Why I Switched Back To A 2 Stroke After Years Of Riding A 4 Stroke.. | KTM 250XCW First Thoughts
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2020
- After a few weeks of ownership and 15+ hours later I figured it was time to make a full video on why I switched back to a 2 stroke from a 4 stroke and why I will probably never go back..
This 2018 KTM 250XCW has given me a new love for riding and having the right bike for the task at hand is crucial. Coming from heavy weight, four stroke dual sports it is a breath of fresh air to be on a bike that is more capable than me on the trails.
So here are my initial thoughts on the bike and why I decided to go to the dark side after all of these years😈
#KTM #XCW #Review - Розваги
I'm unbiased, (really like both) buying a 250 4-stroke in a few weeks, I'm just feeling shitty because everyone these days be hating on 4-strokes, like shit, yes 2-strokes are cool, I like 'em too but you don't have to fucking bully me because I like 4-strokes :) at least we are all riders, we a family brother. no matter what, 4-stroke or 2-stroke, 125 or 450, KTM or Husqvarna, we're all riders.
They are nice bikes. I have had 7 300's. Always like the 2 stroke pulling power. Good luck and have fun on the 250!!!!
Pretty excited when I seen you got this bike and it hasn't disappeared. Will be bummed out when daily vids come to a end. Will miss watching them every night. Keep up the good work man.
I'm with you fella, love my 2t ktm after years riding the 4s. This ktm gives you back the excitement you had back when it all started.
i agree, i had a 450 for a couple of years, now back on a 300
Wow, Nice goin, I love a 2 stroke! Glad to hear the modern 2strokes have improved greatly, happy trails buddy
I ride a 200xcw I’m pushing 250lbs and for trails this thing is an amazing little bike ktm has got the 2 stroke figured out imo. Good video man.
Unless your racing or riding hard enduro, I’d wait to do the top end 200+hrs on a ktm, I also inspect the piston through the exhaust port periodically and check compression👍🏻
@NoNoNoNii my couzins 300 got 350 on a piston still goes hard
Moto Islander 420 ......for general trail riding, normal maintenance, air filter, fresh fuel, quality oil and 300 hours is more than possible.
NoNoNoNii yes, hundreds of hours are fine on these bikes if you aren’t competitively racing.
Nice, a serious mount right there. I wish my old body could still take it. I miss going to Wayne and parts there about. Rode the Baby Burr in 80’-81’,Thanks for taking us riding with ya.
Sounds like you have had some nocturnal emission dreams there Tanner with this bike! Lol. Nice bike glad to see you are on something that make you happy. You are a good guy you deserve it bro.
Keeping you up at night…I get this.
It'll be hard to get you off that 2smoke.its like a drug. A good drug. I miss it.
I luv how bubbles is your pic
agree totally
I rode 250's, my last two stroke 250 was a 1997 KTM 250sx, that I bought new. A year later I had a YZ 400, then YZ426, then KTM 520SX. That 520 and I went all over the place together, lots of track time, hill climbs, off road routes. My wife had our kids, I stopped riding, then one day I got the bug again, bought a Husky 701. Did a ton of riding on it, 9000 miles in a year, did some epic rides, Mojave Trail, Devil's Highway, tons of stuff in Utah. I noticed that I just really missed the dirt, the 701 was great but if you wanted good in the dirt, it meant bad on the highway tires. After a big loop in Utah (I would take the bike on the back of the truck places and ride loops), I told my wife I was done with that, she thought I was going to go more street. Nope. I'd seen a bunch of videos talking about the new TPI 2 strokes and here is what I have found after some rides with this bike. I just did the Devil's Race Track in Utah with my new bike, a Husky TE250i, I broke it in before hand as well as did some other rides.
The problem with the 4 strokes for me at least, has been the heat, I live where it is stupid hot and switching onto other buddies bikes back in the day I always loved how much cooler it was to be on a 2 stroke. My 701 at low speed for example just pelted you with heat. After I got the TE250i a guy I had just met, I sent him a text of the new bike, he laughed and said, "that bike is going to feel like a mountain bike after what you have been riding." He was right.
The odd thing for me, I know you are not a TPI bike but the amount of fuel use being so low is just amazing. I love the weight savings and how smooth it is, no 2 stroke I have ever ridden is so nice to ride all day. You get done, it doesn't feel as though you've been holding a chainsaw for 4 hours. The power is super smooth, easy to manage, and like you said, the electric start, whaaaaaaaaat, that is nice.
