Racing the Vet (+40) class on a 250f? Good idea?

moto67e
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moto67e
Edited Date/Time 3/8/2020 5:57pm
I'm about 6' and weigh about 190. After a 15 year break from moto, although I've recently been racing Supermoto in the expert class on a 450, I want to get back into moto and racing again. I've been riding a friends 2011 250f and it's pretty fun. My goal is to race in the +40 vet class. I'm not really a fan of the KTM/Husky's, so a 350 is not something I'd like to ride.

250f in the Vet class

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jeffro503
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jeffro503 3/8/2020 11:07am
3/8/2020 11:07am
Even at your weight and height , in the vet class , the 250F is a great option. Especially in longer motos. You'll be surprised how many 450's you can real in around the 10 min mark. It totally depends on the rider's choice , and nobody knows that better than you.
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moto67e
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moto67e 3/8/2020 11:15am
3/8/2020 11:15am
jeffro503 wrote:
Even at your weight and height , in the vet class , the 250F is a great option. Especially in longer motos. You'll be surprised how...
Even at your weight and height , in the vet class , the 250F is a great option. Especially in longer motos. You'll be surprised how many 450's you can real in around the 10 min mark. It totally depends on the rider's choice , and nobody knows that better than you.
I noticed that yesterday when riding a borrowed 250f. I was able to ride more laps than my buddy on a 450.
Brad460
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Brad460 3/8/2020 11:18am
3/8/2020 11:18am Edited Date/Time 3/8/2020 11:19am
May depend on the terrain and type of track you ride on.....years ago I had a 250F and often raced at a track with a long sand straightaway...I could look over and watch guys on 450s walk right by me. I am 215+ with gear... At 190+ gear you’re closer to 200.. I ended up trading that 250f to a guy with a 450 (he was smaller and wanted a 250f).

Probably a 250f is good enough..450 damn good too.- can’t go wrong with either.
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moto67e
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moto67e 3/8/2020 11:29am
3/8/2020 11:29am
Brad460 wrote:
May depend on the terrain and type of track you ride on.....years ago I had a 250F and often raced at a track with a long...
May depend on the terrain and type of track you ride on.....years ago I had a 250F and often raced at a track with a long sand straightaway...I could look over and watch guys on 450s walk right by me. I am 215+ with gear... At 190+ gear you’re closer to 200.. I ended up trading that 250f to a guy with a 450 (he was smaller and wanted a 250f).

Probably a 250f is good enough..450 damn good too.- can’t go wrong with either.
Ugh! It's so hard to decide. Haha. Too bad I don't have the money for both.

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MZ193
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MZ193 3/8/2020 11:32am
3/8/2020 11:32am
250f, thank me later..
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yak651
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yak651 3/8/2020 11:34am
3/8/2020 11:34am
Depends on the skill level of the guys you are racing. If you would be competitive on a 450 you will most likely be just as competitive on a 250, except on starts. You might have more fun in the 250 coming thru the pack. I’ve raced 125s and 250f in vet classes and have been competitive, even got the occasional holeshot...
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gt80rider
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gt80rider 3/8/2020 11:35am
3/8/2020 11:35am Edited Date/Time 3/8/2020 11:37am
Great idea... Just as fast for lap times, yet not nearly as tiring to ride...

Downsides are- a bit boring to ride and you gotta rev to the moon to go fast...
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Motoxdoc
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Motoxdoc 3/8/2020 11:47am
3/8/2020 11:47am
I'm a 155lbs and 55 years old. I liked my 450 so much that I punched it out to a 490, put a heavier flywheel on it, geared it up and I like it even better! Depends on the tracks you ride and your conditioning...I'm in decent shape (similar lap times after 20 mins) and I used to race hilly Glen Helen so......a vote for the 450 here.
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Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 3/8/2020 12:31pm
3/8/2020 12:31pm Edited Date/Time 3/8/2020 12:33pm
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a $6 plastic trophy. Ride whatever you are comfortable on and have fun. No one but you cares how you do. I have just as much fun "battling" for 12th as I do for 2nd.

Do the smart thing and get a 350. Best of both worlds. Won't wear you out like a 450 (my 350 weighs 218) and still has decent torque thru the midrange. If you are not a fan of the Husky FC350, it means you've never ridden one, and especially never worked on one.

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Last Braaap
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Last Braaap 3/8/2020 12:33pm
3/8/2020 12:33pm
First things first. You unfortunately lose a lot of PSP (paddock swag points) for choosing 250F but if you are getting back into action i would recommend it nonetheless.

Have fun and stay safe bro.
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jeffro503
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jeffro503 3/8/2020 12:42pm
3/8/2020 12:42pm
Hammer 663s wrote:
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a...
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a $6 plastic trophy. Ride whatever you are comfortable on and have fun. No one but you cares how you do. I have just as much fun "battling" for 12th as I do for 2nd.

