View Full Version : 2 or 4stroke Bike
IronicCapers
21st April 2006, 21:00
Looking for a sport orientated bike but im getting a bike for fuel efficiency anyone know a good list of 250 models that are either all but what i really want to know is what is more fuel efficient 2 or 4stroke bikes?
Gremlin
21st April 2006, 21:07
when you factor in the oil for 2 stroke as well, 4 stroke are definitely cheaper.
If you want a proper bike, not a scooter, and want fuel economy, you want a FXR150, unbelievable fuel economy, apparently 30km/l plus easily. :gob:
edit: sport and fuel economy don't really go hand in hand in my mind. Still, running my 7, its economy is probably similar to really good petrol cars, and I sure don't ride it like the cars...
Aiolos
21st April 2006, 21:07
...4 strokes are, but thats hardly the point. Valves are for sissies.
MidnightMike
21st April 2006, 21:09
...4 strokes are, but thats hardly the point. Valves are for sissies.
Hahaha. you got one of those pink rg's???
I say go 4 stroke for cheapness and efficiency and 2 strokes for fun :doobey:
Pathos
21st April 2006, 21:44
If you want a proper bike, not a scooter, and want fuel economy, you want a FXR150, unbelievable fuel economy, apparently 30km/l plus easily. :gob:
.
cost me ~$18 of mobil synergy 5000 to get from wellington to taupo (12L ?)... wringing the neck out of it most of the way. I think I could have made it with a single tank + reserve :/
Sketchy_Racer
21st April 2006, 21:49
I dunno about the oil factors.....
My KR used 700ml of two-S oil in 1000kms of riding.
$15 gas gets me 250kms. so around $60 for gas and $15 for a 1 litre oil.
1000kms = $75
Now, my CBR 250 did 1000 kms and it cost $30 to every 300kms.
And oil needs to be changed every 10000kms with oil been $50
So $100 for a 1000kms petrol and $5 of oil costs.
$105 for a 1000kms on a 250 four stroke.
$75 for a 1000kms on a 150 two stroke.
Piston on the KR need to be done every 20000kms.
At a cost of ~150 - 200 ??
With the extra money saved on the two stroke, which is $600 over 20000kms, I can get a new piston kit for $200 and still have saved $400 by running the 150cc instead of the 250cc.
Never worry about doing the pistons on a 250 4 cylinder, 'cause if it needs pistons its already fucked.
Same amount of riding, only a $400 difference after 20000kms.
Another factor to think about is the ease of the job.
Doing a piston change on a two stroke is a piece of piss and any joe blog can jsut about do one, heck even Ivan can do one and hes the dumbest red neck you'll ever see.
But Four strokes are harder and normally require a shop to do them, take much longer and cost more for parts.
A Two stroke is cheaper in the long run any day of the week. But there are so many variables that it is impossible to judge them like that.
-RG
UrbanMyth
21st April 2006, 22:05
4 strokes are cheaper to run.
Few examples of cheap bikes to run:
fxr150
gn125-250
sr250
zzr or gsx 250
well then again any bike that is under 250 and 4 stroke can be cheap if you dont thrash it.Just get something that is cheap to begin with
sefer
22nd April 2006, 14:22
Yeah I'd have to agree with RG100's figures on the Kr running costs. I get about 1500Km to the litre with 2 stroke oil (no not gas :p ), and around 260Km to a tank normal running(without hitting reserve, thou would be close), and a tank is around 9-10litres (11 total).
Compare that with about the same Ks from the zxr per tank (and that's with reserve and pushing :D ), but with a larger tank (15 or so litres.. don't remember).
inlinefour
22nd April 2006, 15:16
Want economy get a street magic. As for the sports bikes, something to be said for both 2 & 4 strokes, thats why I wanted at least one of each. They both suck fuel almost just as bad as each other if your giving the bike total death. Although I think the RG500 was worse than the newish CBR I have. Ah feck it, a high preformance 2 smoker is just plain NASTY!!!! Must be why I like them so much...:devil2: :love: :devil2:
Jamezo
22nd April 2006, 17:06
2 stroke 150s can be very economical, right up there with fixxers, but it all depends how you ride them.
I got less than 200K out of my last tank, and I use a litre of oil about every 25-30 litres (oil usage is proportional to the revs apparently...). But then I ride it like I stole it, pretty much constantly. The figures quoted above for them are very realistic.
