Old man trail bike question

[TYEster]

Originally Posted by defector

I thought KTM, Yamaha, and Kawasaki all had at least one 'smoker in their 2011 lineup? Maybe that was the 2010 model year?

The single most intimidating / hardest to ride (fast) bike I have ever ridden was my brothers worked over CR500.

That thing still gives me cold sweats.

2010 might be the last year America gets any actually.

Originally Posted by OTB

Popularity had nothing to do with it....EPA and CARB (California Air Resources Board) killed the two-strokes, first on the street, them in the dirt, as pollution regs tightened up.

Maybe... But then people were winning races with them LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG before anyone complained about environmental issues. Plus I know so many locals who'd rather ride the 4s than the wild and crazy powerband of the 2s. So I say "no" to your theory.

[defector]

Originally Posted by TYEster

Plus I know so many locals who'd rather ride the 4s than the wild and crazy powerband of the 2s. So I say "no" to your theory.

I think that is the reason people who like them, like them so much. The light switch fast powerband, the seemingly unlimited ability to rev, and that angry hornets nest buzz they make. They definately aren't for everyone. IMO just about anybody can jump on a thumper and be comfortable. Not so much on a 'smoker.

[OTB]

Originally Posted by TYEster

2010 might be the last year America gets any actually.




Maybe... But then people were winning races with them LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG before anyone complained about environmental issues. Plus I know so many locals who'd rather ride the 4s than the wild and crazy powerband of the 2s. So I say "no" to your theory.

http://www.bikersrights.com/ama/EPA_end2strokes.html

http://cfpub.epa.gov/ordpubs/nerlpub...cfm?deid=66311

http://dirtbike.off-road.com/dirtbik....jsp?id=266817

[TYEster]

Originally Posted by OTB

http://www.bikersrights.com/ama/EPA_end2strokes.html

http://cfpub.epa.gov/ordpubs/nerlpub...cfm?deid=66311

http://dirtbike.off-road.com/dirtbik....jsp?id=266817

Great... But history and the change of motors was already being made.

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/clas...ike.asp?id=132

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/exhi...ple.asp?id=377

[Krabill]

Originally Posted by TYEster

Maybe... But then people were winning races with them LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG before anyone complained about environmental issues. Plus I know so many locals who'd rather ride the 4s than the wild and crazy powerband of the 2s. So I say "no" to your theory.

The ONLY reason people were winning races with them is because they allowed a 450cc 4T to race against a 250cc 2T.

Thankfully, they've recalled those rules for amateur racing and stopped letting the 450's run in the 250 2T class. The 2T are very popular in amateur racing because they cost a whole hell of a lot less to maintain than a modern 4T.

In Enduro racing, where you can ride any size bike you want, 2T's have always - and continue to be - the favorite bike to race on. Go watch and enduro some time and you'll see 1/2 the bikes split up between KTM 200 and 300 2T's with the rest of the field being a mixture of everything else.



All that said, I'd still take a 4T with electric start for a plunk around trail bike

[Rider]

250 2T are still the bike of choice for FMX even though the weights of the 450 4T and the 250 2T are pretty damn close. You can't beat the powerband of a 2T motor. For trail riding and putting around a 4T is the way to go though. I can go nearly double the distance on my 4T than I could on my 2T.

[OTB]

Originally Posted by TYEster

I must be the start of the new generation here then... Didn't realize there were still this many fans of the 2smoke. No wonder they keep making them

However it seems most of the new trail bikes are 4s.

Popularity had nothing to do with it....EPA and CARB (California Air Resources Board) killed the two-strokes, first on the street, them in the dirt, as pollution regs tightened up.

[Avatard]

Ring dings. They're more like rodeo sex.

[BobTheBiker]

The EPA was the big killer of 2 strokes, and is the major reason they're not being marketed. the europeans have some that are euro tier 2 compliant, maybe tier 3, I havent looked in awhile, but they're fuel injected, oil injected and pretty creative little fuckers. for the US market, its just not worth the hassle/money for the manufacturers to invest in the engineering to make them crackpot california compliant.

[OTB]

Originally Posted by BobTheBiker

The EPA was the big killer of 2 strokes, and is the major reason they're not being marketed. the europeans have some that are euro tier 2 compliant, maybe tier 3, I havent looked in awhile, but they're fuel injected, oil injected and pretty creative little fuckers. for the US market, its just not worth the hassle/money for the manufacturers to invest in the engineering to make them crackpot california compliant.

True true true.
Bimota built the V-due, a direct injection 2s that would have met (and did) epa and carb regs. it just bankrupted the company.....

as epa regs dissuaded the japanese co's and turned them away from 2s to 4s for ease of compliance, it forced them to look to 4s for racing also as research (race on Sunday, sell on Monday) dollars are always scarce...........