What is the Best High Performance Enduro Bike?

[Goofy Footer 539]

If you could only have ONE green sticker (or street legal) enduro bike what would it be?

I'm talking about bikes for general "spirited" off road enduro riding (worcs, gncc, vet track, desert scrambles, enduro type terrain). I'm talking strictly off road riding.

I want to hear how Your bike performs:

Handling - (low speed flickability, high speed stability)

Suspension - (performance, ability to be customized)

Reliability - (known bike issues - every bike has them)

Ease of maintenance - (oil changes, air filters, valve checks)

Motor performance - (low end power, top end power, rpms and revs)

Aftermarket parts - (availibility, price)

Electrical Systems - (estart, stator output, headlight)

FI or Carb - (what works for You)

Gearing - (wide ratio or close ratio, 5spd or 6spd)

etc etc

250's for flickability? 450 for power? Big bore for blasting the desert? A 'tweener like the 310 or 350 or 400?

I'm looking for real facts and your personal experiences not internet hearsay. Please no flaming and badmouthing other bikes/brands. Tell me about what You like about your bike and let's not bash other's opinions & preferences.

If you could only have one dirtbike.....

[bikeslut 1]

WR450F

[bikeslut 1]

yea yeah... I know I just sold one, but bear with me:

fairly light

big power

stable high speed

great suspension capability- front was harsh from the factory

e-start with kick back up

lowish seat height

easy uncorking

great high speed bike- not my favorite technical bike

able to run singletrack, open desert, tracks, and comes with a green sticker- some folks have been known to plate them

downside- it's REALLY blue! Black would be nice

it just didn't fit my old long legs

[tntmo 887]

WR450F :ph34r:/>

My thoughts exactly.

[Goofy Footer 539]

I should note that I don't believe there are any "bad" modern bikes. All bikes are good fun, I'm just interested in hearing what You like abour Your favorite one!

[bikeslut 1]

I want to hear how Your bike performs:

Handling - (low speed flickability, high speed stability)--- THe WR450F doesnt quite have as much steering lock as the DRZ- I hit the stops frequently on singletrack

Suspension - (performance, ability to be customized)--- Great with some fairly cheap mods- Suspenders "guy" hit the nail on the head with the WR450 set up

Reliability - (known bike issues - every bike has them)---- rumor has it that high speed blasting in 5th gear can blow oil out through somewhere, then cook the rest, then seize 5th gear. Maybe just an internet rumor

Ease of maintenance - (oil changes, air filters, valve checks)---- What is this "maintenance" you speak of? Oil and filter changes were a breeze. Valve checks? ask tntnmo

Motor performance - (low end power, top end power, rpms and revs)--- fairly quick revving, decent low end, great middle, mediocre top

Aftermarket parts - (availibility, price)--- few needed; many available

Electrical Systems - (estart, stator output, headlight)--- headlight, tailight, some basic baja designs stuff. E Start with K back up

FI or Carb - (what works for You)-- FI would be great, as the carb CAN gunk up when left sitting-

Gearing - (wide ratio or close ratio, 5spd or 6spd)--- 5 speed- Pulled wheelies in 4 of the gears... 5th was good for a solid 80 if not more- Not the nest "crawler" out there

etc etc

250's for flickability? YES 450 for power? YES Big bore for blasting the desert? YES

A 'tweener like the 310 or 350 or 400?

like all bikes; compromises- i think the 450 is a great compromise if the desert is on the agenda- If ALL I ever did was desert, it would've been the one to keep

[Spaugh 1]

2T tuned for enduro. With a good throttle.

[dirt dame 559]

I like my 07 Husqvarna TE450 for a four stroke. Not much low end power, but for a large machine, it handles quite well. High speed stability coupled with excellent turning ability make it as good as a 450 can get. The suspension valving wasn't so great, blew through the stroke, but a quick trip to Precision Concepts made everything hunky dory. The bike is on par with Japanese bikes for maintenance and reliability, just change the oil frequently. Plus, it's a head turner where ever you go with it.

