Can't decide 450 or 250sx

[crf26]

I can't make up my mind,'11 450sxf,'12 250sx or '11kx 450. I'd like to get back on a two stroke for the light weight and lower maint costs, but I also love to torque my crf450 around the track. If anyone here has ridden these bikes could you give me an unbiased opinion.

Do you think the 250sx is a good choice for racing vet A classes.

[norcal_hoss]

I been riding fourstrokes since 2000 or something.. Grew up on two strokes tho. As of recent I been riding my friends 12' 250 sx and 12' 300 XC.. I liked the 250 sx better over the 300 xc STOCk but when he pulled the estart off, kick stand, put a sxs head on it and a fmf fatty the 300 is a bad a$$ bike. I didnt ride my 350 all day yesterday because I wanted to see if I could get back in the groove on a two stroke after so many years. All I can say is if you want a two stroke with less maintenance , less moving parts and electrical stuff to go wrong, feels 30 lbs lighter than a 450, has torque like a 4stroke ( like no other 2stroke ive ever ridden) than go for the 300 xc. I ride motox only and yes I know its an xc and also know you can buy the 300 sxs kit for a 250sx to make it a 300. BUT and a big but lol When it comes to resale there is no comparison at all the 300 xc will sell faster and for more money. Yes there a $1000 bucks more but my other buddy had a 11 250sx and couldnt sell it for the life of him and it had like 5 hours on it and he took a huge loss to get rid of it. The 300's the hot ticket imo, id say after one full day on a two stroke I was faster on it than my 350 (that I love) and definitely faster than I would be on a 450. I will be heading to the dealer either today (if I can sneak away for an hour) or Tuesday but my mind is made up , im getting one.

Good luck:thumbsup:

Here is the 300xc wish i could of took a picture of the other side where the started box was.. I think with what he removed the bike dropped 9-10 lbs.

[mxboy2661]

i got a 12 250sx n luv it! i had a 11250sx n had absolutly no prob selling it when it came time... i think im gettin 300sx kit for x-mas!

[twenty34]

I been riding fourstrokes since 2000 or something.. Grew up on two strokes tho. As of recent I been riding my friends 12' 250 sx and 12' 300 XC.. I liked the 250 sx better over the 300 xc STOCk but when he pulled the estart off, kick stand, put a sxs head on it and a fmf fatty the 300 is a bad a$$ bike. I didnt ride my 350 all day yesterday because I wanted to see if I could get back in the groove on a two stroke after so many years. All I can say is if you want a two stroke with less maintenance , less moving parts and electrical stuff to go wrong, feels 30 lbs lighter than a 450, has torque like a 4stroke ( like no other 2stroke ive ever ridden) than go for the 300 xc. I ride motox only and yes I know its an xc and also know you can buy the 300 sxs kit for a 250sx to make it a 300. BUT and a big but lol When it comes to resale there is no comparison at all the 300 xc will sell faster and for more money. Yes there a $1000 bucks more but my other buddy had a 11 250sx and couldnt sell it for the life of him and it had like 5 hours on it and he took a huge loss to get rid of it. The 300's the hot ticket imo, id say after one full day on a two stroke I was faster on it than my 350 (that I love) and definitely faster than I would be on a 450. I will be heading to the dealer either today (if I can sneak away for an hour) or Tuesday but my mind is made up , im getting one.

Good luck:thumbsup:

Here is the 300xc wish i could of took a picture of the other side where the started box was.. I think with what he removed the bike dropped 9-10 lbs.

Gee thanks Norcal for ruining it for me. Now I need to ride a 300 after that ride report!

[norcal_hoss]

rickk you ride one like the way this one is set up (sxs head $100 bucks and fmf fatty $250) its all over its a straight weapon on the track. I love the 350 dont get me wrong it rejuvenated riding for me as 450's to me are just boring bikes to ride (just my personal opinion) other's love 450's and that cool too but the 350 was my favorite thumper since I started riding them in 2000 or 2002 I think it was..So ten years I been on 4 strokes. The 300 is 4 stroke torque feels literally 25-30 lbs lighter, turns wherever you want it to go and its smooth suspension and power just make it a no brainer for me. Granted ive had no issues with my 350 (fuel pumps, clogged injector ect) but give me a carb anyday for the simple fact that there is less to go wrong. im not trying to be a sales guy on two strokes because I love 4strokes as well but that 300 the way it is set up its awesome to say the least.

