Changes in riding groups selection of bikes

[eprovenzano]

An observation from this past weekends ride

Over the past few years I've seen a change in the bikes my riding group has been on...  There are those of us (me included) who are 2 stroke only...  there are several who have switched back and forth, and there are those 4 stroke or nothing riders.  This weekends ride, there were 10 riders on two on 4 strokes...  one just bought a 2012 CRF-X 250.  Its been lowered, (which fits as he's a bit height challenged), the other on a KX 450 cause he a big tough guy...  the rest was two KTM 380's, KTM 300, two YZ250's , KTM 200, KTM 150, and a YZ125. 

I think my buddy on the CRF-X finally found the right bike for him...  He needed something along the lines of an XR250 but with more punch and decent suspension.  He's not a fast rider, sometimes painfully slow... he has a KX125, but didn't ride it aggressive enough.  Had a CRF 250 for a short while (loved it), but it was hard to start, and after valve issues decided to sell it.   The X version is much tamer, plus estart.  The valves have been swapped for stainless steel, so maybe they will last a while longer.  It does start much easier.

The 450 rider, has a bike too big for his ability.  It gets him into trouble, as much as it bails him out of it.  Previously he had a bone stock KTM 150...  said it wasn't fast enough... never tried to adjust the jetting, swore it was just a bad bike...  Over the weekend he rode my buddies 150 with proper jetting and suspension settings, he now wants to dump the 450 and get a 150. 

The 2 guys on YZ250, are previous staunch supporters of the 4 stroke brigade... No more... too many expensive repairs, one also realized the 450 he was on was killing his lap times, rode a buddies smoker for 15 min, put the pig up for sale and bought the YZ... couldn't be happier. 

The rest of us are two smokers for life...  we did notice the faint sounds of a stroker at the riding area, but most of the time it was just the sweet sound of a two stroke on the pipe... 

[Coop]

That's cool. A lot of four strokes at the club I was riding at in SW PA. Mostly all Euro bikes though.

[rsmith]

My story is fairly similar.

After a long hiatus from dirt bikes my wife wanted to learn to ride. Knowing that I would spend a lot of time at low speeds following her, I knew my 90's era 2T race bikes were not going to be the hot ticket so I bought a 2011 WR450f.

It did the job, but it was heavy and felt heavier and was really not that much fun to ride.

Once she got faster I traded in my WR on a KTM300xc. During the first ride I couldn't stop grinning. This is what is was supposed to be like! For lack of a better way to describe it the KTM felt "alive", it was light, it was responsive and it had a power delivery that just made it more fun to ride.

Where the WR plodded down the trail with a grunt in a predictable but uninspiring fashion, the 300 sings and dances, it really just makes riding more fun.

I can't say it was less expensive though. Other than springing it for my weight, one failed counter shaft seal and multitudes of oil changes, the WR cost very little more than what I paid for it.

The KTM on the other hand needed $1500 worth of suspension work and a $400 Lectron carb before it was perfect. 

--Ron.
 

[_X_]

as you are aware , or maybe you aren't, i have never track ridden a fourstroke. I tried one 250f  ten years or so ago in a pasture and immediately decided they weren't for me. Now, i have gone back to the era of bikes i started racing in and couldn't be happier, the response i get when i bring the bikes to the tracks is interesting, i have never had so many track workers and riders wave me around a course before. lots of thumps up as riders pass, lots of curios on lookers, not even on my modern 2's have people been excited to see these particular era of bikes. oh and when the 500 hundreds come out, forget about it.