rally bike

[2trally]

I've been thinking about turning a modernish mx or enduro 2 stroke in to an adventure bike. I was originally going to use a klr 650 or even my Buell Ulysses as a starting point but I want something lighter and more capable off road. I've been looking at using a wr 250 or a ktm 380 exc or something similar. Thing is I'm not really familiar with any of the bikes in the mx/enduro category and I want to know any other particular bikes that would suitable. I also have a few questions about 2 stroke dirtbikes in general.
I've got a few requirements

Reliable
cheap and readily available
under 230 lbs

It would be nice if it was street legal, had a wider ratio gear box and tuned for bottom end or midrange power but I'm pretty comfortable making those modifications if they are possible.

What kind of fuel mileage can I expect to get out of a 250 or a 380 2 stroke ridden moderately? Ive been thinking of using full rally style tanks with 8 or 9 gallons of capacity and I want to be able to get at least 250 miles to a tank.

Speaking of fuel, can 2 strokes be detuned with just ignition timing to accept low octane fuel?

[2trally]

35 is good enough for me. Some guy did a rough estimate for his cr500 and came up with 14mpg. He was riding the piss out of it but still... My buddies 6.8 liter chevy silverado gets better than 14
About where in Montana are you? I grew up in Great Falls.

[Shocktower]

Some of the old KTM's are hard to find parts for, and if it truely is an ADV bike, it needs to be plated in most states except Montana , yes you have to have a plate and some form of a mirror

[tHEtREV]

I took my 00 200EXC for an overnight run with a mixture of fast gravel and second rate tar roads and I was getting 10l/100K, (23.52 MPG).

Bike was geared up for it (14 front, 40 rear) the only gear I was carrying was a 30l back pack and I was just cruising most of the time.

[2trally]

uhhgg 23mpg is kinda low. My buell still has a montana plate. 92 dollars for a permanent plate and here in Arizona its like 150 a year. And you have to go through emissions.
I do want it street legal, I'll be putting on lights, turn signals and mirrors ( if it doesnt come with them.)
I've been leaning towards a wr 250. Already has the wider gear ratios and a stator. I think I'd rather have a steel frame anyway, so not being able to get a bike newer than '97 isn't a problem. I'm still not sure a 2 stroke is the best option for some of the rides I have in mind, but at this point I think I'll build it anyway. I can always get a KLR after.

[Shocktower]

My 4 stroke KTM does that much or should I say little

[2trally]

Originally Posted by Shocktower

My 4 stroke KTM does that much or should I say little

Thats kind of impressive. How do they do it?


Any bikes from japan in the same catagory as the wr 250?

[lake_harley]

Originally Posted by 2trally

I've been thinking about turning a modernish mx or enduro 2 stroke in to an adventure bike. I was originally going to use a klr 650 or even my Buell Ulysses as a starting point but I want something lighter and more capable off road. I've been looking at using a yz 250 or a ktm 380 exc. Thing is I'm not really familiar with any of the bikes in the mx/enduro category and I want to know any other particular bikes that would suitable. I also have a few questions about 2 stroke dirtbikes in general.
I've got a few requirements

Reliable
cheap and readily available
under 230 lbs

It would be nice if it was street legal, had a wider ratio gear box and tuned for bottom end or midrange power but I'm pretty comfortable making those modifications if they are possible.

What kind of fuel mileage can I expect to get out of a 250 or a 380 2 stroke ridden moderately? Ive been thinking of using full rally style tanks with 8 or 9 gallons of capacity and I want to be able to get at least 250 miles to a tank.

Speaking of fuel, can 2 strokes be detuned with just ignition timing to accept low octane fuel?

Since I first read this post I've been looking forward to various offerings done up in the described fashion by others. Although not "modernish" by any stretch of the imagination, I have a F-7 175 Kawasaki that I am in the process of building with a "street tracker" flavor, but reading your post has me thinking it might actually be a more useful and fun bike in ADV trim.

I did a 3 day, ~600 mile trip on a 175 Honda a few years ago, and a 2K trip on a 250 Kawasaki Super Sherpa last Septermber. I really have a soft spot for little bikes so I just might change my build direction. I doubt it was your goal, but thanks for the motivation and idea!

