$3500 top end overhaul

[firko]

I think the next trailie will be a DRZ400 or perhaps a Kato 300 electric start two stroke unless something more suitable comes along. I love the little TTR250 but I'm a big lump and need a tad more power. A friend had one with a 305 kit in it which sparked it up a but but it was still not quite enough for moi! I love the technology of the new generation bikes but think that the big factories not offering a low tech alternative for the average weekend punter may eventually come back to haunt them. Not everyone rides Supercross or rides open enduros.

Look at history...The Yamaha DT1, Honda XL250 Motorsport, PE Suzuki, IT Yamaha, Yamaha XT500, and XR400/600 were basic, simple, easy to live with bikes that were virtually bulletproof if treated properly. They all sold in their millions. I had a Yamaha TT600 on which I raced dirt track, rode it on the street, trail rode many weekends and even rode an early Thumpernats meet. It was also the best wheelie bike ever made.  In over 8 years of ownership it had only one top end overhaul, a cam chain and a couple of sets of rings. It still had the original piston, valve springs and valves in it when I sold it and it was still running fine.

Try that on your new generation 4 stroke.

[Mick22]

Something I've considered doing recently - New XR400SM, then find a late 90's CR500 that has had its engine removed for a conversion. Swap the forks, swingarm shock and wheels in to the XR. Then put the XR on a bit of a diet - remove all the road gear, lighter pipe etc.
Reliable bike, resonable weight, air cooled so no rads to cave in and decent suspension

[Lozza]

Biggest drama for the modern 4T engine is their ability to rev well beyond the torque peak. With a flat torque curve it's hard to tell when your past peak torque too.That's what kills them.
The performance has a trade off and that is the maintenance schedule, XR's?TT's don't really perform anything like a new 450.It's not only dirt bikes, racing a CBR600 will have you changing a cam chain every 3 meetings.....or loose 5-8HP on top.
If you don't want the maintenance don't buy one, falling sales is the only thing companies 'listen' to.

[Mick]

3 things the mod 4t dont have that I would like to see again.

A comfy seat.

A fuel tank that gets more than 100K's.

And a big bore 4t that has next to no tool work for thousands of K's.

Those 3 things are just memory's of bikes we once had, but I have met plenty who said if they made a bike like this again they would buy them, not everyone wants a mod race bike.

The only bikes you can buy at the moment that go close are the DRZ 250/400, KLX 250, TTR 250 non of these have to much power but when the mod bikes are all out of petrol you still will not have hit reserve, they might be heavy and have soft suspension, but you ass and back will thank you at the end of the day as you were sitting on that nice comfy seat and not a plank.

Unless they bring out a big bore one of these I will be buying a DRZ 400 next and trim a few things off it plus do a little work to the suspension, change the bars and add risers and then all that will be needed is air filter clean every ride and oil change from time to time unlike the mods that need oil changed every couple of rides.

Cheers Mick.

[frostype400]

I have ridden xr600's they are ok but very heavy and like to flood if you dont get them going straight away especially the dual carb models the good thing about the xr600 they tend to keep going but my mates one had the carb butterfly snap and make a bit of a mess but probably a bit unlucky on that one.

[jerry]

Here's a thought! Long after all the current forum contributors are dead and gone,  I presume and hope OZVMX, VMX Mag and the whole vintage scene is still going strong.Do you think people will be restoring and racing the current crop of bikes? Lets say 40 years time! Will you be able to source the multitude and complexity of parts required. I stay awake at night worrying about this sort of stuff!!! Jerry

[LWC82PE]

Bottom line is that they have tried to get 2 stroke power outputs from 2 strokes. The engines are built with too light weight components, too high reving, and too little oil capacity, sometimes barely 1 liter. These bikes are designed for professional racers, not amature racers or weekend riders.

I wish they still made the XR650 and the KLX 650

i thought the same thing too Jerry, whats going to happen to all these blown up modern bikes? They better be recycled and not eventually end up as landfill.

