Posted: 10/15/2010 1:39:52 PM EDT
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RYAN CAPES DIRT TO DIRT WORLD RECORD MOTORCYCLE JUMP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QXLG7QoiH0&feature=player_embedded |
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Quoted:
Service Honda KX500? 
Service? Honda? The KX is a Kawasaki. Anyway, carry on. No about it. Service Kawasaki is not as "household" of a name as Service Honda, but they are they same group building a KX-F 450 framed KX500 powered bike in the same manner as the CR500AF. I know you're on TT, look around over there, a couple guys have them.
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Having owned a '90 KX500 for ~15 years I can say without a doubt my '99 WR400 is a better overall bike - the KX500 has some great strengths but it is not the bike I would own if I could only have one dirt bike and putting the KX500 engine into a later model chassis doesn't solve it's short comings.
Brian |
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Quoted: Having owned a '90 KX500 for ~15 years I can say without a doubt my '99 WR400 is a better overall bike - the KX500 has some great strengths but it is not the bike I would own if I could only have one dirt bike and putting the KX500 engine into a later model chassis doesn't solve it's short comings. Brian Four strokes have come a long way for sure, but if you were to throw all your tools away, IMHO, the 500 would be running long after the 4 stroke stops running due to something. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Service Honda KX500? Service? Honda? The KX is a Kawasaki. Anyway, carry on. No about it. Service Kawasaki is not as "household" of a name as Service Honda, but they are they same group building a KX-F 450 framed KX500 powered bike in the same manner as the CR500AF. I know you're on TT, look around over there, a couple guys have them.Ok, I got it now, the post just seemed cryptic. Honda Kawasaki, they just didn't go together.  Anyway, awesome bike I'm sure, big-bore 2-smokes do nothing for me personally but as soon as I start jumping school buses I'll be all over it. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Having owned a '90 KX500 for ~15 years I can say without a doubt my '99 WR400 is a better overall bike - the KX500 has some great strengths but it is not the bike I would own if I could only have one dirt bike and putting the KX500 engine into a later model chassis doesn't solve it's short comings. Brian Four strokes have come a long way for sure, but if you were to throw all your tools away, IMHO, the 500 would be running long after the 4 stroke stops running due to something. My WR has been pretty much bullet proof. The KX OTOH had an almost complete new engine when I bought it because it tossed the rod through the front and took out both case halves and the cylinder - I bought the bike from a good fried so I knew the history and quality of work that had been done. Push anything mechanical to its limits and it's gonna cause you problems - 4 strokes have less 'safety' margin than the 2 strokes IMO but unless you're running a race schedule the 4 strokes hold up pretty darn well IME. Brian |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Having owned a '90 KX500 for ~15 years I can say without a doubt my '99 WR400 is a better overall bike - the KX500 has some great strengths but it is not the bike I would own if I could only have one dirt bike and putting the KX500 engine into a later model chassis doesn't solve it's short comings. Brian Four strokes have come a long way for sure, but if you were to throw all your tools away, IMHO, the 500 would be running long after the 4 stroke stops running due to something. My WR has been pretty much bullet proof. The KX OTOH had an almost complete new engine when I bought it because it tossed the rod through the front and took out both case halves and the cylinder - I bought the bike from a good fried so I knew the history and quality of work that had been done. Push anything mechanical to its limits and it's gonna cause you problems - 4 strokes have less 'safety' margin than the 2 strokes IMO but unless you're running a race schedule the 4 strokes hold up pretty darn well IME. Brian I've got 15,000 miles on a TTR250 that is still running like a top. Valves haven't budged. It hasn't cost me a dime in repair, not a single dime. I've owned 2-strokes, and they were costing me money along the way and I never got that kind of mileage out of one. Better yet, the TTR doubles as a street bike where the 2-smokies were fairly useless. Oh, and I like engine braking. Anymore it's just a preference thing....4-strokes are by and large very reliable and don't cost much to own unless you're racing them. |
