tried out an rmz 250

[KX125rider]

so last week I was able to woods ride an rmz for a day. here are my observations-
the bike I normally ride is a 98 kx125 for reference

this bike feels like it pulls the same from idle to limiter
actually feels slower than the 125 on the top (probably is faster)
it made me a lazy rider- riding trail in 3rd at 1/4 throttle rather than screaming 1st and 2nd
it handles amazing- modern chassis
feels much heavier in the turns
much easier to jump
not terribly loud (drd with sparky insert

ive never tried a 250 2 stroke but im sure it would be more exciting.
so anyway who has actually ridden a 4 stroke? or is everything said about 4 strokes come from what has been read or what your friends have told you?

[riffraff]

I haven't had a chance to ride one yet. A friend of mine  just bought a 2010 KX250F and hopefully I'll get to ride it soon. I really have nothing against 4 strokes and think the new ones are mechanical marvels, my issues are with the AMA, the manufacturers and the media.

[G-MONEY]

I have never ridden a four stroke, to me the sport of motocross is a pure thing, the two stroke engine is a pure thing incomparison to a four stroke.I've spent over twenty years working on the worlds most exotic and complex automobiles.

So when I think about all the technology that could come to bear on my pure sport it makes me cringe a little,I will bet before we change the tide we will see a few things like variable cam timming as well as variable intake runners come to be. If they refuse to give it up all dirt bikes will eventually become diesels. IT IS THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP. I have nothing against four strokes but, motocross and off roading have very few rules.....PURE......SIMPLE...KEEP IT THAT WAY

[JohnN]

I have ridden both two-strokes and four-strokes... the four-strokes can be fun under certain circumstances. They are so easy to ride and do inspire confidence. The one place I felt really uncomfortable was in turns, they don't want to turn so easy... usually you end up searching for something to bounce off of..

I think everyone should at least try one... interesting bikes.

The only way they are competitive with two-strokes is because they are bigger. At equal displacement the four-strokes would be in a museum!

[TMKIWI]

I rode a friends race prepared KXF250 a couple of years ago and found while it was nice you had to rev the shit out of it.
If i wanted to do that i would rather have a 125.
The changing of lines was also harder than on a smoker.
I found i was quicker on my RM250 because i could use the mid range torque to my advantage.

[scottydog]

Yeah taking one for a ride is all well and good, but owning one is an other story 


I agree with G-Money,

who really needs a "high tech" 4 stroke engine so you can go riding around a dirt track with your mullet blowing in the breeze? it just doesnt make any sense

[TMKIWI]

What have you got against mullet's scotty ?
Some of my best years were back in the day wearing that great fashion icon.

[Hondacrrider]

I have tried a few, quite boring really.

[TMKIWI]

Even Joe is a bike fan.

[riffraff]

I keep telling my friend that when he has to rebuild his engine that I'll just buy his frame and stick my 490 engine in it  oh yeah, he paid over 6k for it ( cycle shop financed it for him )

[SwapperMX]

Hmmm, not the answers I expected to read, but interesting nontheless. I was riding and racing 250 four strokes four a couple of years. For sure they are easier to go fast on, hook up better out of slippery turns, put power to the ground through rough sections, track straighter into rough turns, and are easier to ride motos out on, as I found I could put in consistent lap times easier at the back end of a moto. I also suffered some huge crashes and some gnarly injuries, and was also a consequence of the heavier four stroke. I am stoked that I switched back to a two stroke.  I am currently riding an 09 YZ 250, and still working on set up, but already stoked with how good it is. I was working on finishing long motos out strong on the two banger until I broke my leg a couple of weeks ago. One thing that I did notice fairly quickly was that you can actually ride out of big swaps everytime you get a bit loose, instead of being driven into the ground by the four stroke. On that last ride before I busted my leg, I had a huge moment through a big set of rolling whoops and was about to eject, but held on tight with my legs, leant back, held it wide and came out the other side. Couldn't believe it actually. Similar moments on the four stroke would have had me doing cartwheels and probably buying another new helmet. Just before I switched back to a two stroke I was riding my YZ250f and questioning why I still rode. It wasnt fun, scary at times, and I just wasnt enjoying riding anymore. I am so glad that I did what more and more guys are doing now and switched back to a two stroke. Now I just gotta get this cast off so I can go riding again. Cant wait.

