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Edited Date/Time
11/10/2017 11:18am
Found this interesting.
RX: To what you’re speaking to, what about the bike makers bringing back a more entry-level, less-expensive motocross bike, say a cool-looking, well-performing 125cc two-stroke. You think there is something in all of that? Something to bring people, perhaps new people, into the sport?
MP:I would love it. I think it’s important. I think the manufacturers, as a whole, have done a pretty good job of trying to keep the minibike classes to two-strokes. I wish Honda would bring out a two-stroke again. I see it in our shop. Our two-stroke pipe sales are fantastic. Everybody is buying some old two-stroke and they’re fixing them up as a weekend ride bike. I think there is a certain amount of people that love riding motorcycles and they just want to do it for fun. They don’t need a World Superbike to go ride on. [Laughs] I almost think—and this sounds crazy, and I’m probably going to get slaughtered for saying it—that we don’t need to have electric start and some of the stuff. We keep pushing the bikes and they keep getting a little bit more sophisticated. Yeah, after a guy has a button, he doesn’t want to go back to kick starting a bike. We had great racing when we just had dumb old two-strokes with a kick start. And the cost was cheaper. We’ve fuel-injected them, we have electric start, we’ve done a gamut of things to make them lighter and all that. It’s amazing the bikes that come out now. Off the showroom floor, they’re all pretty darn good and then you can make them better. It’s almost unfair to say because I guess you just can’t go backwards, you know? Once the evolution started, it’s just going to continue.
What do you guys think?
RX: To what you’re speaking to, what about the bike makers bringing back a more entry-level, less-expensive motocross bike, say a cool-looking, well-performing 125cc two-stroke. You think there is something in all of that? Something to bring people, perhaps new people, into the sport?
MP:I would love it. I think it’s important. I think the manufacturers, as a whole, have done a pretty good job of trying to keep the minibike classes to two-strokes. I wish Honda would bring out a two-stroke again. I see it in our shop. Our two-stroke pipe sales are fantastic. Everybody is buying some old two-stroke and they’re fixing them up as a weekend ride bike. I think there is a certain amount of people that love riding motorcycles and they just want to do it for fun. They don’t need a World Superbike to go ride on. [Laughs] I almost think—and this sounds crazy, and I’m probably going to get slaughtered for saying it—that we don’t need to have electric start and some of the stuff. We keep pushing the bikes and they keep getting a little bit more sophisticated. Yeah, after a guy has a button, he doesn’t want to go back to kick starting a bike. We had great racing when we just had dumb old two-strokes with a kick start. And the cost was cheaper. We’ve fuel-injected them, we have electric start, we’ve done a gamut of things to make them lighter and all that. It’s amazing the bikes that come out now. Off the showroom floor, they’re all pretty darn good and then you can make them better. It’s almost unfair to say because I guess you just can’t go backwards, you know? Once the evolution started, it’s just going to continue.
What do you guys think?
The problem is the sport in general is expensive. A vast majority of people do not have thousands of dollars laying around for a hobby. Also the risk factor is very high. A huge majority of people look at mx riders and motorcycle riders in general as crazy people and would never risk their lives or their kids lives by riding a bike.
The cost of a new bike isnt going to change any of it. A cheaper new bike is only going to help the guy who wants a brand new bike but isnt patient enough to save up that extra $1000 for one.
My 2 cents.
Time constraints are so great for families now. You have kids school days going longer then they have before. Two parent households working full time. etc etc.
Who has time or wants to work on a used dirt bike when the windows to actual ride keep getting smaller and smaller?
So from that perspective buying new can be less headaches overall.
The Shop
Why can’t manufacturers offer a race line of bikes and an affordable line of bikes? You can always hop them up?
KTM could even build the $3995.00 air cooled 2 stroke with PDS linkless suspension and lower level components. Engine could be built to use a 125, 175 or 200cc top end. No need for machined hubs, leave them cast. No need for hydraulic clutch or massive 260mm and up Brembo's stock.
They do it with cars so why not bikes too?
I get what youre saying though.
Maybe it’s not a 2 stroke vs 4 stroke thing at all.
4 strokes in their current form just don’t make sense to buy too used (especially 250f’s) but maybe a 250f that was really reliable and/or wasn’t too costly to rebuild would be a great option. Even if it was detuned.
Pit Row
Did you know the Yamaha manual tells you to check the valve clearance on that bike every 23000 miles? I have the supermoto version of that bike amd it's great. You can get those fairly cheap.
"Sales numbers are in the shitter, more new 2 strokes can change that!"
So simple, yet still a concept our industry simply can't wrap their head around.... Insert facepalm here...
In 2005 that was the standard for Kawi. Now its not...
Took as long to empty and remove the radiator as it did to change the piston and rings the year before.
Wouldn’t want to go back to air cooled though, or steel bars.
Back to 2 strokes has a lot of appeal.
A quote from my dear departed father circa 1977. “Why is that bike so expensive? Their are more moving parts in the head of mine (Honda 400/4) than there are in that whole bike (YZ80D)
From memory the 400 was A$1200 and the YZ80 was $499 ($475 on special)
Back in those days an Aussie $ was worth a little more than the greenback, but we didn’t get paid many.
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