250F or 450 for Vet class

fourfourone
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5/21/2018 6:51am
do you guys slip the clutch on your 450s coming out of corners?
JBecker 72
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Eastern Panhandle, WV, USA
5/21/2018 6:57am
do you guys slip the clutch on your 450s coming out of corners?
Nope. I hardly use the clutch on my 450.

Honestly, I think a 350 would be my ideal bike. They are just very expensive new around here. But if money is not a factor, that would be what I was on right now. And I’d probably go Husky.

I’m a 33 year old B rider and love my KX450F though. It’s very light feeling and has the most linear power of any bike I’ve owned. It’s also low maintenance and with my riding style I don’t feel like I’m thrashing it every time I go out.
fourfourone
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5/21/2018 7:25am Edited Date/Time 5/21/2018 7:27am
I don't beat the clutch like I did on my 250f but I deff will blip the clutch sometimes in the corners
TJMX947
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5/21/2018 7:40am
IMHO unless you're chasing Loretta's gold I wouldn't get a 450. On a gate with 20+ riders you're going to suffer but if you're just doing the local races I don't see a point.

I had the same problem with burning clutches on my 450, and that was because I was trying to ride it like a 250F. For me its just not nearly as much fun. I currently ride a 2017 KTM 350 SXF and its pretty awesome, however if I weighed under 200 lbs I'd be on a 250F, no question. As far as making mistakes I feel like I made less mistakes on a 250F.

The Shop

5/21/2018 11:29am
There are for sure fewer "oh crap" moments on a 250F, especially when the track is beat, has a lot of chop or you have a lot of areas with fast change of direction. 250F is also 20lbs lighter; doesn't sound like a lot, but after 15-20 min of riding, it starts to add up.
coastie44
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5/21/2018 4:56pm
Whatever you are comfortable with. I have always ridden 450’s, then bought a 350 to see if I would like it. I don’t. I don’t like riding that high in the revs.

I’m more comfortable on the 450 so went back to one. But I kept my 350 because it is sexy and fun on high speed flowing tracks.

You will get opinions both ways. But if you are a 250 guy (I never was, don’t like them), you would probably like a 350.
MX558
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5/21/2018 7:21pm
racerx217 wrote:
I have done it all. Raced a stock 250f in vet, raced a big bore stroker 285f, raced a ktm 350 and raced a 450. Bang...
I have done it all. Raced a stock 250f in vet, raced a big bore stroker 285f, raced a ktm 350 and raced a 450. Bang for the buck just get a 450. There is a reason when you look down the line in a vet class there is 95 percent of the class on 450s. Why do you want to handicap yourself?
What he said . I had a 350 , 450s are better for vets
5/21/2018 8:18pm
this thread cracks me up , i doubt theres anyone on here than can ride a stock 250f to its potential on a motocross track .
i know this is a bold statement and il get roasted for it but its the simple truth . If your best riding is whats important get a 250 . Or hey get the 450 and still watch kids on 85s smoke you at the local ride park .
endurox
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5/21/2018 11:01pm
Paw Paw 271
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5/22/2018 6:55am
Husky or KTM 350
X2... This is the best bike for these classes, hands down.

Paw Paw
TJMX947
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5/22/2018 9:49am
dirtaddict wrote:
this thread cracks me up , i doubt theres anyone on here than can ride a stock 250f to its potential on a motocross track...
this thread cracks me up , i doubt theres anyone on here than can ride a stock 250f to its potential on a motocross track .
i know this is a bold statement and il get roasted for it but its the simple truth . If your best riding is whats important get a 250 . Or hey get the 450 and still watch kids on 85s smoke you at the local ride park .
This. I got beaten by my fair share of people on smaller bikes.

Also...I weighed 220lbs and rode the wheels off a 250F, usually better than most people I raced with.
ThatOneKid
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5/22/2018 10:34am
endurox wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/05/21/263420/s1200_150sx.jpg[/img]
That's what I ride in 25+ Cool
TSCHAM101
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5/22/2018 11:08am
if i had the cash, i would be on a 350. Had i rode one before i bought my bike(16 kx450) there is no doubt in my mind. i would have gone with the 350. I do everything i can to De-tune my 450 (im a vet intermediate). I am out riding for fun, with no expectations, i may run mammoth, but i will never chase lorettas and honestly i am a competitor, but i have also been to the ICU a few times from racing.. Now i have a family and cant race that hard, like most people on this forum.. The 350 makes the most sense economically, it wont rag doll you as hard when you get tired and make a mistake and it is cheaper than building a 250f to a 270 or 290 and wont have near the reliability or resale value of a stock motor.. Nobody on here wants to buy a modded motor as if you didnt do the work, it could be a ticking time bomb that will cost $1-1,500 to rebuild a grenaded motor.
Forty
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5/22/2018 11:10am
I'd go with the yz250f. Slowly becoming the perfect mx bike.

