Ok someone tell me about this valves BS and reliable 4 strokes-myth?

[bigbob 901]

I love my DRZ. I was so impressed with the power and response boost from the air box/ jetting and Yosh pipe. I really dont want to spend more dough. My S dual sport makes me so happy and is so reliable with minimum maintence required.

Now some of you may know next year I can afford add one more bike to my stable..and most likely will go for something like a KTM 525 EXC or a WR 450 and was thinking about the CRF X 450....but the more I read about these competition bikes the more I read about regular valve adjustments and crap like that the more I WANT TO PUKE.

is the FCR and 440 mod the only answer....or is there another reliable motor out there? for my second bike, any advice? educate me.......it just seems stupid to spend 7000 on a bike and then have to work on it.... jeez I wish Toyota made dirt bikes...they wouldn't stand for this valve adjustment crap

[bp_fire]

I finally got my butt over to Jsuhrs house and he put the Edelbrock carb on my bike ? So far without any adjustments, basically plug and play, it already runs better ? But now I have the FEVER ? We're going to do a complete makeover on my S, Cams, 440 kit, pipe, E gasket etc... It's about time too, what with the rain finally here, the trails are gonna be awesome ?

I would just add more power to your S, you already know the reliability of the Suzuki, plus you'll save $$$ ?

[AndrewQ]

Bigbob, your posts always crack me up. You are more indecisive then my girlfriend ? Race bike's make the most power from a given size engine. They do this in part because every part is optimized for weight/performance. In theory, the perfect race vehicle would fall apart and every part would break right after the vehicle crossed the finish line. Anything that didn't break then was overbuilt and therefore too heavy. Not that Honda has taken this approach, but hopefully you get the point. Yes, bikes like the Honda CRF 450 make a lot of power for their size and weight. The truth of the matter is that Honda guys sit around a conference table when they're designing a bike and have to determine what their goals are. My guess is that they came to the conclusion that, from a business model perspective, it makes more sense to build a bike that wins races and magazine competitions, since this will sell the most amount of bikes. Reliability is always a trade-off with power and weight. Everything's a compromise. Rank what traits are important to you and pick you bike based on that. Personally, I think you will be disappointed with anything less then DRZ reliability, but I've been wrong before....

OH yeah, and if Toyota made a bike it probably would be a great bike...but I think it'd be lot more like the Honda's then you realize. Look how similar Honda and Toyota cars are to each other. Similar markets mean similar goals which mean similar targets which means similar products. Personally, I think the Japanese performance bikes (both street and dirt) are the biggest bang for the buck....period!) They're all bargains when you factor in the performance ?

[AndrewQ]

I love my DRZ. I was so impressed with the power and response boost from the air box/ jetting and Yosh pipe. I really dont want to spend more dough. My S dual sport makes me so happy and is so reliable with minimum maintence required.

I think that says it all, Bigbob. You just need to stop yourself from getting "bike envy". There's alway going to be something faster, or lighter, or cooler looking. I like my DRZ beacuse its versatile. I can build it to be good in the dirt, or good in the street. And, if your riding talent is anything like mine, the bike is still faster then you ?

[trav]

300 EXC.

[RC81]

WR/YZF450. Yamahas dont have the valve problems Honda does right now and they would add a little excitement to your riding life.

[anathema]

300 EXC.

Heh he wants low maintenance and you suggest ktm? Thats not really the rep the brand has.

My suz dealer is also a ktm dealer..he said 'ktm great bikes, but you gotta be a tinkerer..not low maintenance'

[kelsow]

Maybe he meant gasgas 300exc?

[rockchucker22]

Another drz ?

[N7SLC]

WR/YZF450. Yamahas dont have the valve problems Honda does right now and they would add a little excitement to your riding life.

WR450. After a few free mods, that's a killer and reliable machine. ?

[bigbob 901]

thanks guys, the indecision comes from being a blank page newbie. I wonder if your girlfriend is a blank page? that can be a good thing ? :cry:

come here little girl let me how you how this works. ? :cry:

Back to that CrapRunsFast business model...... A lot of guys bought XR400s and DRZ over the years too. I see ya have to be AWARE of what your buying. Too bad I'm not a tinkerer. I'm an engineer, you would think I would like wrenching on a bike. True the work is not complicated or hard. The more you do it the better you get at it. I guess that's the answer if I want a race bike, better throw in some new tools and clean out my garage, put in some better lighting and get a pillow for the dog.