I think your choice, in hindsight is better, the non-linkage, I've already gotten some nicks on the bottom of the linkage from rocks.
Hope you have a great summer!
I was going to mention the amsoil dominator it's a great oil it will help the engine last much longer.
Love your attitude buddy! I agree i think people are overkill with their top ends! I'd say push it! Especially if you're runnin such a damn gud mix oil!
Did your boyfriend see it coming when you dumped the 4 stroke and him?
Or did you just show up one day with a two stroke and some girls?
So this is pulling power aaaahh 💨💨🤣🤷♀️
If sf
I started running Amsoil back in 2008 in my Kawasaki. I was so impressed with it that I put it in every engine I own and never looked back. Top tier product. 👌
KTM & Husky's are where it's at. I bought a Husky TE 250i a few months ago and decided I was done and sold my YZ 250X. These bikes are just the right tool for the job
Don't forget Sherco and Beta. Those are some fine two strokes as well. I won't mention Gas Gas because that's now a KTM.
Love mine too mate. Enjoy the ride🤟
I love it . A perfect bike for you . I do like ktm’s, they have been making amazing enduro bikes for many years so I feel they are great at designing a good bike for specific jobs .
Best tip for the white side panels is us a magic eraser sponge with lots of water from the hose. It makes them sparkling white again. I actually run it all over the bike plastics after the initial cleaning and it takes out all of the brush markings etc.
Try the magic eraser but with diluted simple green instead of just water works much better 🤙🏻
Recently bought a 2020 ktm 300 xc, not my first 2stoke but first new one, what a bike in both power and suspension...so good I sold my ktm 350 4stroke and have no regrets!
Great info and awesome bike👍🙂
Love your vids man keep it up
I rode an old kdx 200 a couple of years ago that I borrowed off a friend, at the cooyar trail ride in Queensland Australia 🇦🇺, hadn’t ridden a bike for years and I think I did some of the best riding I’ve ever done. I had to pull over and wait for the boys riding 450’s and they are hands down better riders than me.
A few months ago I jumped off my yz450 out trail riding and hopped on my mates Ktm 300 exc 2 stroke and same deal. Was such a great bike for the situation, much like a kdx. I’m hearing ya 👍🏻.
I have a older buddy that has 3 KTM bikes and his 1st one he changed his piston at 110 hours and he said that he should have waited until at least 150 hours...it was still like new...he rides exactly the same as you only in the NW
Fan kit is a great idea btw for your style of riding
Just doing my 2015 KTM 300 XCW bottom end at 550 hrs as maintenance. She never failed and has earned many hair scramble and GP trophies. Amsoil in the fuel, Shell Rotella T4 in the gear box. These bikes are very reliable and built very well. The key to longevity is OEM parts, OEM body/wheel bearings and brake parts, good lube, good fuel, and overall good maintenance. The parts that don’t last are cheap wheel bearing kits like Moose, Pivot Works, All Balls etc... they last 6-weeks or 300 miles of hard riding. Buy OEM, same with brake pads and shock bearings, don’t mess with that cheap $hit. Vertex pistons is what I always put back in the bike, these bikes come stock with Vertex. Keep the suspension serviced, use the correct suspension spring for your rider weight, be sure to be at the beginning of your sag specification and not at the end the bike will handle better. When cleaning use Spray Nine so you don’t f-up your anodized parts, purple power and simple green will kill your shiny hubs. Buy Spray Nine at Walmart, same with your Shell Rotella T4. Slavensracing.com has all the good stuff for your bike + quality riding gear, light kits, etc... Love her (your KTM) and she’ll love you back. ☝️👊✊🤟
Hell yeah man I'm glad you like it! Make a road trip out west to Utah and we'll ride some single track!
