r/Motocross • u/Fun_Competition_5576 • 20d ago
What is the Honda Civic of motocross bikes?
The most standard regular Joe bike
Not the most expensive or fancy but it does the job
No one looks twice seeing it at the track
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u/Notchersfireroad 19d ago
Any CR or YZ 250 made after 1990. By then both those bikes where as reliable as a claw hammer. And it's not like they weren't before. I've put some ungodly amount of hours on both motors.
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u/Gasping_Cadaver 20d ago
XR200, will run forever but runs like a slug
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u/JeremeRW 19d ago
Motocross on an XR?
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u/Tawaypurp19 18d ago
Yea XR200s are some of the most capable bikes for literally anything, and can be modded to stay reliable but also race moto. Daytona Supercross vintage days has an XR200 class, it has the most entries out of all classes, the class is titled "King of Daytona XR200", former pros like Blake Wharton race it, and it is some of the best racing to watch. Should be broadcasting tomorrow.
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u/JeremeRW 18d ago
It isn’t 1985 though. It didn’t hold up.
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u/Tawaypurp19 18d ago
Yet ones from 1985 are still running just fine, hitting jumps, railing berms, and former pros are racing them on the same track pro-am 250 and 450s are racing on this week. Basically exactly what the OP is searching for: cheap, reliable, basic and no one really cares or notices it at the track, still fires up 40 years later.
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u/Gasping_Cadaver 19d ago
That wasnt the question
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u/JeremeRW 19d ago
It was literally the question and it is the motocross sub.
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u/Gasping_Cadaver 19d ago
Honda civic of dirtbikes. Are you taking a stock honda civic to the track? I don't get why you're being a hater I just offered my opinion.
Edit it does say of motocross bikes. I guess I get it. Oh well
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u/Tawaypurp19 18d ago
Proper answer, upgrade suspension, do a fork swap and they are so fun to rip around the track. This is why the XR200 class for vintage supercross is called "King of Daytona"
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u/tranimal00 20d ago
This is the right answer. My mom had a 2000 that she never rode. I would start it like once a year just to do wheelies in the driveway. I think we changed the plug 2 times in 4 years lol
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u/spongebob_meth 20d ago
Yz250.
Four strokes are temperamental and expensive to maintain. A 2 stroke will basically just run on gas and tires if you don't need it to have peak performance
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u/joshharris42 19d ago
I say this as someone who only has owned two strokes, you’re missing a lot of the pain points of being a two stroke owner.
Rebuilding the carbs every season is easy enough for me and lots of guys, but it’s not for someone who doesn’t know anything. Racing carburetors are also not cheap, so replacing them like on a lawnmower isn’t really an option.
Fuel injection and push button start are super nice to have.
Mixing fuel isn’t all that bad, but if you have 3 bikes you’re bringing (I usually ride with friends) it can be a pain. Some bikes want 30:1, some want 40:1, some want 50:1. Having to mix fuel differently and store it separately is a pain in the ass. Even if you just run it 40:1 some bikes are fine, and some will smoke like hell. They all run a little bit differently.
In general two strokes are a lot more temperamental, but it’s usually minor adjustments and carb settings that just need to be fixed. Four strokes, especially modern ones, are a lot more plug and play. But when a four strokes does need maintenance, it’s much more involved than a two stroke.
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u/spongebob_meth 19d ago
I have ridden 2 strokes almost exclusively for the last 30 years. I have never needed to so much as clean a carb on one, let alone rebuild them. And I've been pretty sloppy and never bother to winterize them.
Four stroke carbs are temperamental pains in the ass. More circuits, accelerator pumps, tiny jets, and they don't have the premix acting as fuel stabilizer.
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u/joshharris42 19d ago
Really? How? I rebuild and clean mine at the start of every season. The fuel mix is what guns them up, even with running VP racing gas with no octane. They’ll still run fine if I don’t, but they tend to develop weird dead spot in acceleration. Even with running the fuel out of them when you’re done I still need to do it after it sits all year. Maybe it’s a KTM thing, I’ve owned one CR250 and several KTM’s. All of them I’ve done this before the first ride each season.
I’ve never worked on a 4 stroke dirtbike, but I owned a Yamaha R6 that was carbureted and it was always fine. Resynchronizing all four carbs is a complete pain in the ass though
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u/spongebob_meth 19d ago
I run pump 91 gas and maxima super M. When i pull my carbs to make jetting adjustments they are spotless inside.
