KX Riders
General => Introductions => Topic started by: tlrbandit on January 08, 2008, 01:56:20 PM
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I am 40 years old and have owned my 1995 KX 500 since new. The only real modifications made were revalved and resprung suspension. I had a bit of an accident on it last year that involved some injuries, but I am now ready to start riding again. My 500 has seen desert races, motocross races and has been the best play bike I could ask for. It's a first kick (okay, maybe 2 kicks when cold), never fouled a plug dirt bike that I have loved. Now that I able to start riding again I find that I am really liking the new KX450F and/or the CRF450r. Here is what I am struggling with and my question to those riders that have crossed over to the four stroke world. Is it a good change? Are the four strokes good enough to replace the KX500? I don't have any experience riding the new four strokes so I don't really know what they are like. I know my 500 is faster because I have raced them. I am more concerned with the quality of power and especially the newer designed chassis. Depending on feedback before I either buy a new bike or dump a bunch of money into my 500. Thanks in advance for your help.
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the new 4 strokes are better and i will take a hit and give you $25.00 dollars for your old kx 500 . will you pay shiping to me . :lol: :lol: :-D
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Nice.
That's a pretty nice 1st offer though. I may have to consider it.
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ill go 50.00
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I tried it a few years ago and bought a slightly used YZ426. I didnt come off of a 500, I came off of a 02 YZ250 2s. I ride enduros and harescrambles and just could not get that 426 to work for me. I felt that it would work better in the open stuff or on a MX track than in the tight woods. It wasnt overpowered, it had little lowend and you had to stay on top of the clutch to keep it from flaming out. I know the new 4s are quite abit better and Im not trying to discourage you. If you can, try and ride one first, I havent ridden any of the new 450s except for a 07 KTM 450EXC, which I could not stand. I guess Im just a 2s guy at heart.
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I'm feeling the love here. And they said this was a freindly place to be. lol's
I'm a patient person, so I'll just keep hanging out until the offers or thoughts become a little more insightful. :-D
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Now I'm sure Im going to catch some crap from some one for this but this is my OPINION.You can't go wrong with a new kx450 or crf450. These bikes share the same showa suspension and is arguably the best stock suspension to ever come on any perduction dirt bike ever and is probably better then a lot of after market suspension from the past.I know for a fact that the crf450 makes every bit as much power as a stock cr500 and from what I have read the kx450 makes more. the four strokes make good broad power very much like the kx500. These bikes are high maintenance and expensive to rebuild you have to change the oil often and stay on top of valve adjustments if you have one of these bikes you are better off learning how to do this for yourself. With that being said, one of the new four strokes will probably be the funnest bike to ride you have ever owned. I am 34 and I have a crf450x and I love it, it has a pipe and cam and runs right there with the r-model I will launch big knarly jumps on It that most people will just sit and watch and then I will role up and throw It on the kick stand.I ride it all over, from town to town you can say. I can fill up at any gas station and I don't have to carry any oil with me, it's a bar hopper with knobbies. My bike has electric start and when I go riding I always get the jealous F-U look when I hit the button. If you trail ride for the love of riding you should concider the KX450R or the CRF450X these bikes are built for true off road duty they have bigger radiators,more oil capacity,larger fuel tanks and 18" rear wheels. I have not ben left behind do to my kick stand or electric start yet infact I usually lead the ride no matter what any one else is riding. What do you say Bob?
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i was kidding ....i do think the new 4 strokes run fine but the epa has forced the hand of the bike companys,, the are in such a high state of tune to make power that there expinsive to repiar and miantian..
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I tried it a few years ago and bought a slightly used YZ426. I didnt come off of a 500, I came off of a 02 YZ250 2s. I ride enduros and harescrambles and just could not get that 426 to work for me.
I'm not trying to talk crap but the YZ426 Is the worst bike I have ever had the misfortune of riding. I had a polaris predator 500 and I swapped with my buddy for about five hundred feet before I wanted my quad back and I hate quads. I spent an hour chasing mister Yamaha lover all over the desert trying to get my quad back. It was not that I could not catch him he just would not stop, he had no interest in trading back. That bike handeled like crap and engine braked so hard that it would try to throw you over the handle bars when you let out of the throttle. It forced you to stay on the gas in the turns even when you needed to let out of it. That bike is a pore example of a modern four stroke. Sorry
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At the time that I bought it, winter 03, it was the only open Yamaha 4s with a 5 speed gearbox. I didnt want the WR and the YZ450 was a 4 speed. I was riding for a local Yamaha dealer at the time. It was traded in with low hours and it was cheap. I thought I would try it out instead of paying for a new bike and possibly not liking it. Good thing because I didnt like it! I agree with pretty much everything you said about it! This past summer I bought a new DRZ400S for dualsporting around. I wanted it because of the ease of getting a plate, its pretty tough getting a plate for a offroad bike in Jersey. Its not a modern 450 by any stretch of the imagination but its sure a hell of alot more fun to ride than my old 426. Im much faster on it in the tight stuff, thats pretty much all I ride. Im possibly considering a KX/KLX450 in a few years, Im still keeping the 250 2s though!
