wolf skaap
Race Dog
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2013
- Messages
- 1,353
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Nederhorst den berg
- Bike
- Yamaha XT 660 Z
I'm by no means a pro but I sure am a bike whore by most accounts :-[
Even though most of my previous enduro bikes were not roadworthy, we still use them for DS:
https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=134175.0
Using an enduro bike for long DS rides is a mission. Biggest being figuring out which bike best fits your needs and riding style.
For our type multi-day rides with technical sections in the mix, I've eventually narrowed it down to these three bikes:
CRF450x.
Sold it a while ago and it still is my favourite :thumleft:
Pros:
- Have done over 1200KM trips without an oil change
- Uses no oil on long DS rides
- Stock Suspension is great. Anybody can go fast on an X. The faster you go, the better it works.
- Rigid aluminum frame makes for very precise handling
- Huge bottom and midrange for a 450.
- Rock solid motor
- Frame design makes a valve clearance job a breeze
- Roomy: Seat-to-foot peg distance is good
Cons:
- Airbox is rubbish. Too small with sharp edges ready to shred that new Twin Air filter
- DRD exhaust was moer loud. I hated it!
- It needs tubliss on the front wheel to reduce the harshness of the fork.
- Intake valves are rubbish. It needs SS intake valves = R5000 job
- Carb overflow leaks at random times (even after a carb service and correct float level)
- 5th gear is too short. You have to rev it good and proper on those open stretches (7000rpm)
- Did I mention that the clutch is crap? It's either on or off and you never quite know when it would disengage.
- Power seems to fall on its face too soon
The short 5th made me ultimately replaced the Honda with a
KTM 525
Pros:
- Have done over 1200KM trips without an oil change
- Uses no oil on long DS rides
- Epic clutch. It provides so much scope to regulate the power of the motor, its unreal.
- Very easy to roadworthy
- It's all about the motor. It must have a massive flywheel 'cause the thing will chug up just about anything but it still rips if you open that throttle
- Cruises in 6th like a boss.
- Flexible steel frame and plush suspension makes for a very comfy ride
- Motors are rock solid
Cons:
- Of-idle bog is a pain in the arse
- Foot pegs are too close to the seat. My long legs would cramp badly
- Steel frame in conjunction with the overly plush WP forks makes it handle like a waterbed.
- I hated doing valve clearance checks almost as much as my mutilated feeler gauges did.
525 is the all-round best lightweight DS bike but its spongy handling left me searching for more.
YZ450 with WR gearbox
Pros:
- Stock Suspension is the best in the business. I was amazed at how plush yet firm they are ???
- Rigid aluminum frame makes for very precise handling
- Huge power. At 55hp, it has 10hp more than a stock 525.
For my 525 riding buddies :biggrin: :
Green line represents a stock 525 on JD Jetting's dyno
- Apparently very reliable (Haven't had mine long enough)
- Frame design makes a valve clearance job a breeze, more so than on the CRF
- Very Roomy: Seat-to-foot peg distance is the best of the three
- Airbox located where the tank would normally be. Keeps the filter cleaner for longer.
- Super quiet exhaust even with FMF power core 4
- EFI is a whole new world. The GYTR power tuner allows you to lean the circuit out by 21% or enrich it by 21%. You can also advance or retard the ignition by 7deg, this can be set at 9 different areas in the entire rev range.
- Gone is the of-idle bog
- Comparing Japanese bikes: Best clutch pull and action. Much better than the CRF's
Cons:
- Kickstart.. took me a while to set the idle and enrich the idle circuit enough to allow the bike to fire up on the second kick.
- Uber light flywheel. You have to cover the clutch at all times 'cause it might just die on you
- EFI + light flywheel makes the bike jumpy in 1st
- Front feels too light at times.
- Clutch pull and action a far cry from the KTM's
It's quite evident that the WR 5th is taller than the CRFX's. Although the CRF has an uber smooth motor, the ZY's seems more balanced; at 110KM/h it purrs vs a vibrating CRF.
Although these bikes are technically in 3 distinctly different categories (MX,Enduro,SX) they can all be used for long distance DS rides with the added benefit of traversing hardcore technical tracks with relative ease. I am prepared to grin and bear on the wide open stretches and in retrospect I was happier on the CRF than the 525, simply because of the bigger grin factor that the CRF would give in the sweeping, high speed twisties.
For most other riders, the 525 will be the better choice; the clutch, the Jonty Rhodes like motor that can do everything with authority and the comfortable frame/suspension will leave almost everyone content.
