450 to 250 2t

8/14/2017 8:33pm Edited Date/Time 8/18/2017 7:01am
Has anyone done this and regretted it? Been thinking about riding more for fun and not racing as much but wouldn't want to be completely smoked at the races if I switched. Has anyone done it and actually found they had more fun on a 450?
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VilloFan951
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8/14/2017 9:09pm
I had a buddy go from a 250 smoker to a 450 and he hated it. The only thing he liked about the 450 was the response from the throttle but that's all I can really tell you
8/14/2017 9:26pm
I'm thinking of going from 450 to 250'sorry I should have said that. I feel like it would add more spark and get me interested in riding more also.
nytsmaC
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8/14/2017 9:37pm
Give it a whirl, worst case ontario you sell it and go back to a 4-stroke.
omalley
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8/14/2017 9:46pm
About to find out the same. Stopped riding in '13 after 10 years on 450's. Picked up a 250 2-stroke a couple weeks ago as I just want to have fun and wanted something to ride with my kids who are getting started. Going to be interesting...

The Shop

jeffro503
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8/14/2017 9:50pm
About 3 years ago I picked up a 2006 RM 250. I did it because I kept hearing from a lot of people that the 2 strokes just seemed more fun. I originally switched off the 250 2 strokes back in 2002 ,and got a CRF450. Was on the 450's all the way up until 3 years ago ( not entirely true , as I retired from the sport in 2005 and came back in 2011 ).

With that being said....I am so glad I re-tried the 2 strokes! I remember my first ride weekend on my RM. I did a two day , open practice. First half of the first day....I thought I made a mistake buying it. I felt like a fish out of water. By the end of the day , I had my interest raised a bit , as things started to " click " , and I started to remember how to ride them ( and yeah....way different from the 4 strokes. )

Got home Saturday night , made some changes , ( Mostly myself with a more confident attitude ) and went back Sunday. HOLY.....Shit! Huge difference! That Sunday had to be one of the best / most fun ride days I had in a very long time.

It got to the point where my 2012 and my new 2016 KX450 were sitting at home , because all I wanted to ride was the 250 2 stroke.

And still to this day ( although I did match it with a 2017 TC 125 )....That RM , That 2 stroke 250.... , good lawd , sweet baby jesus , still makes me smile ear to ear! I do NOT regret it one bit buying that bike.

What I needed , was a change. The 450's were getting boring , but also getting to the point of being scary to ride when I started getting tired. The 250 2 stroke , I found I could ride a lot longer , aggressively , and that little less HP and about 30lbs lighter......definitely re-sparked my enthusiasm for the sport.

Can only speak from personal experience here , so take that for what it's worth. Also , I have nothing against the 4 strokes at all.....moto is moto to me. But the 2 strokes....hard to explain , just make me happier.
kkawboy14
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8/14/2017 9:52pm
450 to 250 is fun, stepping down to a 125, not so much!
jeffro503
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8/14/2017 9:55pm
Well....it doesn't look like this any more....as I'm doing my own thing. As of right now , it's a bare frame , with boxes of goodies , and a motor still waiting to be finished , with some sweet A-kit suspension and so forth sitting here. But bottom line , probably the most fun bike I've ever owned.



jeffro503
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8/14/2017 9:58pm
kkawboy14 wrote:
450 to 250 is fun, stepping down to a 125, not so much!
For you maybe? For about 200 other dudes on here.....yes , it was a blast! Including myself. The key is spending time with it , learning it , and what you and the machine are capable of doing. I don't regret buying that TC 125 for 1 second. Especially these newer 125's.....they rip right off the showroom floor after you get the jetting and reeds dialed. Like a MTN bike with a motor haha.
Rockinar
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Katy, TX US
8/14/2017 11:07pm Edited Date/Time 8/14/2017 11:09pm
Has anyone done this and regretted it? Been thinking about riding more for fun and not racing as much but wouldn't want to be completely smoked...
Has anyone done this and regretted it? Been thinking about riding more for fun and not racing as much but wouldn't want to be completely smoked at the races if I switched. Has anyone done it and actually found they had more fun on a 450?
Why would you get smoked at the races? 2T is fully capable of running with 450s on the amateur level.
wsc96
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8/15/2017 12:38am
jeffro503 wrote:
About 3 years ago I picked up a 2006 RM 250. I did it because I kept hearing from a lot of people that the 2...
About 3 years ago I picked up a 2006 RM 250. I did it because I kept hearing from a lot of people that the 2 strokes just seemed more fun. I originally switched off the 250 2 strokes back in 2002 ,and got a CRF450. Was on the 450's all the way up until 3 years ago ( not entirely true , as I retired from the sport in 2005 and came back in 2011 ).

