250 vs 300 2t for larger riders

[shooter114]

Whilst I've ridden older era 250 2t MX style bikes and modern era 300 2t enduro bikes I've never ridden both of the same discipline or era. 

So do the newer enduro 250's have enough bottom end for hard enduro hill climbs etc for bigger riders ( 6ft1, 242lbs rider weight without gear) ?

I'm not racing, just weekend warrior looking to improve.

And can't compare - no dealer stock, ride days or friends who have new enduro 250's. So a bit of a tough choice. 

Looking at 2022 250/300 se racing 

[Verylost]

Definitely get the 300.

The low end power of a 300 is amazing.

You can ride up steep hills without wheel spin.

Traction rich !!

[Hubert Carpet]

300s are great fun but can be tiring by the end of the day. I have had many 250s and 300s and they usually weigh the same but the 250s will always feel much lighter and easier to turn. I'm sure there's a scientific reason for it but it would be wasted on me.

A good maxim is : 250s for racing, 300s for trail riding. If you are doing anything tight or technical, a 250 can be much less of a handful.

[DeanGuilberry]

So far the comments are just opinion. (and not very accurate)
I ride both a 2020 SE250Factory and a 2021 SE300Factory There is not a lot of difference. The 300 is geared a bit higher on rear sprocket. They ride almost exactly the same neither one is going to tire you out faster. (in fact a very easy bike to ride. My 2017 WR250F wears me out much more than the Shercos'.)

After a few minutes when I stop thinking about it I forget which one I am riding.

I got the 250 on a great deal just after Covid hit and dealers were wondering if anyone was going to buy bikes. I bought it for $8900 OTD brand new.
That being said the MSRP on the 300 is about $50 more. If you're looking and they are similar priced I would go with the 300. Not by much)
If the 250 is a good deal go with the 250 as it will pull just as hard as the 300 if both are on stock gearing.

The 300 is higher demand but now new bikes are hard to find so there are no deals just MSRP.  

 

[Verylost]

Yeah.

300s are really nice.

Very versatile.

Lots of low end power

[Piney Woods]

242 before gear and a rider more into fun/enjoyment than racing---300. Period!

Edited October 7, 2021 by Piney Woods

[gbanker]

DeanGuilberry: nice rides you've got there. Any issues getting Sherco parts from a dealer or after-market?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by gbanker
damn spellcheck

[shrubitup]

I am OP's size. Rode many 250 and 300 two stroke off road bikes but no Sherco. The 250 has slightly less bottom but revs faster and more top end over rev. It feels lighter handling wise TO ME. Given my experience riding these two, I'd take the 250.

[TTBadDog]

This comes up a lot, sort of like a Ginger Mary Ann thing. To me the real answer is Samantha, way less trouble and she can make things happen. Genie is better looking but just an airhead.. Point being you are not going to get a clear answer as terrain, rider experience and so many other factors play in. I rode 200's for years and never had an issue so you adapt and go faster in certain sections. On my KTM 200 in the last 45 starts of Harescrambles including 5 GNCC events racing had 44 1st in class and missed the holeshot in only one event but lead at 3rd turn going into the woods. It's clutch control and putting the power to the ground but I weigh 155 after a bowl of ice cream and 3 beers.

Howzabout a 275?

I went with a 250, SC2 and RK Tek head. Best of both worlds.....

[gbanker]

“a bowl of ice cream and 3 beers.” I am so jealous wishing I could eat like that. LOL

[DEL107]

It ain’t about your size as they will both haul the mail. If you are just endlessly stuck in boulder pits and horrendous climbs the 300 might make easier due to that tiny bit more grunt. Anything beyond that a 250 is just as awesome. I went 300 not because of my size which is close to yours, but because I only ride at elevation and even the 300 felt weak on torque, and it still needed a RK head to get some grunt back

I love to chug, I’m not a rev’er. I’m in third even in tight stuff just riding that torque. So think about how you like to ride. I could never do say a 250 4 stroke or a 125, I’m just not into how the rear suspension behaves on bikes that need to be revved. 

Edited February 8, 2022 by DEL107

[Tahoe Gator]

On 2/3/2022 at 12:33 PM, TTBadDog said:

This comes up a lot, sort of like a Ginger Mary Ann thing. To me the real answer is Samantha, way less trouble and she can make things happen. Genie is better looking but just an airhead.. Point being you are not going to get a clear answer as terrain, rider experience and so many other factors play in. I rode 200's for years and never had an issue so you adapt and go faster in certain sections. On my KTM 200 in the last 45 starts of Harescrambles including 5 GNCC events racing had 44 1st in class and missed the holeshot in only one event but lead at 3rd turn going into the woods. It's clutch control and putting the power to the ground but I weigh 155 after a bowl of ice cream and 3 beers.