IMO
Tim507
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5/22/2018 11:25am
I took a multi year hiatus (10 years plus....) from Motocross. In 2015 I got a KTM 250F and liked the weight and ability to toss it around - did not like the need to ride such a high RPM and the decisions that one must process to be competitive.

For 2016 and 2017 I rode a 350 SXF and made it a 380 SXF with the Thumper racing kit. Much better.

This year I'm on a 450 and I'm so in love with this bikeWoohoo Main modifications are Rekluce (only for senior moments) and a longer header (more bottom end torque) I can ride 3rd and 4th gear and the bike pulls like a locomotive. Much easier to ride and maintain speed then having to light ones hair on fire on a small bore. Suspension done my Slippery Roth and I also have a set of WP modded forks by Enzo-SSS KYB.

I'm 66 years young, expert level rider and weight 160 #'s in the kings clothing.
1
dedi684
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5/22/2018 11:45am
endurox wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/05/21/263420/s1200_150sx.jpg[/img]
YZ 250 2 stroke gets it done for me!
5/22/2018 11:48am
dirtaddict wrote:
this thread cracks me up , i doubt theres anyone on here than can ride a stock 250f to its potential on a motocross track...
this thread cracks me up , i doubt theres anyone on here than can ride a stock 250f to its potential on a motocross track .
i know this is a bold statement and il get roasted for it but its the simple truth . If your best riding is whats important get a 250 . Or hey get the 450 and still watch kids on 85s smoke you at the local ride park .
Hardly relevant. This thread is about what bike you can get the best result on yourself.

Every racer is searching for any improvement they can find whether a club rider or a GP/National guy. We all go through the same struggles.

I'm 48 and spent the previous 3 years on a 350. unless you're a light, fit guy the 450 will get the job done more efficiently with less effort on you part. Even if you are fit and light I still favour the 450.

I spent 3 years playing with the 350 and the best thing I ever did was sell it and purchase an 18 YZ450F.
SwingHard
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5/22/2018 12:18pm
racerx217 wrote:
I have done it all. Raced a stock 250f in vet, raced a big bore stroker 285f, raced a ktm 350 and raced a 450. Bang...
I have done it all. Raced a stock 250f in vet, raced a big bore stroker 285f, raced a ktm 350 and raced a 450. Bang for the buck just get a 450. There is a reason when you look down the line in a vet class there is 95 percent of the class on 450s. Why do you want to handicap yourself?
MX558 wrote:
What he said . I had a 350 , 450s are better for vets
53 yr.old Vet B rider. Bought a 17' FC-350,for whatever reason it just wasn't for me. Bought a new CRF-450, I have never felt more comfortable on bike in 48 yrs. of riding.
AZRider
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Rock Spring, GA, USA
5/22/2018 12:27pm
racerx217 wrote:
I have done it all. Raced a stock 250f in vet, raced a big bore stroker 285f, raced a ktm 350 and raced a 450. Bang...
I have done it all. Raced a stock 250f in vet, raced a big bore stroker 285f, raced a ktm 350 and raced a 450. Bang for the buck just get a 450. There is a reason when you look down the line in a vet class there is 95 percent of the class on 450s. Why do you want to handicap yourself?
MX558 wrote:
What he said . I had a 350 , 450s are better for vets
SwingHard wrote:
53 yr.old Vet B rider. Bought a 17' FC-350,for whatever reason it just wasn't for me. Bought a new CRF-450, I have never felt more comfortable...
53 yr.old Vet B rider. Bought a 17' FC-350,for whatever reason it just wasn't for me. Bought a new CRF-450, I have never felt more comfortable on bike in 48 yrs. of riding.
Its funny how everyone has their preferences, I have a 17 FC350 and I have never been more comfortable on a bike in my 42 years of riding. That being said, I wish I had a little more grunt on the starts, but that can be chalked up to my lack of gate drops in the recent decade.
5/22/2018 3:04pm
darren7878 wrote:
Hardly relevant. This thread is about what bike you can get the best result on yourself. Every racer is searching for any improvement they can find...
Hardly relevant. This thread is about what bike you can get the best result on yourself.

Every racer is searching for any improvement they can find whether a club rider or a GP/National guy. We all go through the same struggles.

I'm 48 and spent the previous 3 years on a 350. unless you're a light, fit guy the 450 will get the job done more efficiently with less effort on you part. Even if you are fit and light I still favour the 450.