[N7SLC]

Too bad I'm not a tinkerer. I'm an engineer, you would think I would like wrenching on a bike.

You must have something wrong with you...every engineer I know and

work with, and that's quite a few, enjoy tinkering on one thing or

another. That's why they became engineers. ?

Just ribbing ya'... ?

[Halfcab76]

BigBob, you have a bad case of bike envy. And some times I get it myself, but not much at all anymore.

About the 525 KTM...

I ride with several guys that have a 520/525 KTM, some own a WR250F or GAS GAS 300 also, that they ride or race most of the time (and now use the 525 only for DS rides). The others are talking about changing to a 450EXC. These woods/trail/Enduro riders/racers keep buying new bikes, but at the end of a long day, the guys out front are on 2 smokes.

[bigbob 901]

..no really I'm over the bike envy.... I'm tryin to learn because I can AFFORD a second bike and next year I WILL buy a second bike. Since I will keep my trusty DRZ, my thoughts have been all over the place what would be a great next bike....so naturally I'm thinking well my DRZ S model is not a race bike...maybe I want a CRF ..... then I was thinking Honda would make the X bike more reliable then the R bike as the X bike is a TRAIL bike...but it appears from the CRF X forum that all honda did was put some lights on the race bike..........that sounds Dumb to me....talk about marketing...trail riders want bullet proof.

Yeah about the enduros...I've commented before I see alot of the A riders on 2 strokes at enduros...... Light is right when you ride 90 miles of rabbit and goat trails.

about the engineering......... I love and am very good at math and physics. I'm a conceptual engineer. Yes we have lots of tinkering engineers in the world, but frankly those guys can't see past their cubicle.

[snowblind]

Hey BB,

Im a tinkering engineer, and I resemble that remark. Just wish my cubicle had some windows... ?

[Wrfrk]

As far as I'm concerned the WR is a very reliable machine. I had a '00 WR400 and though I had too check the valve clearances it never once needed adjusting. They are a solid bike and I'm sure you'd be happy, but they do require lots of oil changes and other petty little maintenance things. Not really designed for prolonged road rides either which is why I sold mine.

[MutualBill]

This is just me talking...but if I was going to buy a second bike...I would not buy a bike to fill a role that is already being satisfactorally fulfilled. Why not add a supermoto or maybe something like the Vstrom for some cross country touring. Maybe if you want something more motocross style (light, fast, short range and more acrobatic)...you could look at the new RMZ450?

[bigbob 901]

This is just me talking...but if I was going to buy a second bike...I would not buy a bike to fill a role that is already being satisfactorally fulfilled. Why not add a supermoto or maybe something like the Vstrom for some cross country touring. Maybe if you want something more motocross style (light, fast, short range and more acrobatic)...you could look at the new RMZ450?

yes this is true..... and i may get the most exotic race bike I can just to mix it up in the garage..... i got on this kick cause i was thinking hmmmmm that new honda 450x has the the CRF frame and all man o mna if its trail bike reliable..... I'm on that, but since it appears to be a CRF with lights screw it I'll may as well get a finky european exotic [@#$%&*!] or yes a RMZ race bike instead...... I would have been unhappy I think with a Honda off road machine that is a PIA......

[98940]

OK, I'm no expert, and this is only a thought/opinion...

I think it all comes down to how you ride the bike and whether you are racing or not.

There gotta be something to be said about recreational riding versus racing balls-out.

One manner could involve riding the torque curve without killing the motor,

whereas the other involves repeated over-rev and hammering. There is a limitation of matter.

The three 2-stroke bikes I had never needed top ends or any other rebuild.

I used them as playbikes for two seasons each. I rode them, enjoyed them, but didn't

mercilessly abuse them.

Meanwhile, I attended a pro motocross race not too long ago.

Four stroke and two stroke bikes were both being revved unbelievably high.

I could see why their valves would break.

I had two Ducatis, 20K miles each- never one problem ?

(contrary to what you hear in the motorcycling media)

Checked the valves at 10k on each, maybe one valve needed shimming.

Bottom line is that Honda doesn't make junk. I don't think any of the big four do.

I think it's the way they're ridden.

[Aaron]

I know guys that ride their 300 regularly and go 3 years on one set of rings. they are tough bikes.

300 EXC.

Heh he wants low maintenance and you suggest ktm? Thats not really the rep the brand has.

My suz dealer is also a ktm dealer..he said 'ktm great bikes, but you gotta be a tinkerer..not low maintenance'