250R vs. 450R

[Reggie44]

Hey, was just wondering if anyone had experience with a 250R vs. a 450R. I want to buy an old 250R and fix it up (don't know why, just always wanted to), but I hate to spend the money if it won't hang with one of the new 450's when I'm done. Any thoughts???? Thanks

[TheBlasterMan]

get a blaster..........











http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=309260

[Ghost-Rider]

Get the 250R , their sweet !

[korniev]

If you invest into a nice 310 cc head and high compression, you will blow the stock 450 for damn sure!!!

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by korniev
If you invest into a nice 310 cc head and high compression, you will blow the stock 450 for damn sure!!!


you will blow any 450 with that. a modded 265 will hang with modded 450's. i would say get the 250R, they handle better too

[TheBlasterMan]

most people who have experience with both models usually go with the 450.

then again there are those die-hard two-stroke fans

I only have experience with the 450 and no ride time on the 250. I love my 450, but im sure id love a 250r if i had one. Ride both and make a decision, thats the best advice anyone could give.

[XXXRACER165]

If you have a big wallet=450R, if you have a even bigger wallet=250R

[wilkin250r]

When you start getting into modifications, it really equals the playing field, they both perform equally well.

You might see one pull ahead of the other ( a little) in a side-by-side drag race, but is that really a test of which on is "better". I can get a banshee to blow the plastics of any 450r or 250r, but that certainly doesn't mean the banshee is "better".

The largest difference is the power characteristics. Some people really like that 2-stroke powerband (I certainly do), but other people just find it exhausting and difficult to ride.

In my opinion, this is like manual vs. automatic transmission. Sure, manual is more difficult, but some people find it more fun. It's all a personal choice.

[250r4life]

Originally posted by krt400ex
you will blow any 450 with that. a modded 265 will hang with modded 450's. i would say get the 250R, they handle better too

i dont think so.... a 265R is about equivalent to a YFZ like in my sig and with a slip on... add a full exhaust system and retard the cam, and the YFZ will walk away from the 265R...

trust me...

[krt400ex]

my friend has a peformance shop and hes got a duncan 265R, and full blown curtis sparks 450R(making close to 60HP) and he said that 265 will hang with it

[250r4life]

look at my sig...

and the 450Rs are slower than the YFZs...

my YFZ has a full system and the cam mod, and im telling you it would walk away from the duncan 265PV... and my 265 was a good running bike...

[wilkin250r]

I don't ever really trust anybody's claims of "I've tried both, and the results were blah blah blah...". Even if they OWNED both, I still don't trust it. It still boils down to an opinion, and riding styles.

I know for a fact I can build a 265 that will walk away from any YFZ with a cam mod. Heck, forget walk away, it will RUN, it will make that YFZ look like a 250EX.

Problem is, you be tired of riding it after 10 minutes, and you'd have a heck of a time controlling it on an MX track, because it would be a light-switch screamer. But you put them side-by-side with an open stretch in front, and no cam-mod in the world will save that YFZ from embarassment.

So, in this scenario, wouldn't the 265 be "faster"? In reality, it's a pretty stupid comparison, apples and oranges. But those kinds of stupid comparisons are made every day on this website, and people spout their opinions as "fact", without bringing up the simple stupid detail that you aren't comparing the same things.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
I don't ever really trust anybody's claims of "I've tried both, and the results were blah blah blah...". Even if they OWNED both, I still don't trust it. It still boils down to an opinion, and riding styles.

I know for a fact I can build a 265 that will walk away from any YFZ with a cam mod. Heck, forget walk away, it will RUN, it will make that YFZ look like a 250EX.

Problem is, you be tired of riding it after 10 minutes, and you'd have a heck of a time controlling it on an MX track, because it would be a light-switch screamer. But you put them side-by-side with an open stretch in front, and no cam-mod in the world will save that YFZ from embarassment.

