4 Stroke Dirtbikes......

Mudflap

Mudflap

Joined
Apr 10, 2003
Messages
306
Anybody out there have a 4 stroke off-road motorcycle they really like? I've been out of this sport for a couple of decades and am starting to get that itch again! Always loved the MX/Enduro two-stroke bikes, but I was kind of looking for something that required a little less maintenance and more of a trail bike than a screamer. Maybe around a 250cc or so. How do the newer 4 strokes hold up? Thanks :)
 
I have had excellent results with the Honda 4-strokes but, in the mid-size class would probably opt for the Kawasaki KDX-300. 200cc frame and a 300cc 4-stroke motor. Looks to be a great handling setup with a little extra grunt for its weight and size class.

Bigger and heavier moves you up to the 400cc class where I would still stick with a Honda XR. Smaller seems to get you more into hobby bikes for gentle trail rides.

YMMV ;)
 
The Honda's still are quite a good ride. The XR400 is a great bike and is practically bulletproof.

The KDX300 is a great bike too.

If you've been out of the scene a while, you'll be pleasantly surpised and a little shocked at the great bikes there are available now.

I still have a '84 XR 250 that will probably never die. My 98 XR400 is an incredible machine and is 30
times the bike of the '84.

Have a blast!
 
Thanks for the reply Sid! I've looked at a Suzuki and am familiar with the Honda, but hadn't considered the Kawasaki.

To give you some idea of how my experience with bikes is kind of dated, the last 4 stroke I rode was a Yamaha TT 500 and there wasn't a whole lot else out there at the time. Short legs, A LOT of motor and heavy. White knuckle ride for sure!

The newer bikes look a lot better, but they've really gotten up there in price. I still don't want to get back into mixing gas though. Still lookin!
 
Angus, I'll take a look at the XR 400 too. That may be a little more motor than I was looking for, but then again, I bet that one doesn't get stuck in the mud very often!!!:) Thanks!
 
Originally posted by Mudflap
...the last 4 stroke I rode was a Yamaha TT 500 and there wasn't a whole lot else out there at the time. Short legs, A LOT of motor and heavy. White knuckle ride for sure!
Click to expand...

The last time I rode a TT I went off a bluff and got to the bottom just before the bike did! Ouch! I traded it for a '78 SR500 and traded that for a Honda XL500. I put an XR carb and pipe on it and it was great. I loved that bike. I sold it not long after my first girl was born('79), thinking it was better to get my kids raised while I was still in one piece.

Let us know what you get.
 
Mike, I think the DR is the one I actually sat on at the dealer--not bad at all. It had some nice suspension, but I could still put my feet flat on the ground.

GlockDoc, yep, I sometimes wondered if the TT 500's weren't possessed!! I remember that the bike had a manual compression release and if it didn't start on the first kick, you had to kind of half-kick it while using the compression release to get it started. The only problem was that if you didn't get enough compression out of the cylinder on that half-kick, enough pressure was often built up that the kickstarter would literally launch you over the handlebars! Tempermental beast when hot too. Early days for 4 strokes.

I still have my toe in the water for this project. Warm weather sure gets that itch going though! Freedom on wheels.
 
Hehe- I actually raced motocross in the 100cc class (Hodaka-can you believe?) way back in the mid-70s. This was AMA "sportsman" racing; take the lights and stuff off your bike, tape a paper plate to the front for a number, and race... This was at the infancy of motocross' popularity, and things rapidly got much faster and MUCH more expensive.

Anyway, Before I quit, (broken bones...) A couple of guys were campaigning the big 500cc BSA thumper in the open class. ( I don't remember the designation) They were not competitive against the big Huskys and CZs and such that were running back then, but they sure sounded good!
 
And another vote for mid-size 4-strokes like the DRZ-400. The XR400 is great, as well. I am not sure about the versions that you get in the USA but there are a lot of great bikes around 400-450c.c.

Tip: choose one with a starter motor! Yes, I know, "real" dirtbikers don't need a starter motor, but when you are balancing at the tip of a cliff with a dead motor, it's much easier to just press a button!


Modern 4-strokes have a lot of punch, and you can really use the available torque instead of "fighting" with the bike. I still remember the shock of riding a full-spec 250cc 2-stroke (an older Suzuki RM which was like riding a rodeo horse when I opened the throttle), but I am quicker on the trail when I ride a DRZ, even if it has less power.

I hear that the Yamaha 450s are great, haven't had the chance to ride one yet...
 
Modern 4-strokes, no matter what manufacturer, are light years ahead of bikes a few years old.

Many years ago, I would not consider a motorcycle for gentle Enduro use that was not a Honda. Easy starting, bullet proof motors, low maintanence in general, etc.... all personal experience.

What was true then, has little merit now. No matter what major manufacturer you pick, you are going to get a good bike. All have subtle differences but, unless you are in the top 1% of the performance envelope, you are not apt to be negatively affected.

The major 4 from Japan and several makers from Europe are all capable of making a bike that will far outperform and outlast me. I'm not a pro-rider so, the bar stool Rambo fantasies are doomed. I'll take the motorcycle with good dealer support in my area over the one that has the best ad campaign or the most pro-circuit wins.
 
Thanks y'all! These are all great ideas and suggestions. I've been out of the riding scene for quite a while, but still haven't forgotten the feeling. Casual trail riding only these days--creeping up on 40 this year!

And mwerner, yep, I remember the Hodaka. Didn't they have a model called the Wombat? I think during that time frame the bike I really yearned for was the Penton--KTM now. A very expensive machine then and I shudder to think what they get for them today. Great bikes though.

Still looking and wanting!
 
Yep- the Wombat was one of thier later models. They were amazing little bikes, 100cc ring-ding jobs with a big chrome-plated gas tank.

The engine design was so flexible that you could use em' for anything from commuting to road racing, trail putting to full-bore motocross.

Mine had aftermarket head, exhaust, reed valve, bigger carb, leading-link front suspension, altered frame, etc.

Those various Sachs-engined bikes were screamers; I had a DKW enduro model. The little 125 Sachs engine was great for power, but the transmission was a problem; it was said it had 6 gears and 13 neutrals....
 
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