Attn Von...or anyone else that wants to chime in!

[Caleb]

I know you switched from a 450 to a 250, do you ever regret that? I love the power my 450 had, I also think the power my 300 delivers is just about spot on to what my 450 delivered. I'm contemplating switching to a 250 4T for my next bike. What are your thoughts on that. I'm afraid I'll miss the snap the 450 and 300 can deliver. Although, I don't know that I ever really use the power of those bikes so I'm thinking a 250 may be more than enough. Anyone else want to give some feedback on this?

The bike I'm considering is a 2013 Husaberg FE 250.

 

[Tonkaman]

He put a big bore in his 250 if that tells you anything...

 

[Caleb]

It does a little. Two big factor for that though are Von's a good rider, I'm far from good and he races, which I don't ever plan on racing. However, maybe the fact that he put that big bore kit in is telling enough.

 

[ChestonScout]

no help here but..

i looked at those husabergs at edge today. nice bikes!

 

[Caleb]

no help here but..

i looked at those husabergs at edge today. nice bikes!

Yeah, I've been eyeing the Husabergs for a long time but today was the first time I've gone and checked them out in person.

 

[jeeper]

Von put a big bore in because a buddy really wanted a bike Von had, and was a ktm mechanic. I don't think it was much to do Von wanting it.

 

[Greg]

I'm sure Von will chime in, but for now...

For a short time I had a Yamaha WR250f that has the Athena 290 big bore kit... that bike was a screamer! I did some of the YZF mods to it, including YZF exhaust. I was impressed with the power, it was VERY flickable... so easy to toss the bike around! I learned how to do a 180* standing turn on my own with that bike, as it was so easy to maneuver.

I had 2 problems with the bike... it seemed to run out of power in the desert at speed. I'm talking White Wash, sand and hauling ass... my WR450 doesn't back down in that stuff, where the WR250f seemed to really be working at high speed. The 2nd problem was me... I felt like a big guy on a small bike! I'm 6' 4" and felt like I was riding a teenagers bike and looked silly. Perhaps I'm just used to bigger bikes, but it felt pretty small. I wouldn't mind having one again, for more technical trails. The WR450 is tall and a handful at times... but I like the power.

I have ridden Vons bike and it's very different than the WR250f I had... in a good way.

 

[SpeedyVic]

Caleb, get the Husa and then go do this:

[video=youtube;zfuOnRlRxRY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfuOnRlRxRY[/video]

I would love to go watch an event like this in person!

 

[Caleb]

Caleb, get the Husa and then go do this:

[video=youtube;zfuOnRlRxRY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfuOnRlRxRY[/video]

I would love to go watch an event like this in person!

Not a chance in hell would I do an event like that

 

[Caleb]

I'm sure Von will chime in, but for now...

For a short time I had a Yamaha WR250f that has the Athena 290 big bore kit... that bike was a screamer! I did some of the YZF mods to it, including YZF exhaust. I was impressed with the power, it was VERY flickable... so easy to toss the bike around! I learned how to do a 180* standing turn on my own with that bike, as it was so easy to maneuver.

I had 2 problems with the bike... it seemed to run out of power in the desert at speed. I'm talking White Wash, sand and hauling ass... my WR450 doesn't back down in that stuff, where the WR250f seemed to really be working at high speed. The 2nd problem was me... I felt like a big guy on a small bike! I'm 6' 4" and felt like I was riding a teenagers bike and looked silly. Perhaps I'm just used to bigger bikes, but it felt pretty small. I wouldn't mind having one again, for more technical trails. The WR450 is tall and a handful at times... but I like the power.

I have ridden Vons bike and it's very different than the WR250f I had... in a good way.

Sounds perfect...then I'll have an excuse for being slow, my bike just doesn't have it in it That is good feedback though. Not having the long legs doesn't concern me as much. I do my best to avoid sand, mud, etc and the little bit of high speed desert riding I do is mostly just connecting trails, so not being 90+ on those stints won't matter to me I love my 300 and how light it is, I guess I'm really trying to get that same feeling in a 4T. Not sure if the 250 will be it or not.

 

[SpeedyVic]

I know you are thinking about a 250, but check out episode 3 at the 3:30 mark.

 

[Greg]

Sounds perfect...then I'll have an excuse for being slow, my bike just doesn't have it in it That is good feedback though. Not having the long legs doesn't concern me as much. I do my best to avoid sand, mud, etc and the little bit of high speed desert riding I do is mostly just connecting trails, so not being 90+ on those stints won't matter to me I love my 300 and how light it is, I guess I'm really trying to get that same feeling in a 4T. Not sure if the 250 will be it or not.

One thing I noticed, the 450's have no problem being lugged up and over hills, climbs... the 250's really need to be ran in the higher RPM range to access the power. Seems like the torque is lacking down low on the smaller bikes, which isn't really a surprise. Just something to take into consideration.