[mx250]

Here's a thought! Long after all the current forum contributors are dead and gone,  I presume and hope OZVMX, VMX Mag and the whole vintage scene is still going strong.Do you think people will be restoring and racing the current crop of bikes? Lets say 40 years time! Will you be able to source the multitude and complexity of parts required. I stay awake at night worrying about this sort of stuff!!! Jerry

Maybe but probably not.

One thing that makes restoring bikes possible today is that parts are available. The reason parts are available through out the world today is  because there is a lot of left over 'dead stock' NOS because dealer use to carry a lot of stock themselves. Shops went defunct and sold off 'dead stock' at bargain price and it made it affordable for people to squirrel it away - or hung onto themselves.

Now everything is centralised with the distributors, and even back at the factory, and everything is delivered JIT or back ordered (after deposit ). Distributors are much more hard nosed and either realise the stock is not in demand (and not re-ordered), realise stock is not moving (and discount it to sell it), or simply dump it because it cost money to store it.

[Marc.com]

Unless they bring out a big bore one of these I will be buying a DRZ 400 next and trim a few things off it plus do a little work to the suspension,
Cheers Mick.

The DRZ400E (not the crappy road version) fits its market perfectly. They are fast enough and you can up spec the suspension with RM leftovers for peanuts.

[JohnnyO]

Firko the DRZ400 is a great trailbike, very reliable and does everything well. I had one for a couple of years and it was a great bike.
The KTM300 is also a great enduro/trail bike if you prefer a 2 stroke.

[monaro308]

LOL @ Marc.....thanx for the pic of the mess....poor soul that has to foot the bill!

If todays supplys and suppliers of parts remain at the factory or distributors...does that mean todays parts in 20 years time will not exist? So the future VMX restorer of todays bikes have no hope?

I know in the automotive industry NOS parts now get destroyed as a tax write-off instead of distibuting to the dealers and sitting on the "shelves" plus the cost of transporting the stuff.

Who knows......

[TT]

Very interesting discussion. 
I absolutely love the new generation of 4 strokes. They look cool, they sound cool and they go even better.
But I've heard too many reports from people I know personally of their short lifespan and expense to repair for me ever to consider owning one.
e.g. the guy with the YZF450 that shat a crank before it shat it's first set of sprockets is a mate I've had for nearly 30 years and he is rediculously pedantic when it comes to maintaining his machinery. Yet it still failed. 

[Mick]

Unless they bring out a big bore one of these I will be buying a DRZ 400 next and trim a few things off it plus do a little work to the suspension,
Cheers Mick.

The DRZ400E (not the crappy road version) fits its market perfectly. They are fast enough and you can up spec the suspension with RM leftovers for peanuts.

I was talking to the local Suzuki dealer the other day and he was telling me that the DRZ400 is the 3rd highest sold bike in OZ so it shows that there are still plenty of people out there that want this type of bike,,but it seems all the other company's Honda, KTM, etc are just going to let Suzuki have that market to themselves,,,I just wish they made a DRZ600-650 aswell to pull this big frame of mine up the hills better  .

Cheers Mick.

[Graeme M]

Now THERES a thought... We may be the last generation able to 'restore' our old dirtbikes (or roadbikes). Imagine in 20 years, first finding a YZLX450F that isn't blown up. Then, imagine trying to find the bits to do a bit of a basic tidy up. On a 1978 YZ250, it's a few bearings and seals, a piston kit and rod kit, and maybe wheel/swingarm bearings. Then some fiddling around trying to find plastics and so on. But in 20 years time, all the bikes will be electric, and no-one, but no-one, will be storing the parts for our YZLX450F. And imagine how many parts you might need for a liquid cooled hi-tech 4-stroke with all sorts of doodads and gimickery and electric start and EFI and contorted exhaust systems and complex wiring harnesses and programmable ignitions and....

[Marc.com]

Now THERES a thought... We may be the last generation able to 'restore' our old dirtbikes (or roadbikes). Imagine in 20 years,

In 20 year the motors will be electric and the frame will be made of edible celulose and most us will be singing with the angels.