Posts
149
Joined
7/4/2011
Location
Sayre, PA, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/27/2012 8:56am
So im looking into buying a new bike. More than likely not a brand new bike. And selling the one i have now. I currently am riding/racing a 06 RMZ450. I really like it. And until this past weekend thought that i was in love with the 4 spd tranny. My stepdad picked up a 08 KX450, got a real good deal on it. I rode it this past weekend at a practice track and fell right in love with it. Not so much the bike as just it being a 5 spd i think. Ive got a buddy with a 09 RMZ450, that im going to ride and see whether it really was just the 5spd or the KX that i was liking so much. I had a blast on it in just the few laps that i did. Seemed like i was much smoother and quicker all around. Now keep in mind when i ask this that i take very good care of my bikes as far as general maintenance goes. (im riding the piss out of an 06 and it still runs like a champ)
Which bike as far as reliability goes is the better of the two? The KX, or the RMZ? Ive read the review on both and blah blah..but i want to hear from guys that have owned the bikes for awhile, RODE them and maintained them. We'll say from 2008 - 2010. Also just assume that the bike i buy is mint and there are no problems with it whatsoever. Trust me..i know buying used thumpers is scary, but we'll just assume that they are in perfect condition. I know a lot of it is all personal preference, riding style and whatnot. But i seem to feel comfortable on both bikes, so im just thinking purely reliability wise. I know what to expect out of both from a performance standpoint. Actually, we can throw Honda in the mix too, im just not much interested in Yamaha or KTM. Nothing against either of the 2, i have just owned both and didn't much care for either.
Which bike as far as reliability goes is the better of the two? The KX, or the RMZ? Ive read the review on both and blah blah..but i want to hear from guys that have owned the bikes for awhile, RODE them and maintained them. We'll say from 2008 - 2010. Also just assume that the bike i buy is mint and there are no problems with it whatsoever. Trust me..i know buying used thumpers is scary, but we'll just assume that they are in perfect condition. I know a lot of it is all personal preference, riding style and whatnot. But i seem to feel comfortable on both bikes, so im just thinking purely reliability wise. I know what to expect out of both from a performance standpoint. Actually, we can throw Honda in the mix too, im just not much interested in Yamaha or KTM. Nothing against either of the 2, i have just owned both and didn't much care for either.
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All of these bikes are the same maintence wise. Hondas do not have valve issues. But let me re-iterate that, if you are a lazy maintenence guy and don't follow the service manual guide, the Honda's valves will be the first to go. But that's the same with any four stroke so the quality of the bike all comes down to the mechanic and how well the bike is serviced, don't let anyone tell you different.
Your biggest concerns as far as maintence go with these new bikes will be EFI and related electronics. Most guys can't troubleshoot and service these parts when problems happens. That's the only downfall to the late model bikes.
When I bought my RMZ it wasn't running: the valves were completely worn out and I had to replace them and have the head recut for the new valves. But I have no idea how long it had been run out of spec for them to get that bad. My 05 CRF also ate valves but as has been discussed earlier, Honda fixed that in later models.
CRF valves are easier to work on than the RMZ because of the Unicam. Double overhead cams are a pain!
I can tell you if an 08 CRF had come along in my price range I wouldn't have hesitated to jump at it.
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