tried out an rmz 250

[MCGRIDDLE_321]

i have owned 4 strokes since when i was on 80s. nothing against them. for me the 2 stroke has brought the fun back into racing again. i still race a 4 stroke but i also take advantage of ama's rule of 250 2 stroke in the 250 class. if it wasnt for that rule i would probably still be trying to race a 250f. not easy as i am 190 pounds.

the injury thing kinda confuses me though. i cant get it through my head on how a 4 stroke causes more injuries. they might be heavier but they are easier to ride. since riding my 250 2stroke i have had more close calls on it than on my 450. the bike i like to ride more is the 250 though and thats because its fun, its exciting, and i love the smell and sound. oh and not alot of people like getting passed by 2 strokes.

[JETZcorp]

The easy-to-ride factor is what makes them dangerous, I guess.  A two-stroke can do weird things and hurt you, but it lets you know in advance.  If you get on some CR500 as a total beginner who's only ridden scooters, and step a little beyond your skill, it's going to do the bike equivalent of snapping a ruler on your desk and say, "Don't do that, foo!"  With something like a 450F, though, it tends to be more friendly and open to going balls-to-the-wall fast.  It's not really a big issue for riders of intermediate and advanced skill, but when you get someone who really doesn't know what they're doing, the four-strokes seem to all be sold with an express ticket into the proverbial pit of serpents.

[MCGRIDDLE_321]

The easy-to-ride factor is what makes them dangerous, I guess.  A two-stroke can do weird things and hurt you, but it lets you know in advance.  If you get on some CR500 as a total beginner who's only ridden scooters, and step a little beyond your skill, it's going to do the bike equivalent of snapping a ruler on your desk and say, "Don't do that, foo!"  With something like a 450F, though, it tends to be more friendly and open to going balls-to-the-wall fast.  It's not really a big issue for riders of intermediate and advanced skill, but when you get someone who really doesn't know what they're doing, the four-strokes seem to all be sold with an express ticket into the proverbial pit of serpents.

i agree. but like you said its going to do it once and then they are going to learn not to it again. but you can say that about a 2 stroke to. first time they hit the power band and looper out they are going to know not to just pin it. its just a learning curve.

[eprovenzano]

I ride a 4 stroke all the time, of course it has 1100 cc, and is more of a cruiser, yes its a little tuff over the whoops, but cruises easily at 75 mph....   

[ford832]

Some of my best years were back in the day wearing that great fashion icon.

That statement is worthless without a pic of you in the day.

[SachsGS]

Maybe some things are best left to the imagination.

[ford832]

I admit I'm a little surprised how many haven't actually owned a modern day fourstroke and still say a two stroke is superior-which of course,they are
Anyhoo,I've owned both-street and dirt both.As for dirt,the 2t's were 99RM125,00KTM125EXC,02KTM124SX,02YZ250.4t's-96XR250,05 Husaberg FE550.
The XR was low powered and heavy but was a veritable mountain goat in the skanky crap and a great choice for that type of riding.
The Berg had loads of easily controlled power and torque and was a fine bike in itself.It was about 30lbs heavier than the YZ.Sometimes you didn't feel it,sometimes you did.
On the practice track,I used to shift my SX 13 times per lap-the Berg-twice.The Berg worked well on the track but if you got in trouble it was harder to bring it back.My 2t's would sometimes give a little shake and keep going but the same situation would have the Berg going side to side like a big pendulum trying to spit you off.
Interestingly,when I was used to my 125's,I could ride anything else(in my usual spastic way) with little difficulty.When I got used to the Berg,I had a hard time doing anything on a 2t.They do make you lazy in a way but big 4t power is still lots of fun-unlike a 2504t.I've never owned those but have ridden a few friends CRF's and YZF's.
In the woods,the first race I put the Berg in is the first one I never finished.Tight stuff is harder to handle as the gyro effect of the engine tries to keep you going straight-good on straights but bad on corners.Where you could flow on a 2t the Berg you had to be be on/off on/off the throttle in the twisties and turn on the off throttle.It works but it's an adjustment.The big disadvantage of the fourstroke in the woods is the fact that they overheat far easier than a 2t.In that race,I went down in a pile of rocks.I was unhurt but the bar has jammed between two rocks and I was pinned under it(the next guy along pulled it off me-thanks Todd )Luckily it wasn't the pipe side.After getting going again,I still had about 10 min of first gear crap before the course opened up-I never made it.The bike started puking coolant out so I called it a day.I alleviated it somewhat by trashing the t-stat and going to Maxima Coolanol/Cool aide and while much better for 99% of my riding-the issue was still there.I could have put a fan kit on it but was loathe to add extra weight.
For me,I like both and each has an advantage in certain situations but by and large I'll take a 2t overall and be happy almost all the time.

[ford832]

Maybe some things are best left to the imagination.

On second thought-I agree.Disregard my original comment

[maicoman009]

 ::)kx125rider,To me 4-chokes remind me of a crappy old 1981 mullet!You know a Kentucky waterfall!Yeah they should have quit making the 4-chokes way back when the "MULLET"went out of style...And yes I have ridden many,many 4-chokes including newer ones and older XR's & as much as I hate Honda's I will say that the old Honda XR's were pretty reliable albeit HEAVY bikes.If your KX-125 does'nt have enough power for you by all means get yourself a 250 2-stroke and then you will see why everyone on this site loves 2-strokes!A newer 250 2-stroke like a 2007 & up Suzuki RM-250,Yamadog YZ-250 or a KTM-250sx will have enough power or maybe too much power for ya!Those bikes have almost as much horsepower as a new 450 4-choke!A KTM 250sx is only down about 2HP compared to a new crf 450r!

[KX125rider]

[admiral]

i've never owned one but have a fair amount of seat time on YZ400F's, KTM 520 & 525 SX's, and CRF450's all owned by my riding buddies. the first YZ400F's were so heavy but pretty darn reliable machines. by far the most fun 4T bike i rode was those big KTM thumpers. i found myself over jumping stuff on them. their speed is deceiving because the revs were so low it was hard to tell how fast you were going. i have a total of two hours on a 250F, one a Kaw the other a Honda. to me they feel like XR's with good suspension. very uninspiring to ride. i never bought into 4T mx bikes because even when i raced it was for fun, not trying to shave every tenth of a second off lap times. two strokes just speak to me the way a 4T never will. i guess when you grow up hearing their sounds and smelling the fumes it's hard for me to imagine why anyone would want anything else. it is interesting to me that when the 2T bike ruled there was always some guy who loved thumpers enough to try to make a mx bike out of an XR and now when you show up with a 2T bike at the track you have become that guy.

[riffraff]

that's the thing, big bore 4 strokes have and can hold their own in open class racing as demonstrated during the 500 gp's during the 90's so why let them race against 250 2 strokes?

[Rota Ash]

If they refuse to give it up all dirt bikes will eventually become diesels. IT IS THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP.

Bullshit. they wont be diesle's, you only have to think about it for a second to realize that. 

[riffraff]

If they refuse to give it up all dirt bikes will eventually become diesels. IT IS THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP.

Bullshit. they wont be diesle's, you only have to think about it for a second to realize that. 

http://www.dieselmotorcycles.com/vehicle-m1030-m2.php

[G-MONEY]

Take a trip to europe and you will probable find that diesel cars out number gas engines, I thought I saw one of their manufactures just won a major event with a diesel we are talking formula type racing. But diesels due come in two stroke to go along with that tasty bullshit sandwich your chewen on! Thanks riff