Have all three. A 125, a 250f and a 250. Without a doubt the 250f is the easiest bike to ride. Also very forgiving. Your budget maybe tough to get one that’s low hours which is probably what you want.
I went from a 125 straight to a 250 2t. Honestly the transition is not bad as long as you respect the bike and ride within your limits. I took the bike to the trails a few times to get use to the power difference and overall feel for the bike before going to the track. For your price range and since it sounds like you really enjoy a 2 stroke I would say go for the 250 2t.
If your decent at riding your 125 it won't be hard to use newer 250 2strokes, they're easy bikes.
rarararaataatatatata
"If you feel in control, you're not going fast enough" ~Mario Andretti
I own a 125 and 250f, generally I have a lot more fun at the track on the 250f with the extra power.
I had a 250f and a 125, 125 never got ridden, I would go put that 4500 down on a new 250f, but that’s just me
I'd just go to the 250F if I were you. I mean, me.... I'd have all 3 because I like dirt bikes and riding them, but a 250 2S can be a pretty snappy beast and a 250F is a tractable, friendly, fun animal.
We rode a Husqvarna ride day and I had my son (coming off a KTM 150 SX, so no stranger to "snap") ride the 250F and 250. He really liked the F and ended getting an '18 KTM 250 SX-F a few months later (keeping the 150 SX for off-road use). He said the TC 250 was "maybe the scariest bike I've ever ridden... when the power hits, you'd better be aimed the right direction". I got along better with it, but I've had 450F's and 250 2T. A 250 2T with a flywheel weight is a superbly fun machine and if I was gonna ride a 250 2T, I'd put a weight on it and fiddle with the exhaust valve a little bit.
I ride my TC 125 a lot and have a lot of fun but I am 100% aware that I might not make all the jumps. OTOH, maybe at 58 yrs old I don't need to be making all the jumps, ya know?
2019 KTM 150 SX
2019 Husqvarna TX300
2015 Yamaha YZ 250
Maybe I’m in the minority but I have a 250f and a yz125 and riding the 125 is way more fun to me. It definitely take a bit more effort and you have to ride it hard, but it's more rewarding when you get it right and it feels like a mountain bike with a motor
misterwaterfallin wrote:Maybe I’m in the minority ...more
I love my 125 but I want to clear the bigger boy jumps at the track, I know I have the skills I just don’t think my bike can do it
The 2t vs 4t argument will never end. They are both fun and capable machines. BUT, for the vast majority of us...the 250F is just way easier to go faster on a moto track with. Less work, more forgiving. Not the peak HP of a 250 smoker but more useable power for the average Joe. Just my opinion.
If it ain't yer's don't take it, If it ain't the truth dont say it, If it ain't right don't do it...Marcus Aurelius
If you are a decent rider on a 125 you'll be fine on a 250 2 stroke. A yz 250 with a 9 or 11oz flywheel weight and either standard pipe and muffler or dep pipe and long muffler is pretty smooth for a 250 2 stroke. At your price range you should find something in decent condition and just throw a new top end in it.
Or, a leftover rmz 250 as mentioned above will be a step up from the yz125 and get the suspension sprung for your weight
250f.
For years I was 2 strokes (well, my whole riding career so 11 years), honestly, never raced a 4 stroke. I bought a 2011 CRF250R in boxes for $700 because if I can own one I’m going to be able to rebuild it.
Honestly, other than the extensive wiring, maintenance on a 250f is easy. Clean oil, air filters, hour meter. I have ridden a 250f for exactly 16.8 hours (my 16 RMZ250 hour meter) and loved it, except the air forks. Got rid of it for that reason. So easy to ride, roll on power. People I was struggling to beat on a 125 I pass them with ease with the 250f. I never raced my 250f but took it to a couple practice days. rode longer, and faster.
If you plan to stay on a 2stroke anyways, as the end result, just go straight to the 250 2 stroke. The adjust of going back and forth from 4stroke to 2stroke is weird, in my opinion. I think you you just made the jump now, it would make more sense, since you already are cornering and jumping w/o the engine braking and are used to that overall loose feel of the 2stroke. If you went to a 250F, it has so much of a connected feel and it really changes you approach to pretty much everything (corners, jumps, lines etc.) That being said, 250Fs are very easy bikes to ride and very efficient. You could end up jumping to a 250F and really finding out that it is what you prefer. SO there is also that possibility.
I have just recently had a season ending crash on my yz125 when I came to short on a triple because the bike just couldn’t speed up enough to clear the jump, now I don’t fully want to leave the two stroke life so I’m planing on sticking with my 125 for another year but the crash has got me thinking about the future, now I definitely want to end up on a two stroke again (250 2t) but I just don’t know if I’m ready for that much power so maybe I thought a 250f would be a good bike to hop on before the beast, but I know 125’s are equals to 250f’s but I’ve also had people tell me that the 250f’s are quicker and with a $4500 CAD (3350 USD) would I even be able to find a decent four stroke? I would love to get some insight from people who have made the jump from 125 to 250f or 125 strait to 250 2t. Thanks!
-Sam