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Ive had the dreaded cough and stall more than a few times in the tight. Just about threw me over the bars also!
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I definately agree about the suspensions. They are the newest technology going. The absolute best ergonomics. You can spend alot of money on the ol' 500 suspension and it would be hard to equal the plush ride of the new bikes. Also the 4 strokes have a great bottom end and really hook up on even the greasiest muddy conditions. That being said, they are very, very expensive to maintain and upgrade the engines. Before you buy a 4 stroke, look through an aftermarket parts catologue for heads, pipes, cams and valves. If that doesn't bother you, then maybe it would be worth looking into one. Then you have the kx 5 into a 250 or 450 mod. Its the cake and eat it too deal. There's alot of pro's and cons to it all, but its back to personal preference. New bikes are easier to find replacement parts, colored plastics, graphics or whatever seems hard to find for the ol' 2 strokes. 4 strokes used to be hard to start, but they are getting better all the time. (Especially, with electric start options) If money was not an issue, and did not have much bearing on which bike to ride, I would definately say the kx 500 motor on a new 450 chasis would be the "cream de la cream." Again BDI and Stewart pretty much covered the question, but I like adding to the convo.
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Thanks for the input. I have updated the sportbike side of my stable every couple of years and the new bikes are just amazing My new 2007 GSXR 1000 is light years ahead of my 2000 R1 and a pretty big leap in front of my old 2004 GSXR 1000. I figured a new dirtbike that was 13 years newer in development has to be better at everything, right? I'm not worried about the maintenance side of things as I can handle that. I just want to know that if I buy a new 450 that it will be more fun and just as capable as my KX 500.
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Oh yeah, they can hang. A new one will have no wore out bearings or seals and all that jazz. They use formula 1 technology and the best part, they don't need 2-stoke oil. I think they are even better on the mpg's. I hate to sound so pro to the 4 strokes because I really enjoy my k5, but its obviuosly going to keep up. I like to look at it that the newest '08 you can buy (probably 8 grand), isn't going to blow my $2500 '97 k5 away. Really it only makes sense that new is better. Most of the flaws are over with. Its back to the old saying "Speed costs money, son. How fast do you want to go?" It sounds like you are ready to go pretty fast, so I do't think you could go wrong with a new 450. My priorities and wants are often over ridden with price tags. I again, am proud to ride a k5, in the state that it is in, and think its very cool to have this kind of power that I can afford and understand to maintain. Go get one, but don't sell the k5 for the $50, I'll go $55...... :-D
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Ill trade you a YZ426 for it!
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Now I'm sure Im going to catch some crap from some one for this but this is my OPINION.You can't go wrong with a new kx450 or crf450. These bikes share the same showa suspension and is arguably the best stock suspension to ever come on any perduction dirt bike ever and is probably better then a lot of after market suspension from the past.
Sorry, Brian, the 450 Kawi uses KYB components the 250f uses Showa. The 07 450 is pretty radical, kawi tamed the 08 to remove some of the hit. I have a 250f and a 450f, personally I like the 250f for trail riding, it doesn't tire you out. Beware, 4t are wayyyy more work to maintain, as BDI says you either pay now or pay later, do the oil changes, valve adjustments and other necessary PM work and you'll love it
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Oops my bad either way the suspension is going to be sweet especially if you take the time to dial it in for your weight. I think It's the Suzuki 450 that has the showa stuff like honda oops. Any way If you want a new bike you should go get one. I still recommend geting one with electric start so you can do like I did call baja designes and get an HID light for It.
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I'm getting answers that kind of match my thinking so I guess that's good. I have ridden quite a bit with riders on new 450's and never had trouble keeping up, especially in the desert and mountains where big power comes into play. Tight trails and real technical stuff though it always looked like the guys on 450's were working less, even though I was faster most of the time. I don't think I will be selling me 500 just yet, but I do think I need to give a little more consideration to buying a new 450 though. :-D The suspension is really better huh?
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I'm spending my re-enlistment bonus on a sweet brand new KX500AF from service Honda with all the goodies.
I'll keep my 97 mint for play days and the AF for MX business.
I'll never see the dark side.
check out www.servicehonda and look at their KX5AF. :evil:
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Is the suspension better, oh yeah, its a night and day difference, even if you've had your 500 revalved, there's no comparision.
