Crf150r?

[-LadyDirt-]

Hey ya'll,

So I have recently been entertaining the idea of maybe switching up my snappy 2 stroke KTM that hauls serious arse for a CRF150R. Some of you are probably wondering "Why!?".. well I LOVE my KTM but I dont bag it enough like it's meant to be bagged, and I've loved the challenge of riding a 2-stroke but I'm just not sure if its suitable for the style and type of riding I do most of the time? The KTM is a full out race bike and belongs on a track but it rarely see's one, I like to ride slow, technical, long trail rides and my bike likes to foul plugs occasionally because of it. I've never ridden or sat on a 150R yet but comparing apples to apples it's nearly identical in size to the 105 but 15lbs heavier, but I'm curious if there's anyone out there who has one, or who's kids have one and what they think of them? I do like to ride tracks once in a while, mainly just to hit jumps but 90% of the time i'm on trails. Opinions? I'd like to hear them.... also, if anyone has a CRF150R that maybe I could possibly come and try out?? lol

 

[takethebounce]

The 150R is a bit heavier, but you are going to get that with any four-stroke. Don't kid yourself though, it is a race bike that was designed for the track. I actually looked at both small and big wheel 150R's when I was looking for a new trail bike to play around on. I wanted to get away from my 2-stroke riding past and enjoy a thumper that was more ideal for my riding type.

I can't compare it to your 105 because I haven't ridden the KTM. But I can say I felt the 150R lacked some of the torque that I might want for the big hills. I rode 2-strokes all my life prior to owning a new 4-stroke, I don't think i would go back. I can only assume you might feel more comfortable with the way the power is delivered when you want it on the 4-stroke rather than bagging on a 2-stroke especially in the woods.

Last I looked there were a number of 150R's on kiji for sale, not sure about in your area. Maybe go check out a used one and take it for a ride. There is a big gap in bike model line ups that doesn't fill some female riders or a guy with short legs needs! I ended up with a 250 that I had the suspension lowered on. I don't race at the track or clear 50 foot jumps so it suits me just fine.

I wish KTM would make a 180 or 200 SX-F with a slightly smaller and lighter frame than the 250's.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

The 150R is a bit heavier, but you are going to get that with any four-stroke. Don't kid yourself though, it is a race bike that was designed for the track. I actually looked at both small and big wheel 150R's when I was looking for a new trail bike to play around on. I wanted to get away from my 2-stroke riding past and enjoy a thumper that was more ideal for my riding type.

I can't compare it to your 105 because I haven't ridden the KTM. But I can say I felt the 150R lacked some of the torque that I might want for the big hills. I rode 2-strokes all my life prior to owning a new 4-stroke, I don't think i would go back. I can only assume you might feel more comfortable with the way the power is delivered when you want it on the 4-stroke rather than bagging on a 2-stroke especially in the woods.

Last I looked there were a number of 150R's on kiji for sale, not sure about in your area. Maybe go check out a used one and take it for a ride. There is a big gap in bike model line ups that doesn't fill some female riders or a guy with short legs needs! I ended up with a 250 that I had the suspension lowered on. I don't race at the track or clear 50 foot jumps so it suits me just fine.

I wish KTM would make a 180 or 200 SX-F with a slightly smaller and lighter frame than the 250's.

Yeah, the KTM is a pretty torquey and snappy machine, definitely too much jam for me although I have somewhat learned to control and use the power when needed but its still tricky getting the technique down. I am looking for a bit more of a grunter but I still need the power for hill climbs... although i'm not climbing anything that is out of my comfort zone. I usually end up doing wheelies up hills with the KTM.. it's retarded how much power that little bike has, and scares the living he!! out of me sometimes. BTW, KTM does make a 200 2 stroke, not sure if they still make it but they did.. and also, their latest and greatest version of the 144 SX is now the 150 SX which is a good inbetweener from the 125 to the 250..

It's a tough decision for me, I started on a 4 stroke, and I've had 2 2 strokes now and thinkin maybe its time to go back to a 4 but it's hard to say..

