What do you think is the best motor ever fitted to a dirt bike?

[Tim754]

Zabel

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Zabel 700cc and yes it's heritage is from ...Maico...engines so the rumors go

[SON]

Yamaha 125 TWIN , that had to be fun,

[80-85 husky]

Bit of a hijack but in summarizing the motors leads to bikes etc and thats a whole new thread.

I rode honda 4 strokes from 17 to 20 y/old but then moved to competition and quickly understood the shortcomings of the big bore fourstrokes especially on hills in competition conditions. They had to be ridden like a 125 due to the power strokes.

Until the Husky 510 came along, i was a two stroke convert (PE, KDX and WR Husky 250's) purely on the basis that the motors helped on hills, would upshift on a hill and generally found traction in critical situations that saw me get to the end of an enduro (the general aim )

The Husky just allowed you to blast through stuff and provided a level of throttle control that was an enlightenment to a lapsed 4 stroker and it literally raised the bar to all the manufacturers to produce an actual light, responsive powerfull fourbanger that we get today.

i still ride twoies.....4 bangers are still too heavy (weight up high)and at 55y/o the power wears me out so im still in the 300 cc camp as just stunning motors for getting up hills over logs through poo pits etc at a pace that the younger guys dont have to wait too much.... not too much yeah the motors are cold when i get there....

Those rotary valve 2 strokes are something else ! i learnt to ride on a rotary valve 2/ and it was good bike for a wally beginner ....

here is me taxi... il be on my way!

[Rookie#1]

I've ridden with you John, i certainly don't remember ME doing much waiting around for YOU !!

[popeye]

I'm with Rookie on the Modern KTM 300 2 Stroke, great engine, and for the old ones, what about an RZ 250-350 Banshee or what ever you want to call them, still in production today....

[SlideRulz]

The 2 Valve ESO and early Jawa's.
Speedway, Longtrack, Grasstrack, Dirttrack, MX, Road Racing and even used in Sidecars on all of the above.
They were a reliable weapon.

[Davey Crocket]

Actually when you think about it, Yamaha where on some real winners in the late 60's early 70's....the RD style motors won everything road racing for years, the DT1 style did the same, XS and TT also but the big thing was there longliveity....a lot of great engines came and went in very short periods of time. Another engine family that had a long distinguished career was that original KX 250 motor in 74...became a 400....was in the KT trials bikes, went from non reed to reed valve in the 78 KX 250 A4 and when the "uni track" came out in 1980 the basics where still there....right up to 83 when they went to water cooling. Those XR50 and Pee Wee 50. motors certainly started a lot of careers....shit that Honda motor is nearly 50 years old

[GMC]

KLX 250
Never scared any learners
Was also used in Quad bikes

[crash n bern]

All the Euros are quiet except for Rotax, not too many Hondas getting a cap except little 4 strokes and the mighty CR500.
All of the Yams have gearbox issues
Most impressive are the rotary disc valve engines
Not many big 4 strokes getting a gong
Good thread though

The Rotax 4 stroke.  Excellent motor.  The KTM RFS 4 stroke from 2000 to 2007.

[80-85 husky]

KLX 250??? was again a massive disappointment considering its looks and potential, the engineer misread the specs on the design sheet..... it said 30HP he read 3.0

They were a classic XR 200--- you could ride them fast cause they had no power...

[colmoody]

yeah evo550 the Maico brigade are a bit quite on this one, but then again they are a humble lot..lol

[Slider29]

The mighty JAP wins hands down. 500cc of pure 4 stroke magic. Dominated world speedway,longtrack,grasstrack,
Aussie dirt track/short circuit etc. etc. from around 1928 until the early '70's,and that's just the 500. Then you have the 350cc
engine and the 880cc V twin. Just beautiful motors.

[Nathan S]

Surely the SL100/CRF230 motor rates a mention?

Ditto the Z50 donk, that's been in production for fifty years, copied by Yamaha and Suzuki as well as the Chinese. 3 speed, 4 speed, auto clutch, manual clutch, 50cc, 165cc, etc.

I'm no real fan, but the Yamaha YZF250 motor is a good 'un - same basic donk since 2001, and unquestionably the most reliable/longest lasting performance 250F motor out there.

The KX500 motor would surely also rate - same basic architecture from 1985 to 2004, super easy to ride, still Fast by modern standards.

Or maybe the 1977+ YZ125/DT175 donk. Light, compact, ultra reliable, with a good six speed box and an almost thirty year production run.

[Nathan S]

The real answer is 2013 Beta 300.
To quote discobob: "I've spent a year fiddling with my KTM300, and the stock standard Beta is at least as good".

[oldyzman]

For how long is the Beta Betta for Nathan, LO
the KTM300 is bulletproof.