70 HP / less than 300 lbs?

Ironic isn't it? Talk about things going full-circle.



First you had the two-stroke single replacing four stroke twins in off-road racing and riding.



Then the two stroke ruled the Earth for a while, only to be replaced by the four stroke single.



And now back to four stroke twins for off-road racing and riding.



What's next? Porridge pot helmets & Uvex goggles? Leading link forks?



Seriously though, I was watching MX on the tube the other night and noticed there were almost no 2 strokes in the 250 class.



We had to expect that, since it was only a matter of time until the factories got the technology sorted out, and 4 stokes started kicking some a$$ (without blowing up, that is).



And to top it off, my buddy who rides a KX500 is selling it and buying a new CRF450X. (I'll keep my CR500 for a few more years, thank you)



The 2 stroke is dead! Long live the 2 stroke!

I agree somewhat, but technology is making leaps and bounds in the 4 stroke off-road game.



Lighter engine components mean more power and quicker revving. Better designs lessen reliability and maintenance issues.



And as you can see in the 250 class nowadays, hardly anyone rides a 2 stroke.



And then you have the safety nazis and environmental kooks who hate the 2 stroke for what it is, noisy and dirty. Let's face it, the two-stroke dirt bike is on the ropes, goin' down for the 10 count.



Hey, what ever happened to the Orbital 2 stroke engine design, that combined 2 and four stroke technologies? That seemed a good compromise between power and the environment (two stroke top end, four stroke lower end).

I think that this bike is cool as heck, and will be a relative failure in the U.S. Without a tiered licensing structure basically mandating the purchase of low-power / small-displacement bikes, a bike like this doesn't make economic sense for most U.S. consumers.



A 600cc-ish supersport offers more performance and will continue to provide thrills, chills and probably spills too for a wider range of riders in number and for individual riders over a longer time.



Note that I'm not endorsing supersports as fundamentally "better" than this concept - outside of racing there's too much variety for that word to have much meaning in most motorcycle discussions - I'm just saying that, in the U.S., it will never really take off.



That being said, I hope against reason that they sell enough so that I can see one in person.



cdg

Good for you! Fight the urge to four sickle. All that un-needed nonsense spinning around, whirring and clanking about! Bah, who needs it?



Let's see, how many two strokes in my "reserve"? Hmmm..



1971 DT1MX Yamaha 250

1972 DT250 Yamaha Enduro

1973 TM250 Suzuki Champion

1976 TC100 Suzuki (8 speed)

1987 CR500R Honda (ported for top-end!)



And then there's a...



1953 Clinton 3hp Lawnmower (Blooey pipe, the neighbors hate me)

1982 Shindawa Edge Trimmer

1948 Elgin 8hp Outboard

1955 Martin 6hp Outboard



(BTW Sold the RD400 for big$$$. Hah, they'll be sorry.)



Not to mention engine parts, engines in boxes, in cleaning dip, buckets, and various degrees of disassembly (Model engines, weed wackers, chain saws, etc..etc..).



Of course there are no cars in the garage, but that's the way it should be...