 

[takethebounce]

Yeah, I meant the fourstroke SX-F though. I knew about the 2's and had looked at the 144/150 but decided to go to a Green 4-stroke. :d

The 150R will give you the grunt you are looking for. Still though, it isn't a trail bike and you don't want to lugg the motor through tough terrain. I am finding that with my KX250F now, its a race bike by design, it does okay in the trails, but its not what it was built to do.

I started thinking of other bikes and solutions for the CRF150r and wondered if anyone has ever suggested a flywheel weight for your KTM?



It will actually help you lug your 2-stroke through the trails and calm down the aggressive power band, without robbing power. Usually they bolt right on.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Yeah, I meant the fourstroke SX-F though. I knew about the 2's and had looked at the 144/150 but decided to go to a Green 4-stroke. :d

The 150R will give you the grunt you are looking for. Still though, it isn't a trail bike and you don't want to lugg the motor through tough terrain. I am finding that with my KX250F now, its a race bike by design, it does okay in the trails, but its not what it was built to do.

I started thinking of other bikes and solutions for the CRF150r and wondered if anyone has ever suggested a flywheel weight for your KTM?



It will actually help you lug your 2-stroke through the trails and calm down the aggressive power band, without robbing power. Usually they bolt right on.

Hmm that is very interesting. KTM makes an XC version of the 105 which I was also considering, as I am pretty sure it has different flywheel as well as many other "trail friendly" modifications. I am literally just looking for a bettery trail bike, but I still love the power of the motocross bikes and hate how heavy and awkward the actual trail bikes are as I used to have one. Maybe I can just look into adjusting the KTM, as I really do love this bike and hate to part with it just yet!

 

[sledderdoc]

Hmm that is very interesting. KTM makes an XC version of the 105 which I was also considering, as I am pretty sure it has different flywheel as well as many other "trail friendly" modifications. I am literally just looking for a bettery trail bike, but I still love the power of the motocross bikes and hate how heavy and awkward the actual trail bikes are as I used to have one. Maybe I can just look into adjusting the KTM, as I really do love this bike and hate to part with it just yet!

I think you just gotta try some. My 16 year old daughter rides the suzuki 125L and thinks it's a little small for her now. She made it through everything at the campout easily.

However I think because of your small stature, your gonna need to try them. I rode the yammi 250 4 stroke (under powered), the yammi 2 stroke (too snappy) then I rode a yammi 450 four stroke and really liked it!! Especially the e start lol. BUT!! I weigh 240 lbs. too. Just found the power band really predictable and lots of it!! You could pop a wheelie in fifth no problem!!


Sounds like you would really like a four stroke though. I do know that Argyll motor sports in Edm. has a track out back that you can ride on.

Other than that I know squat .......... I like my Rhino and I like my stereo!! :d

 

[Metalfusion]

The CRF150r is a race bike like your 105 is. They arent geared towards the type of riding you do 90% of the time. These bike are set-up to be raced wide open.

You should consider looking at a CRF 250X. The same motor as thr 250r but tamed down and designed for the stuff you like to do.

Im not sure how tall you are (Look like quite a small build from picture) but there are lowering links you can put in that maintain the same suspension as stock but will lower the bike down 1-2".

My 14yr old nephew just started riding a KXF 250 and he is about 5'4" 110lbs.

 

[yamaha125cc]

My friend has that the crf150f small wheel and it hauls @ss! going down the road in 4 gear hit the gas hard pullin wheels like crazy all the time and we are jumping them 30 40 feet and 180 on this small wheel bike.