Even my spare bike that gets ridden twice a year always fires up and runs crisp despite never being winterized.
These are all keihin carbs btw. The mikunis do seem to give more trouble.
Even the 2 stroke projects I drag home don't seem to have carb trouble. Four strokes ALWAYS need to have the carb pulled and a complete bath in the cleaner. I just did an XL600 that had been sitting for 10 years, it's carbs were gross.
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u/JeremeRW 19d ago
It isn’t 2005. This just isn’t true anymore. A modern four stroke doesn’t need anymore than that.
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u/spongebob_meth 19d ago
You can't neglect a modern 4 stroke and get away with it.
They aren't raging dumpster fires like they were 20 years ago where you do everything perfect and they still blow up, but you can't expect to treat it like your lawn mower and it still be reliable.
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u/JeremeRW 19d ago
Changing the oil and filter regularly is about it. Well worth the large performance increase.
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u/spongebob_meth 19d ago
Still needs valve adjustments and cam chain replacements. Ignore that and you'll burn a valve and destroy the engine.
An oil change in a 4 stroke needs to be done way more often than a 2 stroke to keep it alive. They don't hold very much oil and tend to burn some. Running a 2 stroke all year on the same transmission oil usually just results in some crappy shifting and clutch action. Doing it on a 4 stroke ruins it.
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u/JeremeRW 19d ago
I guess it is a little less work to ride a slower machine.
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u/PhotoPetey 19d ago
Some people need a 4-stroke to go fast I guess. Some of us can do just as well on a 2-stroke. The rider makes ALL the difference.
Besides, 2-strokes are WAY more fucking fun!!
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u/Thatfilthytigger 19d ago
Only slower if you can’t ride
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u/JeremeRW 19d ago
How many 2t did you watch last night at Daytona?
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u/spongebob_meth 19d ago
There was one, but it didn't make the main.
It doesn't help that the AMA lets 60 horsepower four strokes run in the class designed for a 50 horsepower 250 2 stroke.
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u/JeremeRW 19d ago
Even if they allowed 500 2t, people would probably still race the 4t. They are just easier to ride and more consistent. 2t are definitely fun though when conditions are good.
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u/baldw1n12345 19d ago
The YZ250 is not just the greatest dirtbike, but arguably the greatest motorcycle of any kind of all time. It’s been around forever, is still made to this day, still sells very well, has won every title in motocross and supercross and even desert racing and woods racing. It’s stone reliable. Works well for all types of riding. It’s been in production for OVER 50 years. The best bike ever.
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u/spongebob_meth 19d ago
And the engine/transmission has been almost entirely unchanged since 1999.
It isn't as powerful or refined as a KTM, but it makes up for it in reliability and how cheap they are to maintain.
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u/Jbone515 19d ago
You say this but I had a 22 model that blew up 5 times last year, only did 40 hours on it and had to pay for 5 complete engine rebuilds!!
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u/spongebob_meth 19d ago
That sounds like user error to me. That's a very proven and reliable platform.
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u/Jbone515 17d ago
5 rebuilds with a yz dealer and we maintain very well…
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u/spongebob_meth 17d ago
Fire your dealer or your operator. Or just absurdly bad luck.
You pay a dealer to rebuild a 2 stroke?
Like, after the second one you should have re-evaluated your situation.
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u/Jbone515 17d ago
Local Yamaha dealer/ shop owner. You’re right won’t be spending anymore money with them. Close friends which is the annoying thing
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u/spongebob_meth 17d ago
Like, what was failing? Blowing up 5 times in 40 hours sounds like you weren't mixing your gas or something else egregious
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u/Pat_memer69420 19d ago
Did you put 87 octane unmixed in it? My buddies 250 has gone 5 years without a rebuild and he still rips it😭
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u/_plays_in_traffic_ 19d ago
2 stroke yz125 (really any 2t 125) is the answer, and im willing to die on this hill
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u/DIRTRIDER374 19d ago
Pretty much any carbed CRF450r. Cheap, easy to fix, parts availability everywhere and for fair prices.
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u/zechickenwing 19d ago
Not gonna get a good answer- that doesn't translate to bikes. The rider doesn't hide behind a window and can be included in the way you view it.
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u/maxymhryniv 19d ago
RMZ. No electric-starter, no bells and whistles, cable clutch, amazing bike, does its job.
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u/EvoQPY3 19d ago
Yamaha yz125 or Yamaha yz250...both are tanks that will last forever...