I am waiting for my cylinder to come back from replating and a new piston kit for my 200EXC. Bought the bike with what I was told was maybe 50 hrs. Bike didn’t have much scuffing on the case and did not look very worn and compression was high and it ran great so I don’t doubt the time estimate. I trail ride for the most part and I estimated I have added 70 hrs since. First ride this season and it started on the first kick and was running beautiful. But still I was saying to myself that I am doing the piston kit this year for sure. Suddenly 1.5 hrs into my ride the thing just seized. No warning, no loss of power. When I opened it all up I found no sudden failure like I suspected. Found 2 areas of blow by on the piston with some scoring, a 5mm tiny crack between exhaust ports, and the cylinder seamed to measure a bit oval. A piston and gasket kit does not cost that much. A cylinder replate is not that expensive, but it not that cheap and I am now down and not able to ride. My plan for the future is an hour meter and a piston kit every ~100hrs depending on timing of winter. Having a beautiful day of riding interrupted with a potentially long bike push back to a road is not worth pushing the piston change interval and I learned that how it starts and runs is not a good warning to a sudden seizure with no breakage even happening. Anyways, that is my first 2 stroke failure experience. Now that I have done at least the tear down, I see how easy these things are to work on.
I’ve got an 18 300XCW, it’s my first 2 stroke and I freaking love it. I swapped to a Keihin 38mm carb with JD jet kit and a vforce 4R reeds, as well as a fmf turbinecore2 and the bike is an animal. I’m a novice and it’s way more than I can handle, but I don’t think I’ll ever get a 4 stroke again.
Keep up the good work!
i got a 2015 250sx i love it rode it last week with my buddy and his 250l he dropped his helping him up his felt twice as heavy as mine I love this BIKE coming from a 2001 KX125 doesnt feel any heavier will definetly get another 125 one day
Awesome I cant wait to get mine. I think you should do the top end depending on hours at the end of the season. You don’t want to get stuck having to do it in the middle of next season. Even if your only around 90 or so if you don’t do it this winter you’ll either get stuck doing it mid season or pushing it past 130 or 150. Congrats man awesome machine!!
its not hard to replace a piston, someone like him can probably do it in a few hours easy, so unless you mean he waits too long and blows his engine i dont think it matters when he does it. mid season or not.
I was able to finally do a full day of single track on the 450L without my clutch hand burning thanks to the Vortex. Only one stall and it was my fault. I still want a dedicated trail bike like the Sherco 300 SER. The 450L can do the hard stuff but there just isn't anything else like a 300 2 smoke. I've ridden both 250's and 300's and you just can't beat the lug-ability of the 300. The 450L is here to stay for me as I love being able to dual sport. But for the days that I trailer a bike the Sherco is going to be mine one of these days.
I have a 2010 that I will not change for nothing in the world just love the dam bike it has never let me down and the power is amazing. not counter balanced but I love it like that it give the kik of the old school 2t
Sounds good💯
If you run it hard and at mid range to high rpm, i would not go 50:1. Especially on hot days. My 2017 TC 125 Husky I run 32-38:1 on cool days. On a track. Its mostly in the mid and high range riding. 2 strokes, easy to work on as well. ( 61 year old MX'er from back in the day with 74 & 75 Cr125, 73 Cr 250, Mt 125 and 72 Husky 125CR in my collection, all running.)
A lot of people don’t realize but it depends on the type of oil. The Dominator is specifically made to run at 50:1 or 60:1.
If your coming off a Honda 450L I guarantee you love this bike. Two completely different purpose bikes.
Absolutely!
Two strokes are great in super tight and gnarly terrain where 4 strokes heat up fast. Something about the 2T personality too, it just says, "ya, you can do this, just send it" LMAO...
I have an 18' XCW 250 TPI and I love it. Never going back.
Yes,I'm very excited,
Get radio guards an fan kit period for prolonged life from heat and I'd just do 115 hrs an change it to be safe along side transmission fluid! One day I'll have the same bike! Gotta find right deal and bike and place lol! Lovin the videos regardless keep up the awsome work and maybe I'll see yall on the trails this year at some point!
Rad guards not radio!
Good job man 👍🏻
Bad ass bike bro I would go about 130 hours I wouldn’t push it to 150 and on that I would put fans on it I no a few people who got them they work good can’t wait to see more videos 💯✌️brappp
It's the rotational mass of the counterbalance that makes it lug. I have a 290 bild , the weight is the same as the 250 with 300 power 😁😎
damn, i am currently rebuilding my 2001 honda cr125, but i have the money. maybe soon i will upgrade to something like this. that would be awesome. looks and sounds like the perfect bike.
Good choice buddy 👌 10x more fun than tractor engines 💥💨💨
can defo recommend a fan kit, and also a thermostat delete kit. The pipes running into the stat are too small and reduce water flow massively. Was over heating far too easily if i was stuck and needed revs. Much harder to get the fan on now.
yep.. I want one ESPECIALLY after that intro!
