125-200cc Why Does Everyone Think I'm Nuts??

Suggesting that a motorcycle runs on rice is racist? Brilliant!

I was racing in the heyday of motocross, and I can tell you. People bought Japanese bikes for one reason only. They were cheap. They have gotten better, by a lot, but they're still not built as well as the European bikes, though some better than others.

I don't know, I thought the Italians made premium stuff. All their other brands are. I don't know why they didn't sell, but as far as I know Husqvarna was always regarded as a premium brand.

It's not the suggestion of the motorcycle running on rice, it's the suggestion that the people who made them eat rice, etc.

Also I find that Japanese stuff is actually superior in quality to Euro stuff. They don't use rocker arm bearings, instead a smooth metal surface lubricated by oil. Seems like good engineering to me.

I think you're trying hard to make a point that's not there, but regarding the (lack of) rocker arm bearings, you've mentioned it twice, so you must think its a big deal. It's done to save money. Jap bikes are cheaply built.

When I compare the honda and the husky side by side I don't see any glaring problems with either one, and I have looked them both over fairly well. I see different ways of accomplishing the same thing, not sure which is better because they both work! I think that it's whatever you like and get used to is what will make you happy, however I'm a little too old to change some of my ways and need the bike to change a little too. Anyways, I'm just rolling with it now when people say I should bring my 'chainsaw over to do some laps', thats when I point out that it has a sachs shock and a stihl frame. Then I ride the wheels off the thing, hopefully in circles around them, that usually does the trick

In all fairness everything we buy is made to a price.
One that sells.
As for implying whos racist i dont care cus i will race ANYONE!
On any bike.
Re thread title yeah your nuts just let the haters think what they like an carry on burning the 2 smoke oil.

Bullshit. Rocker arm roller bearings are a failure point, take them away and they no longer cause issues because guess what...THEY AREN'T THERE!! If you can't see the design genius in that then you must have been subjected to a frontal lobotomy at some point in you're life.

It's strange how Husqvarna has a higher profile as garden equipment than as an off road motorcycle manufacturer these days, I never got that one. I always assumed it was people who weren't into off road motorbiking who didn't know the giant Husqvarna once was. I know in the 70s Husqvarna was a household name in the US, strange how they have been forgotten about. A lot of the chainsaw, leaf blower or sewing machine comments are just banter though, from people in the off road motorcycle community.

Everywhere there is metal to metal contact is a potential failure point, but eliminating a roller bearing in favour of a plain bearing is done to save money.

Yours truly,

The guy who runs a business specializing in cylinder head work and custom camshafts.

And I'd drive a Ford any day before a Mercedes.

The early Indy cars used roller bearings and ball bearings. Similar to wheel bearings or bottom end bearings. Interestingly when they went to insert or babbit bearings all bets were off. They ran at higher rpm with less crank bearinf issues than ever. Could it Of had to do with the insane rotating mass they had going on for many years... I imagine so. Heck Honda was using electronic power valve control in the 80's on their factory race bikes. Budgets were like F1 cars are today... But compare a TM to a Honda... There is none. The Husky is easy to work on..... Well clearly it has nothing in common with Lambo and more in common with a Chevy. Lol.
Oh and I'd say Audi before Mercedes... I have an A8 so I'm a bit partial.

Hello from a country that eats rice but don't make motorcycles

In fact the Japanese are referred in my books as raw fish eaters. (that's just an observation if I look to parts of their traditional menu which contains also rice)

In all this "which bike supposed to be better" there is one thing that is not mentioned yet.

the perception that is sold in the form of marketing, and the amount of money that is put into it.


if you look from a pure technical point to the bikes you see that different brands have different design philosophies and the list of priority's has a different order between some brands

Which one is better for you is having your priority list matching as close to the design philosophy of the bike

• is it speed
• is it agility
• is it initial investment costs
• is it operation costs
• is it looks
• is it ergonomics
• is it weight
• is it reliability
• is it peak power
• is it lug ability
• for some its the color

Robert-Jan

Just as now there are in the West somewhat derogatory terms towards the Chinese, I think the terms rice burner and fish oil, etc are generational. My Dad served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, it was his generation that coined those terms and being politically correct wasn't even a concern. I've been to many of those countries and worked with many Asian people and they certainly return the favor with their own terms for us. It's a non-issue as far as I'm concerned.

Pressure oiling is required to lubricate what you're calling "babbit" bearings compared to splash or drip fed lubrication of needle or roller bearings. Pressure oiling uses more horsepower to pump oil under pressure but in some applications is worth it. At the cylinder head the difference in design is not the defining mark of quality that warrants calling the entire bike cheap. Both designs have a down side and an up side. On a dirt bike the big down side of pressure oiling is if you get your bike up side down and still running it will starve all the pressure oiled bearings and likely chew up the bearing surfaces thus trashing the cylinder head. Notice how many times a 4t guy crashes with the bike up side down throttle hung then get his bike upright to have an engine failure shortly after. (never on a two stroke.. why? no pressure oiled bearings ..)

Euro bikes have many of their parts outsourced to China, India, and yes Japan, Japanese bikes are mostly made in Japan and IMO Japanese bearings made by KOYO and NACHI are as good as or better than anything out there.

In the 1970s Japanese bikes literally had fish oil on the forks so that's not a racist slur, it's a fact.

This thread was doomed to go astray from the beginning because it begs the question "why does everyone"... I'm pretty sure everyone is not thinking about you or whether you're crazy or not. I didn't think you were crazy before I started reading this thread.

Talking about the red rockets, I previously owned an 06 250 EXC KTM 2str and thought it was the ants pants until I bought an XC 150 for the son. Every time I rode it (to check the jetting) I felt like I was riding faster/ quicker /more effortlessly so we put down some laps on our local 20 min enduro course and after three laps on the kato I was buggered, it took five before I was buggered on the XC. lap times were better as well. I went out and bought an XC 125 of the same year and put a 165 kit on it. Best bike I ever bought, easy to start, ride and maintain.

This forum helps a great deal.

The Japanese bike manufacturers outsource more to China and other Asian countries than any of the others.

Gremlins

I usually get the: oh! I had a husky when I was a kid! But then there seems to be some kind of KTM vs. Italian Husky thing out on the trails, that I'm not aware of. I occasionally get the guy on his $11,000 orange 2 stroke who looks at my bike and acts like oh, "how quaint, a husky".

used to be the other way around..from ktms inception up till husqy left sweden, they were second fiddle in almost any race results..