Help! Can't decide 250F or 450F

[todd92]

I have a great 04 450, it is well sorted and I really like it. But of course I'll get an 05. Question is do I get a 450 and set it up like my 04 or do I get a 250, pop a 302 kit on it and then set it up like my 04...

I'm 6'3" 190, either a fast 40+ int or a slow 40+ exp. I'm leaning towards the 250F, but I'm worried I'm too big, too old and too slow to wring it out right. I do like the way I can be lazy on the 450 and still be pretty quick.

[125shifter]

From what I've read, I'd dig a 250 and I'm your size. It sounds as if the 250 can get tossed about like a toy thus eliminating some work (read: slower lap times). I just don't know what one would be like on the steeper/long obstacles @ 190ish.

[brown77]

get the 450 ,

I had a 04 450

and a 04 250

the 450 is just so much easier to ride

unless you just ride the track 100%

I will tell you I wont everbuy a 250F again

it was fun to ride ,but for an all around bike the 450 is hard to beat ?

[gonzo]

Your not too big at all for the 250F. You have a 450 now why wouldnt you get a another one? Also that 302 kit is like $3020 bucks. I can do alot with that kind of money.

[Throttlejockey]

No way, maybe for big open tracks or big guys.

I'm actually thinking about selling my 450 I like the 250 so much.

Get a ride on a 250 Todd, you'll know right away if it's right for you.

[brown77]

I also heard that the crf250 guys are having lots of problems w/the valves becasue you rev the 250 higher than the 450.You should look into it before deciding.

my cousin got an 04 crf250 also and now he wants to sell it for a 450 and he only weighs 170

good luck ?

[Throttlejockey]

I haven't had any problems other than when my chain derailed. ?

[brown77]

hahaha fred

when I was typing the post I was wondering what you where going to say (that was kinda scary) ?

[brown77]

where I live in NOR CAL we have some HUGE HILLS and need the extra displacement,if you live back east and its all really really tight stuff the 250 might fit you better

I just like knowing that if I need the extra juice its there

the only weigh to find out is to ride one ,I wish I would have waited to ride it because I would have not bought the 250 . but its not a bad bike by anymeans

[davbrucas]

i have both bikes. both 04. the 250 sits in the garage most of the time. but after the head gets back from RHC and the 270 kit goes on i think it will see more riding time. at cycleranch where i ride the 250 just doesnt have enough balls for the deep loam and uphills. i am 6'1 192. the 250 is great for the night tracks around here though.

[125shifter]

...the 250 just doesnt have enough balls for the deep loam and uphills.

Exactly.

[want2ride]

I would love to ride a CRF250 on the track and see what its really like. I have a feeling its a really great bike. In fact, I might get one. Like someone said, where I ride (HangTown/NorCal), the track is s-turned on the side of a hill, thus mucho hp needed when climbing and accelerating. For example, yesterday, the track was freshly prepped, all thick and chunky, kindy like wading through mud, but not as bad. A few times I almost bogged the 450 when I wasn't careful. Only complaint (not really a valid one) is

it pulls so hard out of turns I get tired quick. Then again, I'm 42. The good news is I can "coast" the track at times to conserve energy, then when I want to accelerate before a step-up jump going up hill, I just lay down the power. I suppose a good rider could do the same on a 250. Get the 450. ?

[Throttlejockey]

On my 02 I've been running 13/52 for moto and woods. I haven't had the 450 on a track in a while but I recently switched to a 13/51 setup and have been riding it in the woods. I didn't realize what a diffence 1 tooth would make in the woods. It's horrible. It hits at the wrong time and I feel like I'm in the wrong gear everywhere. With the 52 on the rear it was so much smoother.

My point is try some different gearing if the 450 feels like it's beating you up.

[therapture]

The 250F;s, while great bikes, are STILL a "125" class machine. To go fast you still have to "gun-n-run" them, especially us larger/heavier guys. Now of course that depends on what you are looking for in a bike. I think Todd92 won't like a 250F in the Vet class as equally skilled riders on 450's are going to own him with them most of the time...there is just too much power difference. Of course that is tempered by riding condtions, roughness, slick, etc.