The best mod I did to my ktm 250 was a rk tech high compression head it helped a lot with cooling and was a very noticeable power boost from top to bottom there a bit spendy but totally worth it
Definitely a fan kit and radiator guards! Bulletproof makes the best guard’s in my opinion. Also mojo motorsports makes a good rear disc guard for a decent price also front rotor guard I have bent all my rotors to learn this lesson
The KTM's are unique. I had a 200 exc and it was fast without seeming fast if that makes any sense. Just easy to ride but I sold her for a huge profit and bought another yz 125. I love the yz's.
I'm an intermediat trail rider, (but I mix 40:1) I don't rebuild mine till 300hrs. Looked perfect the time I did it. Took me 4 years of summer riding.
same year bike, same premix oil and i freaking love it!!
1st bike was an XR 100 then a CR 125 then a CRF 450r, was all about Honda and 4strokes... then I moved to the mountains and saw everyone on KTM 2t’s so I did my research and decided to try it out. Traded my 450 and some cash for a brand new 2018 KTM 250 xc w. After the first day I didn’t look back. As long as I’m riding, my gas will be mixed. I am debating selling and getting a TPI but I love my 250 xc w w/ carb.
Traded in my 3 months old Honda CRF450L and bought a Beta RR250 with 10 hours on it some weeks ago. The Honda is a nice bike on narrow roads but it sucks offroad. Had to work the clutch even in 3rd or 4rth gear and the throattle response turned out to be a nightmare. The Beta is a bit smaller and much easier to handle. Indeed the best thing is the two stroke engine which is smooth but powerful and never stalls.
You are definitely riding a lot smoother on the 2 stroke!!!! She’s certainly a nice bike but I’d like to no how you went with the seller did he pay the loan off coz the last thing I want to see is me repo man taking that beauty off ya
Awesome Bike! Enjoy it!
Thanks! Will do!
nice bike man!
Yep the husky ktm 2 strokes are great, i have had 2 x 300s now and i do the top end at 90 hours, no regrets.. i dont send the cylinder off for honing, just clean it up with a pipe wrapped in 240 grit...
I really like the bike looking at this as my next. Not exactly but KTM
Don't run the amsoil dominator unless you are racing and rebuilding the engine regularly. Dominator is made for racing with frequent rebuilds. For this reason it has limited cleaning agents and no rust inhibitors. If you plan on rebuilding at 80hrs you will probably be looking at a rusty crank and dirty gummed up power valves.
Use the amsoil interceptor. You will have squeaky clean power valves and crank.
Why cannot I see when this clip was put on? It used to state to the left the date of publishing, I want to know how old the clip is. What's youtube doing??
You no it makes sense 🤙🏻💨💨💨
Now I want to get one!
dont hesitate mate, husky or ktm...
that was the first thing everybody did was remove the kickstand, if your leg swings back and hits that. just use a stand, or a tree, your truck, I used a real metal milk crate with a 4x4 nailed on. went to Loretta Lynn's in 93, 30+A class, Ricky and James S. were there in the mini class.
I have a 17 300xc and did a top end on mine at 125hrs, it could have easily gone another 25 or 50 hrs,like yours mine is a woods bike and is lugged most of the time. However the power valve was getting pretty nasty and could use a good cleaning.
What a sweet machine!
I love it!
Good video. I am going back to two strokes. Affordable rebuilds.
Affordable and easy.
Love 2 strokes only way to go!!!
Just replace it after 100 and before 150 hrs...it’s rare but the piston skirt can break before the motor looses compression
When’s the 250L supermoto coming?
Im glad u like this one hopefully foe atleast this season.lol
Brilliant bikes well made if your up on the gearbox oil and you got your pre mix down this will do 150+ hrs easily personally I recommend castrol oil premix is definitely the best on the market in the uk even if you leave your for bike 6 months without starting this oil stays mixed. Absolutely brilliant oil
Yeah, the 17-18 generation. Just amazing and still carbed. Not hating on the tpi, the future, but for now since I always buy 5 years or older, looking forward to a 17' with low hours that a novice offroader I know owns....lol
My brothers 18 250 xcw tpi has 130ish hours. He plans to run it to 150 hours but he said if the compression test is good at 150 he will go to 200. I have a 17 excf 450 nearing 300hrs on stock internals. No problems.
