2 Stroke 500af vs 4 Stroke 450 - No Chance

by Frank
(Michigan)

The 2 strokes are faster than the 4 strokes cc for cc and proof of that is putting Bubba Stewart on a KX250 and have him turn the fastest laps he can turn then put him on a KX450f and do the same, their times would be almost identical.

This was done with the 2 stroke 500af bikes vs the 4 stroke 450s and the riders turned 2-3 second faster times on the 2 stroke 500s with the riders saying it felt like they were going slower on the 2 stroke 500s which implies the power wasn't wearing them out and it wasn't too much to handle.

If you ask a factory sponsored rider on a 4 stroke 450 which is better, they will say the 4 stroke. But what they say in private among their peers is another thing entirely. Why would they admit that the 2 strokes are faster when their bread and butter is involved? That would be financial suicide.

This all comes down to money from initial purchase price to maintenance/parts/shop time because the 4 strokes are 30% more expensive from the dealership with way more parts to buy when rebuilding them or maintaining them. And unlike a 2 stroke that just about any decent wrencher can throw a new top end into, the 4 stroke will need a professional mechanic for big bucks to fix.

There might actually be something to the tree huggers being upset over the environmental issues (when aren't they upset?) but this all boils down to money.

Just like when quality steel was hard to come by for the Japanese so they sold us on aluminum frames being lighter and stronger. But what they didn't tell you is that it takes twice the amount of aluminum to get the strength of a steel frame, and the aluminum framed 4 strokes are heavier due to this fact, plus they will stress fracture before the steel ones do no matter what they want you to believe.

Try to remember the last time a business like the AMA and the bike makers really did something in our best interest? It's about the bottom line and selling you what they make you believe you want because they told you it was the best :)


I hear the 4 stroke guys saying things like "the 4 stroke puts the power to the ground better" or "the 4 stroke is easier to ride around the track" or "the 4 stroke doesn't wear you down like the 2 stroke" lol. And if everyone went back to 2 strokes we would hear the riders up on the podium and the casual riders on the internet telling us why the 2 strokes were better.

Why do you think racing exists? Remember when the manufacturer winning in Nascar sold the best on the dealership floors? That's why brand recognition was such a big deal and the reason winning was so important. It's the same thing for motocross or drag racing or any other type of racing. It's to sell you their product by showing you why it's the best.. because it's winning don't ya know?

Do you think the AMA will allow a 4 stroke KX500AF to enter a race with the 4 stroke 450s? Not a chance because it would be a huge embarrassment when the 2 stroke laps the 450s while shaving 2-3 seconds off each lap in a 20 lap main. That is called getting lapped.

- Great post Frank.

I hear and believe all of what you are saying. The masses thinking is always governed and influenced by the minority - most of the time without realizing they are behaving like sheep. We're all guilty of it on some level or another and sometimes we just need to stop what we're doing and actually look at the bigger picture.

Just quietly, I think something great is happening with the two strokes. There's a real opportunity awaiting the dirt bike manufacturers who continue to push the development of two strokes. They can't pull the wool over the masses eyes for ever. And when certain companies start cranking out exceptional, modern two stroke weapons the sheep will jump the fence!

Then we can say.. "I told you so..".

Hayden