Lynn

[2trally]

Originally Posted by lake_harley

Since I first read this post I've been looking forward to various offerings done up in the described fashion by others. Although not "modernish" by any stretch of the imagination, I have a F-7 175 Kawasaki that I am in the process of building with a "street tracker" flavor, but reading your post has me thinking it might actually be a more useful and fun bike in ADV trim.

I did a 3 day, ~600 mile trip on a 175 Honda a few years ago, and a 2K trip on a 250 Kawasaki Super Sherpa last Septermber. I really have a soft spot for little bikes so I just might change my build direction. I doubt it was your goal, but thanks for the motivation and idea!

Lynn

I'm glad someone thinks it's a good idea. Reciprocal motivation!

Although no one has actually offered up any suggestions. Thank you for the mileage figures though.

[2trally]

Lake Harley, I found a couple threads that had some of the info I was looking for. I checked through the 2 stoke forum but didn't find anything similar so I ran a google search on 2 stroke enduros and ended up back on advrider. You might want to check them out. http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=715716 and http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=643957

[2trally]

New Requirements!

Oil injection and 6 speed
I can live without the 6 speed but it definitely would be nice.

[gravityisnotmyfriend]

Originally Posted by 2trally

I've been thinking about turning a modernish mx or enduro 2 stroke in to an adventure bike. I was originally going to use a klr 650 or even my Buell Ulysses as a starting point but I want something lighter and more capable off road. I've been looking at using a yz 250 or a ktm 380 exc. Thing is I'm not really familiar with any of the bikes in the mx/enduro category and I want to know any other particular bikes that would suitable. I also have a few questions about 2 stroke dirtbikes in general.
I've got a few requirements

Reliable
cheap and readily available
under 230 lbs

It would be nice if it was street legal, had a wider ratio gear box and tuned for bottom end or midrange power but I'm pretty comfortable making those modifications if they are possible.

What kind of fuel mileage can I expect to get out of a 250 or a 380 2 stroke ridden moderately? Ive been thinking of using full rally style tanks with 8 or 9 gallons of capacity and I want to be able to get at least 250 miles to a tank.

Speaking of fuel, can 2 strokes be detuned with just ignition timing to accept low octane fuel?

Do you have any idea what it would take to make a yz 250 street legal? There's no electrical system and no battery - you'd have to do some serious wiring and modification work to get a head light, tail light, and brake light - which is probably the bare minimum depending on your state.

Also, if you're state has any emissions requirements, they aren't going to let you drive a 2 stroke on the road. I'm not familiar with AZ, but those are the thing you'll want to look into before buying a bike and finding out you can't license it.

[2trally]

Originally Posted by gravityisnotmyfriend

Do you have any idea what it would take to make a yz 250 street legal? There's no electrical system and no battery - you'd have to do some serious wiring and modification work to get a head light, tail light, and brake light - which is probably the bare minimum depending on your state.

Also, if you're state has any emissions requirements, they aren't going to let you drive a 2 stroke on the road. I'm not familiar with AZ, but those are the thing you'll want to look into before buying a bike and finding out you can't license it.

Yep I'm aware of the work involved. One if the reasons I'm looking at a yamaha wr 250 instead. I'll probably plate this thing ( whichever bike I end up using) in Montana so emissions isn't an issue.

[2trally]

I cant seem to find any newer US spec enduros with oil injection. Anyone know of any? Google is failing me.

It wouldnt be to difficult to retrofit a pump...
What do the oil injectors look like? I know they usually have an outlet in the intake manifold or carb but I dont know how the internal injectors are set up.

It would probably just be easier to order an engine with oil injection and fit it to a US chassis but I want to cover my bases.
That and I'm just curious

This is actually getting frustrating, nothing we get in the US really fits my criteria perfectly, KTM 300 exc looks like the best bet, but they're kind of expensive, they're 5 speed and they run premix, WR 250's dont look to bad but again, 5 speed, premix. WR 200's have 6 speed's but they are too small, and again only premix. The kdx 200 and 220 are in the same boat as the wr 200. CRM 250 and RMX 250 are in the same boat as the WR 250. On top of the lack of options, reliable info is next to nill for some of these bikes.

[2trally]

What are the difficulties importing a dt 230 from canada? Say to Montana so emissions isnt a factor.

From what ebay, craigslist and kijiji say, finding one would be the first problem.