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At least twice
2007 KX250F owned for I believe less than 3 weeks from new. It may have had 20 mins on it . Did not like the motor characteristic ( all bottom )
2008 YZ450 owned for maybe a month or so . Im thinking less than an hour from new . Turning was terrible .
I had an XR1200 last year, a 2010 model in new condition with low miles. I wanted to own a HD once in my life, and all their other bikes are feet forward cruising bikes which I have zero interest in.
Rode the XR a couple times, but almost immediately knew that I liked my Buell Ulysses 10 times more. Made a few bucks on the mint XR.....
The XR was hauling 100 pounds of pig iron around, the Buell is not....
My exact experience as well !
Ok, I’ll play
I bought ‘98 YZ250 and rode it for 2 weeks. Ty Davis calls and says he has a ‘98 YZ400F and I got 1st dibs… I sold the 250 to a buddy and only lost $300 and bought the 400.
I put around $1500 into the 400 with an exhaust, bars, sprockets, chain and a few little parts. I had about 5 hours on it and crashed and broke my collarbone. A guy walking by my pit and was looking at it with drool coming down his chin, he had one on order, but was a couple months out.
While staring at my bike that just bit me, the guy asks me if I’d sell if. I was going to be off the bike for 6-8 weeks anyways and I had a bad taste in my mouth with that damn bike, so I sold it for what I had into it, including bent bars and torn grip from the crash.
Took a few months off and then bought another 2-stroke. It was a CR250 from Honda of Troy. It was Jamie Dobb’s bike and it was way too much for me, so I sold it and bought a stock motor bike from them.
Did it again in 2023…
I had bought a KTM XC300 and absolutely loved it. I’d been on a ‘19 KTM XCF350 for the track and was ready for a new bike. Sold the 350 and bought the SX300 for the track.
Rode it 4 times and HATED it for the track.
Sold it the next week and bought a ‘23 SXF350.
I really liked it and was glad to be off that SX300.
I only put maybe 10 hours on the 350, before I sold it. I had to give up the MX track, I have some serious nerve issues in my neck and back from years of abuse.
I have been trail riding on the XC300 a bit, but my best riding days are behind me, unfortunately.
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Interesting. One of my pals had a 2014 as well and also hated the thing. He never really elaborated what was wrong with it beyond saying it was too extreme and too sharp. Wsn't quite sure what he meant but he's a big, strong dude (doesn't even own a ramp,) usually pretty much manhandles the bike around the track. Not that one.
+1 on the 2013 CRF450
Are you sure? I thought it was a joint effort until 07.
I think you are correct. Flatliner is right that Suzuki did the first redesign when the partnership wore off, but I think the motorcycle was jointly developed from the beginning.
Here's AI's take on the development, which correlates to my memory. Then again, I could be wrong and AI is soimetimes batshit crazy:
Yes, Suzuki designed the engine for the 2004 RM-Z250, with Kawasaki handling the chassis and manufacturing as part of a joint development effort to enter the four-stroke motocross market. Suzuki utilized its experience in sportbike engine development, incorporating features like a semi-dry sump (SASS) and lightweight materials to achieve a competitive racing engine
EDIT: Reading deeper, it seems Kawasaki may have manufactured the engines, too - using Suzuki's design.
You have some connections! 🫡
lol
Ty was a salesman at Montclair Yamaha.
Kehoe lived behind my parents house at the time.
Honda of Troy race shop was 10 minutes from my house.
But I do have somewhat deep roots in the industry. Started in 1977 at Indian Dunes mx park and never looked back… lots of great memories and am still in touch with the old and new generation of mx/sx. Met a lot of great people along the way !
We had the ‘04 RMZ250 and the ‘04 KXF250. Went to Hondas in 2005, but ended up going back to the RMZ’s in ‘06.
The ‘06 Kawasaki 250 got some significant changes, the RMZ did not.
The ‘07 RMZ250 was a much better bike than the ‘04-‘06 was.
I’ve bought a sold a lot of bikes over the years, often for a profit, recently picked up a 2021 excf 350 with 14 hours on the clocked for £5k only really bought it because I thought it was cheap, rode it once, had I have loved it I’d have kept it but I was really after a 2 stroke so flipped it a week later for £6.5k and bought a 2023 husky te 250 with just 44hours instead for £4.5k ✊🏽
1984 KX250. Looked very close to Wardy's SR250. It wasn't.😂
1976 CR250. It was free. Still over priced.
First ride on my KTM150SX couldn't even clear simple double. Drove straight back to the shop and told them bike was borderline unrideable - would just splutter like crazy 1/4-1/2 throttle. Turns out one of the reeds was not installed correctly, but even after replacing that it was a nightmare to jet.