I'd be interested to hear how Von's bike works with the big bore, I would imagine that added a decent amount of bottom end.

 

[Caleb]

One thing I noticed, the 450's have no problem being lugged up and over hills, climbs... the 250's really need to be ran in the higher RPM range to access the power. Seems like the torque is lacking down low on the smaller bikes, which isn't really a surprise. Just something to take into consideration.

I'd be interested to hear how Von's bike works with the big bore, I would imagine that added a decent amount of bottom end.

That's probably my biggest concern on the 250. I love that I can lug the 450 or even the 300 and they just chug along.

 

[Vonski]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... huh? what?

Sorry for the late reply...

Anyway, Jeeper (Brian) was correct about my main motivation to get the 280 kit. That is, I bought a nice 2006 CR125 last summer as I wanted a light 2T as a second bike. After riding it, I realized it just didn't have enough power. My buddy that has a shop wanted it bad, so we worked out a deal where I got a bunch of work done including the 280 kit and head porting in exchange for the Honda.

Now, my plan was to eventually do the 280 kit anyway, but only after I had enough miles to justify freshening up the motor. At only 67 hours, i wouldn't have normally done this, but it was to good of deal to pass up based on what I paid for the Honda. I would say that the 280 kit made a good bike into a great bike though. The gains it got were all in the bottom to mid range. It definitely brings it 'closer' to the feel of a 450.

OK, so the 450 4T vs. 250 4T thing... I can't say there has been a time that I have regretted the switch to the 250. Keep in mind that I only weight 155 to 160 wearing all my gear, so that could be a factor. The KTM makes more power than the other 250s in its class, so I'd think that helps too. I did have to learn how to ride (and shift) at a higher RPM if I wanted to utilize the most power from this bike.

I had the opportunity to race both bikes doing the same BOR race. The 450 in 2010 and the 250 in 2011. From one year to another, nothing had really changed with me. My fitness level was basically the same (lacking ) and had plenty of familiarity with both bikes. Teh biggest difference was that the 2010 race was 120 miles and the 2011 race was 240. I felt no more tired after the 240 miles as I did after the 120. That extra 20 to 25 pounds made a huge difference. Like I sid before, I'm not a big guy, but that would have an eventual affect on anyone.

On a somewaht related note, I love 2 strokes and will get another one as a second bike. However, I've finally found what I feel is the perfect bike for me. For maintenance and repair cost reasons, I wish it wasn't a 4T, but it is and I'm stuck liking it too much.

Caleb, anytime you want to try it out, just let me know...

 

[Vonski]

BTW, Kurt took it for a burn while we were down in Moab. His bike is about as close to mine as it gets, but a 450. Maybe he'll give you a less-biased opinion.

 

[Caleb]

Thanks Von, good feedback. The shifting thing will be one change I'll probably have to figure out, but I think my 300 got me a little used to that already. Your comparison of 450 vs. 250 is similar to how I would compare the 450 vs. 2T 300. Is your bike the XC-F or XCF-W?

 

[Vonski]

Thanks Von, good feedback. The shifting thing will be one change I'll probably have to figure out, but I think my 300 got me a little used to that already. Your comparison of 450 vs. 250 is similar to how I would compare the 450 vs. 2T 300. Is your bike the XC-F or XCF-W?

Its an XCF-W "Champion's Edition" , I know, right? Lots of anodized orange trinkets and Red Bull graphics baby.

 

[Gravy]

Von is 'spons'd so those redbull graphics and anodized orange thing give him extra powwa!

 

[glockman]

If all my riding was trails, I would go with a 250 in a heartbeat. I switched to a 450 because I kept replacing heads on my stupid KX250F and my 450 is a dune/track/desert bike that can use a little more power. I did love the smooth power delivery that my 250 had though. I think most of the time a 450 is too much on the trail. Come to think of it, my trail bike is a 250 4T (TTR) and I love it. You really need at least 3 bikes


You can ride the crap out of a 250 and it will keep up with a 450. One of my friends is super fast, like top 10 in the state. He rode several CRF250's and a couple YZF250s. He was racing the Pro class at Mona a few years ago. The start straight at Mona is a long uphill pull. He holeshot the first moto and he was the only guy on a 250. He is 6'1" and weighs about 200lbs.

 

[Caleb]

Call me crazy, but I'm now really leaning a complete 180...towards the big bad boy, the 500 XC-W I don't ride a ton of technical, I personally don't prefer technical. I like fast paced single track and some desert. I also want to be able to ride it on the street and not fear if I'll keep up with any traffic. I fear having to ride the crap out of a 250 to keep up with the big bikes as that will increase the maintenance intervals. (I'm talking major maintenances, I'll do basic stuff all the time anyways). I'm also 220lbs, which means even though it can move my fat ass, it's going to take a bit more to do so. I just need to quit being a ***** and get a bike that's made for a big rider We'll see if my mind changes again in a couple days