I spent 3 years playing with the 350 and the best thing I ever did was sell it and purchase an 18 YZ450F.
yeah some good points i guess . end of the day its what you ride best on that matters .
swtwtwtw
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5/22/2018 8:56pm
darren7878 wrote:
Hardly relevant. This thread is about what bike you can get the best result on yourself. Every racer is searching for any improvement they can find...
Hardly relevant. This thread is about what bike you can get the best result on yourself.

Every racer is searching for any improvement they can find whether a club rider or a GP/National guy. We all go through the same struggles.

I'm 48 and spent the previous 3 years on a 350. unless you're a light, fit guy the 450 will get the job done more efficiently with less effort on you part. Even if you are fit and light I still favour the 450.

I spent 3 years playing with the 350 and the best thing I ever did was sell it and purchase an 18 YZ450F.
dirtaddict wrote:
yeah some good points i guess . end of the day its what you ride best on that matters .
Yup, I dropped 5 seconds a lap on average for my 2 min a lap,on my go to track, the first week of riding it my 2018 yz450f compared to my previous bike a 2017 fc250. Fun factor is through the roof too.
Vet57
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5/23/2018 8:15am
Forty wrote:
I'd go with the yz250f. Slowly becoming the perfect mx bike.

IMO
Boom! I just picked up a new 18'..YZ250F. The fact I picked it up for $6600 out the door makes it even better. Last season had a 17' CRF450 and before that had every configuration made. For me this bike is perfect...just sayin.
mmain62
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Knoxville, IL, USA
5/23/2018 8:39am
I race +25 on a 12' 350 and have been doing pretty well. I wish I had a new orange or white 350 though. Just cuz everyone loves a freshie. My 270 Kaw I had, had over heating issues.
5/23/2018 11:49am
swtwtwtw wrote:
Yup, I dropped 5 seconds a lap on average for my 2 min a lap,on my go to track, the first week of riding it my...
Yup, I dropped 5 seconds a lap on average for my 2 min a lap,on my go to track, the first week of riding it my 2018 yz450f compared to my previous bike a 2017 fc250. Fun factor is through the roof too.
Glad to hear from another Yam 450 guy.

Seems we Vets love the KYB suspension too. I find the bike rides great straight out of the crate.

I'm only running the soft map, but do want to try 'Preston' map soon time permitting..

Regarding the fun factor I too found the 350 kind of numb and boring the Yamaha though puts a smile on my face and its fun again.

WarrenMX
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5/24/2018 10:43am
If you're getting a newer bike I'd say go 450. I feel like the 350 thing has become largely redundant over the last couple of years with how light the 450s have become and with how good they've made the mapping. I think I herd Keefer say the same thing on one of his podcasts.

450's have changed a lot in the last few years, they're no longer the unwieldy beasts of the pasts. Maintenance is cheap and easy too, since the motor is running at like 60%.

I rode my buddy's 2017 FC450, and that thing was so smooth on the throttle, felt like a TTR, but obviously going a lot quicker. It was deceivingly quick and easy on the arms.
5/24/2018 10:50am
I don't beat the clutch like I did on my 250f but I deff will blip the clutch sometimes in the corners
Absolutely. Not every corner, obviously. Anybody who says you don't use the clutch on a 450 probably isn't exactly hauling the mail.
c0ncEpT
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5/24/2018 11:30am
coastie44 wrote:
Whatever you are comfortable with. I have always ridden 450’s, then bought a 350 to see if I would like it. I don’t. I don’t like...
Whatever you are comfortable with. I have always ridden 450’s, then bought a 350 to see if I would like it. I don’t. I don’t like riding that high in the revs.

I’m more comfortable on the 450 so went back to one. But I kept my 350 because it is sexy and fun on high speed flowing tracks.

You will get opinions both ways. But if you are a 250 guy (I never was, don’t like them), you would probably like a 350.
Your last statement is extremely true IMO.

I'm a total 250F guy. They just feel so much lighter and easier to handle than a 450. A could never get comfortable on a 450. I felt like the bike rode me more than I rode the bike.

I have a 2018 350SXF now and love it. Feels lite and easy to handle like a 250F and I can still ride aggressively without the bike getting away from me.
rob162
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USA
5/24/2018 11:46am
I would first put a 270 kit in it and have it tuned for it. If it doesnt give you what you were hoping for then go the 350 or 450 route. Remember you can always sell the BB or stock cylinder piston kit. Somone on vital im sure would buy it. It would negate some cost. Then you would know for sure you did everything you could to make the 250 work.
Also remember every bike/ brand / displacment hamdles feels different. You may spend the money and not like the feel of the bike.
WarrenMX
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5/24/2018 12:16pm
Or just test ride a modern 450 and see how you like it... surely that's the easiest and cheapest option.
Johnny Ringo
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5/24/2018 5:27pm
I rode a 125 in the 25+ last week. Long story short, my new YZ450 showed up today

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