[TrophyHunter 15]

BS's, now tntmo's, my former WR450 was uncorked. It also had the grey wire cut and that took away from the low end. I noticed it right away when I got it back from C & D. Didn't bother me much cuz that thing made power i wasn't used to.

[Slaugo 35]

1.Plated XR650R with a set of SM wheels in the closet. But that's for just one bike in the stable and no street bike.

2.DRZ400SM in dirt trim with a 440 kit, Flatside carb and built susp with a larger tank. But thats for reliability.

3. Plated CRF450X But that's for flickability and Money is no object...Cause the valves dont like the slab. This should be my first choice, but I put them in order of smiles per miles, both dirt and street to get there.

4.Otherwise I'd redo a CFR450R with a light and tank. No comfort but it goes anywhere (Cept for the street for a lot of miles. But you said Enduro, I'm saying plated Enduro.

All these have aftermarket and service available most places.

[Covered in Dust 163]

KTM 250 XC-W

CiD

[Bagstr 287]

Girl Friend,

Is this an academic exercise??? OR and I am about to lay down some cash, help me decide?

No mention of Price Range. Has the Man/Woman already given you a well deserved raise??

CID is about to tell you the perfect do all bike is an EXC 500.

Last question, Do you care what the service intervals are?

EDIT: Oops, My Bad.

[Covered in Dust 163]

1366170662[/url]' post='149643']

Girl Friend,

Is this an academic exercise??? OR and I am about to lay down some cash, help me decide?

No mention of Price Range. Has the Man/Woman already given you a well deserved raise??

CID is about to tell you the perfect do all bike is an EXC 500.

Last question, Do you care what the service intervals are?

EDIT: Oops, My Bad.

If you look at his stated purpose then the 250 XC-W is the best choice. The 500 EXC is the best for the type of riding I like to do, open desert and Mexico.

CiD

[Guest Crusty]

CR 250R

CRF 450X

They both do it all well, the X for longer faster rides

and the 2 stroke for shorter more technical.

Well if I could only have one it would be the 450X.

Craig.

[Dress4Less 162]

I concur with BS & TNT...and adding a plate.

[ktm-licious 0]

I've had a ktm 530exc for 3 + years, ridden single track, fire roads, and rocky sections

Not one complain! Bike has been perfect, plenty of power, great suspension and for me it has been very reliable.

although if I would have a choice at another bike, I would buy a 300 two stroke, they are lighter, don't over heat, plenty of power

and love the smell of two stroke pre mix!

[robertaccio 406]

A big question with a lot of answers.

fact- KTMs are on record for championships of late the most competitive enduro bikes.

I'll add only racing comp bikes 4T only that I would consider.

250/E1 class 4 strokes- KTM XCF-W,HON X,YAM WR,HUS TE/TXC

450/E2 class 4 strokes- KTM 350-450 XCF-W, HON X, YAM WR, HUS 310s, Beta 350-400-450.

open/E3 KTM 500, Beta 498.

For a do all and racing machine my choice would be one of KTM450s and maybe the 350, YAM WR450(the new one),Beta 450, HON 450X and as you all know I dont own any of these choices, my choice is a very narrow focus bike (TXC310R Husky)I dont know if all the options I listed are green sticker.

[Covered in Dust 163]

I might have screwed up (again). I doubt that the KTM 250 XC-W is a green sticker bike. So I'd have to go with the KTM 350 XCF-W for what your looking for. If you didn't need the green sticker I think the 250 XC-W is a better choice for a competition bike in the areas stated.

CiD

[paulmbowers 236]

2003 KTM 525 EXC

[Goofy Footer 539]

Thank You for your replies and please keep them coming!

I believe there is a difference between a "fast bike" and a bike you "can ride fast". I like the latter, a bike I can ride to the best of My potential. I'm a "seat of the pants" and "feel" kind of guy - not dyno numbers and manufacturers spec sheets.

Compared to a competition bike, my DRZ400E is not the fastest but I can ride it to the best of My abilities (or lack thereof). A more talented rider could of course ride it better - Travis Pastrana was doing wheelies on his DRZe, at night, 700 miles into his solo B1k race and would have placed well before he blew the motor up in a silt bed because he and his team never replaced the air filter.

