Tips for transitioning from 4-stroke to 2-stroke

[ShinySideUp]

Hi there, I am an older female rider. Got into motorbikes at the ripe age of 42. I ride a dual purpose 250cc 4-stroke bike, and I love adventuring riding. My husband is in the process of lowering a KDX to satisfy my need to experience the joys of riding a dirt bike. It has a pro-circuit pipe so is definitely more peppy than anything else I have ridden.

I have been on it, on absolute tippy toes, a few times - enough to get used to the throttle and attempt some of the easier twisties out at the river. My hope is that once it is lowered I will be able to kick it over myself, and to get confident enough to do organised trail rides on it.

Would be grateful for heads up as to the main differences I should be prepared for in going from a 4-stroke to a 2-stroke with a procircuit, especially when it comes to hills. I tend to go downhill super cautiously, so do I need to worry if I am off the gas that the engine will stall and the wheels lock? This has happened to me on my 4-stroke and it is not a feeling I enjoy! And going uphill, I would be keen to avoid the front wheel lifting, or accidentally getting air at the apex. Any pointers would be appreciated.

My husband is an experienced rider but is not always forthcoming with advice - drop em in the deep end and let em work it out for themselves LOL. This has actually been good in a number of respects. But I have a need to prove myself here, and I feel like I have already given the menfolk in my family enough opportunities to laugh at me.

Thanks!

[Akzle]

keep your weight over the wheels that need traction. that's usually both of them.

2smokes dont engine brake like 4s so you're going to have to learn to politely slide down hills, balancing front and rear brakes.

ATTATT - all the throttle, all the time.
2mokes aren't designed to idle. also, you shouldn't be worried about getting air. air is sikk. and if you pop baws wheelies past hubby and launch off the top, you're going to get mad props.


stay loose, stay smooth.

and learn to do fokken sikk skids.

[BM-GS]

Yeah, a bit of what he said - the engine braking bit is spot on. Fortunately 2Ts are easy to re-start by flicking the clutch. Of course, if you feather it on the way down it won't stall in the first place. :-)

The Pro-Circuit pipe is a big improvement on stock everywhere, though if you're on a tight, low-gear climb up a hill, that pesky power-band will start to do the wheelie thing for you. The FMF Gnarly Woods pipe sorts this right out. You want the Woods one, not the Desert or whatever they call it.

2Ts do need a bit of a rev to stop them oiling up, but good 2T oil is essential. No chainsaw stuff. Don't wear white gear, cos you will get oil spots on the back...

KDX is no lighter than most modern 4Ts, but the seat is like a sofa instead of a plank of wood. Usually easy to kick over, though will stall easily when cold. Most embarrassing.

[george formby]

The KDX and your Super Sherpa are different species.

IMHO practice riding the KDX slowly, doing turns left and right slow enough and tight enough that you have to balance the throttle, clutch, and rear brake simultaneously. When your thinking about doing full steering lock circles, feet up, without stalling, you will have mastered any dirt bike.

Training and practice is more important than the bike or how many strokes. Balance, throttle control, clutch control and brake control is it. In a car park or on a lawn at crawling pace or cracking the throttle wide open in a forest or trail park. I will post a link to some great training vids from Barry Morris.

The KDX needs to be ridden, it won't let you get away with being half arsed. It has lots of usable power from pretty low revs if it's set up nicely and a startlingly quick lift higher in the revs when it gets on the pipe, the engines sweet spot. All the elements of the engine come together, that big, fat pipe at the front starts to work properly, the carb sucks in huge gulps of air and guzzles the gas, the sound when your on the pipe is addictive It's awesome!
Quite often if your slack the bike will wheelie a bit, that's when you use your brake and clutch skills. A dab of clutch or rear brake may be enough to gently put the wheel down without shutting off the throttle and losing grip. It's your wheelie, you started it and you have to control it.

The Super Sherpa does not ask much of you, well mannered, linear power, quite heavy and unweildy compared to the 2t. It will always get there eventually, it's about the finish.
The KDX is about the ride.

Ride it slowly, get used to the controls and then start your trail riding.

IMHO 2t's are harder to stall, more responsive, easier to start and handle easier than 4t's. This is a generalisation but fairly true.

Here's a vid. Have a fossick around the channel, lots of great info. His trials channel is great, too.

https://youtu.be/pbWioMfQ4p8


Re braking- I'm a bit obsessed with the rear brake so don't forget you have a front one. I have a fear of uncontrolled wheelies.