[ASH510]

i like both have rode both and will probably buy both.
heck its a dirt bike they are all fun in some way.

[Paul P]

I've ridden both, worked on both, but have never owned a modern 4S, only modern XR 4 strokes.  I've tried the CRF, YZF,WRF's 250's and 450's. The 2504S to me need to be reved out like a 125. The 250 and 450F's feel heavy to me. The CRF's headshake was a little scary, no wonder they put dampers on the new ones. And being a tuner I can't stand listening to all that 4S engine clatter. I tried a modified YZF250 and had to come in after two laps because my ears were ringing from the exhaust noise.
  Some of the 4S repairs I've done includes complete rebuilds. I don't have to get into it too much to say, after rebuilding a modern 4S engine I will never own one. There is not a better Motocross engine cc for cc than a two stroke.
   Also, I don't get why everyone keeps talking about this updated R+D in these new bikes. They don't seem to handle any better than some of the 90's bikes I've owned or ridden.                        Paul

[grumpy]

I don't MX race, never have never will. I own an old yz250 and have ridden more modern cr250r and an old yz490 plus several as a kid but don't remember models. I've had the older reliable 4 strokes, xt250 xr600r and have ridden others of this type. I can honestly say the 2 strokes have always been more fun, a power stroke every time the piston comes up top. The 4 strokes have always been lazy bikes to me but that works for trail riding too, power stroke every other time the piston comes up top.

For the joy riding I do, both work but without question the 2 stroker is way more fun. I'm sure the modern 250f & 450f's are fun to ride, but with them being built for hi performance the reliability is down the toilet and no way am I prepared to fork out money hand over fist to joy ride.

[opfermanmotors]

I rode a 2004 and 2006 YZF250 and a 2006 KTM 525 and a YZF426.  4 strokes are weird, I mean typical 4 stroke if you shift into another gear without using the clutch you slow down when you let off the gas, automatic brakes.  I could never tell what gear I was in because of that slow down effect (i was slowing down between every gear the fist time I rode one and wondering if I actually shifted or not?).  That's a nit and prolly get used to once you become a four dope but I wasn't used to it.  

The 250F I opened it up 5th gear full throttle on a short straight away, its probably like 3rd full open or a little under on my 83 maico 490, so guessing like 60mph.  

Suspension is good I guess, good as any newer bike's, I mean it has nothing to do with the engine there's no springs in the transmission that are making it take the bumps easier so talk about suspenion is a non-starter because you can put the same shit on a 2 stroke.  Sorry but nothing turns as good as my maicos for some reason, any newer bike I rode included.  Of course I just rode the trails I didnt do 60 foot triples or race national mx with any of these bikes.  Turned better than my older non-maicos tho, but that's not hard to do i.e. the KTM 495 doesn't turn it might as well be locked in straight and the turning radius is like 5 degrees.  The CR500 the same thing, try to turn and it just want to go down instead.

The main draw back though is that those things may be quiet at idle so everyone is always saying 4 strokes are so quiet compared to 2 strokes, because at idle 2 strokes are loud.  However, 2 strokes essentially don't get much louder from idle to top rpm, its only a small fraction.  4 strokes however have this wide range, they go from very quiet to breaking your ear drums.  I've stood next to a 4 stroke that revved up, you can litterally feel your ear drum hurting.  2 strokes are loud but they aren't deep bass, it's more treble, that deep boom is damn loud once those things hit rpm when you revv them.  It's so loud as to make you immediately annoyed.  2 stroke is loud but doesn't make you physically sick if you stand next to it when it revvs up.