rode my friends 450 yesterday

[twosmoke595]

ya i recently hopped on a buddies 08 kawasaki 450 yesterday because my 125 is out of commission, and all i can say is that the 4 laps i rode it, i was fighting the thing everywhere, the engine braking, the way it wanted to stand up on me in the turns, the way the front end pushed,the xr250 like throttle response and engine spool up, and it was a tank compared to my 125, man it was hard to ride, and it confirmed to me why i dont ride them anymore. Obviously it is a fast bike, its not like it hit hard or i was out of control bc of the engine. But just overall everything combined it really was not fun. Also it made me remember just how lazy you can be on them

I may just be biased idk, but that is my complete and total opinion

[SSGHopkins]

It's a good thing our sport has options. Every bike does not fit everyone. With out the four strokes I don't think our sport would be growing like it is. The four stroke makes it to where weekend warriors can compete.

[twosmoke595]

It's a good thing our sport has options. Every bike does not fit everyone. With out the four strokes I don't think our sport would be growing like it is. The four stroke makes it to where weekend warriors can compete.

this statement right here, is wrong, and i dont think its growing like you think it is, its only growing because of the ever increasing costs of bikes/parts which makes the manufacturers grow

[nom de guerre]

not supporting a 450 by any stretch.... but you usually ride a 125 and a 450 is a lot more bike, so all that you mention is amplified. 450s are a lot of bike...

[twosmoke595]

not supporting a 450 by any stretch.... but you usually ride a 125 and a 450 is a lot more bike, so all that you mention is amplified. 450s are a lot of bike...

ya i know, and i tried to base my opinion on facts and not emotion, which emotion pretty much just ruins any sort of opinion out there, but anyways, yes a 450 is a lot of bike, power/weight/handling were noticeably different than my 125 as they should be. But its not like i haven't ridden 450's before, i had one for 2 years, i also had a yz250 and when comparing the 450 to the 250 2 stroke i'd say the same thing i did with the 125, with everything combined, the handeling and the engine i found it very difficult to ride

[snook620]

From a 125 to a 450 what did you expect? from your descripion the 450 sounds like a ragged out pos to.

The four stroke makes it to where weekend warriors can compete.

Part of this is actually correct. Now days a privateer can build a 250f/450 out of a catalog that CAN and WILL compete with a factory bike, look at Mike Alessi. Back in the 2 stroke days the factory bikes were alot better than what we could buy

[rookie]

i rode and race a 125 for more than 10years

and then, i switch to a 450 (because of the trend  )

the 450 has tons of power, easy to ride and clear big jump,
but is heavy, tired me out pretty fast, makes me a lazy rider, etc

now i'm back, on a 150 smoker and i;m a happy man
has also save some dough on the maintenance.   

[msambuco]

not supporting a 450 by any stretch.... but you usually ride a 125 and a 450 is a lot more bike, so all that you mention is amplified. 450s are a lot of bike...

ya i know, and i tried to base my opinion on facts and not emotion, which emotion pretty much just ruins any sort of opinion out there, but anyways, yes a 450 is a lot of bike, power/weight/handling were noticeably different than my 125 as they should be. But its not like i haven't ridden 450's before, i had one for 2 years, i also had a yz250 and when comparing the 450 to the 250 2 stroke i'd say the same thing i did with the 125, with everything combined, the handeling and the engine i found it very difficult to ride

One of my friends (casual trail rider) has the same 08 450 in great condition. I rode it once to see the difference from my 250. I got the  same feeling as 595. Power was there but so was the  weight. I thought it would be fun to try something different but did nothing for me. It's not that we just get stuck on liking our own bikes we are used to.  I tried a  KTM 300 enduro and came back and told the owner "this thing is awesome!".

[MXLord327]

The biggest difference is just how stuck to the ground the 450f's are.  My best friend has a well set-up RMZ450, and I can  literally corner a gear higher than my YZ250.  This is definitely from my 20 years off bikes completely and lack of confidence, if I could ride like I did back in my teens I know I would be faster on the 250. I still don't care though, the 250 hit is just so much more fun!!

[Stusmoke]

It's a good thing our sport has options. Every bike does not fit everyone. With out the four strokes I don't think our sport would be growing like it is. The four stroke makes it to where weekend warriors can compete.

Um... False. Not only is the sport of motocross actually SHRINKING from what I've seen in Australia, but the only reason four strokes have "made it" is because of rule changes that basically cancel out two strokes.

ya i recently hopped on a buddies 08 kawasaki 450 yesterday because my 125 is out of commission, and all i can say is that the 4 laps i rode it, i was fighting the thing everywhere, the engine braking, the way it wanted to stand up on me in the turns, the way the front end pushed,the xr250 like throttle response and engine spool up, and it was a tank compared to my 125, man it was hard to ride, and it confirmed to me why i dont ride them anymore. Obviously it is a fast bike, its not like it hit hard or i was out of control bc of the engine. But just overall everything combined it really was not fun. Also it made me remember just how lazy you can be on them

I may just be biased idk, but that is my complete and total opinion

Me too. I'm so so so so so much faster on a two stroke. It just suits me. Steer with the rear, Smack the four jokes up the ear. Wow just made that up on the spot pretty sweet right?
Seriously though, the extra weight just doesn't work for me. In the low down corners it feels like it either wants to fall to the ground or stand right up. I don't like waiting for the power to build up either.