 

[jbb]

see if you can get a small flywheel weight for the 105. tames it down and wont stall near as much. i did the 2 stroke to 4 and after 3yrs on the crf 450 i switched back to the big 2 stroke and im happy to be back. cost way less to run a 2 stroke!! have you read the new motocross mag. now there all on the why 2 strokes are great band wagon. i guess the 4 times as much to rebuild caught up to them! lol

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Yeah see I just dont know which route to go, I'm 5'1 and 110 pounds so a heavy bike is not an option for me.. I started out on a Yamaha TTR125L and although it was a good beginner bike...it was heavy as he!! and i'm no longer a beginner, i'm 2 full seasons on a 2 stroke now and I have gotten used to it, however I know it's not the most ideal bike for the type of riding I do..it just gets really challenging especially when your riding tough terrain... I was surprised at how well me and KTM did at the Jamboree, as that is fairly technical riding but I still had a few snags. I was having a lot of problems fouling plus a while back, riding slow challenging trails all the time and decided to jet the bike and leaned it out as far as it can possibly go and although its not fouling anymore, i'm worried i could be damaging the engine or something. I still want a motocross bike, because I do love their power and light weight and cheap maintenance, so I think i will install the flywheel weight and see if that makes a difference.. maybe the next go around I will consider the XC or try out a 4 stroke and see if i like it. My man is going 4 stroke too, so after a while it's definitley going to be more convenient to both have 4 strokes, and the reason why I considered the CRF150R is because its only 15 lbs heaveir than my KTM... anymore than that I would prob struggle a bit.. I even struggle sometimes picking up my KTM and its only 150 lbs! Haha.. but thanks again everyone for your helpful thoughts and opinions! It's very tough decision at this point becuase although I love my KTM, I could sell it now and easily get what I paid and put into it...I see the pallpark asking price is around $3500 for these bikes and the grand total i've spent on this bike in the year i've had it including purchasing it, new top/bottom end, new brakes, forks, and other extras like pipe/silencer, new tires, etc is just shy of $4000, and there's probably only about 40 hrs on the new top/bottom end.. so my thoughts now are..do I sell now and get pretty close to my money back out of it? or keep it and enjoy it and get my moneys worth the enjoyment out of it and sell later and lose a bit? Hmmm..

 

[takethebounce]

Its obvious you love the bike, any new bike you get you are going to likely want to spend a few dollars on "personalizing" to your taste. Put that money away for a rainy day.

Order the fly wheel weight, its a bolt on / bolt off product, so if you find it doesn't work well, off it comes and onto ebay it goes.

Another suggestion for your KTM is to add wider foot pegs. MX bikes are very narrow and have a narrow stance, sometimes people find with a wider stance they can balance and control the bike better.

I read some on the XC's and they appear to be a detuned version of your bike with a kickstand. So really I wouldn't worry that its going to suit your needs that much more than your SX.

Lastly, if you haven't already, gear up on the back sprocket. I just did this on my 250 and it calmed the bike down a little and made the lower gears more usefull through the trails. I went up 2 teeth.

You can pick up a rear sprocket for under $50 online, pick up an entire kit(both sprockets and chain) for under $100.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Its obvious you love the bike, any new bike you get you are going to likely want to spend a few dollars on "personalizing" to your taste. Put that money away for a rainy day.

Order the fly wheel weight, its a bolt on / bolt off product, so if you find it doesn't work well, off it comes and onto ebay it goes.

Another suggestion for your KTM is to add wider foot pegs. MX bikes are very narrow and have a narrow stance, sometimes people find with a wider stance they can balance and control the bike better.

I read some on the XC's and they appear to be a detuned version of your bike with a kickstand. So really I wouldn't worry that its going to suit your needs that much more than your SX.

Lastly, if you haven't already, gear up on the back sprocket. I just did this on my 250 and it calmed the bike down a little and made the lower gears more usefull through the trails. I went up 2 teeth.

You can pick up a rear sprocket for under $50 online, pick up an entire kit(both sprockets and chain) for under $100.

So I have to buy a new sprocket or can I look into adjusting the one I have? How is this done? I have been told by a friend to try this as well. I dont need to get ridiculous with taming the wild beast whithin that little bike, I am getting more used to it and getting better at controlling the power and using it to my advantage when I need it but I just want to try toning it down a tad to make it easier to control in tight technical trails. It seems as though this fly wheel weight is my best option for this?