So, in this scenario, wouldn't the 265 be "faster"? In reality, it's a pretty stupid comparison, apples and oranges. But those kinds of stupid comparisons are made every day on this website, and people spout their opinions as "fact", without bringing up the simple stupid detail that you aren't comparing the same things.


i agree, to me fast means which one has more power...not easier to ride around a track. i am glad to find someone that will back me up

[deathman53]

I have 250r's and a hybrid 450. Here is what I noticed, the 450 kills the 250r on a tight mx track(Atco) and is alot easier to ride and longer too. Get on a open track(rausch creek) and the 250r takes them. I was hanging with most of the bikes there on my atc and trx250r. When I ride at my friends house, his atc250r walks away from my hybrid 450, my atc and trx250r do also. At his house its all open riding. Bikes have there own place, unfortunity the 450's are easier to ride longer and less tiring, you can run them a gear high and not bog down like a 250r will doing that. My friend was saying that he can ride the whole track in 3rd gear and at times shift to 4th, where as the 250r will be going from 2nd to 4th several times on the track.

Don't get me wrong, I love my 250r's, but the 450 beats it in mx, due to the easy to ride power, less shifting and being able to pull a gear or 2 high w/o bogg.

[250r4life]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
I don't ever really trust anybody's claims of "I've tried both, and the results were blah blah blah...". Even if they OWNED both, I still don't trust it. It still boils down to an opinion, and riding styles.

I know for a fact I can build a 265 that will walk away from any YFZ with a cam mod. Heck, forget walk away, it will RUN, it will make that YFZ look like a 250EX.




if results vary and each bike is different (im not disputing this- i agree 100%) than how do you know for a fact that you can build a 265 that will RUN away from a YFZ with a cam mod?

i would like to see this, as i dont think you can...

my 265 was a good running bike... i handed lots and lots and lots of 450s their butts with it, as well as banshees and other 250rs... i had some additional and more aggresive porting and polishing done to it to make it faster... at one point my compression was up around 215... yes i could have gained a bit more top end with a bigger carb, but... do i think my 265 was the fastest 265 ever built... NO... not even close... was it a good running 250r, and would it beat other R's with bigger displacements? yes...

dragging one of the hills at any of the imperial sand dunes, i would be skeptical of a 265 walking away from a YFZ with a similar set up to mine, let alone running away from it...

and if a 265R were to walk away from a YFZ like we've been discussing, it would be a 265 that one of the top notch porters put their best work into... good luck to the avg joe getting that quality of work out of these guys...

the avg joe that posts these threads is going to go get a duncan or ct 265 and is going to get their butt handed to them...

[wilkin250r]

Originally posted by 250r4life
if results vary and each bike is different (im not disputing this- i agree 100%) than how do you know for a fact that you can build a 265 that will RUN away from a YFZ with a cam mod?

i would like to see this, as i dont think you can...

And that's the whole point of my post. Most often, it's a really stupid comparison.

You can easily get a 265 that would run away from a YFZ. But it would a light-switch screaming drag racer. It would basically be a banshee, really fast in a straight line, but absolutely terrible on an MX track. It's not the sort of build you would ever see from Duncan or CT. They build MX and GNCC engines, they don't build drag racers.

It wouldn't even take the best port work of a top-notch engine builder. Heck, I could almost port it myself. It would just be cut so high that you couldn't use it for anything BUT drag racing, because the power would come on too strong and too fast to use on an MX track. You'd never get any traction, you would just be spinning your wheels and getting sideways around every corner.

So, yes, it would technically be "faster" but only in a straight line. So would it be better? For most people, it wouldn't.

