Cr250 Vs. Crf450

[Lost]

Well, i got a chance to ride a CRF450 at the Elsinore track today. I gotta tell you i was really impressed. So many things i had heard about the 450 were totally untrue. I have heard they were heavy. Well if your bench pressing it the 250 might be a little easier, but riding it felt just as light as my 250. I have also heard that they were scarry to ride, that the power crazy. I'll admit this bike has power, but the 250 is much scarrier to ride!! Where the 250 likes to spin the rear then hooks up and attempts to pull your arms out of their sockets, the 450 has tractor like power that gets traction and pulls forward despite the type of dirt under you. Where is would really shine was the hard pack. The 250 wants to spin untill you reach a certain speed and then yanks you forward. The 450 did not spin at all.

It was really remarkable how easy the bike was to ride. Im really out of shape due to my knee injuries this year. I was getting winded after one lap at elsinore, the 450 seemed like i could ride it all day. Suspension on the bike was not as good as my 250, but i am also 20lbs heavier than the owner of the 450. The suspension felt like it could have been set up to get close to the performance of the 250. Another interesting tidbit of the 450 was that i was only shifting 2-3 times per lap vs 15-20 on the 250. With so much tractable power, there was no need to shift! The 450 also felt pretty good in the air. It was actually easier to change direction in the air on the 450, but i don't know why that would be.

Anyway, my short time on the 450 was enlightening and made a few things really clear.
1. the 450 was easier and less physically taxing to ride.
2. For novices, the fours are going to make you faster than a 2 stroke
3. The 450 is like a tractor and pulls without drama (thats a good thing!)
4. There is a reason the 2 strokes are going away. Sad but true...

[r1brip]

nice write up Aaron. The two strokes are definitely fading out, their resale value gets lower every year

[RockstarSMP]

Good info. I've got a feeling I may end up with the 450x later this year, but I'm also between the Husky and KTM b/c they're street legal. I'd like to keep my cr250r (green sticker) for an extra bike, but I'm not sure there's much reason to. It'd probably just sit around collecting dust.

One thing I've noticed though... It seems the 4strokes need a lot of maintenance. I can do it, but I'm wondering if it HAS to be done as often as they recommend. I probably won't be racing, so is there a comparable bike that has good suspension but a little more bullet-proof? Or do I not really need to worry?

[veejay]

Husky!
but I'm a little biased...

maintenance is easy... all you need is an 8mm socket and you can pretty much take the entire bike apart!

valve checks/adjustments take less than an hour.

also outstanding support in San Diego with GP...

I check intervals as recommended because it doesn't really take long.

oil changes are fast and simple... not to mention cheap.

[RockstarSMP]

Is there anything else besides checking/adjusting the valves? That's a piece of cake, but I read somewhere about changing pistons out every so often...