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Quoted: TTR is a completely ( more simple, less HP, etc ) engine than a WR. I have 3 4-strokes ( CRF450, TT125, and a DR650 ). Shim under bucket is more of a PITA than those on the TTR.Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Having owned a '90 KX500 for ~15 years I can say without a doubt my '99 WR400 is a better overall bike - the KX500 has some great strengths but it is not the bike I would own if I could only have one dirt bike and putting the KX500 engine into a later model chassis doesn't solve it's short comings. Brian Four strokes have come a long way for sure, but if you were to throw all your tools away, IMHO, the 500 would be running long after the 4 stroke stops running due to something. My WR has been pretty much bullet proof. The KX OTOH had an almost complete new engine when I bought it because it tossed the rod through the front and took out both case halves and the cylinder - I bought the bike from a good fried so I knew the history and quality of work that had been done. Push anything mechanical to its limits and it's gonna cause you problems - 4 strokes have less 'safety' margin than the 2 strokes IMO but unless you're running a race schedule the 4 strokes hold up pretty darn well IME. Brian I've got 15,000 miles on a TTR250 that is still running like a top. Valves haven't budged. It hasn't cost me a dime in repair, not a single dime. I've owned 2-strokes, and they were costing me money along the way and I never got that kind of mileage out of one. Better yet, the TTR doubles as a street bike where the 2-smokies were fairly useless. Oh, and I like engine braking. Anymore it's just a preference thing....4-strokes are by and large very reliable and don't cost much to own unless you're racing them. CRF I check the valves every 20 hours. |
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Quoted: Quoted: TTR is a completely ( more simple, less HP, etc ) engine than a WR. I have 3 4-strokes ( CRF450, TT125, and a DR650 ). Shim under bucket is more of a PITA than those on the TTR.Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Having owned a '90 KX500 for ~15 years I can say without a doubt my '99 WR400 is a better overall bike - the KX500 has some great strengths but it is not the bike I would own if I could only have one dirt bike and putting the KX500 engine into a later model chassis doesn't solve it's short comings. Brian Four strokes have come a long way for sure, but if you were to throw all your tools away, IMHO, the 500 would be running long after the 4 stroke stops running due to something. My WR has been pretty much bullet proof. The KX OTOH had an almost complete new engine when I bought it because it tossed the rod through the front and took out both case halves and the cylinder - I bought the bike from a good fried so I knew the history and quality of work that had been done. Push anything mechanical to its limits and it's gonna cause you problems - 4 strokes have less 'safety' margin than the 2 strokes IMO but unless you're running a race schedule the 4 strokes hold up pretty darn well IME. Brian I've got 15,000 miles on a TTR250 that is still running like a top. Valves haven't budged. It hasn't cost me a dime in repair, not a single dime. I've owned 2-strokes, and they were costing me money along the way and I never got that kind of mileage out of one. Better yet, the TTR doubles as a street bike where the 2-smokies were fairly useless. Oh, and I like engine braking. Anymore it's just a preference thing....4-strokes are by and large very reliable and don't cost much to own unless you're racing them. CRF I check the valves every 20 hours. My point wasn't that a TTR is the equal of all four-strokes (I'm well aware of how it's different than a race 4-stroke), only that the myth of 2-stroke reliability and cheap ownership is somewhat overstated....especially if you're not flogging the shit out of the motor. I know about 5 or 6 guys locally with WR's (250's & 450's) and none of them have had engine troubles and all of them are dual-sported. They're VERY robust motors, I'm a CRF fan I like the bikes but they're valve-eaters and have a short maintenance schedule. Not really the exemplary "low cost of ownership" bike if you're going to ride the piss out of it...but there are certainly 4 strokes that are. My TTR is bucket under shim valves, btw. |
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Service Honda is right down the road from me and I've never been there. I ride with some guys that have the 500s AJ builds and they are scary fast...so fast that in the woods we usually have to wait for them since the owners are afraid to twist the throttle. I'd guess they'd be a lot more fun out west in the open.
I also ride with two guys that have 250 2 stroke engines put in their modern 4 stroke frames by AJ and those bikes are super nice. It's the only way to get a modern (newer than 2007 IIRC) Japanese 2 stroke if you don't want the Yamaha. I like both 4 strokes and two strokes, but my last three bikes have been two strokes and i'm really liking them at the moment. I wouldn't mind that new KTM 350 four stroke or a 400/450, but the race four strokes are just so loud it makes me stay with the smokers. |
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Quoted:
....but the race four strokes are just so loud it makes me stay with the smokers. Even the MX 4strokes from the factories aren't truly obnoxious - it's the dumbasses that think noise = make my fat lazy, untalented ass faster that are the problem. Brian |