[F5 Dave]

42?!? I thought you said you were old. Just a babe.

2 strokes are just more fun. The kdx are easy to ride. They respond to proper jetting. As they come the burble pretty bad and only come on song full throttle and as they clear out. This may have already been sorted by a previous owner but its surprising how many haven't.
Go to the JustKdx site and read up.

What year is it? They made a quantum change 1995 onwards then remained unchanged from there.

As a mate once said, 2 strokes gain traction with the throttle closed. To an extent he is right. On slippery uphills having the throttle constant is not always best.

Get him to buy a Tubliss rear inner tube system. It will slow you to run super low pressure in the rear tyre which will give best grip. Something you need this time of year.

As I said before find an old school tabernacle (?) What the hell is the word? To fit an extra boot sole to your boots.

[george formby]

Cobblers, F5 Dave.

[ShinySideUp]

Thanks for the replies. Some of what I have learned about off-road riding I have had to learn the hard way so I am glad for the pearls of wisdom. Kind of you KBers to take the time to alert me to some of the differences in handling.

I will run through some of the scarier scenarios in my head so hopefully my reactions will be a bit more reflexive. I guess I need to get a bit more accustomed to the KDX before entertaining the idea of taking it on an organised trail ride.

The bike has been lowered so I can make contact with the ground with both feet so that is a great step in the right direction. It may need to come down a bit further but will see how I go.

Thanks!

[george formby]

Thanks for the replies. Some of what I have learned about off-road riding I have had to learn the hard way so I am glad for the pearls of wisdom. Kind of you KBers to take the time to alert me to some of the differences in handling.

I will run through some of the scarier scenarios in my head so hopefully my reactions will be a bit more reflexive. I guess I need to get a bit more accustomed to the KDX before entertaining the idea of taking it on an organised trail ride.

The bike has been lowered so I can make contact with the ground with both feet so that is a great step in the right direction. It may need to come down a bit further but will see how I go.

Thanks!

Throttle, brakes and clutch. A bit of slow speed practice and you will be well on your way to minimising those scenarios and reacting subconsciously to stay wheels down.
You have a lot more time to figure out where you want to go when your not thinking about how to ride the bike. Which makes riding the bike easier..
Improve your ability to enjoy the bike properly, the KDX is a great bike and will reward good riding.

Oh, quite a biggie on a 2t. Don't be frightened to ride a gear higher than you think you should. They can be snappy at low speed in 1st but pussy cats doing the same thing in 2nd. Same at higher speeds, the more revs, the more responsive, so if the bike feels like it's getting away from you when you get on the gas, change up. If the bike bogs, starts to stall, a touch of clutch will lift the revs to prevent stalling. If your KDX is well set up it should be difficult to stall anyway.
To prevent the plug fouling with a lot of low rev running give it a good high rev squirt when you have a safe chance to do so, 2t's love a damn good thrashing. I guarantee you will become addicted. 2t's are the coolest and most fun bikes. You're quite privileged to have this experience and you will never think the same way about a 4t again.

[gwynfryn]

Pull the clutch in and blip throttle on slow descents.
Keep your feet on the pegs not the ground, lower it to the point where tippy toed you just reach the ground, no more.
Ride,ride,ride.

[F5 Dave]

And Bwing Bwing Bwing,!!!

So much fun. Environment be fucked. I'm pulling a wheelie through this puddle,

[ShinySideUp]

Thanks for all the tips. Really helpful. Excited to see what it does for my riding to be on a dirt bike. Cheers!

[ShinySideUp]

Just back from my first organised trail ride on the KDX. The ride was Flagpole Station. Felt like I was taking a bit of a plunge having had very little seat time since it was lowered and having only gone up and down a stop bank. My kids reckoned I would be chicken and can off. Thank you all for your advice which was very instrumental in proving them wrong!

I had a blast making my way around the main course (a 20 mile loop) without help and without incident. Twice! The front wheel did lift on the steepest hillclimb, which had dips all the way up to keep things interesting. Getting onto the power band was pure fun. Some aspects of my riding are certainly a work in progress, and there was one descent I lost concentration and deserved to come off but didn't. But on the whole, so happy to be realising my dream of riding a dirt bike. Hubby is happy too as this was the first trail ride he didn't have to wait for me!

[F5 Dave]

Fabulous post. Do enjoy hearing about people getting the 2 stroke buzz. Reminds me of my early rides.