Riding 4 stroke in woods

[JohnN]

Well alright.... maybe I'm a little too literal at times!!! It's hard to express certain emotions while typing...

In no way am I saying that the four-strokes are better then the bikes of old. But some of the technology of today is a huge improvement from the "good old days" Besides I'd rather ride a Maico 490 than any modern 450F, no matter the "improvements".

The thing is that I have a tendency to enjoy the small bore bikes (125's are my favorites) and the handling, power and suspension of the new ones make them more fun for me to ride. While the bike does not need to be brand new, I do like the bikes with disc brakes on both ends and newer suspension.

JETZcorp, you've hit the nail directly on the head!! At the end of the day it's all about the grin factor. Whenever have fun riding your bike.... it's a great day.

Thank you for putting that into perspective.

[AFG]

John I agree. It can be kinda hard to get the thoughts across w/o it seeming so cut and dry. The new(er) stuff is more fun for me as well. However the vintage stuff is still an fun adventure, they just beat me up too bad(knees, 2 torn rotator cuffs, wrist, etc..). Our tracks are very rough, deep sandy loam with some decent elevation changes.  When I stopped racing motocross in 2004, I decided to ride just for fun! That's why I went back to a KX500. One of the funnest bikes I have raced/owned. The sponsorhip agreements I had while racing the last couple of years, forced me to ride a 4T. They can be ridden very fast in the woods. The thing, is in a 2hr Hare Scramble, or a GP(simular w/MX Track added in), their added weight made it far harder for me to maintain a competetive pace towards the end. Not to mention the dead engine starts! I was at a definate disadvantage racing those things against 250 2T's in the tight stuff. Heaven forbid it rained. Ican truly say you guy's are right about the fun part. In my opinion if you like what you ride that's really all that matters. Every 2T I have ever ridden was fun, each had at least one thing that was unique to that bike. From my MR-50 to My KX500's.

[eprovenzano]

I started riding / racing in the early 70's.  When I moved up and purchased a Honda Ellsinore 74 CR250M, I was on top of the world.  I was pretty competitive at the MX scene, but as time went on, I could not keep up with the long travel suspended bikes.  The motor the Else, was not much different of modern smokers, it was just trying to keep the rear wheel on the ground.  As time went on the jumps got bigger, and the long suspended bikes would just pull away.  

Long story short, I loved the bike so much, that when I took a 25 year hiatus from riding, I just parked the bike....  I took her out of storage, drained the fuel, put fresh fuel in....  and she fired after 10 kicks...  yes it barely ran with plugged jets, but it still ran...  I cleaned her up and rode it for a few years before selling her to a vintage racer, and moved up to modern bike.  

The power of the 99 KX250 I purchased was equal to or maybe a little less the the Else, but the suspenders....  wow what a difference.

Here is a pic of my beloved Elsie, when I sold it in 2005, it still had the original front tire, and I still had the original exhaust system.