I should have bought a 2 stroke

[csmutty]

Wirelessly posted

Maybe I'll bite the bullet and learn to ride a 2 stroke, what's good as far as 2 strokes go?

I'm sending you a pm...

[Kurlon]

I like Yamaha YZs, parts are easy as they only have two generations of motors to worry about, and I doubt you'll get an old gen unit...

[Chippertheripper]

You want a smoker that most like a thumper? Ktm 300. Any years.
Don't be thrown off by the displacement.
In general, I like a larger displacement smoker: less light switch power.
Plus, they're more tuneable to how you want it to perform. You want to work the clutch and shift to keep the thing making power? Any 125.

[gregp]

Wirelessly posted
It's going on Craigslist, I instantly fell in love with dirt riding, more then street by far so it's now worth me spending some money on a good bike. Thinking a kx250f, any thoughts?

My opinion would be for you to source a nice, clean KX250 (No"F"!)

[csmutty]

My opinion would be for you to source a nice, clean KX250 (No"F"!)

In my experience 250 2 strokes aren't that much fun. If you are going to go for a mx bike the 125's are a much better time because you can actually wring them out in more than one gear.

[Kurlon]

In my experience 250 2 strokes aren't that much fun. If you are going to go for a mx bike the 125's are a much better time because you can actually wring them out in more than one gear.

So... I haven't been having a ball on my 250?

Crap, not only do I not know how to ride, I don't know how to enjoy it either!? Can I do anything right?

[a13x]

also with a set of scooter tires I can up this go-cart track and do mini super moto days! the track is honestly too small for full size supermoto...pit bikes own out there

You know I love me some minimoto (we have slicks for Jen's TTR125) but Adam's and Grange are just fine on a 450 Supermoto. A pitbike wouldn't even come close to keeping up.

Nice airtime pic on the new bike. That looks like Milestone? Go to TLD in Corona and pic up some gear mate.

[breakdirt916]

It's going on Craigslist, I instantly fell in love with dirt riding, more then street by far so it's now worth me spending some money on a good bike. Thinking a kx250f, any thoughts?

whoa whoa whoa.

what are you using the bike for? trails or mx? and what's your riding level - novice/amateur/expert?

but ya...after a shattered piston in a YZ250, and two yz250f's that don't idle, I'm happy so far riding an XR without any trouble!

a13 - I was talking about adams - my friend had a DRZ and pitbike, and honestly liked the pit bike more. Seeing how I already steer towards smaller bikes, I think the XR100 is the right choice for minimoto.

when do you guys do minimoto? I'll come along

and good eye - that is milestone...pretty stoked to get actual air on an XR100...can't wait until I can do even more! let me know when you and Jen go to Corona too

[falcodave]

K. T. M.

[maxim_X]

let me get this straight....

you disliked the peaky power of a 4-stroke, and now you're happier with your 2-stroke because the power is more linear?

seriously?

I'm super serial. Big 2 strokes are tame and easy. It's not a 125 on/off power.

[hondarider102]

You want a smoker that most like a thumper? Ktm 300. Any years.
Don't be thrown off by the displacement.
In general, I like a larger displacement smoker: less light switch power.
Plus, they're more tuneable to how you want it to perform. You want to work the clutch and shift to keep the thing making power? Any 125.

My opinion would be for you to source a nice, clean KX250 (No"F"!)

In my experience 250 2 strokes aren't that much fun. If you are going to go for a mx bike the 125's are a much better time because you can actually wring them out in more than one gear.

so i would be riding mainly woods and pits, id love to hit the race tracks out in western/central MA at some point but it will be a while before im at that level. I do fine on the YZ250F but its just a pain in the balls because it doesnt idle right so if i get stuck i have to keep it revved to the moon etc.... etc... in all honesty am i better off with a newer 4 stroke or a 2 stroke? what size 2 stroke? chip...the sounds of a 300 2 stroke seem like a TON of bike to handle in the woods, no? im pretty new to the woods, i can ride, im not fast but that will come with time.

[Chippertheripper]

Like I said, don't be thrown off by the displacement...
I have seen the light...and it is orange and has 300cc's. it's like cheating.
The naysayers will say its not flickable enough...
The believers will tell you the torque and chuggability of the motor make up for it.

(Physics come into play a little, but the fact that you don't have to make the 300 mill spin at high rpms to make power make it handle pretty damn well...you sort of short shift it and go)

Go to any woods race, compare how many orange bikes there are to anything else. There is a reason for this.

Edit: and the larger displacement smokers last. It's not uncommon for a woods ridden 300 to go 100hrs on a top end. They're a lot cheaper to own (long term) than a 4t.

[breakdirt916]

the ktm300 is not a lot to handle, if anything it kicks a lot of ass in the woods!

[Kurlon]

Before you panic, maybe do a compression test on your current machine to see if maybe, just maybe it's not a total loss?

[csmutty]

Like I said, don't be thrown off by the displacement...
I have seen the light...and it is orange and has 300cc's. it's like cheating.
The naysayers will say its not flickable enough...
The believers will tell you the torque and chuggability of the motor make up for it.

