Thanks, Scotty. The desert is where I'd prefer testing the two myself, Sachs. There and on extremely steep and high sand dune hills. In such situations, given optimum gearing on both machines, the 2stroke would own the thumper with ease, that one, or any other. The KX 500 owned Baja as long as Kawasaki chose to compete there, and still would, if they made the model and stood behind it.
As I see it. say KTM built a 6 speed, 450, just like their 300 2stroke only bigger, you'd have a very ride-able, controllable 2stroke, which would blow away any 450 4stroke, and probably even beat an old CR or KX 500 through the gears as well. You'd have a motor that would do either moto or enduro equally well depending on your style, and it would take no new research or development to build. You could scream it in the desert, or lug it like a trials machine in the woods, or anything in between including motocross. I'm positive if KTM or somebody built such a machine, they'd sell them almost instantly. Think about it. If you tried the reverse, build a 300 4stroke bike to match a KTM 300, you simply couldn't do it. It could never be as versatile, reliable, etc.
Why is Maico the only manufacturer to build a real open class 2stroke? KTM could certainly do it at a big profit. Why they won't, is a mystery to me. It saddens me that you cannot buy a new 450 or 500 2stroke these days the way you can say, a 300. Sure, a Maico, if you can find it and afford it, but that shouldn't be one's only option other than buying an old bike and rebuilding it up to modern specs.
Even if they didn't allow such a machine to compete on MX tracks against 450 thumpers, I'll wager it would still outsell them. Play riders would buy it simply because it would be considerably more powerful than a 450 4stroke, far more reliable and less expensive to maintain. It would out acclerate, out climb and therefore, outsell the 450 thumper. It would also be very easy to ride, fast or slow, for these lazy people who have gotten used to smoother, 4stroke type powerbands and cannot control explosive old 2strokes. I've never heard anyone say that a KTM 300 is difficult to handle due to its power delivery. Far from it, everyone seems to love it. It can lug as well as any 400 4stroke and out accelerate them when called upon to do so. Imagine the exact same only 150 CCs larger, and proportionately more powerful! People don't like to use the word "conspiracy," but what else could it be? Everyone would win in such a situation. Riders would benefit and the factory would certainly make a profit. I just wish factories would build both types and let riders buy what they want.