[moabrules1]

I'm thinking we're all gonna see a resurgence in 2t sales if KTM keeps developing these things. I rode a 250 sx at a KTM demo day this summer and it was in my top 3 favs (I rode every sx/sxf they make). At the end of the day I still plunked my money down on a '12 350 but going back to the 2t was on my mind. A big factor steering me away was the simple fact that they are hard to come by. Next thing was the 250 feeling a little "nervous" to me (I've been on 450 4 strokes for the past 10 yrs as well). I realize that I had no opportunities to set the 250 up for my personal taste but, they are very light bikes, which contributes. Question for you current owners, were you guys able to adjust this out with suspension tweaks? In riding my 350 in comparison to my past 450s, I'd say this thing is as close to a 2t as you'll get. Are your pumped up 300s pretty similar to the 350 in regards to low end? I'd love to try a 250 sx with the 300 sxs kit but, I don't know any buddies with one.

[mikerides33]

Hoss you are killing me. What about the SPI suspension on your 350?!!

[norcal_hoss]

Hoss you are killing me. What about the SPI suspension on your 350?!!

It's awesome! Im going to have the smart performance kit swapped into the 300 with of course lighter valving since the bike is so much lighter. I am looking forward to it, I pick it up Wednesday got the sxs head , fmf fatty and the ignition cover so I can pull off the Estart and drop 9 lbs off the bike..

You got your shock done by DaveJ right? But not the forks? Whatever you do do not go with my set up, it was my fault as I told him I wanted like sx stiff because I put so much weight forward but after riding some other bikes that were "plush" he is going to do the 300 sorta in the middle now I cant wait.

[twenty34]

I can pull off the Estart and drop 9 lbs off the bike..

Nice!!!?

[mikerides33]

It's awesome! Im going to have the smart performance kit swapped into the 300 with of course lighter valving since the bike is so much lighter. I am looking forward to it, I pick it up Wednesday got the sxs head , fmf fatty and the ignition cover so I can pull off the Estart and drop 9 lbs off the bike..

You got your shock done by DaveJ right? But not the forks? Whatever you do do not go with my set up, it was my fault as I told him I wanted like sx stiff because I put so much weight forward but after riding some other bikes that were "plush" he is going to do the 300 sorta in the middle now I cant wait.

Doing the forks now. There is an update to the Phase 4 kit going in as well so ask him about it. Def getting a reg mx setup. Congrats on the bike.

I can't wait for the forks! The shock is thebest I have ridden. Stuck to the ground!!!

[DDAwg]

How does the six-speed work on the track? The 250sx is hard to find, but the 300XC's seem readily avail in Norcal. It also looks like the XC has a shorter rear shock too?

I just had my '12 350SXF done up with the latest SPI stuff-now just need to find a rougher track to do more testing on it.

I'm into these lighter more flickable bikes for sure, so I'm looking to add either the 2-stroke or the '12 CRF450R.

[norcal_hoss]

On the 300 u can basically ride 3rd and 4th everywhere, it has very 4 stroke 350 like power where it is smooth and revs. Stock the 300 does not rev stock but a pipe and a $100 dollar sxs head makes a great difference. The gearing is good I'm sure it can get better with testing some sprockets but I like it, it pulls harder out of turn in 3rd and 4th gear better than the 350 ( with 52 sprocket)

And yes there are some around nor cal like nor cal Motorsport and mcp in the Sacramento area. Not sure where you are at but I know both of them have 300 xc and 250 sx. I've ridden the 12 crf 450 and it's better than previous years it's still weird feeling bike and the motor compared to my 350 felt like it had a flywheel on it. It's by far the slowest revving 450 I ever rode which to some s a good thing and it does feel light but Nothing like the 300.

