New Hare And Hound Bike

[scott_king]

Hey all

Looking to get a new motorcross bike for hare and hound racing. I ride the Midwest series and Wessex centre enduros so I need a bike that is quite agile and very torquey.

I am currently in the sportsman class but will go up into the clubman class in 2009. Last year I rode a YZF 250 with a flywheel weight, but I am unsure to stay with a four stroke or go for a 300 2 stroke?

I liked the YZF but am curious if there is anything better out there. Anyone have any experiences or recommendations? If anyone can advise me on these questions I would much appreciate it.

What is a better bike for hare and hound, 300cc stroke or 250 four stroke?

What manufacture of bike would you recommend?

I am currently considering a Honda CRF 250 has anyone had an experiences of these bikes?

Thanks for the answers

Scott

[mrgas]

i dont think you can beat a 2 stroke for doing H & H events , you only have to look at the results

i raced a 450 KTM for 2 yrs and then switched to A GASGAS EC 300 and raced that for 2 1/2 yrs , for me the gasser was the perfect enduro bike, it did everything i wanted and then some

you'll always have the weight advantage on a modern 2 stroke as well sometimes it may not seem a lot but towards the end of a gruelling race in bad conditions it can make all the difference

one of the main disadvantages of the two strokes though is fuel consumption , i did a race series that did 2 1/2 hour races , my mates on 4 strokes could just scrape this , i couldn't and always had to refuell , even with a quick filler its still lost time unless you shell out for a big tank ( something which a lot of people do)

my mate did the same races as me on a ktm exc 250f he beat me more times than i beat him but that was down to the fact that he is the better rider

at least if you get a 250 four stroke you can go in the E1 class

[men8ifr]

I would second a Gas Gas EC300 for a HnH bike - mine doesn't use much fuel though and can do a 3 hour event without refuelling. A 250 4 stroke would also be a good choice - the advantage is the lack of power and the progressive way it builds speed - it means you will not get tired as quick and hence can ride at your faster pace for longer. Honda CRF's are good and the motocross version I would say would be better than the enduro (x) on all but the newest bikes (the enduro switched to the moto-x cams recently which is something many CRF-X riders do to improve power while is still makes for a good enduro motor) note though that you would really want to have the suspension revalved and re-sprung on a moto-X CFR for enduro's it will be too stiff otherwise and make your riding harder and ultimately slower which makes that 300 gasser more attractive and they have very good prices 2nd hand...

Known CRF problems are valves stretching (don't buy an enduro bike with teh pink wire mod - raises the rev limiter is my advice) and spokes came loose on early models. also Carb access and other maintenence is a bit of a pain.

KTM 250F's are better all round than the CRF with the exception I would say the suspension on the enduro is way too stiff and would need a re-valve/spring but more