Long story short, 2 strokes still offer the best bang for your buck in anybodys language. If you can find a decent RG or KRR, go for it. The 250 2 strokes are amazing machines, but they guzzle like a 600. Take a look at them later once you've caught the two-stroke bug, but probably not to begin with.
sefer
22nd April 2006, 18:39
Well normal riding (ie. commuting, or on at the speed limit) around 260 at reserve, but I'd have to admit riding on those closed roads at close to top speed most of the time it does drop to around 210-220 at reserve.
vtec
22nd April 2006, 19:40
Well, I've owned an ex-racing RGV 250, and currently own (and race) a CBR250RR (Stock standard).
Long story short. The CBR is a much better bike in terms of reliability and gas mileage, and ease of use, while still being a complete blast to ride. The RGV was definitely faster but the one I had was a bit tired, and I had to spend a fair bit on it to keep it going. Still I bought it for $2000, and sold it for $2000 about 18 months later.
Maintenance and reliability:
The CBR however, all I've needed to spend on it in 20,000km's was a new clutch cable some new tyres, carb tune, and forks, and four oil changes. I probably only did 5000 k's on the RGV, and spent $1000 getting a rebuild done professionally, cause I was too inexperienced at the time to do it myself.
Gas Mileage:
CBR 250RR: 20km/l (half as much as the RGV usage)
RGV 250: 10km/l (the same as my 2.2litre Honda Prelude)
Also allow for burning some nice expensive motul aswell.
Fun Factor:
I loved riding both bikes, but the worries that the RGV gave me took a bit of the fun away, and put me off thrashing it. The CBR however will take all the thrashing you can throw at it for 10's of thousands of K's. Also I've bought a crashed one for a grand so that I've got a spare engine just in case, as I'm racing it and taking it to rev cut quite often (on Puke anyway).
OK that was my fair comparo of equal size 2stroke/4stroke bikes. Now for my opinion on what to buy if you are just getting started, and looking at fuel efficiency.
Me being a four stroke fan, and you looking at ultimate fuel efficiency while still having a fun ride. First place would have to be the Suzuki FXR150, as the people say you should get 30k/l easily and if you baby it, more I would say.
Second place would be the CBR250RR, cause you should still get around 20k/l. and it is great fun to ride and thrash. 0-100km/hr in 5 seconds flat if you get good. And corner's pretty damn good too, once you are used to the soft front shocks anyway. Plenty of go to get you in trouble.
Edit: Oh yeah, and the CBR cost me $5000, in good condition with a mere 10,000km on it. This was 2 years ago though.
Sketchy_Racer
22nd April 2006, 21:27
AH HA !!
$5000!!
jesus.... nothing like a good ole $1500 2003 KRR150
Ohhhh i love rubbing that in hehehe
IronicCapers
22nd April 2006, 21:37
How bout a RG150, FZR250, or a GSXr250
Sketchy_Racer
22nd April 2006, 21:41
RG any day of the week.
FZR and GSXR will cost you an arm to buy, and a leg to maintain.
vtec
22nd April 2006, 21:42
AH HA !!
$5000!!
jesus.... nothing like a good ole $1500 2003 KRR150
Ohhhh i love rubbing that in hehehe
Thing is, if i don't wreck it, I'll get back at least $4000, at the end of my tenure with this little beaut. Plus it sounds way better. And has no time out of action :P . And 4 stroke is just so much nicer to ride. It also has the appearance of a real motorbike. Not a big wheeled scooter, with a lawnmower sized exhaust and exhaust note. Also, it has a 7000rpm powerband between 12,000rpm and 19,000rpm. With the quick two strokes, you get about 1-2000rpm to play with.
You'd be lucky if your twostroke was still running at 50,000 k's. I've got a CBR with 90,000k's that's been worked and raced. It's death was only caused by the previous owner's inattentiveness and drove into grass and flipping it wrecking the fairings, headlight, tailpiece. But the wheels/suspension/engine/main chassis seem good.
Sketchy_Racer
22nd April 2006, 21:51
Yes it is true,
You get what you pay for.
But i still love my little beastie .......
Even if it does sound like a weed trimmer... Hmmph
Sketchy_Racer
22nd April 2006, 21:53
Oh and you get your $5000 back..... thay still sell for that much !!
vtec
22nd April 2006, 21:55
Sorry, post was a bit harsh against two strokes. I just want people to share my love affair with good four strokes. I made the mistake of thinking cheap was good value with my RGV250.
Sketchy_Racer
22nd April 2006, 21:58
na it was fine man....
I loved my CBR but i couldnt afford to keep it. Damn.
