thinking about making the switch to 450F

[PDBRacer]

So i think im gonna have to make the switch soon to 450F racing wise as I get older the age classes are looking nicer and nicer.

I love my 250F but racing age classes and gaining like 3secs on a 450f into the turn and half way through it until the guy decides to turn the throttle in the sand and pull up ahead another sec or 2.

I have rode 450's but dont like them heres why. To much power. No not cause i can't control it because the jumps and timming everything thing right.

My 250F when the track gets rrough all the big jumps are just FULL Throttle all the way no letting off. and you barly clear it if u do depending how rough it is.

450F i over shoot everything and it totally slows me down, screws me up for next turn/jump etc.

Whats a really good way to adapt? just buy a 450 before im ready and get more seat time on it? Or should i stay 250F. I love 250F and having to get more speed. 450 i think would make slower.

[thumperzonly]

haha it sounds like ur a prime candidate for a 250 2 stroke if u like to ride wide open and let it all hang out riding on the edge. the 2 smoke will give the big thumpers a run for their money. if u decide to do the 450 and ur still over jumping u will need to pay more attention to throttle and body positioning and scrub more. scrubbing on jumps and precise throttle control in turns is the key to riding a 450 fast. u can lay down insane lap times on a 450 if u scrub right and learn ur limits with the throttle.

[PDBRacer]

ehh im not a fan of 250 2strokes. Im just not comfortable one them. I have my 125 thats i can fly on, I swear im faster on my 125 on certain tracks and conditions but my 250F i know if i make a mistake or get into trouble my bike isn't going to bog and i wont be searching for the right gear.

But yeah I rev my 4stroke out like a 2stroke its too. I don't know what low end is. Cause i dont think yam's really have any. I have '06 YZ250F.

Another reason i like the 450 is EFI and in michigan that would be nice thing never to worry about the weather chaning every 30mins.

[theroman22]

i made the switch from an 05 yz125 to an 09 kx450f hopefully ill have tme to adapt before my first race haha

[ben williams]

Ihave read some good things about a big bore 250f. Kinda in the middle of the two.

[mikerides33]

Get the 450 and after a month of experimenting with setup especially gearing you will love it. My 08 KX is set up nice and when you are on the bike you would never guess it is the bulky beast the magazines claim it to be.

[matthew trachsler]

get urself a 450 but ud better be at the track practicing every chance u get

[PDBRacer]

get urself a 450 but ud better be at the track practicing every chance u get

I have my own practice track that is pretty nice and race like every weekend. So I don't think not enough practice will be a problem.

[berudd]

ehh im not a fan of 250 2strokes. Im just not comfortable one them. I have my 125 thats i can fly on, I swear im faster on my 125 on certain tracks and conditions but my 250F i know if i make a mistake or get into trouble my bike isn't going to bog and i wont be searching for the right gear.

But yeah I rev my 4stroke out like a 2stroke its too. I don't know what low end is. Cause i dont think yam's really have any. I have '06 YZ250F.

Another reason i like the 450 is EFI and in michigan that would be nice thing never to worry about the weather chaning every 30mins.

Looks like all the 2010 250Fs will be fuelies and I too have heard great things about the big bores, even only going up to 262.

[PDBRacer]

My friends brining out his 450F for me to ride at my track tomorrow should be interesting.

Im not a big fan on boring a bike ethier. I can get that is 450cc and made to handle all of it. It's also easy to get parts locally and cost less to fix. i don't think a big bore 250F would put out the power of a 450F.

[skeetmyster]

just switched from a 450 to a 250f and i wish i never bought the 450 i love the 250 soooooooo much

[YZ51]

I race both YZfs...until I got the suspension set right on the 450, I was able to turn faster lap times on the 250...after that, the 450 is awesome! I race the 250 in the Lites class with all the "kids" and lose a little horsepower to them with my "body mass", but they can't afford two bikes (advantage of being a little successful in life) and have to race the same 250s in the Motocross class...the 450 does a fine job of getting me the advantage there!!!!!

[2strokenut]

Another reason i like the 450 is EFI and in michigan that would be nice thing never to worry about the weather chaning every 30mins.

The EFI does not adjust for altitude or air density.

[MNkayaker]

To the OP if you have already done the suspension on your 250F and still just like the bike, get an Athena 290 kit. I was in a similar situation, I had done suspension, and some other mods to my 250 and I just liked the bike. Going to the 450 would have cost my quite a bit. I put in a 290 and am in love. My bike is everything I have ever wanted. Plenty of power and just keeps pulling and pulling and pulling. I think you would like it, for $700 it's a lot cheaper than a new 450 then adding $500 for suspension and everything else you might need.

[WILLIAMS37]

I have my own practice track that is pretty nice and race like every weekend. So I don't think not enough practice will be a problem.

Where at in Michigan? Looking for a riding buddy??

[theuberacer]

I love my 450, I have ridden 250Fs and stuff and they are nice but I just love the grunt of the 450. Also I weigh 180lbs and I am a bigger guy so the 450 suits me better. One thing I would be careful of is modifying that 250F too much, you're gonna build yourself a ticking time bomb. Thats another reason I like 450s is engine longevity, a modded 250F will still be a lot slower than a 450 and not near as reliable.

[PDBRacer]

this is kind of an outdated post.

I ended up modding my 250F, no I did not do a 290 or anything in my opinion that would be pointless cause it would take me out of the 250 class.

I have rode some 450's are they are nice power wise and I was able to quickly adapt. I think my next bike may be a 450. The thing with 450 is timing jumps is way more crucial and i can easily become lazy or get into trouble.

I rode ever more 250 2strokes and still have yet to find one i like. I hate 250 2strokes i cant ride them. a 125 2stroke i can fly on.

Williams37 the track is located near the palace of auburn hills and sorry to say but im cutting back on letting new people come and ride. I can't have a lot of people out there at once. I'd like to keep the neighbors happy, so we rarely get any new riders.

Next year or late this year if i have money i would like to get a 450F.

[twitch5]

I think you will like the 450f after a little time to adjust to it. When I first went from my 250f to the 450f I was slower for sure. I had to learn the new bike, cause like you I would over throttle etc. I love my 450 now that I've put some hours on it, but the thought "Should I have stayed on the 250?" did cross my mind at first..

[swinglek]

I made the switch last year. You will be slower the first couple of weeks, the 450 will also beat you up a bit more the first couple of weeks. The best advice that I can provide would be 1. don't go back and forth between the 450 and the 250, if you decide to swith to the 450 just ride it until you get used to it. The second bit of advice would be to make sure that you stay forward over the bars. The biggest problem that I had when I made the switch is that the new power of the 450 would pull me out of shape and leave me hanging onto the bike around the track rather than staying over the bars and "driving" the bike around the track. Good luck and after a few weeks you will wonder why it took you so long to make the switch.

[wishihada150r]

it always takes time to get used to a new bike. just make sure the suspention is set up for you and take it easy at first untill you feel comfortable.