i may look at getting a myself a new bike, probably around the 2000 -2005 year range. ive never owned a 2 stroke, my current RMZ250 is playing up. i'd like to hear other peoples opinions on 2 stroke vs 4 stroke please. pros, cons, the lot. cheers.
ceebee2,
Aug 9, 7:44pm
I have only ever had 2 stroke trail bikes and found them really good in terms of reliability etc. I have also ridden 4 stroke trail bikes briefly and I guess the main difference is less noise on the 4 stroke, probably better economy but at the end of the day they have lots more moving parts so potentially more things to go wrong in the bush.
With the new and improved thumpers, many people find them easier to ride with their smooth, tractable power delivery. But on the other hand, a lot of riders don't actually want that. They want the thrill, noise and adrenalin of a powerband that only a two stroke can serve up.
if you're on a factory team budget and like noisy, heavy, high maintenance engines get a 4 stroke.
if you're on a ordinary kiwi budget and like less noisy, lightweight, lower maintenance engines get a 2 stroke.
assuming no major engine failures (which are more common on a 4 stroke due to so many more parts to fail)they work out about the same cost to run overall.the 2stroke burns more fuel & about another 50c per litre of fuel worth of oil, and engine rebuilds are cheap, on the other hand the 4 stroke uses less fuel, you dont mix fuel oil, but you do need to frequently replace engine oil and filters.gearbox oil changes apply either way.
engine rebuilds on a 250 4 stroke mx bike start at around $1000 if you do everything yourself, or around $220 on a 2 stroke 250 mx bike.
i've owned both, and my shed is now populated with only 2 strokes again.
a lot of riders are going back to 2 strokes for their simplicity, cheapness and fun
jimdaddy,
Aug 9, 11:39pm
interesting, as far as weight goes, my RMZ is 95kg dry, i weigh bout 75kg so i prefer lighter bikes, i have a minimal budget so i dont want to be fixing alot and doing maintanence is a hassle, i think a 125 2 stroke wouldnt be worth it as i'd have to wring it out to get the same power as the RMZ.
i dont think i would attempt the cr500 lol. how often do 2 strokes need to be rebuilt compared to 4 strokes!
jimdaddy,
Aug 9, 11:46pm
hahaha very scientific, nice.
jimdaddy,
Aug 9, 11:47pm
i dont do jumps quite that big yet, maybe if i got a 2stroke i would be able to!
r15,
Aug 9, 11:48pm
a 2 stroke 250 will produce as much power as you would want from a bike,or more especially at 75kg. unless you're a MX1 type racer and you clean your air filter regularly you can easily get 50 hours from a top end and easily get 150 to a bottom end.
125's do need to be ridden hard/correctly, easier not to go down that path though they are light. that said a 250 2stroke mx bike weighs 95~kg dry anyway
jimdaddy,
Aug 9, 11:52pm
ok so i havent seen alot of support for the 4's yet, i like the sound the 2 strokes make, it sounds crisp. but i like the lower torque of the 4's,unless some good arguements turn up in favor of the 4's, i mite be swayed to 2's.
jimdaddy,
Aug 9, 11:54pm
r15 wrote: a 2 stroke 250 will produce as much power as you would want from a bike,or more especially at 75kg. unless you're a MX1 type racer and you clean your air filter regularly you can easily get 50 hours from a top end and easily get 150 to a bottom end.
ive been told the 125s can easily pace a 250/4, and the 250/2 can pace a 450/4, that pretty accurate!
bigfatmat1,
Aug 10, 12:28am
I ride a cr250r great bike I replace ring & piston every 20hrs My manual says 7hrs under race conditions. my bike running costs including maintanance fuel oils ect are around $60-70hr Great bike I would never consider a 4 my bike has enough low down torque for me climbs alot of places the fours cant but then that could be the rider. I easily smoke my mates klx400 never really lined up a 450
kazbanz,
Aug 10, 1:28am
jimdaddy -the more modern HIGH PERFORMANCEfour strokes have very short pistons and frankly from what I've seen seem to need piston/rings almost as often as two strokes. The more agricultural four strokes are ok though
berg,
Aug 10, 3:00am
I'm a four stroke fan rather than two. I always found my four stroke bikes were way better on fuel allowing me to do the bigger rides without worrying about running out somewhere. I also found the fours easier to ride on slippery surfaces and narrow rough tracks due to the smoother power delivery. Try both and buy what you like though.
wrong2,
Aug 10, 5:53am
to beat the 250's with a four stroke - they needed 450cc
& the modern 450's are some of the highest tuned stock engines sold by mass manufacturers
their is a weight penalty - but its only slight
wrong2,
Aug 10, 5:56am
the works 500's were pushing 95 hp
to get that from a 4 stroke single , your wanting 650cc
(& a savage hand grenade tune)
2 strokers can be torquey - but they lose out on HP if tuned for it
sw20,
Aug 10, 6:07am
Two strokes sound better. The end.
tez,
Aug 10, 6:29am
Really depends on the sort of riding you do and your riding style. Four strokes generally do have smoother power delivery and with the modern four strokes have enough power to keep a 250 2 stroke pretty honest.Four strokes are more complicated and do require more money to be spent at rebuild time,Two strokes however don't tend to have quite the torque down low however the addition of a flywheel weight will smooth out most engines and there are always enduro bikes like the EXC300 which have a very good combination of torque and power.Or you could always just buy an old xr, never touch it and just ride.won't go as well as your rmz though.
glenn_michelle,
Aug 10, 7:49am
outside of racing there is very little difference between maintenance costs with 2 vs 4 stroke,as long as you keep up with regular oil changes etc you will have no probs with 4 strokes,you will be spending about the same on upkeep with both types-the only problem with the 4 stroke is if it does go bang then it costs more to fix-but thats only an "if" it doesnt mean it will.i have never had engine failures with 4 strokes
tantric5,
Aug 10, 9:20am
To make a 2 stroke motorcross bike more tractable in say, the woods.some weight the flywheel with great success.
tantric5,
Aug 10, 9:23am
CRF450 pistons were known to go bang fairly easy and if I remember they recommended they be replaced after 70 hours! You got a spare when you bought the bike new.
Some guys fit an engine hour meter to better gauge maintenance timing
sred69,
Aug 10, 9:29am
4 stroke for me, Suzuki DRZ 250 it is a bit heavy but great torque. it aint never going to be a motoX bike but great for trail riding
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