With that being said....I am so glad I re-tried the 2 strokes! I remember my first ride weekend on my RM. I did a two day , open practice. First half of the first day....I thought I made a mistake buying it. I felt like a fish out of water. By the end of the day , I had my interest raised a bit , as things started to " click " , and I started to remember how to ride them ( and yeah....way different from the 4 strokes. )

Got home Saturday night , made some changes , ( Mostly myself with a more confident attitude ) and went back Sunday. HOLY.....Shit! Huge difference! That Sunday had to be one of the best / most fun ride days I had in a very long time.

It got to the point where my 2012 and my new 2016 KX450 were sitting at home , because all I wanted to ride was the 250 2 stroke.

And still to this day ( although I did match it with a 2017 TC 125 )....That RM , That 2 stroke 250.... , good lawd , sweet baby jesus , still makes me smile ear to ear! I do NOT regret it one bit buying that bike.

What I needed , was a change. The 450's were getting boring , but also getting to the point of being scary to ride when I started getting tired. The 250 2 stroke , I found I could ride a lot longer , aggressively , and that little less HP and about 30lbs lighter......definitely re-sparked my enthusiasm for the sport.

Can only speak from personal experience here , so take that for what it's worth. Also , I have nothing against the 4 strokes at all.....moto is moto to me. But the 2 strokes....hard to explain , just make me happier.
Almost identical situation for me. The 450 hasn't been invited out of the garage for some time now.
8/15/2017 2:07am Edited Date/Time 8/15/2017 2:09am
jeffro503 wrote:
About 3 years ago I picked up a 2006 RM 250. I did it because I kept hearing from a lot of people that the 2...
About 3 years ago I picked up a 2006 RM 250. I did it because I kept hearing from a lot of people that the 2 strokes just seemed more fun. I originally switched off the 250 2 strokes back in 2002 ,and got a CRF450. Was on the 450's all the way up until 3 years ago ( not entirely true , as I retired from the sport in 2005 and came back in 2011 ).

With that being said....I am so glad I re-tried the 2 strokes! I remember my first ride weekend on my RM. I did a two day , open practice. First half of the first day....I thought I made a mistake buying it. I felt like a fish out of water. By the end of the day , I had my interest raised a bit , as things started to " click " , and I started to remember how to ride them ( and yeah....way different from the 4 strokes. )

Got home Saturday night , made some changes , ( Mostly myself with a more confident attitude ) and went back Sunday. HOLY.....Shit! Huge difference! That Sunday had to be one of the best / most fun ride days I had in a very long time.

It got to the point where my 2012 and my new 2016 KX450 were sitting at home , because all I wanted to ride was the 250 2 stroke.

And still to this day ( although I did match it with a 2017 TC 125 )....That RM , That 2 stroke 250.... , good lawd , sweet baby jesus , still makes me smile ear to ear! I do NOT regret it one bit buying that bike.

What I needed , was a change. The 450's were getting boring , but also getting to the point of being scary to ride when I started getting tired. The 250 2 stroke , I found I could ride a lot longer , aggressively , and that little less HP and about 30lbs lighter......definitely re-sparked my enthusiasm for the sport.

Can only speak from personal experience here , so take that for what it's worth. Also , I have nothing against the 4 strokes at all.....moto is moto to me. But the 2 strokes....hard to explain , just make me happier.
Interesting post. That's the way I feel about riding again now (though I'm currently not a racer), I want something new to inject the fun back into it.

From the pov of racing it's a harder decision. The 250 will work very well on some tracks and not as well on others (and vice versa). I went back and forth a couple times when I was racing over the yrs and that was the reality of it for me. Obviously I don't know your circumstances but my advice would be, if possible, to wait a few months (or whatever it takes), hang onto the 450 but patiently save up for a 2nd hand 250. Best of both then.
mxgoon
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8/15/2017 2:11am
My 450 was stolen back in 09.

