Help me "choose" please!

[Hydro1]

Hello all, new member here.
I will cut to the chase, i am/was a diehard 2 stroke rider.
This was before efi thumpers hit the market. Now i find myself really considering a wr450f over my original idea of a yz250 smoker.
Raced motocross, with lots of recreational trail riding in between. i was in C class in b.c yz85 big bored it out to 104cc' then upgraded to a 125.
Sold them and havent riden in nearly 6 years now.
The idea of not needing to fiddle with the carb is whats selling me on the wr.
Going through the regulations in alberta it looks like the better choice is the four stroke as well...
How hard is it to modify a yz250 to meet club/alberta code?
Sorry about my less than coherent post.

Anyone want to try nudging me in a certain direction?
Thanks guys.

[Zeal]

The new (after 2013) ktm four stroke motors are amazing. I would highly recommend that you consider either a 250 XCF/SXF or a 350 XCF/SXF.

[giantjoe]

There are a few 2t Euro bikes that come with stators powerful enough to run the required lights, don't limit yourself to blue.

[Hydro1]

The new (after 2013) ktm four stroke motors are amazing. I would highly recommend that you consider either a 250 XCF/SXF or a 350 XCF/SXF.

Thanks for the response!
The price tag on the ktm's is a little daunting.
Dare I say, that a 250 4 stroke is not enough for me?
I'm getting back into riding shape, my healthy weight is 230-240 pounds, with gear and hydration pack ect. I am a 250+ pound rider. All of the 250f's I have thrown a leg over and took for a spin, have left me wanting more.
The 350, well as I said above damn expensive.

[Hydro1]

There are a few 2t Euro bikes that come with stators powerful enough to run the required lights, don't limit yourself to blue.

Thanks for the reply!
As I said above, the price tag on the euro bikes are cringe worthy.
I am also pretty dead set on buying a new off the showroom floor dirtbike this time.
It's a shame as I do quite like the 300's ktm has to offer

[Brass]

The WR is a nice bike and certainly capable. Same goes for the YZ. The Blue smoker can be made bush legal and tame the suspension to work in the bush, many have done it but the costs all add up.

I'll agree with you that the KTM 4t pricing is getting a bit spendy.

Let's look at the numbers, All prices pulled from a local bike retailers web site, not including fees, tax, etc, etc, etc,)
A 2015 WR450 is about $9K,
A 2015 YZ250 is about $7500 (plus cost to get it bush ready - suspension, flywheel weight, lights)
A 2015 250xc-w is currently about $8600 with model year clearance discount.

For either bike you'll still want to factor in extra $$ for a skid plate, rad guards, hand guards, oil, tires, a new truck, a house with a bigger garage, property large enough for you and your friends to ride on, time off from work to go ride, time off from work to heal after a crash, ..........

Seems to me that they all end up pretty darn close in the end. Pick the one you like and get out and ride!

[takethebounce]

I ride with lots of different skill level and sizes of riders. Lots of guys are tending to lean to the 350's. It bridges the gap of the lesser 250 thumpers which even me being a light weight found them lacking in the top end and heck I ride a 200 smoker. There are numerous 350 SX bikes for sale and they can be very adaptable in the woods. I would just pick up a led lighting kit and add a one size larger battery. No need to add a lighting stator or fly wheels and such. Then with a flick of the switch you can pass a CO inspection and shut it off when you are on your way. I ran a little red strip of led's just under my back seat on my kawi and they were fine with it. The reason I mention the SX is they can be found cheaper than the XC and XCW's

The newer WR's are nice but there is also that new YZ guys are raving about.

[Hydro1]

The WR is a nice bike and certainly capable. Same goes for the YZ. The Blue smoker can be made bush legal and tame the suspension to work in the bush, many have done it but the costs all add up.

I'll agree with you that the KTM 4t pricing is getting a bit spendy.

Let's look at the numbers, All prices pulled from a local bike retailers web site, not including fees, tax, etc, etc, etc,)
A 2015 WR450 is about $9K,
A 2015 YZ250 is about $7500 (plus cost to get it bush ready - suspension, flywheel weight, lights)
A 2015 250xc-w is currently about $8600 with model year clearance discount.

