Education & Running costs

[TMKIWI]

I have found in the last few years the biggest problem with motocross and 2 strokes in general is education or lack of.
I have lost count of the amount of times a young guy on his 250F has said to me why are you riding that 2 stroke my 4 stroke is faster.
It is most common with CRF riders.
I dont race but meet alot on trial rides where everyone is just having a hoon.
I run a Marine Dealership in New Zealand selling Evinrude ETEC's so know a little bit about the difference between 2 & 4 Strokes.
I have had a gutsfull of the BS and lies coming out of Honda dealers. From conversations i have had with customers about 2 strokes being banned from our lakes, inc ETEC's, (Complete lies) to weedeater's being banned ( lies again ) . My neighbour has told me how good is Honda weedeater is which makes it hard to keep a straight face.
Go to a Honda dealer and tell him you have a YZ or SX and see what he say's.
I will never buy anything with a Honda badge on it because of the way they have manipulated and lied to the FIM/AMA, the public and effecting my business.
I gew up riding Hondas and still have my first bike (a QE50 bought new in 1973), but have made a personal decision not to support them.
Dont shoot me Honda riders I know they make good bikes but I dont like the way they run the business.
Anyway the cost issue.
The currant NZ MX2 champ Michael Phillips rides a CRF250 with full Pro-Ciruit engine,Ohlins TTX Forks & Shock plus god knows what other goodies. I will leave it to you to work out what sort of money that costs.
The new price for a CRF250 is $10,995 here in NZ.Phillips is a Honda NZ rider.
How can a privateer compete with that ?. Easy.
Suzuki NZ are selling brand new RM250's for $7,995. K8's. Remember we have a 250 is 250 rule.
Throw 1K at the suspension, a couple of grand on a new worked barrel and new pipe to suit and you would have a very competitive bike. The bike would probably cost half the CRF
Next find one of the 125 stars not signed to one of the big five who wants to step up a class and you have the makings of a top running team.
With the economic downturn the big five have cut down their works riders to 1 per class so there is plenty of talent left to pick from.

Until 2 strokes start winning again and are in the public eye people won't buy them and the factories will stop making them.
When younger riders see 2 strokes winning and realise the affordability they will start to ask their dealers for them and the 2 stroke will be saved.
Darryl King cleaned up the summer series here on what looked like a stock YZ250 but did not race the nationals.Not sure why but he is the Subway Yamaha boss here and has said he has retired. He is doing well in Aussie at the moment as well. Good retirement !.

This scenario will work anywhere that has a 250 = 250 rule.
It is starting to happen slowly but more top riders need to jump ship.
Come on KTM NZ & Aus, Put 1 rider on a 250F & 1 on a 250SX in the same championship and see what happens.
At least there will be more Yellow/Blue and Orange bikes out the.

[SachsGS]

In the fall of 2004 I purchased a property near a lake.In the winter the lake freezes over and the snowmobile guys then race back and forth. The first few years I heard quite a few fourstroke sleds and then nothing but twostrokes untill this winter when I finally heard one (4s) again.To stay fit in the winter I also do a lot of cross country skiing and snowshoeing and same thing - I encounter only twostroke snowmobiles out on the trails.I'm not sure if the sales figures support me but in snowmobiling there seems to be a definate trend back to twostroke powerplants.

[JohnN]

TMKIWI - you are so correct in saying that education is key in showing the true difference between the two machines.

An example from a local race here yesterday... I will use the Pro/Expert class because that's the one I paid closest attention to.... in the 125cc class there were a total of 7 entrants!! One rider was on a 125cc two-stroke, a TM125 as a matter of fact!!   

This was the "maiden" race for the TM... and Mike got a decent jump off the gate. The first turn was almost a flat track type of affair and was the better part of a circle... going through the first turn, Mike held on the gas and passed three or four machines! There was a three way battle for the lead, two 250F's and the TM... mike finally got by the one bike and was gaining on the one in the lead, when he made a small mental error and went on an off-track excursion.. he finished the moto in 3rd but they were so far in front of the rest of the field it wasn't funny.

In the second moto he got off the gate last.... but through the first turn passed his way to fourth... he was on the gas and finished the moto in second place.

In the 250 class the first two racers were both on YZ250 two-strokes!! And again they were a great distance out front...

It's racing and winning on two-strokes that will get more people out there on the two-stroke. One of the biggest classes of the day?? The 125cc two-stroke class!!

More people are switching, but more will as they see this happen on a regular basis!!

Most of the folks that I know at the races are on a reasonable budget, they are working people and pay their own way...

The kid that won on the YZ250 was on it because his 450F blew up!! Now he is from a more affluent household and had the YZ250 as a back up, which he also practices on... but not everyone has that opportunity.

[Hondacrrider]

When I mention to my friends, that their bikes have a handicap, they reply with, ya, no, that is not a handicap, because a 125 has just as much horse power as a 250f. These kids are so brainwashed, it is not even funny.

[JETZcorp]

Well, let's play their game.  If equal-horsepower is what they want, that's what we'll give 'em!  Who's up for the new website: HorseDrawnMotocross.com!