250 vs. 450

Bryce R

Bryce R

Okay what do you really gain going with a 450? Why do I ask this? Well read on.

I road with a guy that has a Suzuki RMZ 450 and another had a WR450. We all went for a nice little ride in the mountains to a little place to have lunch and then back. I thought my stock WR250(No mods at all) was going to struggle to keep up with the 450's. After the ride here is what I came away with. The guys on the Suzuki weighs 50# more then I so I figure that used a little of the power, the guy with the WR450 had maybe 30# on me. The only thing I noticed they could do easily that I couldn't was pull wheelies on the fly. Oh yeah and burn fuel. Both of them had to pack fuel and used it. :shocked: Heck I still had another 80 miles I could have rode. So now I'm second guessing my thought of getting a 450. Now I know I just trail ride so maybe the 450's would shine else where but I'm just curious what else I'm missing?
 
CDA

CDA

Bryce R:
Okay what do you really gain going with a 450? Why do I ask this? Well read on.

I road with a guy that has a Suzuki RMZ 450 and another had a WR450. We all went for a nice little ride in the mountains to a little place to have lunch and then back. I thought my stock WR250(No mods at all) was going to struggle to keep up with the 450's. After the ride here is what I came away with. The guys on the Suzuki weighs 50# more then I so I figure that used a little of the power, the guy with the WR450 had maybe 30# on me. The only thing I noticed they could do easily that I couldn't was pull wheelies on the fly. Oh yeah and burn fuel. Both of them had to pack fuel and used it. :shocked: Heck I still had another 80 miles I could have rode. So now I'm second guessing my thought of getting a 450. Now I know I just trail ride so maybe the 450's would shine else where but I'm just curious what else I'm missing?
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Not knowing your weight I can only guess that your buddies are too heavy to be riding enduro versions of 250s. I for one would not be able to ride a WR250 or a YZF250 since I am too big and it would struggle under me. Now a YZ250 is another story with the 2 stroke motor. But if you cannot ride your bike in the higher RPMs all the time, then you do not need a 450. Or if your 250 is not struggling to get you where you need to be, then you do not need a 450. 450s are better in the open desert or for real lazy people that want the bike to tractor them up everything. You do get the added weight of a 450 as well.
 
Bryce R

Bryce R

CDA:
Not knowing your weight I can only guess that your buddies are too heavy to be riding enduro versions of 250s. I for one would not be able to ride a WR250 or a YZF250 since I am too big and it would struggle under me. Now a YZ250 is another story with the 2 stroke motor. But if you cannot ride your bike in the higher RPMs all the time, then you do not need a 450. Or if your 250 is not struggling to get you where you need to be, then you do not need a 450. 450s are better in the open desert or for real lazy people that want the bike to tractor them up everything. You do get the added weight of a 450 as well.
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Sorry I guess I should have added my weight. I weight about 150# with my riding gear.:thumb:

My WR250 is 260 and the 450 is 272. Will 12# more effect a bike that much?
 
CDA

CDA

Bryce R:
Sorry I guess I should have added my weight. I weight about 150# with my riding gear.:thumb:

My WR250 is 260 and the 450 is 272. Will 12# more effect a bike that much?
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So there you have it. Your buddies are roughly 200# and 180 which qualifies them to be on a 450. The 180 guy would be fine on a 250 though. I am 215 at 6'3" so I would be taxing a 250 WR. I did some added motor tuning to my YZ250 and it pulls me around alright, but a 2 stroke 250 would leave a 250 4 stroke all day.

As for the extra 12lbs, depending on weight distribution and after a long day on the trails, that 12 lbs could make a difference to a small framed person..
 
Travace

Travace

CDA maybe oyu can confirm this....

i been told that when you compare a 250 2stroke to a 4 stroke you pretty much double it... so a 250 2stroke would be = to a 500 4stroke ?

i know its nnot an exact but is there any truth to that ?
 
CDA

CDA

Travace:
CDA maybe oyu can confirm this....

i been told that when you compare a 250 2stroke to a 4 stroke you pretty much double it... so a 250 2stroke would be = to a 500 4stroke ?

i know its nnot an exact but is there any truth to that ?
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A 250 2 stroker is just shy of a 450 4 stroker. If you watch the video of my GP start I have posted somewhere on here, you can see I get the jump on the 450s off the start, but I then run out of gears and I have my 250 geared tall.
 
cleonard

cleonard

One word -> Torque

You see sometimes being able to lift the front wheel is the difference between hero or helicopter ride. A big bore has that torque at low revs and even when in the wrong gear. A 250 will get the job done as well, but you had better be in the right gear to get the over an obstacle.

Now on the plus side a 250 will not tire you out so much. A 450 is a lot of bike on the tight stuff.

I ride a way to big XR600. If I have traction, I can thunk-thunk-thunk my way up almost anything. A 250 just won't do that.
 
Nighthawk016

Nighthawk016

Travace:
CDA maybe oyu can confirm this....

i been told that when you compare a 250 2stroke to a 4 stroke you pretty much double it... so a 250 2stroke would be = to a 500 4stroke ?

i know its nnot an exact but is there any truth to that ?
Click to expand...

From what i know, which isn't a whole lot, but enough... that is only true if the bore and the stroke are kept proportionally the same meaning the RM and YZ have 66.4mm bore to a 72mm stroke. so.... the 500 would have to be..... 83.72mm bore to a 91mm stroke... proportionally the same... friggin math... thats actually 500.944CC's but... close enough
 
Neversurfaced

Neversurfaced

I have a 450 & a 250 (both 4T) - I'm about 5'10" & 165 +/-

My 250 is my desert race bike, although for play riding I prefer my 450 in the desert. For flat out power & speed in the wide-open desert the 450 is an absolute blast.

I got back into the country in April I hadn't been on either bike in over a year. I took the 450 out twice for trail riding - everything from tight & twisty to wide-open sand washes; deep sand & hardpack...

TEHN... just this Saturday I took the 250 out for the first time.

I forgot how damn fun that thing was. Same trails, same terrain and I've got to say that I enjoyed my 250 more. For what I was riding, the added power of the 450 didn't come into play, but I could definitely feel the extra 25 +/- lbs. The only disadvantage to the 250 was that it required more shifting / clutch work than the 450.

I think it comes down to what you're riding:

Wide open stuff / roads / hill climbs... there's no replacement for displacement

Tight & twisty / slower speeds... go for the lighter bike.

That's my 2 cents.
 
Weathergeek

Weathergeek

Going from a 250 to 450 a couple years ago, the tractability (is that a word?) and power is the difference. I like the fact that if need the power, it is there for the twisting on the 450, yet you don't have to use it all the time. BTW, I am 260+ so that makes a difference there too. I do also notice that the 450 makes you use more energy as others have stated, in the tight stuff.
 
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