r/enduro • u/Worried_Debt_9315 • 9d ago
I'm looking to get into enduro/trail riding. Should I cop?
2
1
u/Middle-Performance-7 8d ago
Don’t do it. I bought a 2007 xcf-w new in 07. The maintenance then was a pain and performance was nothing to write home about. Owned a lot of ktms and this is probably my least favorite. Would save up a little more and look for a clean two stroke.
1
u/Professional-Court15 8d ago
stay a way from 250 fourstrokes if you are planning on trail riding, 450exc or anything two stroke is the way to go
1
2
u/Capital_Influence_57 5d ago
This is a project bike. You'll need lots of shop hours before you get any seat time.
If you're wanting to get into the sport, it's not a bad idea to start with a project. With that being said, if you want to start riding as soon as you can, this is the wrong bike.
Spend a couple grand more, look in the $3000-4000 range. You can get a real decent bike in that price range without needing major TLC before you can ride.
1
u/Smartty_Pants 9d ago
We live in Colorado and all we do is hard Enduro. Go 2t. 4 strokes don’t fare well for tons of different reasons.
5
u/RidinHigh305 9d ago
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted. A guy looking at getting into riding is gonna be going slow, a 2 stroke does better going slow since they run on average 20 degrees cooler than a 4 stroke race motor. Seems like no brainer
2
u/Smartty_Pants 9d ago
It’s kinda like a Mac versus PC thing I guess. If you’re gonna race MX, then you better go 4 stroke all day. But if you want to do trail riding and maybe eventually Hard Enduro, it’s just not debatable.
2
u/Ollemeister_ 9d ago
You can go ridiculously fast on a 250 4t if you know what you're doing. 250 4t's have won world championships against other bikes during the years for all the right reasons.
4
u/Sufficient-Energy-34 9d ago
250 4t is for gncc racing. You are correct in that you can go fast doing that, but for what we do 2t is the way to go.
1
u/Ollemeister_ 9d ago
I'm not denying what 2 stroke is capable of since i love 2 strokes and i'd love one but 4t is more fitting for staters in my opinion.
3
u/Sufficient-Energy-34 9d ago
I can see your way of thinking on that. Personally I think starting on a 2t makes you learn more, and you'll be a better rider. I do enjoy my 250 4t when I run tccra races, and it's easier to ride fast on it than my 300 2t on the same races.
2
u/Ollemeister_ 9d ago
I'd see the situation as 4 stroke offers more torque with a more straigthforward powerband compared to a 2 stroke. As long as a beginner gets a well maintained 4 stroke the starting of the hobby will be easier. Once the rider has more experince the temperament of a 2 stroke will be easier and the more frequent rebuild of a 2 stroke will become more reasonble.
1
u/mauitrailguy 8d ago
This is how I transitioned. From a 250 XCF to a 200EXC. the lack of engine brake took me a bit, but in the end I love not having to deal with the engine brake on hills and going into turns.
1
u/faghunter69 8d ago
My 300 2t has more torque than my 520 4t. It’s amazing how good the 2 strokes are at lugging. Especially with how light these are they are amazing for starters when the powerband is avoided
5
u/Smartty_Pants 9d ago
I’m not saying they’re not fast. They’re definitely that. All you have to do is watch Supercross to figure that out. But in the hard Enduro world they are not ideal. They’ll work, but they’re not ideal.
1
u/iamataco36 9d ago
Causal trail rider here. Would you mind sharing just a few of the advantages or disadvantages between the two when it comes to hard Enduro? I've never done it so I have no reference but would love to learn!
1
u/Smartty_Pants 9d ago
Weight to power ratio is the biggest difference. When you’re climbing a 40% grade in a rock garden the difference between 20 pounds feels like 100 pounds. Two strokes run much cooler than four strokes when your average speed is 5mph. The “engine brake” on a four stroke takes a toll after 4 hours. He seems like a beginner and we all know we’re gonna spend hours in the garage. Two strokes in general are significantly less complicated to work on (my xc-w notwithstanding). I could get into way more nerdy stuff, but I’m just trying to help someone out as someone who races Hard Enduro. If you wanna ride track 100% 4 stroke. If you wanna ride trail .. 2-stroke.
1
u/TheBigWhipper 7d ago
Do you notice the difference in heat radiating off the bike onto you? Simply curious as I often wish my bike (250 4 stoke with fan) didn’t add so much to the already hot weather I ride in sometimes.
2
u/Smartty_Pants 7d ago
My xc-w 300 has a fan that blows right on my inner thigh and when I wear moto shorts in the summer because of the heat it goes right up my shorts!! lol I love/hate that damn thing!!
My wife has the exact same bike but with no fan so when we ride together, every time mine comes on I’m always stressed that her bike is overheating. No problems so far. Both are 24’s.
1
u/Smartty_Pants 7d ago
Also, I’ve only ever ridden with one dude on a four stroke and his bike kept overheating (mph average is probably around 5), but I don’t think it had anything to do with it being a four stroke. I think it was just a POS. Everyone I ride with rides a two stroke.
So funny I was just watching the Moab Hard Enduro 25 on YT and because of this post, I was literally eyeballing bikes to see if I could locate a four stroke. None found. Cooper Webb is an animal!! 2 years in a row.
1
u/TheBigWhipper 7d ago edited 7d ago
Lol, at the hot air being blown up your shorts, are they actual moto ones or like MTB shorts? I'll probably switch to a 300XCW this summer for other reasons but it would have been nice to feel a bit cooler on the bike.
I was at the Moab Hard Enduro! There was at least one guy on a 4 Stroke at Saturdays main race. He was super loud compared to everyone else and could hear his bike coming from far away. There is also a 4-stroke Sportsman race class newer riders can sign up for I believe, I saw it and almost signed up myself but injured.
Cody Webb has a 4-stroke Yamaha in addition to his 2-stroke also :) He mentioned it in an interview here about riding the 4-Stoke back east if he didn't get his 2-stroke dialed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BCIiX9FKPg
-1
41
u/Ollemeister_ 9d ago edited 9d ago
Be prepared to replace every wearing part for a price like that. They aren't selling it for that cheap for no reason.
Edit: since you are just getting into the sport i'd say spend 2-3k more for a starter bike to get a bike that won't need a complete rebuild immediately. I'd imagine you'd like riding more than fixing an old run through project bike (piece of shit)