Just do new ring on the piston. Surprising how long you can take all equipment if your easy on it. Lol same air filter for the last 4 years .... I should probably change it. Have reoiled it though 😁. I'd say do the 300 kit. Might be different with the smokers but I think you can use the og cdi or ecu what ever it is tecically ... Make sure you go down on the jet size , really common misconception , more suction from bigger piston so it pulls more through the smaller jet . just in case you don't already know that. It took a while to figure out my jetting for my 290 kit. I did a heavy porting job on one the heads for the bild it made it run so much smoother . 300 after 200hours!!!! You can do it man, just be very wary of high rpm at the end there near 200, the piston might crack or ring might fail. Usually the ring goes before the piston making more damage . change your ring or rings at 150 and take her to 200 I feel like you respect your throttle enuff. Lol no lones to noobs when she's in the upper hour rang 😁😎🙌💪
I just replaced my top end at about 120hrs on 2018 300xcw. Was getting a little blow by on the ring. The cylinder and jug looked good and I use Lucas marine oil. I have heard people take them over 200hrs. Not sure I am that brave.
how much does a top end overall cost more or less?
2017 was the last carburetored model for xc-w and exc. 2019 for xc. So you should have a 2017 if you have a carburetor
Incorrect 2018 was a changeover year they released some carby some tpi.
nice video bro
great vid, 2 strokes are fun bottom line
*KTM is leading the pack!!!*
I love 2 strokes but i went enduro rlding for 6 huors last week and boy did i wish i had picked the 4 stroke bc after like 4 huors of ridin i couldnt even grab the clutch anymore
And change coolant to engine ice shouldn’t over heat any more had the problem with my bike engine ice fixed the overheating issue
I would get a fan kit that way you know you are covered for any tight spot you get in and won’t cook it. I would rebuild it at100 hours that way you know it’s good and ready for another 100 hours
My next bike will be a 300 xcw, but my friend swapped bikes with me for a ride and the first thing he said was "Holy f#%@ this has so much power" - He rides a 2018 husky 300 and I ride a WR450F. I don't want to lose that instant snap I get with the 450..
Aren't you now back on a 4 stroke? The husky Fe 350?
Use a mr.clean manic eraser on the white plastics. Works amazing
Good tip!
5:30 i would hate that. give me some bolts to undo any day. doesnt take long and it will always work. plastic retaining tabs are annoying, and will probably break eventually.
I e seen hard enduro people do 150 hour rebuilds and its only lost 10 psi compression
How tall and heavy are you?
It's been a long time since they have posted any videos period
I forgot how many hours are on my top end on my kdx 200 and I mix it 40 to 1 with Yama lube r2
They are tanks!
how mnuch money have u lost going thru all these bikes?
I have a 18 300 KTM xcw an I went 152 hours no problems
What fuel mixture do you run in the Ktm? 40:1 or 32:1
In the video I think he said 50:1 using "Amsoil Dominator" premix.
Following with interest ,I know you are quite tall so swinging your leg over a KTM is no problem for you .
But what about vertically challenged people with say only a 30" inside leg ? Can these be lowered to accommodate the shorter rider & How expensive is it to do ?
Thanks for your videos ,great content & Alexis is improving every ride .
Yes they can you can lower them 2 inches they sell kits even get the kickstand also you can shave the seat and you will be lookin good!!
And I think a couple hundred bucks if you do it yourself
I have KTM EXC 300 TPI 2019 and after 200 hours of work there is no any sign that rebuild should be made. The compression and power are as from factory. The oil pump works properly. No any strange sound. BUT my style of driving is VERY gentle. I do not race. I drive slowly and carefuly through mountain trails and forests. I use my bike as transportation mean for kind of motorized hiking. The engine and bike are not too much stressed.
I have a 2019 300xc
I would recommend running the vp premixed fuel in the gallon container it has no ethanol And its synthetic
Very expensive, I run amsoil interceptor 60:1
Agree VP is my choice as well
@@mecalpsha4473
What is vp?
What is vp?
Or just find a station without ethanol like I did
Thats a guide line im sure it will be fine tanner.
I am riding a drz400E in the dirt now. I used to ride a 1994 YZ250. DRZ400 is a capable bike. and a good flyer but my god it is heavy. i want a 2 smoke.
Just pull the pipe off and look. You can tell when it's ready.