 

[takethebounce]

No, you won't be able to adjust the sprocket. They are usually a stamped, or forged steel or aluminum ring. Lets assume you have a 14 front, 49 rear tooth right now. It is usually stamped on the side of the ring what tooth count it is. They have 5 or 6 bolts that hold them on. Pop off the back wheel, swap out the sprockets and away you go.

Going up to a 51 would slow down your rear wheel, making better use of the power you have available. It will lower your top speed but its not a concern to most riders. This is not mandatory to do, but many trail riders do this with good results.

Do one, then if you feel you still could use a bit of taming, do the other. I started with the sprocket first because it was cheeper to do. I am still considering a fly wheel weight for my bike though. A fly wheel weight will typically give you better results. The link to Steahly I gave before would be your best bet, they are pro's at that stuff.



Here is some info I borrwed from another site -

"
QUESTION FIVE: DOES MY BIKE HAVE THE BEST FLYWHEEL?
Most likely, but not always. Manufacturers do make mistakes. How? Some try to make their fourstrokes snappier, quicker revving and more two-stroke like by putting on the lightest flywheel possible. This can often lead to horrendous stalling problems and explosive acceleration (especially when the riding surface is loose or slick).

QUESTION SIX: DOES A HEAVY FLYWHEEL SLOW AN ENGINE DOWN?
Yes. Weight harnesses the rate at which the engine accelerates.

QUESTION SEVEN: DOES A HEAVY FLYWHEEL COST HORSEPOWER?
No. Heavy flywheels do not cost horsepower. They only change the way the power is transferred to the ground.

QUESTION EIGHT: CAN A HEAVY FLYWHEEL MAKE A BIKE FASTER?
Yes. But only if the engine characteristics are too snappy, powerful or explosive for the rider's style or track's terrain. A bike with an engine that's too explosive will accelerate quicker with a heavier flywheel weight.

Why? Because the weight smoothes and broadens the transfer of power to the ground. The power is delivered more consistently and in more of a conservative manner. The bike is more hooked up off the line and less volatile on the course. QUESTION NINE: CAN A HEAVIER FLYWHEEL CHANGE A BIKE'S HANDLING?

You bet. Toning down the abruptness of the power delivery makes the chassis less susceptible to sudden bursts of acceleration, excess wheelspin and engine stalling. Adding flywheel weight will make a bike feel less twitchy. If the tires stay hooked up, with less bounce or spin, the bike is easier to control.

QUESTION TEN: CAN A FLYWHEEL WEIGHT KEEP MY ENGINE FROM STALLING?
Yes. Since an engine takes longer to come up to speed with a heavier flywheel weight, it also takes longer to slow it down. The stored energy of the added weight keeps the engine turning under hard braking.

QUESTION 11: DO HEAVY FLYWHEELS MAKE A BIKE HARDER TO STOP?
No. Since the engine winds down slower, the transition from full throttle to full stop is much smoother. Additionally, the rider can use the brakes on a bike with more force, since the fear of stalling the engine is reduced.

QUESTION 12: DOES IT HELP STARTS?
Yes and no. Heavier flywheel weights can make a big difference on a concrete starting pad (or hard slippery dirt). But, on short, fast, dirt starting lines (like in Supercross) a lighter flywheel helps the bike jump out of the gate quicker, which allows the rider to get his bars in front of the rider next to him.

The difference between these two concepts can be seen at professional races. Four-strokes holeshot AMA Nationals (with their longer starts and concrete pads), while two-strokes holeshot Supercrosses (with their shorter starts and dirt pads).

QUESTION 13: CAN A FLYWHEEL WEIGHT IMPROVE MY SUSPENSION?
Yes. Every time a wheel leaves the ground, engine rpm increases. The extra rev spins the rear wheel quicker, and when it hits the ground it is harder to control. The wildly gyrating rear tire bounces the bike around and works the suspension. With a flywheel weight, the rear tire can stay hooked up accelerating over choppy terrain. Over whoops, the tire stays closer to the ground and the bike reacts more smoothly to every hit.