[FoxkidR]

I have owned several of these 2 quads in stock and modded forms. In stock form the 450r is way stronger, but with mods and big bore kits the 250r has the most potential. The 450s are great on the track not only for power but for traction reasons and ease of riding. 4 pokes make you lazy because its so easy on em to come in corners a gear or 2 high and have the power commin out vs having to shift constantly to be in that rpm range on the 250r. A well built 265r should run right with a built 450, at least tc motors do. Not esr and ct who are complete jokes. What is it with the yfz being made out to be untouchable? They are fast for sure and faster than the 04 05 hondas but from what iv seen the 06 r is just as strong if not stronger, based on rider who will win the race. Stock my 06450r beat preds, rappys, ltr, yfzs etc. Even with a full exhaust,came, and green wire mod I have a pump gas 250r that will beat it for sure. Also you are comparing 2 quads and one is almost double the displacement, how fair is that? Per cc the 2 strokes will destroy. Both are great quads you cant go wrong its based on what you want and how comf. you are on it. Just thought id let you know from my experience and these quads.

[FoxkidR]

Sorry that was kinda long but there are too many variables and possibilities and they are both my fav quads so I guess I can ramble all day bout them. Good luck to you.

[250r4life]

Originally posted by FoxkidR
Also you are comparing 2 quads and one is almost double the displacement, how fair is that?

man how long can we beat a dead horse... i hate whe you guys bring that up....

well one has a spark plug that fires twice as much as the other- how fair is that? if we did "fire-to-fire" the 4 stroke would dominate!

its worthless to argue this point... theyre 2 completely different designs...

[250r4life]

i see what youre saying wilkin... as far as dragging the hill in the sand though (if i recall youre like me and are primarly a duner...? i could be wrong) i dont know if a 265 ported that way would be able to get up in the powerband and pull the hill fast enough... flat drags are a different story... but for the hill the complete absence of bottom to mid range makes it a little difficult...

i guess it goes back to your original point though that it varies by bike... the gearing of the bike, slant of the hill, and how heavy the sand is would all contribute...


its crazy how much the differences in sand plays... in Jan i went to the dunes and it was had been and was extremely windy the whole time... there was not a track in the sand, and everything was completely soft and it was hard to get up on top of the sand... my buddy had his 06 450r with the HRC kit, and i had my YFZ with the baffle out, and he pulled away from me going up the hill... then in april we went again with normal sand where it wasnt extremely hard to get up on top of the sand, and he didnt pull away at all... that strong bottom to mid range of the 450r was not affected as much by the drag of the soft sand as was my bottom end absent yfz...

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by 250r4life
man how long can we beat a dead horse... i hate whe you guys bring that up....

well one has a spark plug that fires twice as much as the other- how fair is that? if we did "fire-to-fire" the 4 stroke would dominate!

its worthless to argue this point... theyre 2 completely different designs...


yes and 2 smokes make 2x the hp per cc that 4 strokes

[FoxkidR]

Originally posted by krt400ex
yes and 2 smokes make 2x the hp per cc that 4 strokes

Thank you!!!!! So they are 2 diff designs and yet one wakes more hp than the other per cc than and everyone will admit it then my point is made. The 250r will have more potential in straight line performance. Lets see a packard built 370r run against any displacement 4 poke, or better yet a sabertooth. You cant touch it. Now I AM NOT BASHING THE 450 AT ALL. I love them they are sweet i said before that its all about comfort and preference. All i was saying is one clear advantage of the 250r has over the 450s. I am a 2 stroke guy never interested in 4pokes until the 450s, i am very impressed with them and will not always own both.

[FoxkidR]

oops i meant i will now always own both

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by FoxkidR
Thank you!!!!! So they are 2 diff designs and yet one wakes more hp than the other per cc than and everyone will admit it then my point is made. The 250r will have more potential in straight line performance. Lets see a packard built 370r run against any displacement 4 poke, or better yet a sabertooth. You cant touch it. Now I AM NOT BASHING THE 450 AT ALL. I love them they are sweet i said before that its all about comfort and preference. All i was saying is one clear advantage of the 250r has over the 450s. I am a 2 stroke guy never interested in 4pokes until the 450s, i am very impressed with them and will not always own both.


yea...but the advantage with the 4 strokes is torque. i love the 2 stroke hit and snappy rev though. they are a blast to ride