After scratching around and trying to get enough coin to buy another I decided to buy a cheaper 06 R250.

As Jeffro said first half a day was sketch.

Once I settled down though man was that bike fun to ride.

Haven't ridden a 4 stroke since.
Tom711
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GB
8/15/2017 2:47am
I've just a couple of weeks ago sold my CRF450 and bought myself a YZ250 and man I'm glad I did. I liked the Honda and it did everything well but it just wasn't as fun as I remember my SX250 (which I owned before the Honda) being. Easier to ride fast definitely, but not as fun.

8/15/2017 3:20am
Let me prephrase this by saying I'm a complete amateur and ride for fun on trails and some tracks, but do not race.

I switched a couple months ago from a '12 RMZ450 to an '05 YZ250 and it's the best decision I've ever made when it comes to dirtbikes! I loved the RMZ; torque whenever I need it in the trails, and the thing ate corners and ruts like nothing else!

I got bored of it after awhile, and tired of kicking it after I fell in a corner or stalled in the trails. Sold it for a quick $3000 and bought a YZ250 the next weekend, and I will never look back. The bike still has low end grunt I love and I can still lug it in corners and on trails, but it absolutely screams and pulls forever! The suspension isn't as great I've noticed, but the bike is so much more fun. and cheaper Wink I regret not doing it sooner.

Even if you do regret it, you could sell any two stroke for what you paid for it as long as it's not a basket case.
Steve125
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8/15/2017 5:06am
I went from an 11 KX450 to an 06 RM250 2T. and I lived happily ever after.
cbarber
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8/15/2017 5:43am
just got rid of my 450's myself-about a month ago. i have had 2 strokes on and off the last few years myself. i picked up a new '17 ktm 250sx and couldn't be happier! i ride track at my house, single track with buddies, and the practice days and occasional moto race. i don't regret it at all. the fun is back for me!
c0ncEpT
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8/15/2017 6:05am
Every time I think about selling my last 4 stroke (2016 YZ250F) I got stuck on the fact that I'm spoiled by fuel injection and I start rethink switching.

I had so many problems keeping my 2015 Husky TC125 running properly. Between shitty pump fuel and questionable jetting when the weather changed. It just felt like it never ran the same from ride to ride. Changing to race gas helped a ton but the problems were still there. It was more annoying than anything.


I'm one of those guys that would rather spend my day at the track riding my bike instead of working on it. While I will probably buy a 250 2T I don't think I'll go without a FI 4T either.
kaptkaos
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8/15/2017 7:15am
I seem to remember the hard hit of a carbbed 2T 250 trying to rip my arms off as getting me way more tired than the smooth torquey grunt of a 450 in 3rd all the way around the track.

I am tempted to try a 2T 150, but I weigh a bit too much, maybe they will do a 175 soon!

I remember 30 years ago I could ride my 125 all day and throw it around like nothing, pegged all around the track. Now my 450 is basically taking me for a ride!
kaptkaos
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8/15/2017 7:18am
kaptkaos wrote:
I seem to remember the hard hit of a carbbed 2T 250 trying to rip my arms off as getting me way more tired than the...
I seem to remember the hard hit of a carbbed 2T 250 trying to rip my arms off as getting me way more tired than the smooth torquey grunt of a 450 in 3rd all the way around the track.

I am tempted to try a 2T 150, but I weigh a bit too much, maybe they will do a 175 soon!

I remember 30 years ago I could ride my 125 all day and throw it around like nothing, pegged all around the track. Now my 450 is basically taking me for a ride!
Adding to this, I have never ridden a 250F, but would like to try one to see if its a good compromise/fit.
cbarber
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8/15/2017 7:19am
kaptkaos wrote:
I seem to remember the hard hit of a carbbed 2T 250 trying to rip my arms off as getting me way more tired than the...
I seem to remember the hard hit of a carbbed 2T 250 trying to rip my arms off as getting me way more tired than the smooth torquey grunt of a 450 in 3rd all the way around the track.

I am tempted to try a 2T 150, but I weigh a bit too much, maybe they will do a 175 soon!