[mikerides33]

How does the six-speed work on the track? The 250sx is hard to find, but the 300XC's seem readily avail in Norcal. It also looks like the XC has a shorter rear shock too?

I just had my '12 350SXF done up with the latest SPI stuff-now just need to find a rougher track to do more testing on it.

I'm into these lighter more flickable bikes for sure, so I'm looking to add either the 2-stroke or the '12 CRF450R.

Can you give us a report on the SPI stuff?

[DDAwg]

Can you give us a report on the SPI stuff?

I haven't had much time on it, so right now I call it a work in progress. I had Dave ride it and he thought it was great though!

We may experiment with going a little bit softer at the beginning of the stroke.

Dave likes his MX setups to be a little bit edgy and I prefer to ride on a cloud.

[mikerides33]

:busted:Nice. Plush but feel the track....maybe mushy on top is the word

[kickinback]

I had a 11 250sx and now a 12 450sx. My personnel preference is the 250 for off road (GP’s) and 450 for MX. Since I ride mostly MX I am very happy with the 450. When I started riding a 250 again (coming from a 450) I immediately notice the weight and although the 250 was very fast it was more difficult to keep it moving on different track conditions. Going back to a 450 I was instantly faster (stop watch) and could be more consistent on the track. The biggest draw back is the weight, but after a couple of laps I forgot about it. I also think the 250 takes more practice to be fast on. The power of the 450 is hard to beat on the track. Hope this helps.

[PSD_Sun]

I think what kickinback said is accurate.

The 2 strokes sort of skip across a rough track instead of wallowing in it like a 4 stroke. It sounds racy to skip across but it's not conducive for fast lap times.

The only part of a 2 stroke that actually slows me down when turning laps compared to a 450F is all of the extra shifting I have to do on the 2 stroke. Inevitably there are places on the track where my gear choice isn't correct on my 250SX, like say a very tight turn followed immediately by a 4th gear hard rutted lefthand sweeper, leaving me struggling between gears and unable to easily access the shifter. Where a 450F has more flexibility by just doing the tight turn and everything after in 3rd.

I keep adding more power and gearing the bike higher in an attempt to lengthen each gear for less shifting which is why my full race 314cc stroker engine is being wrapped up right now.

I'd say if you want to be able to take your current skill set and turn your fastest lap times possible, you must buy a 450F.

If your goals instead revolve more around: learning to ride better, having more fun, doing better whips, crashing less, saving money, carving more inside lines, feeling like a hero, having higher % of resale...well then the 250SX is your bike.

I'd say that after you learn to ride the 2 stroke, all of that fun will cost you about .5 second/ lap.

[mikerides33]

I think what kickinback said is accurate.

The 2 strokes sort of skip across a rough track instead of wallowing in it like a 4 stroke. It sounds racy to skip across but it's not conducive for fast lap times.

The only part of a 2 stroke that actually slows me down when turning laps compared to a 450F is all of the extra shifting I have to do on the 2 stroke. Inevitably there are places on the track where my gear choice isn't correct on my 250SX, like say a very tight turn followed immediately by a 4th gear hard rutted lefthand sweeper, leaving me struggling between gears and unable to easily access the shifter. Where a 450F has more flexibility by just doing the tight turn and everything after in 3rd.

I keep adding more power and gearing the bike higher in an attempt to lengthen each gear for less shifting which is why my full race 314cc stroker engine is being wrapped up right now. ?

I'd say if you want to be able to take your current skill set and turn your fastest lap times possible, you must buy a 450F.

If your goals instead revolve more around: learning to ride better, having more fun, doing better whips, crashing less, saving money, carving more inside lines, feeling like a hero, having higher % of resale...well then the 250SX is your bike.

I'd say that after you learn to ride the 2 stroke, all of that fun will cost you about .5 second/ lap.

This is sage like wisdom and should be put someplace where many riders contemplating different engines can see it!