For either bike you'll still want to factor in extra $$ for a skid plate, rad guards, hand guards, oil, tires, a new truck, a house with a bigger garage, property large enough for you and your friends to ride on, time off from work to go ride, time off from work to heal after a crash, ..........

Seems to me that they all end up pretty darn close in the end. Pick the one you like and get out and ride!

Well when you lay it out like that, yeah the prices are significantly more comparable.
Guess that brings me back to the old 2 vs 4 stroke dilemma.
Thanks!

[Hydro1]

I ride with lots of different skill level and sizes of riders. Lots of guys are tending to lean to the 350's. It bridges the gap of the lesser 250 thumpers which even me being a light weight found them lacking in the top end and heck I ride a 200 smoker. There are numerous 350 SX bikes for sale and they can be very adaptable in the woods. I would just pick up a led lighting kit and add a one size larger battery. No need to add a lighting stator or fly wheels and such. Then with a flick of the switch you can pass a CO inspection and shut it off when you are on your way. I ran a little red strip of led's just under my back seat on my kawi and they were fine with it. The reason I mention the SX is they can be found cheaper than the XC and XCW's

The newer WR's are nice but there is also that new YZ guys are raving about.

Whoops, didnt see your post. Sorry!
Thank you for your reply.
However after going to the local stealerships and talking salesmens ears off. I am confident what i want is a smoker.
Orange or blue?

[brentg]

If you are looking at used ones, 2T is the way to go. Nothing against blue, but for a used bush bike I would go Euro. They may cost more up front but they hold their value better, meaning that your cost per season is actually lower. They also come ready for the bush, so you won't have to dump a bunch of money into it to make it ride-able. On a Euro, you will probably just need heavier springs and you're good to go. On a YZ will need suspension valving, flywheel weights, some sort of lights, a pipe, a forestry legal silencer, different gearing and skid plates and guards.

All that being said, just buy the best deal available and start riding. If you don't like it, you can just sell it and buy a different one. Heck, even if you do like it you can still sell it and buy a different one. We all have wandering eyes when it comes to our bikes.

[thirtyseven]

I have a 14 250XC if you are interested. Just have to get axel99 on it first.

Both orange and blue have great 2t. The modern orange ones are fantastic machines and most likely will take less effort to be comfortable on in our riding areas.
As for the WRs while they are great bikes, they are the kind of bike that if you have a good solid past of riding, and get readdicted... you will "grow out" of them very fast.

[cedric]

If you're buying a new 2T, make sure you take a good look at the Beta and Sherco options, and there are the new Huskies too (white KTMs essentially). I believe these are all available from Blackfoot Direct.

[giantjoe]

Yeah, I wouldn't restrict my choices to blue and orange. BFD sell Husqvarna, Sherco, and Beta. There are plenty KTM dealers around too. Personally, I'm feeling a hankering for Beta right now. If I was to get a new 300 today, I don't know that I could make a decision.

[brentg]

There are a few 2t Euro bikes that come with stators powerful enough to run the required lights, don't limit yourself to blue.

Thanks for the reply!
As I said above, the price tag on the euro bikes are cringe worthy.
I am also pretty dead set on buying a new off the showroom floor dirtbike this time.
It's a shame as I do quite like the 300's ktm has to offer

Oops, totally misread your post. I read it as dead set "against" new. For a new 2T, any Euro 300 will make you very happy! Yamaha makes a great bike, but by the time you make it work as well as a dedicated off-road bike it will likely cost at least as much and, when the time comes, it will re-sell for a lot less. You can fix the suspension and you can change the pipe and you can change the gearing and you can add a forestry legal silencer but you will still have a peaky 250 with a 19" rear wheel, poor lighting choices and no happy button. Go Euro.

[thirtyseven]

Don't believe these guys. Riding starts and stops with KTM and Yamaha.

Everything else is like dancing with your grandpa.

Bad breath and kinda weird.