I remember 30 years ago I could ride my 125 all day and throw it around like nothing, pegged all around the track. Now my 450 is basically taking me for a ride!
try a new ktm or husky. adjustable powervalve. you can make it as smooth or hard hitting as you want!
kaptkaos
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8/15/2017 7:24am
kaptkaos wrote:
I seem to remember the hard hit of a carbbed 2T 250 trying to rip my arms off as getting me way more tired than the...
I seem to remember the hard hit of a carbbed 2T 250 trying to rip my arms off as getting me way more tired than the smooth torquey grunt of a 450 in 3rd all the way around the track.

I am tempted to try a 2T 150, but I weigh a bit too much, maybe they will do a 175 soon!

I remember 30 years ago I could ride my 125 all day and throw it around like nothing, pegged all around the track. Now my 450 is basically taking me for a ride!
cbarber wrote:
try a new ktm or husky. adjustable powervalve. you can make it as smooth or hard hitting as you want!
Here's the problem, I only buy HONDA. However, a new KTM with the TLD plastics and seat look like a retro Factory Honda, so its a possibility...

I am old school and have bad memories of the 80's KTM's and I really am biased towards not owning one.

Yes, I know, I am a Honda fanboy.
8/15/2017 7:33am
kaptkaos wrote:
Here's the problem, I only buy HONDA. However, a new KTM with the TLD plastics and seat look like a retro Factory Honda, so its a...
Here's the problem, I only buy HONDA. However, a new KTM with the TLD plastics and seat look like a retro Factory Honda, so its a possibility...

I am old school and have bad memories of the 80's KTM's and I really am biased towards not owning one.

Yes, I know, I am a Honda fanboy.
How much do you weigh? '14 and up 150SX is where it's at! I love the bottom end torque and the grunt on them; similar to a 250, but smaller!
kaptkaos
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8/15/2017 7:47am
What kind of question is that bro!!!!

I am a 49 yr old Vet novice...I can weigh 185 today and 200 next month...depends on how I feel.
H4L
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8/15/2017 7:55am
Went from a 250 2t to a 450 & back to a 250 2t. It's nice to have the best of both worlds & glad I never sold the 03 CR250r. My primary bike is the CR250r, but also ride the 450 occasionally.
OP I suggest buying a decent used 250 2t bike if you don't gel with it you can always sell it. I've seen the resurgence of 2t's the last couple of years.
Tenacious P
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8/15/2017 8:00am
I don't race, I love my CR250. If I was serious about riding or was racing I'd switch to a 450. The 250 2T is simple, manic, and feels light as a feather under me.
8/15/2017 8:03am
kaptkaos wrote:
What kind of question is that bro!!!! I am a 49 yr old Vet novice...I can weigh 185 today and 200 next month...depends on how I...
What kind of question is that bro!!!!

I am a 49 yr old Vet novice...I can weigh 185 today and 200 next month...depends on how I feel.
I think you'll like the 150 then Wink
jeffro503
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8/15/2017 8:12am
kaptkaos wrote:
What kind of question is that bro!!!! I am a 49 yr old Vet novice...I can weigh 185 today and 200 next month...depends on how I...
What kind of question is that bro!!!!

I am a 49 yr old Vet novice...I can weigh 185 today and 200 next month...depends on how I feel.
Kap....you are exactly my age and weight. I always stay between 185 - 190lbs. A lot of my fellow vet buddies I know have switched things up a bit. Some stay on the 450's , some get the 250 2 strokes and some have switched down to the 250F. Make no mistake , a 250F or 250 2 stroke will haul you around a track faster than what you'll want to go.
8/15/2017 8:15am
I'm going to try some buddies bikes and see what I think, I feel I may just be struggling with my current 450 and am over it.
swtwtwtw
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Apple Valley, CA US
8/15/2017 8:35am
To me there's nothing like a well set-up 450.
Acidreamer
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Mansfield, OH US
8/15/2017 9:13am
I didnt switch, but i owned a yz250 along with my kx450. Can say 100% that i would hate selling the 450. The yz was fun but the hooligan feel of the 450 is better. I grew up on 4 strokes so thats probably why i say that. Also you dont have to be perfect technique wise on a 450. Idk about you but when you work 55 hours a week you dont get time to practice all the tiny shit that makes you good on a 2 stroke.

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