I rode a CRF250 for a good portion one day, I loved it, but even though I made the same jumps, even a large triple, I could not get anywhere close to my 450 lap times. I was 3 seconds off the pace and riding it hard, even going faster in some corners than on my 450 woud not make up for the lack of power I was used to. Not to mention a mistake on a small bore will cost you alot more, with a 450 you just grab a big handful and lose very little time since it takes off like a rocket...

There are so many variables...MX is so varied, fitness levels, track conditions, man...if I had only a CRF250 I would have to modify it extensively to get more power from it. With a 450 you have more than enough at any given time on a motocross track...easier to back off the throttle a bit than it is to try and find more power when the grip is twisted to the stops!

The best thing is to have BOTH, maybe I will look into that when I get a new job... ?

[chipj]

There was a really interesting article in MXRacer magazine this month comparing the CRF450 to the CRF250. They tested both bikes at three tracks ranging from tight to wide open fast terrain. The riders ranged from national pro (timmy wiegand) to novice riders. Without fail, all riders at all of the tracks were at least 2 seconds a lap faster on the 250. They claimed the smaller bike was easier to handle and less tiring thus enabling them to charge harder into corners. Keep in mind that these were 04 models. The new 05 is a totally different bike, but I doubt the outcome would be too much different. I think it depends on the type of power you like, if you are comfortable with 50+ horsepower stick with the 450.

[todd92]

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll stick with the 450. The only thing I wish was different was the gyroscopic effect. I can feel the bike wanting to keep going straight when braking hard...there is no way around this if you want the power. I figured the 250F would be more nimble in this respect, but I sounds like I will miss the power more.

[gonzo]

Depends on your riding style. You cant lug a 250F but if your a revver you wont be missing much.

[st3ve]

get a rm125 and put a 167 kit in it, you'll be haulin ?

stick with the fo fiddy, i rode one and its so much more fun then the yz250f i usually ride. with the 450 u can just grab some throttle and make eco freaks go nuts ? thats my kinda' power

[mxaddict]

Todd,

If you want to you are welcome to ride my '04 250f some weekend soon at one of our tracks here. You really do have to ride one to know. After 2 450's, I do miss the power sometimes and wonder about getting another one, but then I ride someone's and it feels like a tank compared to the 250f. At some tracks it's not a big deal, like at splendora with it's fast corners, the 450 never bothered me and the power was very useful. But at tracks like 290 I definitely prefer the 250f. I raced there a couple months ago in the open +25 class(I'm 33), and it was all novices and intermediates, no experts signed up. Of course I was the only one not on a 450, and was dead last into the first corner both times, but came out of it in no worse then 6th each time when the big bikes just slowed more for it and I railed it in 4th. The first moto I got the lead on lap 4, then just wore out after not riding much and finished 2nd. I mainly passed guys going into corners...the 450's seemed SO slow going in it was like 'hurry up! move it!'. The second moto I passed everyone the first lap and walked to a 10 second lead by lap 4 and cruise the last two to an easy win, and I think the 250f was an advantage that day. While the 450 guys tried to get stopped to make corners, I could flow into them much faster and come out faster making it hard for them to pull me down the straights because they were starting slower coming out. At splendora it would probably be different, but not racing there recently I can't say for sure.

Long story short, I'm torn like you are and want both, and I may try an '05 450 to see if it's handling is improved enough to make up some of the difference. But for those who can ride at int. or better skill level, the 250 handling is worlds better than the '04 or previous 450's, your main loss is the ability to use some inside lines because it won't yank out of them as hard. Any corner with momentum though and it's awesome. I really do think a 300 in this thing would be the perfect mx bike.

shoot me an email if youy want to hook up and try it sometime.

Brandon

[gonzo]

I hear the handling is about the same as the 04. It's just slimmer. I havent ridden one though.