All 2st Thinking of taking the switch from 4st

Currently ride a 2008 TXC450. I ride in eastern Ontario which has a lot of tight wooded trail with a great mix of rocks, mud, and roots. Also some wider open ATV trails. Been riding MCs my whole life (now mid 40s - sheesh!), and off road trail riding for about 5 years. This past season I rode a couple of competitive events (hare scramble, and Corduroy Enduro) and really enjoyed them. After having fooled around a bit with a couple of 2st I am really considering making the switch as I found the 2st bike to be lighter and more nimble in the woods. I have had the 4st suspension upgraded, but still find it can be a bit of a beast. Really like its ability to grunt through some of the gnarly stuff and also have a Rekluse in it, which is fantastic!

I'd be curious to hear of other riders who have made a similar switch from 4st to 2 st and their thoughts.

Thanks,
Rob

I just made the switch and had my first real good ride on the WR300 yesterday.

I went from:
08 TE 450 - too heavy,
09 TXC 250/310 - much lighter feeling than the 450, worked well in the woods and on Canadian Shield type terrain. Overall I was very happy with this bike for the 3 seasons I had it.
10 WR 300 with Recluse - lighter feeling again. I had it through some rock gardens and very slippery terrain yesterday. The 2T really shines in this terrain.

I love both...
The 2T is lighter and most of the time it feels nimble; although I have found I work harder on a 2T because I ride it harder.The maintenance is lower most of the time.

4T is does weigh more. I personally found that I can ride my 4T longer. I do have more maintenance, only because the valves need to be checked.

I have a 2011 txc 511, 2008 ec300 gasgas.

If you can, keep the 08TXC and get a 2stroke. I regret getting rid of my 08 TXC450, I think this is one of the best bikes ever built. I love my WR165 and my wife's 2011 GasGas but there is those days when you just want to roost the shit out of everything and it's the prefect tool for that. Get some sumo wheels for it too.

Would love to keep the 4st and also get a 2st, but would also have to find a new wife......and......I've heard ex-wives are expensive!

I can only justify one on road, and one off road bike.

Before buying the bikes mentioned above.. "Woodzi" must have forgotten he also had a 2007 Husqvarna WR250 (blue plated) which I bought via Scott Rocher.. Great bike!! .. Except sometimes (2 or 3 times per ride) I wished it had electric start.. May replace it with a GasGas someday but have to decide is electric start really worth $5000.00+ (sell or trade WR250 for GasGas).. Cheers from another Canuck..

Yes, it would have been a lot cheaper to upgrade the 250. I thought I would dual sport the 4 strokes, but in reality my heart is in the dirt. The 310 was a good bike and served me well for three years, but I am glad to be back on the 2T.

You should put a Recluse on the 250. It will never stall, so you won't miss the electric start.

I switch back and forth every week, I love it!! 09 Wr125 and '10 TC250, bought them both used for the price of one new bike.

Actually truth be known I have a Rekluse Pro for it already (bought it used a couple years ago).. Just haven't found the time to install it yet (too much work and when I do have time would rather ride than wrench).. Maybe this winter I will find some time to install it (yeah right).. Along with the 5 speed to 6 speed swap (I have the 6 speed tranny just have to find yet even more time).. BTW.. I rarely stall the bike.. It's more so when re-grouping and waiting for slower riders etc..

I find i work harder on the cr125 keeping it reving...it kind of hypes me up. It is very easy to kick though. I can be lazier on the wr ized cr 250 with the rekluse as it doesnt need to be on the pipe...lots of low end grunt. Buy a 250 or 300 with a rekluse and have the best of both worlds. Ride it like a 4t or get it on yhe pipe and hold on. A little tougher to kick than the 125 though.

I have an 09 300 now I used to have a yzf a while back. Great bike. But going from a 4t to 2t will make you feel like you are on a mountain bike. Especially in the tight, nasty technical terrain. Lighter, more nimble, 40% more power per cc over a 4t,way easier to work on and parts are less expensive. So much easier to get the front end up and over obstacles, snappy power to blip over rocks. So much fun to ride. Big 4t bikes are great, don't get me wrong, but make the switch....You will never regret making the switch.

I just made the switch from a kx 450 that I rode for two years racing enduros to a 2013 wr 250. I feel like it has revived me after racing four strokes for 18 years. My first race with my new bike was 2 weeks ago and I was amazed by how good I felt at the end of the race. I wasnt as beat up as I have been in the past. Definetly give up some advantages and gain some advantages. I also felt that the maintence on four strokes is getting to expensive.I miss the engine braking in the turns but I dont miss the weight in the turns. I am very happy with the switch.

I've got a 08 WR250 on the way ... I'm happy with the TXC and TC 250s I have for all type of riding I do here but I'm afraid of the continued riding on the 4t machines is gonna get much more costly down the road ... Cranks bearings are one thing but a blowed-up head and valves can reek real havoc on an engine

The 2T machine will be my daily, workhorse machine with the 4T machines used as needed ... I'm really excited about riding a 2T machine again ... I'm expecting some back-wheel spinning, bike power-sliding, real clutch feathering, action ...

I made the switch after a test ride on a buddies cr125. I spent all day that day (and many many days before) riding my 08 crf450r. I estimate I have about 10k in that bike total, trying to make a track bike, a woods bike. Everything I did to it, (including suspension) made it a much more manageable bike, and it always treated me so well. I've done a couple 80+ mile ISDE's on it in the gnarly stuff, so I'm familiar with a long day. I'd come back whooped.

Back to that test ride. We had about a 40 mile day that day, got back to the truck, and he said, hey man, go take it for a spin. I told him I'd be back in 15 minutes, and I'm pretty sure I was gone for over an hour. I was completely beside myself how this bike turned on a dime, and how much fun it was to ride it "on the pipe" I'm faster on the 2st, and it suits my riding style better. 3 days later, I had one in my stable, and I've put maybe 5 hours on the 450 since then (dunes, with 1 trip in the woods). I am HOOKED, and never looked back. I've since upgraded to the 165, so on those "long" days, I can ride how I wanna ride. Aggressive when I want to be, and lazy when I can barely hang on anymore.

Before I bought my wr150, I used to use my husaberg 450 for every-thing from snotty, steep,tight single-track to 130km/h gravel roads and thought it was great on all of it. My first ride on the wr changed every-thing! I felt like superman in the single-track and was laughing at the trails that had me wheezing on the husaberg. I use the husaberg for mainly long-distance off-road treks now and the wr is hands-down my choice in the trails!