Do the smart thing and get a 350. Best of both worlds. Won't wear you out like a 450 (my 350 weighs 218) and still has decent torque thru the midrange. If you are not a fan of the Husky FC350, it means you've never ridden one, and especially never worked on one.

Hammer 663s
Hammer......sent you a text the other day. You get it?
Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 3/8/2020 12:44pm
3/8/2020 12:44pm
Hammer 663s wrote:
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a...
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a $6 plastic trophy. Ride whatever you are comfortable on and have fun. No one but you cares how you do. I have just as much fun "battling" for 12th as I do for 2nd.

Do the smart thing and get a 350. Best of both worlds. Won't wear you out like a 450 (my 350 weighs 218) and still has decent torque thru the midrange. If you are not a fan of the Husky FC350, it means you've never ridden one, and especially never worked on one.

Hammer 663s
jeffro503 wrote:
Hammer......sent you a text the other day. You get it?
I didn’t. 9166167102
chump6784
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chump6784 3/8/2020 12:59pm
3/8/2020 12:59pm
I race a250 a 250 2 stroke on the +35 class. I still pull pretty good starts and on most tracks I don't find I'm at too much disadvantage. I'd like to ride a 250f just to compare with mine
jeffro503
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jeffro503 3/8/2020 1:17pm
3/8/2020 1:17pm
Hammer 663s wrote:
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a...
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a $6 plastic trophy. Ride whatever you are comfortable on and have fun. No one but you cares how you do. I have just as much fun "battling" for 12th as I do for 2nd.

Do the smart thing and get a 350. Best of both worlds. Won't wear you out like a 450 (my 350 weighs 218) and still has decent torque thru the midrange. If you are not a fan of the Husky FC350, it means you've never ridden one, and especially never worked on one.

Hammer 663s
jeffro503 wrote:
Hammer......sent you a text the other day. You get it?
Hammer 663s wrote:
I didn’t. 9166167102
Got it Mike , and re-sent the text.
moto67e
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moto67e 3/8/2020 2:07pm
3/8/2020 2:07pm
Hammer 663s wrote:
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a...
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a $6 plastic trophy. Ride whatever you are comfortable on and have fun. No one but you cares how you do. I have just as much fun "battling" for 12th as I do for 2nd.

Do the smart thing and get a 350. Best of both worlds. Won't wear you out like a 450 (my 350 weighs 218) and still has decent torque thru the midrange. If you are not a fan of the Husky FC350, it means you've never ridden one, and especially never worked on one.

Hammer 663s
I just don't like the feel of the Husky/Ktm's. I actually rode a KTM 450 yesterday and have done the KTM demo days recently. I rode the 250 2 stroke, the 350, 250f and 450. I've also done the top end on my buddy's FC450 and didn't really like working on it as much as my Yamaha YZ450f that I use for Supermoto.
rob162
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rob162 3/8/2020 2:35pm
3/8/2020 2:35pm
Get the 250f you can always add a little more power to the bike if you want when its time for a top end and still have a damn reliable bike. I race +25 and 30 on a 18 yz250f at 205+ gear. I've never felt like its the bike holding me back. Even in deep sand or hilly tracks if i take the proper lines for the bike im riding I've never felt it was a disadvantage.
I've actually raced 09 yz85 in a + 25 moto once to show the kid i knew that its not the bike, he needs to work on his skill. I got 9th th out of 16 or 17 for the moto. I normally finished around 4th-7th. This was at canyon raceway in AZ very hilly track. Was alot of fun, also race a drz125 in a gncc race that was fun to. You would be surprised how fast you get through the woods when your wide open the entire time. Never let off just clutch work lol.
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MZ193
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MZ193 3/8/2020 2:38pm
3/8/2020 2:38pm
Hammer 663s wrote:
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a...
We had a guy riding 45+ on a KX100 Supermini, and he could get top 5. It's Vet moto, with old fat guys, fighting over a $6 plastic trophy. Ride whatever you are comfortable on and have fun. No one but you cares how you do. I have just as much fun "battling" for 12th as I do for 2nd.

Do the smart thing and get a 350. Best of both worlds. Won't wear you out like a 450 (my 350 weighs 218) and still has decent torque thru the midrange. If you are not a fan of the Husky FC350, it means you've never ridden one, and especially never worked on one.