QUESTION 14: WHAT ABOUT THE MUD?
Just like on dry dusty dirt, the slicker the mud, the easier the bike is to ride with more flywheel weight. Turning the throttle on results in a more manageable power delivery and more knob bite. The measured engine deceleration keeps the rider on the brakes much longer and harder"

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Well I ordered the complete flywheel and weight kit through Riverside and they order from Steahly will be about 2 weeks but it was $165. They do not make just the weight for my bike so I had to get the flywheel as well. Thanks I hope this will do the trick!

 

[Slamnek]

Like takethebounce said, buy a rear sprocket that is 1 or 2 teeth larger than the one you have on. You may also have to buy a new chain to fit. 1st and 2nd gear will be a bit more snappy but you will be able to lug the bike in 3rd and 4th throught the bush. Its cheap and easy to change and if you don't like it you can always put your stocker back on.

 

[the devils reject]

Well I ordered the complete flywheel and weight kit through Riverside and they order from Steahly will be about 2 weeks but it was $165. They do not make just the weight for my bike so I had to get the flywheel as well. Thanks I hope this will do the trick!

you'll love the flywheel weight. makes the bike way nicer to ride over rocks ands crap on the trails. wont stall as easy. i have one on my new bike and i cant beleive i hadnt done this sooner. works way better at putting the power to the ground and depending on your riding? if your in tight trails. change the rear sproket for sure. it will give ya more grunt in the tight stuff. if its more open road riding? leave it alone.

 

[winterax]

You might also want to consider buying a few off road riding techniques DVD's or taking a 1 day course on motocross or off road roading. I took a 1 day moto cross course ( after about 30 years of riding ! ) and I couldn't believe how much it helped my off road riding and made my rides way more enjoyable and less tiring. My kids took the same course and they were able to kick my butt much sooner than I ever could imagine.
I took mine through the Oldtimers , I believe they also offer courses at BUMP and I've seen a few advertised through the CMRC ( Alberta Dirt Riders ).

 

[-LadyDirt-]

I think I'd like to wait until my sprocket and new chain I already have are a bit worn out first before I decide to replace it just yet... since I ordered the flywheel weight kit already I'll try that first and if after a while I find I still need an adjustment i'll look into swapping the sprocket out as well. I'm not looking for a drastic change, just a slight "power" adjustment and it sounds like this fly wheel weight should help. Because I ride a little bit of everything I dont want to make it almost impossible to ride in other terrain and what not because I do ride tracks occasionally as well as sand, etc. So i'll try one thing at a time, and hopefully one way or another I can make this awesome bike better suited for my riding level/style. KTM parts are damn expensive so hopefully I dont gotta dump too much into it to do so!

 

[Slamnek]

You seem to be on the right track. Play around with suspension settings as well and you will find settings that work really good for track, sand and trails. Its easy and very quick to do.

 

[j_w10]

Typically the difference in the motocross bikes and the trail bikes is usaully a heaveir crank (which you are doing witht he fly wheel weight) and the has a wider range usaully done with wider range gears or going to a six speed. that along with the lights and a few more gaurds. and in some causes e start the bikes are i dentical.

Another option for you to try is changing the front sproket. a really cheap option to try different gearing which helps alot in the technical tree riding and should help with your plug fouling because to go the same speed you are used to in the lower gears you will have to rev the bike higher. dropping 1 tooth on the front sproket is like adding 2-3 teeth on the rear sprocket. and a front sprocket front kimpex is like 10-15 bucks and you shouldnt have to change your chain cause its not as much of a change. the catch with this is not to put on one that is too small. i wouldnt go smaller then a 12 tooth and you want to keep it at a 13 if you can so hypathetically if you have 13/49 gearing now go to a 12/49 to try it if you like when you change out your chain and sprockets go with 13/51 or 13/52 and the results will be about the same.

You will like the flywheel wieght it will tone down the snappyness of the bike but will still have the same power. the other thing to think about as well is the rekluse clutch. makes riding a whole bunch easier in the technical stuff as well when the bike does all the clutching for you:d.

Just some stuff to think about.