But i got the next best thing, which is its 2 stroke equvialnt (ish)
Good luck on getting ANY two stroke to do 100,000kms!!
IronicCapers
22nd April 2006, 22:04
Yeah im thinking on the terms of RG150 but i love fat tyres. I got a EC300 so im used to the bigger bike and tyre because when i see the RG tyres they make me cringe and its all about looks and speed( and economy
Ixion
22nd April 2006, 23:16
na it was fine man....
I loved my CBR but i couldnt afford to keep it. Damn.
But i got the next best thing, which is its 2 stroke equvialnt (ish)
Good luck on getting ANY two stroke to do 100,000kms!!
Petals done 98000. Rebored for the first time at around 80000. Phoebe 68000, and still has the original rings.
Sketchy_Racer
24th April 2006, 10:01
sorry my bad...
Good luck on getting any 'hi performance' two stroke to do 100,000 kms,
without getting a new motor
Ixion
24th April 2006, 10:07
Well, 70bhp ain't trivial. But I suppose you mean motocross type engines. Which is where a lot of the "two strokes need heaps of maintainence" talk comes form. Yeah, THOSEA motors do need lots of rebuilding. And they are the only twosmokers a lot of riders encounter nowdays. But, conversely, how many hours do the new 4 stroke motocross bikes run before a rebuild? 10? 20? (I dunno, but it's bugger all).
Hardly any biker under 30 will ever have ridden let alone owned a sports-tourer two stroke.
Rosie
24th April 2006, 10:35
Yes it is true,
You get what you pay for.
But i still love my little beastie .......
Even if it does sound like a weed trimmer... Hmmph
Think of it as owning a weed trimmer that sounds like a performance motorcycle. :shifty:
Str8 Jacket
24th April 2006, 10:37
Think of it as owning a weed trimmer that sounds like a performance motorcycle. :shifty:
Not to mention the smell... :msn-wink:
k14
24th April 2006, 11:17
Doing a piston change on a two stroke is a piece of piss and any joe blog can jsut about do one, heck even Ivan can do one and hes the dumbest red neck you'll ever see.
You sure about that? I'm sure he wouldn't have to try hard to prove you wrong :killingme
KLOWN
24th April 2006, 14:02
I have an RG150 and they rule, my mate has a zxr 250 and we go out riding together. His bike is definatley faster than mine but i can catch him in the corners and it will do 170ish km 180 if you've got a tail wind and going downhill. Thrashing my bike 100% of the time I get the same milage as the zxr250, 230km to the tank 11 or 12 ltr, when he isn't going hard out. Even with oil factored in I think i get further for the money i spend. The zxr/cbr definatley looks cooler and sound cooler but I like my rg! Also my bike has proved more reliable and easier to work on.
Sketchy_Racer
24th April 2006, 14:55
You sure about that? I'm sure he wouldn't have to try hard to prove you wrong :killingme
Yep i think your right. :laugh: <_<
Insanity_rules
24th April 2006, 21:32
Two smokers will hit ya in the pocket come service and repair time but for the grin factor theyre a shit load of fun.
You should test a FXR150 though, torquey lil bikes with a big fun factor! Used to kane my mates one a bit (sorry Troy) and was a serious hoot to ride.
Which do ya want cheap or fun or both?
IronicCapers
24th April 2006, 22:53
Yeah but wen u lok at the price difference in the CBR and the RG u sorta get tht crestfallen feeling of dam the bank hit my pocket carrried through and punched my nuts then pull up jus lik a really low fucked up upper cut.
Aiolos
26th April 2006, 02:32
Two smokers will hit ya in the pocket come service and repair time
Bollocks..
Jamezo
28th April 2006, 11:05
Bollocks..
Quite. They're the easiest bikes to work on under the sun.
How much for a 4-stroke top end rebuild, hmm??
I just had some work done on mine, after it broke down on the motorway...
New plug, fouled carbs and air filter.
Total cost? $150. Pretty alright I thought. Go TSS!!!
And I thought it was fast before? Couple of days before it broke down, it shat on a GSX-R250 (and a GSX250, but that hardly counts...)
SLight
28th April 2006, 21:24
What about the TZR250. Mate of mine had a couple of them. Sweet little number. Fat tyres good brakes. All the goods.
Gwinch
29th April 2006, 18:36
What about the TZR250. Mate of mine had a couple of them. Sweet little number. Fat tyres good brakes. All the goods.
*rubs his grubby little hands together*
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