are 2 strokes hard to maintain?

[Foxracing24]

i am just getting into dirt bikes, i had a crf 150f but after i crashed it my parents made me sell it. so now the only way that i can get a bike is if i buy it my self. which brings us to the question at hand. i really want a suzuki 250 but i cant decide if i want a 2 stroke or a 4. all of the 2 strokes have been cheaper which is good (being a janitor dosnt pay well). but i have heard that hey are harder to take care of and i dont have the time or money to do that. i have heard 4 strokes are more reliable but all the ones i have seen are cost more. so should i bit the bullet and get a 4 stroke or should i settle for a 2 stroke? help a brother out.  

[DirtRider500R]

Taking care of them is as hard as drinking a glass of water; any remotely competent person can do it. 4 Strokes are more intensive and complicated, so they take more finesse and brains.

[Bricktop72]

2 strokes are much simpler, have fewer parts, and much cheaper parts to maintain/replace. Hands down 2 strokes are cheaper AND easier to service.

[somethingnuw]

Taking care of them is as hard as drinking a glass of water; any remotely competent person can do it. 4 Strokes are more intensive and complicated, so they take more finesse and brains.

 

 

what this guy says... has been my experience... old 250 two stroke and new honda 450x.... 450 cost me a lot... great bike... if i was desert racing or mx it would be a big 4 stroke... but as a weekend warrior who rides mostly in the woods never again... no shot to anyone who own 4 strokes... but it was way harder... couldn't do the valve checks myself so evertime i went out i wondered if today would be the day a valve snapped... just saying... if i had to do it all over i'd buy a enduro style 2 stroke that pulled like a 4 stroke... im thinking beta 300 rr or ktm 300xc-w even looked at the 200 xc-w

Edited May 1, 2014 by somethingnuw

[downonmonday]

Does a bear sh*t in the woods?

[MaybeMe]

Does the pope help pedophiles?

[Falcon 1]

2 Strokes are much easier and cheaper to maintain. 

[cleaner1]

2 Strokes are much easier and cheaper to maintain. 

+1 I have both.

[Beau 88]

Does a bear sh*t in the woods?

Not if he lives at the zoo  ? 

[Fatt_Tones]

2 Strokes on all counts ?

 

Big step up in power from a CRF150 to a 2T 250....

[fineblackline]

2 Strokes on all counts ?

Big step up in power from a CRF150 to a 2T 250....

I agree. I would get a 125. They're a blast and you'll be less likely to bust your a$$ lol. 250 2 strokes are pretty fast bikes for anyone and they often have pretty aggressive power bands. Considering your last bike was a kid's trail bike, I think jumping to the 250 would be a little too big of a jump.

[cynicryder]

be careful. either a 250cc 2 stroke or 4 stroke motocross bike is a very serious machine coming from a crf150f. i.e. it's easy to hurt yourself very badly with them. what kind of riding do you want to do ? track or trail ? maybe a 125cc 2 stroke motocross for track or a  kdx200/honda xr250/crf230f for trail riding.

 

don't spend all your money on the most expensive bike you can afford, get something less expensive and spend the rest of the money on good safety equipment (good boots, good gloves, good knee protection, elbow, chest protector, neck/collar bone braces, good quality helmet, etc...) 

[aclimbatize]

Personal experience: I bought a YZ250 as my first dirtbike thinking that after 6 years of street experience I would be able to handle it and that a 125 would be boring. That was a mistake, I could not use half of its potential and ended up selling it. I now have a 125 and am having the time of my life trying to wring out every bit of potential the littler powerhouse can dish out. Do not think that a 125 will be slow, it is only as slow or as fast as your skills will allow for. Go look up some videos on youtube of pro's reviewing new 125s and prepare to be blown away by the things they can do with these bikes.

 

Also, working on the thing is incredibly easy. I did the top and bottom end on the 250 with help from youtube and it really was not that hard. If you have the right tools and a little guidance the maintenance on the 2T is super simple.

[Isaac125]

If this says anything, i bought a cr125 2 stroke recently. I had taken one class in school on engines (simple class) and taken apart one small engine in class, a week before my bike blew a top end. Im 16 and did an entire top end rebuild and had to get the cylinder bored out and i did it just fine myself. Im no genius and i did it just fine..learned a lot too, only about $250 for the top end (and bore job) and she's running fine now. Gotta love 2 strokes, 

[peski111]

my son raced a yz125 for 2 years in the C class and then a yz250f for his 1st 3 years in B.  Decided to switch back to a new yz125 middle of last year and my wallet loves it. 

[Foxracing24]

be careful. either a 250cc 2 stroke or 4 stroke motocross bike is a very serious machine coming from a crf150f. i.e. it's easy to hurt yourself very badly with them. what kind of riding do you want to do ? track or trail ? maybe a 125cc 2 stroke motocross for track or a  kdx200/honda xr250/crf230f for trail riding.

 

don't spend all your money on the most expensive bike you can afford, get something less expensive and spend the rest of the money on good safety equipment (good boots, good gloves, good knee protection, elbow, chest protector, neck/collar bone braces, good quality helmet, etc...) 

i will be riding at the sand dunes a lot with a little bit a trail riding here and there. and i am not going all out at first,i am just learning and i am a little timid on a dirt bike so i am not to worried about getting hurt but who knows, and i already got all the equipment because i go atv riding at the sand dunes a lot 

[Atrus96]

As someone who like 4t and 2t and rides a 2t i will say the 2t is cheaper all around. Cheaper matience. Easier mantiance. Cheaper rebuilds and easier rebuilds. For me if i blow up my two stroke i know for the most part that a day and 200 bucks and im back on the trail. A four stroke im looking at at least a grand and a couple weeks till its fixed. Also i have to say my 2t i bought 3 years ago, jetted it when i got it. Rebuilt the top end once after a year and a half. replaced brakes and chain/sprocket and rebuilt the forks once. Thats all i have done but the chain brakes and fork seals are all commen to both 2 and 4 strokes

Edited May 2, 2014 by Atrus96

[shawn1331]

i will be riding at the sand dunes a lot with a little bit a trail riding here and there. and i am not going all out at first,i am just learning and i am a little timid on a dirt bike so i am not to worried about getting hurt but who knows, and i already got all the equipment because i go atv riding at the sand dunes a lot 

 

get a 125. you're timid and thats a bad mix on bikes. timid=easily scared=whiskey throttle heaven

 

you can still get hurt on a 125 and the newer 125's have a surprising amount of power to be honest. be careful swtiching from a 150f to a 2 stroke