.

Please help, what do I get?

 

[ellandoh]

pick a color and a closest dealer and youll do well with any , although i am in favor of the cr for its smooth transition into the powerband which is predictable, controllable and i can still pick up speed while im way out of the powerband.

and btw once in the pb has the most hp . handling, fit and finish, suspension, reputation, and reliability are all factors that weigh in for me also

my 03 has been flawless so far :aj:

 

[tyesai]

pick a color and a closest dealer and youll do well with any , although i am in favor of the cr for its smooth transition into the powerband which is predictable, controllable and i can still pick up speed while im way out of the powerband.

and btw once in the pb has the most hp . handling, fit and finish, suspension, reputation, and reliability are all factors that weigh in for me also

my 03 has been flawless so far :aj:

I have an 04 CR250R and while I really like the bike I don't know about the smooth transition of power thing. My bike had little bottom end and with quite the top end surge, I did however put on a FMF Gnarly pipe, Power Core II silencer and the a 12 ounce flywheel weight on it. That seemed to make it much better on the trails, it took alot of the hit out of the bike and made it respond a little quicker. Fit and finish is good on the honda's but my plastic rubs into the frame and started making grooves into it so I had to fix that but my temp fix isn't working so I guess I am going to have to cut the plastic in the affected area. I do love the way that aluminum frame looks though.

 

[ellandoh]

I have an 04 CR250R and while I really like the bike I don't know about the smooth transition of power thing. My bike had little bottom end and with quite the top end surge, I did however put on a FMF Gnarly pipe, Power Core II silencer and the a 12 ounce flywheel weight on it. That seemed to make it much better on the trails, it took alot of the hit out of the bike and made it respond a little quicker. Fit and finish is good on the honda's but my plastic rubs into the frame and started making grooves into it so I had to fix that but my temp fix isn't working so I guess I am going to have to cut the plastic in the affected area. I do love the way that aluminum frame looks though.

02's and 04's are supposedly the worst for lack of bottom but i would have to say that most other makes feel like 125's in the fact that when theyre no where near the pb theyre anemic then when they hit the beginning of their pb its like a light switch and come on fully where my honda seems to get into the pb gradually like a slide switch .

where is this plastic problem???

 

[tyesai]

where is this plastic problem???[/QUOTE]
It rubs into the side of the frame where your legs kind of push into it. It does it on both sides but mine is worse on the right side. Here is a link to a post I have previously made, apparently I am not the only one.

http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=115499&highlight=cr250r+rubbing+frame


I have put some JB weld into it but aftere several more rides that doesn't seem to be working so I think I am just going to remove the offending plastic parts.

 

[tyesai]

The more I think about it the dumber I realize that comment is/was.

 

[SADude]

What about the YZ, they have been known for having big torque? And what about the RM, I hear one of the reasons RC went form Honda to Suzuki was because after riding the RM he realised how bad the CR's bottom end was. The new KX seems to be good as well, as it is the only two, stroke really being competitive with the 450's in the AMA Motocross. The guys don't even race the CR anymore it is all CRF's. Look I am not knock the Honda as I think they make the best 450 out there and the quality is really good. From the reviews I have read and the guys I have spoken to here in South Africa (SA), the CR just isn't quite up there in the torque stakes, so much so that I think this is one of the reasons that the guys have stopped bring them into SA this year. Yes I know about the emissions thing with 2-strokes and to be honest I think Honda are only to glad to get rid of 2-strokes, because of there inability to solve there bottom end torque problem.

I am not partial to any brand, I rode a Honda TRX400EX and almost bought a Yamaha Raptor, before I got the green machine KDX200, I love the look of the ali frame of the Honda, I think the YZ, KX and RM seems to have the best back up here were I stay, although it seems there are more KX and YZ being sold than anything else. The YZ because of its reputation and back up, and the KX because it is the best priced 250 out there and the backup is decent.

What do you think? The YZ is R58000 ($8,656), the KX is R48000 ($7,164), the RM is R53000 ($7,910).

Where are the blue green and yellow rider's comments, thanks the the red riders for there's thus far.

Cheers Paul

 

[n_w t_ b_kes]

Wow, why are the 250's priced so different? I say YZ or KX for trail riding. Those are the most i've seen that are converted to woods riding.

