maintenance 2 stroke bike vs 4 stroke quad??

[trailrider894]

how much more money am i going to end up spending on maintenance on a 2003 kx250 vs. my 2000 trx400ex?? my ex i falling apart and i'm thinking about selling it and buying the kx250. but i don't wanna get something that is gonna fall apart in a year. and if it does are the parts for the kx gonna be more than my ex??

[MXtras]

I suspect the maintence costs on the KX will be substantially less than the EX.

Scott

[dekker]

Generally a 2 stroke needs to be kept up by tightening bolts and making sure everything is good and tight. The motor is much more simple, less to go wrong and easier to fix when it does.

[2004CR250]

get the KX. Less intensive maintenance, less expensive maintenance. Faster. And... If you have to rebuild the motor ever, you are looking at a much easier and cheaper job.

[2004CR250]

Or, a much better answer: Get a CR

[trailrider894]

well then what about a kx 250f ???

[Duran676]

with the kz250f your getting into higher price tags for rebuilds and more parts to worry about. If your only concern is cost then you cant go wrong with the 2-smoker.

[kwmotocrosspunk]

with a 2smoke, keep your spark plug clean(might wanna carry an extra) and dont run old gas and you will pretty much be in the clear, drain out old gas from the tank and carb if your putting it away for more than 3-4 weeks, and always run your carb dry after a ride

and you might have to do the occasional carb clean, but that takes what? 20 minutes tops

an average top end rebuild costs about $100-150(last time i checked), not too bad compared to a thumper, especially if valves caused the problem!

[Dan151]

get the kx! keep the 2 strokes alive!

cheaper rebuilds, fun to ride, less parts mean less things to go wrong

and you will only have two wheels to worry about rather then four

[Kev_CR]

I'd say if unmodified and regular maintence is done, the 400EX engine is about as reliable as they get. They're also easy to rebuild being air cooled and having the single cam. However, my motocycles require less maintenance than my 4 wheelers due to less moving suspension parts.

I've been really impressed by the reliablity of my old (now my sons) CR250. I bought the Honda CR because they went to the aluminum frame earlier than the other manufactuers. I can keep the frame looking new by keeping it polished, rather than repainting or powder coating it every year or two. The plastics are also much cheaper on a motorcycle than a 4 wheeler.