A few weekends ago I rode a KTM 525 - the motor is impressive, pulls in any gear and can be lugged around. I loved the 6th gear but did notice that the bike ran hot in slower stuff. I was turned off by the handling - to me I felt that it was much more sensitive/twitchy than I am used to, it wobbled at speed (I nearly lost it twice at 75mph which quite literally scared the piss out of me) and I wasn't smooth through whoops or over rocks. The brakes were superb in a straight line but the front brake caused the front wheel to dive in turns. The hydraulic clutch will take me some time to get used to it. With the amount of available power the 525 had in any gear, any position, I could get away with not clutching through turns - just gas and go (dare I say too much torque?). I however wasn't very smooth through the turns as a result of this. Finding netural from a standstill is next to impossible but it's much easier to find while rolling to a stop.

I also rode an 08 Husky 450 - the motor did pull constantly and seemed torquey but was missing some top end. To me, the suspension felt planted through the whoops and I was able to time my lines quite well. I felt confident in rough terrain and the steerng held steady (albeit the Husky did have a stabilizer but it was turned way down). The bike felt wider to me than the KTM and DRZ, the motor was indeed vibey and I could feel it through the pegs. I felt the gearbox didn't give much feel and was a tad clunky - shifting was stiff and finding neutral wasn't easy. The brakes felt smooth and overally I had a better time and felt more comfortable/confident on the Husky than the 525.

I would love to hear more opinions from everybody as to what You like about Your bike. I wish I could test ride (hell, and own) them all!

For Yamaha guys - steel frame vs 2007+ aluminum frame WR

For Honda guys - I know there are parts and aftermarket goodies galore for the 450X as it's been the desert race bike of choice for years but how's the reliability/upkeep?

For KTM guys - any thoughts on the feel of the 400 vs 450 vs 525

For Husky guys - seat of the pants differences between the 310 vs 450 vs 510

For Kawi guys - I hear the KLX450 is a great bike but they were only produced for 2 years or something

For Suzuki guys - the RMX450Z?

[Uncle Champ 116]

450X, carburetor, recluse, steering stabilizer, burns Mexican gas, check the valves often no problems, only 5 speed so top speed is only 80 plus, 125 miles or so on a 3.2 gallon tank, electric start, aluminum frame, change the oils every 600 miles, oh the stock headlight ain't enough to keep up on a slick road though. If I could find all orange plastic it would be perfect.

[HVYWT 3]

Would of said ktm R but low speed is not flickable.

[bikeslut 1]

Side note: not all WRs are green sticker

I hear the aluminum frame ones also feel smaller- and when I was riding mine I felt like a bear riding a bicycle- maybe not quite that graceful

[robertaccio 406]

PS all my listings referred to new MY12-13 bikes.

Also for the thread author as me the resident multi owned/raced Husky man, your opinion of the 08 450 was very close to mine, my 08 TXC450 had all those same good traits , and for lesser traits a good JD Jetting mod, my powernow intake splitters and the real big change mod of adding the SM450 model counterbalancer shaft to the bike, that was the real game changer. Well also the $$ suspension set up as well.

This goes to DD as well, if you keep your 450 or anyone with a 510 into rebuild age add 200 bucks to the build and install the shaft and its bearings and drive gears, its like a whole new bike (the way the oem should have sold it).

[Afry 1]

and the real big change mod of adding the SM450 model counterbalancer shaft to the bike, that was the real game changer. Well also the $ suspension set up as well.

This goes to DD as well, if you keep your 450 or anyone with a 510 into rebuild age add 200 bucks to the build and install the shaft and its bearings and drive gears, its like a whole new bike (the way the oem should have sold it).

THAT is my ONLY complaint with my 08 510 - the vibes on the road blow goats. My motor is new so I'd hate to tear into it and add the balancer but how big of a job is it? Split cases? I may be tempted as it would open up a whole new world to me on that bike.

GF - The 510 may have the top end the 450 doesn't but I don't know cause I've never ridden the 450, the 510 feels plenty fast. You do have to get used to shifting 3 times before you cross an intersection with the close ratio trans but it shines in the dirt.