If not, you will most likely end up buying at least one of these bikes twice.
Even though most of my previous enduro bikes were not roadworthy, we still use them for DS:
https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=134175.0
Using an enduro bike for long DS rides is a mission. Biggest being figuring out which bike best fits your needs and riding style.
For our type multi-day rides with technical sections in the mix, I've eventually narrowed it down to these three bikes:
CRF450x.
Sold it a while ago and it still is my favourite :thumleft:
Pros:
- Have done over 1200KM trips without an oil change
- Uses no oil on long DS rides
- Stock Suspension is great. Anybody can go fast on an X. The faster you go, the better it works.
- Rigid aluminum frame makes for very precise handling
- Huge bottom and midrange for a 450.
- Rock solid motor
- Frame design makes a valve clearance job a breeze
- Roomy: Seat-to-foot peg distance is good
Cons:
- Airbox is rubbish. Too small with sharp edges ready to shred that new Twin Air filter
- DRD exhaust was moer loud. I hated it!
- It needs tubliss on the front wheel to reduce the harshness of the fork.
- Intake valves are rubbish. It needs SS intake valves = R5000 job
- Carb overflow leaks at random times (even after a carb service and correct float level)
- 5th gear is too short. You have to rev it good and proper on those open stretches (7000rpm)
- Did I mention that the clutch is crap? It's either on or off and you never quite know when it would disengage.
- Power seems to fall on its face too soon
The short 5th made me ultimately replaced the Honda with a
KTM 525
Pros:
- Have done over 1200KM trips without an oil change
- Uses no oil on long DS rides
- Epic clutch. It provides so much scope to regulate the power of the motor, its unreal.
- Very easy to roadworthy
- It's all about the motor. It must have a massive flywheel 'cause the thing will chug up just about anything but it still rips if you open that throttle
- Cruises in 6th like a boss.
- Flexible steel frame and plush suspension makes for a very comfy ride
- Motors are rock solid
Cons:
- Of-idle bog is a pain in the arse
- Foot pegs are too close to the seat. My long legs would cramp badly
- Steel frame in conjunction with the overly plush WP forks makes it handle like a waterbed.
- I hated doing valve clearance checks almost as much as my mutilated feeler gauges did.
525 is the all-round best lightweight DS bike but its spongy handling left me searching for more.
YZ450 with WR gearbox
Pros:
- Stock Suspension is the best in the business. I was amazed at how plush yet firm they are ???
- Rigid aluminum frame makes for very precise handling
- Huge power. At 55hp, it has 10hp more than a stock 525.
For my 525 riding buddies :biggrin: :
Green line represents a stock 525 on JD Jetting's dyno
- Apparently very reliable (Haven't had mine long enough)
- Frame design makes a valve clearance job a breeze, more so than on the CRF
- Very Roomy: Seat-to-foot peg distance is the best of the three
- Airbox located where the tank would normally be. Keeps the filter cleaner for longer.
- Super quiet exhaust even with FMF power core 4
- EFI is a whole new world. The GYTR power tuner allows you to lean the circuit out by 21% or enrich it by 21%. You can also advance or retard the ignition by 7deg, this can be set at 9 different areas in the entire rev range.
- Gone is the of-idle bog
- Comparing Japanese bikes: Best clutch pull and action. Much better than the CRF's
Cons:
- Kickstart.. took me a while to set the idle and enrich the idle circuit enough to allow the bike to fire up on the second kick.
- Uber light flywheel. You have to cover the clutch at all times 'cause it might just die on you
- EFI + light flywheel makes the bike jumpy in 1st
- Front feels too light at times.
- Clutch pull and action a far cry from the KTM's
It's quite evident that the WR 5th is taller than the CRFX's. Although the CRF has an uber smooth motor, the ZY's seems more balanced; at 110KM/h it purrs vs a vibrating CRF.
Although these bikes are technically in 3 distinctly different categories (MX,Enduro,SX) they can all be used for long distance DS rides with the added benefit of traversing hardcore technical tracks with relative ease. I am prepared to grin and bear on the wide open stretches and in retrospect I was happier on the CRF than the 525, simply because of the bigger grin factor that the CRF would give in the sweeping, high speed twisties.
For most other riders, the 525 will be the better choice; the clutch, the Jonty Rhodes like motor that can do everything with authority and the comfortable frame/suspension will leave almost everyone content.
If not, you will most likely end up buying at least one of these bikes twice.