(Physics come into play a little, but the fact that you don't have to make the 300 mill spin at high rpms to make power make it handle pretty damn well...you sort of short shift it and go)

Go to any woods race, compare how many orange bikes there are to anything else. There is a reason for this.

Edit: and the larger displacement smokers last. It's not uncommon for a woods ridden 300 to go 100hrs on a top end. They're a lot cheaper to own (long term) than a 4t.

Just fyi...the last 3 top ends in my KTM125 (134) SX were changed at 75 hours. It was still running great, but changed it out just in case.

And if you ever decide that you want to hit a mx track...you are better off buying another bike. In my opinion any woods built bike (like a ktm 300) sucks on the track because of the heavier weight and the woods sprung boingers.

So... I haven't been having a ball on my 250?

Crap, not only do I not know how to ride, I don't know how to enjoy it either!? Can I do anything right?

I didn't say you aren't or wouldn't...I said I wouldn't. I think of it as the same idea as your FZR...it's more fun for me to ride a small bike and get the revs up than a big big and lug it. Just my opinion...

[typeone]

i'm a fan of going smaller, lighter, in a different flavor than Pumpkin 200cc 2T would be the magic bullet in the woods for me.

if you do end up finding a good deal on a 250cc MX bike, throw a heavy flywheel weight on it and get the suspension done. instant do-it-all.

[maxim_X]

KTM makes the 200EXC. I rode one and it felt like riding a mountain bike in the woods. Very light. And the power was very easy to deal with down low and lug with a nice kick on the top end. And another nice thing about going with KTM is that many of them come with street titles if you become so inclined to adventure a little.

[Chippertheripper]

75hrs is certainly respectable.

If I weren't so lazy, I'd whip a smaller bike in the woods...
But I don't want to deal with working a clutch when I can just twist & go.

Clinton is right. If you do get a mx bike, flywheel, woods susp, brap.

[TheIglu]

That's what I did on my 125. No flywheel, but the Honda's don't seem to need it. Well, I sure didn't.

The nice thing about an MX bike is that it can do MX well, and woods somewhat well. I had PK set mine up for woods valving/springs, tossed some protection on it (bark busters and skid plate) and trimmed the handlebars down a little.

I had no issue keeping up at Clough once I finally got used to it. I liked the lighter weight of the 125 and I was never wanting for more power.

There is something to be said for the bigger 2-smokes, they ride really nice and aren't as peaky as the little ones. KTM makes a nice woods bike, but it really isn't something you could MX.

[Chippertheripper]

Eh, the new xc wouldn't be too bad, actually. Couple clicks stiffer and it's fine for the occasional play day.

Okay, aside from my laziness, a bigger smoker allows you to sneak more places you aren't supposed to be. Because you can ride it off the pipe and still make plenty of fast, you can go unnoticed in many of the areas I ride. That, in and of itself, is worth my money all day. I know you can lug a lil guy to a certain extent, but stealth is really key to a guy like me.

[gregp]

For those complaining about maintenance and repairs, a 250 2-stroke requires about 1/4 of the service/attention as a 125. A good KDX200 has about as much performance as most people here would want or need (from what I can gather), with as little service/maintenance as is possible. Yes, some of the more sedate 4-strokes can be reliable (think XR, DR, TT-R), but they are not close, performance-wise to the KDX 200.
JMO.

[csmutty]

Eh, the new xc wouldn't be too bad, actually. Couple clicks stiffer and it's fine for the occasional play day.

Okay, aside from my laziness, a bigger smoker allows you to sneak more places you aren't supposed to be. Because you can ride it off the pipe and still make plenty of fast, you can go unnoticed in many of the areas I ride. That, in and of itself, is worth my money all day. I know you can lug a lil guy to a certain extent, but stealth is really key to a guy like me.

Wow you are digging deep. You can put a db snorkle on any smoker.

For those complaining about maintenance and repairs, a 250 2-stroke requires about 1/4 of the service/attention as a 125. A good KDX200 has about as much performance as most people here would want or need (from what I can gather), with as little service/maintenance as is possible. Yes, some of the more sedate 4-strokes can be reliable (think XR, DR, TT-R), but they are not close, performance-wise to the KDX 200.
JMO.

You ever rode at some sort of pace on kdx suspension? Its not fun. Same with any of those 4 strokes you mentioned.

[breakdirt916]

corey - you should really see if you can ride someone's 2t to make sure you like the light, bouncy, boingy nature of that beast first. you might also be well suited to a milder woods 4t instead of an MX 4t...WR250, WR450, DRZ400, etc.

but as others mentioned an MX bike with flywheel weight, bark busters, and (if you have the $$) a woods suspension will essentially let it do both

KDX220 is definitely a good option here too...good woods weapon and I've seen people take it to MX tracks too

[Kurlon]

Wow you are digging deep. You can put a db snorkle on any smoker.

Where can you get a DB Snorkle these days, I thought they went out of business?

[TheIglu]

I have an FMF Quiet Core silencer on mine. It's eerily quiet.

- - - Updated - - -

corey - you should really see if you can ride someone's 2t to make sure you like the light, bouncy, boingy nature of that beast first.

Light, yes.

Everything else is horrible suspension setup. Can and does happen on any bike.