What's happening with off-road 2-strokes?

[wanaride]

I've got a KDX200 and I'm thinking about moving up. I would love a 4-stroke's power delivery but I'm scared to death of their maintenance costs...therefore, I want to stay with a 2-smoke.

I mostly trail ride but I like an MX track when I can get to one...I'm aiming at an 'off-road' bike vs a MX bike. I started surfing manufacturer's websites today, and to my amazement, the only companies that make 2 stroke 'off-road' bikes are KTM (EXC, MXC) and Kawasaki (KDX). It seems that the only thing you can do with the other companies is modify their MX bikes or go with a 4-stroke.

Are manufacturers moving this way because the power delivery of 4-strokes lends themselves to woods riding, or are they just tweaking their existing 4-stroke MX bikes and calling them something else (i.e. CRF450F to CRF450X) to make their lives easier?

 

[JesteTac]

Everyone is trying to phase out two smoke vehicles in general. Something about the environment. The really stupid thing is that vehicles account for a really small portion of environmental pollution--the ocean emits more hydrocarbons than vehicles ever will, and every time a vehicle is launched into space (shuttle, sattelite) it rips a huge hole in the ozone.

Pretty lame, huh. Commifornia is heading up this trend.

 

[sodflyer]

Well...just in the few short months where I ride It went to mainly 4 stroke bikes to mostly 2 smoke bikes.... don't know what happened but Im not complaining about it... I ride a 04 yz250 and it's nice to see the same croud of bikes I rode with 10 years ago.. 2 smoke!

 

[dante]

Their was a guy here selling a 2000 KX 125 with a KDX 220 motor in it... That would be perfect for what you want... Of course it's a strange one of a kind hybrid thing that I bet sold very fast... I think your questions are excellent but I don't have any answers...

I like the Commifornia coment also... I did'nt know the ocean emmits hydrocarbons, I'll have to look that up, intresting...

 

[MXP1MP]

it's just a re classifaction of the 2 stroke models right now the impact is min basically your KDX 200 won't be sold with a spark arrestor anymore it will have to be sold as a closed course bike like say a KX is. Here in WA it just really mean much cause you still have to title your bike so you'll still get the proper orv license you'll just have to buy a legal spark arrestor for it. I'm glad to see 2 strokes coming back also :)

 

[fuzzy]

As far as non-KDX Jap bikes go you're looking at doing a conversion. GasGas, Husky, TM, and ATK(USA) all make excellent 2-stroke enduro bikes....

 

[LukeRips]

4-strokes still haven't taken over the off-road world like they were supposed to. Largely due to their weight. There hasn't been a 4-stroke on the podium of a GNCC( except for Mike Lafferty 2 years ago) and the 2-stroke still rules the WORCS series as well. As a matter of fact, both Randy Hawkins and Mike Lafferty switched back to 2-strokes last year. Yamaha has all but made it stupid to go 4-stroke in the woods with the 2005 YZ line being so light but so powerful.