Howzabout a 275?

I went with a 250, SC2 and RK Tek head. Best of both worlds.....

How is your smart carb working? I’ve read the angle of the inlet presents float problems. Any truth?

[TTBadDog]

Only ridden a few rides with the SC2. Have not had any issues with float that I know of.  What issues have been reported? The carb angle on the Sherco is a bit pronounced, I checked the float height as installed by using a sight tube attached to float bowl drain valve and it is right on. I would expect that if all is working well it should not stay or stick open. Has that been reported or is there some other issue?  

[Jaketheone46]

On 2/2/2022 at 3:03 PM, shrubitup said:

I am OP's size. Rode many 250 and 300 two stroke off road bikes but no Sherco. The 250 has slightly less bottom but revs faster and more top end over rev. It feels lighter handling wise TO ME. Given my experience riding these two, I'd take the 250.

Same here, 260 without gear and have been up to 300. The yz250has always been perfect for me. I just love the snappy 250 power. 

[DEL107]

5 hours ago, TTBadDog said:

Only ridden a few rides with the SC2. Have not had any issues with float that I know of.  What issues have been reported? The carb angle on the Sherco is a bit pronounced, I checked the float height as installed by using a sight tube attached to float bowl drain valve and it is right on. I would expect that if all is working well it should not stay or stick open. Has that been reported or is there some other issue?  

My SC2 came with a fuel level 1/2” too high, I could only get it down to 1/8 too high.  It affected low speed running so I just gave up and returned it.  Didn’t help it was race season so even though customer services was posting on Facebook daily, I couldn’t get a response because he was with Sherco.  Too bad, clearly it ran nice up top, you could really feel the difference, but I think mine was defective.  

[TTBadDog]

Bummer, give then a second chance and ask for free shipping to boot. I verified my float height bu connecting the float bowl drain line with clear tune attached. I placed the line adjacent to the scribed marks on the carb  body forward port side of carb and it was spot on at between the two lines. I would think your situation was a one off thing. 

The carb is nice, I played with the clicker and decided as shipped at 75 was just right. I can make it snappier bu leaning it out but it just won't stall if you run it just a smidge rich on the off idle setting. Overall power feels the same but just a red one rich makes it easy to get play with the throttle coming off idle in rocks and log crossings.  With the other benefits of the SC2, temp and altitude plus being able to taylor off idle response or fattening up with metering rod change for dunes or higher compression head it beats FI anyday. I get that Kehin is tunable as well but jus tset this thing and adjust a few one way or the other for terrain and the rest is automagic. It does run better up top an bottom is always subjective but tuneable.  Just like free beer....

[LumberJeff]

On 2/16/2022 at 3:09 PM, TTBadDog said:

Bummer, give then a second chance and ask for free shipping to boot. I verified my float height bu connecting the float bowl drain line with clear tune attached. I placed the line adjacent to the scribed marks on the carb  body forward port side of carb and it was spot on at between the two lines. I would think your situation was a one off thing. 

The carb is nice, I played with the clicker and decided as shipped at 75 was just right. I can make it snappier bu leaning it out but it just won't stall if you run it just a smidge rich on the off idle setting. Overall power feels the same but just a red one rich makes it easy to get play with the throttle coming off idle in rocks and log crossings.  With the other benefits of the SC2, temp and altitude plus being able to taylor off idle response or fattening up with metering rod change for dunes or higher compression head it beats FI anyday. I get that Kehin is tunable as well but jus tset this thing and adjust a few one way or the other for terrain and the rest is automagic. It does run better up top an bottom is always subjective but tuneable.  Just like free beer....

Did you have to do the air boot mod as suggested on the smart carb website/video? They are working on a 2020 in the video so I am wondering if it's still the same for a 2022.

[TTBadDog]

I did the  boot re-shaping. It really is very easy with a Dremel Tool sanding drum. Once you mount the carb to the reed block you will see what the relief area is. Takes maybe 45 minutes and a beer to complete the entire install. Mine was a bit more complicated as I Used a sapre KTM Domino throttle.

IF YOU ARE GOING to order a SC 2 and plan on using a Domino throttle be aware that the cable is different on the carb end so speak to SC2 guys to  have the correct carb top installed when shipped. 

Having the SC2 is worth bragging rights alone when talking with your Orange  buddies, I reach down and click it a few times and tell them I am re-mapping my FI ECU!