 

[SADude]

A lot of the time you pay for the Brand Name here in South Africa (Yamaha and KTM are big here in SA, Honda does well with there road bikes and Kawasaki and Suzuki and making good come backs) , there are other costs involved like import duties that get thrown in, the cost for the dealer to run the dealership plays a part and then they still need to make a profit. You don't even want to know how much a KTM 250 EXC costs!!! R65 000 ($9,701). A KTM300EXC will cost R69 000 ($10,298), I have a friend that has brought his own KTM 300 in and bypassed the dealer and he landed it here in SA for R48000 ($7,164), go figure. We pay a high price here for the hobbies we peruse. Cars and electrical equipment also cost a lot of money here, but there are things that are relatively cheep.

The best part about living here is the space and the places to ride. None of this green sticker red sticker nonsense.

Price of the bike not taken into account, what will be the better bike for the trail, YZ250 or KX250? I will be looking at anything from a 2004 - 2006 in these bikes. The price difference may sway me from getting a 2004 YZ to a 2005 KX, etc. as a year old YZ is about the price of a new KX, this will also apply with a 2005 YZ and a 2006 KX. If the YZ is that much better of a bike then I will take it, if not I will take the KX.

 

[n_w t_ b_kes]

I think you should get a kx250 if the price is that big for the yz. The yz will not have much advantage over the kx (if any) so just go with the kx.

 

[funfactor1]

The KX may be a good price but the resale sucks.When it comes to quality the yamahas are best.Go for the YZ250 it is a great trail bike as well as a mx bike.Great low end Mid and top power.You won't be dissapointed

 

[Ruff Rider]

The KX may be a good price but the resale sucks.When it comes to quality the yamahas are best.Go for the YZ250 it is a great trail bike as well as a mx bike.Great low end Mid and top power.You won't be dissapointed

Honestly, ive never noticed a difference in resale value between the two and in SA i dont think your observations carry any merrit.

 

[funfactor1]

Honestly, ive never noticed a difference in resale value between the two and in SA i dont think your observations carry any merrit.

Y :think: ou need to do a bit more research and you will find this is true. You will always get more for a blue or red bike and will sell it twice as fast.

 

[Ruff Rider]

Ok did a bit of reseach at kbb.com; year - 1999 250cc

1999 Honda 1680
1998 Suzuki 1555
1999 Yamaha 1665
1999 Kawasaki 1535

Ok so the price differs like $100. I still wouldnt make my decision based upon $100 if your gonna end up spending too much by having to drive really far for a dealer or spend a ton on shipping. In SADudes case, i dont think resale value should play too big of a factor in his decision.

 

[zcookie49]

I believe the new Yz's come with Protaper bars, adjustable top triple clamp, titanium foot pegs, ti rear shock spring. (at least the 06 yzf will).
IMO, the YZ250 has been a solid performer since 2000. May not be the best at every category but near the top on everything and that makes it a great total package, their reliability seems to be almost as good as Hondas.
If I had to get a 250 2stroke, I am impartial to Yamaha so naturally I would chose a YZ, my second choice would be the Honda.

 

[zcookie49]

If you decided to go green or yellow and going back to 1999 or so, I know the 1998 and 2000 KX250 had really strong motors. Most people I have met always said "sujunkis" back then, that they "seemed" more prone to break downs and "junkier" equipment... that was their opinions not mine. I had a 98 RM 125 and it was the hardest thing just to find neutral on the bike, I would hop on my friends 2000 yz125 and would find it in a snap.
I have heard that the newer Suzukis have stepped up their reliability issues.

 

[Ranger18]

Ride Red

I love my CR250 I weigh 215 and it pulls me up in 1st and 2nd no problem, I added the vforce 3 read valve, gnarly pipe, and trail gears 14/47 The bike flys. (70 mph) destroys whoops, and looks cool doing it. Ive also never had an engine problem, the only thing thats ever gone out was a water pump seal. It went out in my garage during the off season, and it only took all of 10 minutes for me to fix. My freind has a yz250 and it is pretty nice, although he's had engine problems. I also don't like the way the YZ feels, a little to comfortable.
Ride Red

 

[AS250]

[/QUOTE]
It rubs into the side of the frame where your legs kind of push into it. It does it on both sides but mine is worse on the right side. Here is a link to a post I have previously made, apparently I am not the only one.

i just put stickers underneath the plastic, i use the fmf ones because they are thick. i don't have the problem with the plastice rubing on the frame any more