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613
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11/27/2009
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY
US
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?
The Shop
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
Pit Row
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.
I am a 49 yr old Vet novice...I can weigh 185 today and 200 next month...depends on how I feel.
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.
Post a reply to: 450 to 250 2t