Ended up persevering with it, but even after installing a Keihin it never ran right.
I rode crf 250’s 2009-2012.
In 2012 I rode a friends -12 crf 450 and then decided I was gonna ride a 450 in 2013. I bought a new -13 crf 450, rode it for 5 hours and then went back to a 250 again.
I did not get along with that 13-17 crf450 chassis.
You guys are spot on with the KTM. I bought one after being out of the sport for about 10yrs and felt like I'd never ridden before in my life. My mind and body knew what to do but that psycho sonuvabitch wouldn't let it happen. Sold it and bought a Husky 350 which was a godsend.
Yep, when the first Yamaha 250-F came out. Took delivery, rode one practice session, maybe 5 laps total. Got offered $2500 more than I paid for it by a some kid's rich Dad. Waited till the next season and bought a lightly used one on the cheap. Which worked out really well considering I did not like the bike at all after riding it a few times.
I absolutely loved that bike when it came out. I rode one at a private track and was multiple seconds a lap faster. I was jumping everything with ease vs the 125. Riding harder and longer. I went out and got one and it was one of my all time favorite bikes.
Pit Row
Much has been said and written about stiff frames on '23-'24 KTMs and Huskys (not so much GasGas since many of them never got the updated frame). They say that once they are broken in after 10-20 hours they are much better. But what if I'm slow and/or don't jump much? What if who I buy it from used is like that? How much longer will it take for me to break it in farting around like I do? If it takes 60 hours will I make it that long? At least I'm over 200 pounds.
I just found a video last night with Jeff Matiasevich and Nick Wey riding a 1990 KX250 about 10 years ago. Chicken was always a 1990 KX250 guy but obviously Wey is a quite a bit younger. Contemporary reviews and modern discussion all revolve around the same things: "wide" "doesn't turn" "bad bolts and threads" "long, but not as long as a Yamaha from that time". I have a similar '91 KX 125 and feel the same. I did put MX34s on it and it helped the turning some. Despite this, in the video Wey says that "the front end is the most grip I've ever ridden" and that it's "nice and thin", "great for Supercross", "turns really tight" and "short wheelbase". The wheelbase on these was not even remotely short as an early '90s CR or RM! According to the video description the featured bike had Race Tech suspension and MX32s. They don't get into "bad bolts and threads" (Which is still true about Kawasakis 35 years later. They are still using the same bolts!) but I wonder why his conclusion is so different than others'.
Video:
Racer X Films: 1990 KX250 (Project 90)
06 RM250
06 YZ250
Yep, not riden once, but 6 month top, a 350 FC 19 (didn't like the engine of the 350 at all coming from a 250 sxf) and a 250 kx 2002 (didn't like anything engine or chassis)
Love to see a pic of that bike and set up if you have one, sounds pretty interesting. 🙂
1997 CR500. Slower than my '06 CRF450R. It made big power but only in a narrow peak of the rev range. Unless you were hill climbing or desert racing, it wasn't really usable power. It was either all or nothing and was hard to predict when it would come on. And when it did, you better be upright and pointed in the direction that you wanted or you would blow the corner and spin or just dig trenches and over shoot. And boy did it vibrate. Kind of a novelty to ride but after a few rides sold it on.
That's odd to hear, had an 88 and it had a pretty wonderful do everything power range, at least if you kept it a gear or two higher.
Rode mine two days.
First day... hated it.
Second day it literally burst my L1. 28 years later still have major nerve damage.
Yeah total opposite of my experience too. Mine had an fmf gnarly and it was so smooth it was insanely easy to lug and ride. Still fast wide open but very hooked up and smooth.
I was given a KX450 to help promote business at a shop back in 2009....I had my own RMZ450 race bike but I had the kawi to ride and for other to demo at the tracks. I had the thing for like 4 weeks and just hated it compared to my RMZ and wanted nothing to do with it. I gave it back to the dealer and funny (not literally) enough the head completely grenaded the next time they took it out for a demo ride. I swore off kawis since then....minus the KLX110, those things are bulletproof and fun.
This bike refused to shift. Period. 🤣
Really interesting I had the exact opposite experience. I bought an 03 KX500 assuming it would be a novelty type thing and ended up liking it so much that I just rode it as much I could, it ended up just being straight up my favourite bike to ride for most types of riding haha
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