The new KYB stuff is very similar to the Showa stuff, it works good. The 07 kawi is kind of 500 ish, relly quick but tractable, since we're not all James Stewart Kawi mellowed the 08 to make it more user friendly, it's down 3 hp over the 07
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I am 40 years old and have owned my 1995 KX 500 since new. The only real modifications made were revalved and resprung suspension. I had a bit of an accident on it last year that involved some injuries, but I am now ready to start riding again. My 500 has seen desert races, motocross races and has been the best play bike I could ask for. It's a first kick (okay, maybe 2 kicks when cold), never fouled a plug dirt bike that I have loved. Now that I able to start riding again I find that I am really liking the new KX450F and/or the CRF450r. Here is what I am struggling with and my question to those riders that have crossed over to the four stroke world. Is it a good change? Are the four strokes good enough to replace the KX500? I don't have any experience riding the new four strokes so I don't really know what they are like. I know my 500 is faster because I have raced them. I am more concerned with the quality of power and especially the newer designed chassis. Depending on feedback before I either buy a new bike or dump a bunch of money into my 500. Thanks in advance for your help.
Hey man... a little bit ago I had to liquidate a 2001 KTM450MXC (with Cali Plates and e-Start added). After the need for a cash buffer subsided... I wanted to get another bike. I didn't want a dualsport converted bike since in Cali you end up paying for both the street registration AND the off-road registration.
Before that I'd had a DRZ450S (stripped to essentials for dirt riding, re-sprung).
I finally came across a '96 KX500. I'd always contemplated having one... and especially now since the Enviro-Nazi's are trying to clamp-down.
The DRZ450 is a Heavy bike... skip it altogether.
the KTM450MXC was pretty darn cool. But now that I've ridden the K5... I could never go back to it.
Really the only thing the newer bikes are gonna have is a narrower slimmer feel... and they'll be a bit easier to stuff into super-cross style uber-tight turns.
That being said... the seats on the newer bikes suck majorly. They are ALL rock-hard grip mats basically... nothing else, no padding to speak of. I suffered way more monkey-butt on the KTM than this KX. And that's with sporting padded chamois racing underpants too.
There is NOTHING wrong with the suspension on my KX500. In fact, the previous owner happened to have had it re-valved and re-sprung by the same tuner (CLEAN Racing) that worked on my KTM suspension. Both of them are equally awesome in my eyes. And Whoooooo Man!!!! I can blitz across the desert floor and gnarly sand-whoops faster on the K5 than on any other bike I've ever owned. Even faster than on the '97 RM250 I had owned.
In some rare instances I'll get some headshake on the K5... but that's only because with that unholy devil of a sexy engine I find myself blasting through things soo much faster with it than with that KTM.
I'd have to say the the newer 4-strokes are probably a touch easier for the masses at-large to go faster on, since you don't have the same kind of "hit" that the 2-strokes due however... I think that given the same pro-level rider on a well setup K5... he'd smoke'em in an embarassingly bad way.
Mind you... because of the strength of the power of the k5 beast... I believe that same pro-level rider would most likely also finish whatever type of racing it is a bit more tired than his newer 4Stroke competitors.
But so what? right? Who cares how tired ya are after you've just got finished handing them back they're asses at the finish line!
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Everyone has talked about the 450's. Whats the word on the bigger 4st like the KTM 525/505. I know of two guys near me that have ridden and raced the 525's and have not had much in the way of maintenace issues. One guy had a problem with the hyd clutch leaking, some tranny bearing issues but nothing that you could'nt have with a 2st.
Another kid that rides the 450's rode an entire season without even one valve adjustment on a yz 450. He did it becuse he wanted a project for when he went to MMI. The bike ran flawlessly. He was a good rider too, he qualified for the Areanacross in vegas 2 yrs in a row, plus was a top rider in the C class in the outdoor stuff. Also he raced nearly every weekend from march to november.
I guess my question is what's the talk of this higher maintenance? Am I missing something? My son has the CRF250r and yes I check the valves about every 10hrs or so and adjust the cam chain which takes about 1 1/2 hrs for every 10. On top of that you have the normal maintenance that is done to every bike 2 or 4 stroke.
I must be used to the high maintenance of the 50-85 cc bikes. Now theres equipment thats maintenance hungry. I never had to do so much mainteance on a bike as I did with the 50's.
Help me clear my head on this guys. I'm looking at getting a 450 for me that I can pass to the son in a year or two.
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I've had my KX500 since 92. Been a stellar workhorse and stone reliable. I recently picked up a new CRF450R. Yes I think that the new CRF is going to be more work but I am not worried about it. I think that as long as you keep on top of it there will be no reliability issues. I doubt a new 4 stroke could handle abuse like the KX. I am looking forward to the improved suspension and handling traits of the latest chassis designs. Hopefully I will be happy with the power. Ergos are nice but so is my KX. What I will miss is not being different, the individual green wolf, and instead I join the everyday pack of red sheep. Cam.