Hammer 663s
moto67e wrote:
I just don't like the feel of the Husky/Ktm's. I actually rode a KTM 450 yesterday and have done the KTM demo days recently. I rode...
I just don't like the feel of the Husky/Ktm's. I actually rode a KTM 450 yesterday and have done the KTM demo days recently. I rode the 250 2 stroke, the 350, 250f and 450. I've also done the top end on my buddy's FC450 and didn't really like working on it as much as my Yamaha YZ450f that I use for Supermoto.
A yzf 250 is what you’re searching.
If not, a yz 250.
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mark_swart
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mark_swart 3/8/2020 3:28pm
3/8/2020 3:28pm
Or you just get a KTM/Husky, 450, which is lighter than all of the Japanese 250s. I spent thr past two seasons (+40 and +30) on a YZ 250F, I didn't feel like the power was a huge disadvantage, but the stopwatch showed otherwise. I never liked the cornering on the YZ personally, that6 the actual reasonI moved on. I tried CRF and KX 450s and felt like they were riding me after about a lap, I don't really get that on the KTM. I did enjoy being able to ride the 250F aggressively though, but the reality is that most race motos nowadays are 10-12 minutes, so having a bike that you are still strong on at the 20 minute mark is sort of irrelevant for most of us.
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dedi684
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dedi684 3/8/2020 3:41pm
3/8/2020 3:41pm Edited Date/Time 3/8/2020 4:59pm
Ive been trying to find a better bike than a yz 250 2 stroke for years now. I was a top 10, then 8, then 5, then 3 then won a 40b championship on a bone stock 2018. Turns like crap and can be a handful sometimes but it pulls holeshots and is light enough for my 150 pounds.
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SmokinJoe439 3/8/2020 4:30pm
3/8/2020 4:30pm
Unless you're racing A class it doesn't make much difference. It is more about skill level i used to watch a guy race 40+ A on a 05 yz125 and win moto's on it. Ride what you are comfortable on 95% of the guys are out there for fun and enjoying the ride and quite a few of them are on 250's.

I'd rather ride a bike that i can keep control of when I'm tired late in the moto. Some say the ultimate vet bike is a 250f with a big bore kit. But ultimately rider skill will make the biggest difference. I race a yz250 and I beat guys with lesser skills on 450's all the time.
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Falcon
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Falcon 3/8/2020 4:54pm
3/8/2020 4:54pm
I raced a 125 in the +30 Intermediate class and often won. Ride what you are most comfortable on and the speed will come.
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Racer111
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Racer111 3/8/2020 5:14pm
3/8/2020 5:14pm
I raced a 250F for two years in the Vet class. Last year I and this year I’m racing the 450. Mentally and performance wise I prefer the 450. I’m in good shape, so I don’t get tired after 10 min. We have a lot of long starts so the 450 works better for me. I can get out front and ride my own race. You have to have great reaction time on the gate with the 250F. Otherwise you get pulled and have to ride through the pack. I like riding from the front. Choose your own lines and not have to worry about people crashing in front of you in the first half lap and causing you issues. Just my 2 cents.
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moto67e
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moto67e 3/8/2020 5:21pm
3/8/2020 5:21pm
Racer111 wrote:
I raced a 250F for two years in the Vet class. Last year I and this year I’m racing the 450. Mentally and performance wise I...
I raced a 250F for two years in the Vet class. Last year I and this year I’m racing the 450. Mentally and performance wise I prefer the 450. I’m in good shape, so I don’t get tired after 10 min. We have a lot of long starts so the 450 works better for me. I can get out front and ride my own race. You have to have great reaction time on the gate with the 250F. Otherwise you get pulled and have to ride through the pack. I like riding from the front. Choose your own lines and not have to worry about people crashing in front of you in the first half lap and causing you issues. Just my 2 cents.
That's great advice. Thanks
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seth505
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seth505 3/8/2020 5:29pm
3/8/2020 5:29pm Edited Date/Time 3/8/2020 5:30pm
On a 250 2smoke as my main bike. If I couldn’t have that then I’d race a 250f, 350f or a 125. Fuck a 450, stupidest thing to become normalized in the sport in the last few decades. Right up there with holeshot devices Grinning
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T-Fish
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T-Fish 3/8/2020 5:41pm
3/8/2020 5:41pm
I was always a 125 guy, with the occasional 450 or 250 smoker. I took a handful of years off and when I came back, I got a new 250f. I’ve always been a really good starter and could find my way towards the front by the end of the moto, but found I needed another bike length or two on the starts against the 450s and ended up getting a 350. Bottom line is this, you’ll be fine on the 250f.
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Jaybird67k
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Jaybird67k 3/8/2020 5:54pm
3/8/2020 5:54pm
I was always faster on my 250F than my 350 or 450 in the +40 class.
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AZRider
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AZRider 3/8/2020 5:57pm
3/8/2020 5:57pm
Depends on the terrain. I get hammered most of the time in the 45+ on a 350, but I'm racing tracks that get tilled deep and short races. If you have longer motos or are racing places with a harder base you'll be fine
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AZRider
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AZRider 3/8/2020 6:05pm
3/8/2020 6:05pm
Depends on the terrain. I get hammered most of the time in the 45+ on a 350, but I'm racing tracks that get tilled deep and short races. If you have longer motos or are racing places with a harder base you'll be fine. I also occasionally race my 150sx in 45+, and that really makes you miss any 4 stroke. Lol. Fun coming through the pack though.

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