Hi my name is Luis. I love motorcycles, machines, engineering, animals, building things and being outside. Professionally - I split time between being a product development engineer and small business owner. For fun - I build things, manage a small herd of cows and like to jump things on my motorcycle(s). I also make videos - they usually are not very good.
One more parameter for your tests is the production date of the tire......it is very important ! I got a tire that was new but was 7 years old...and it chunked knobs off in the first hour on terrain with very few rocks ! I have never experienced this before on several of the same tire . This new 7 year old tire lasted 5 hours with 14 knobs tore off ! Get tires within 1 year of production and there should be great performance.
Shinko 525 has been great. It doesn't feel like I've lost traction and I'm almost down to the where the two nobs will become 1. Stopping has gotten notably worse with wear.
Now that is quite a disappointing look at the things. The diagrams are very nice to compare and that part was done properly. But what is not considered at all is the power you get at the rear wheel. It is simple to understand that a race is keeping a certain (best) speed over the course. That means real wheel rpm and torque. I never knew that 2 strokes are of such a short rev band compared to the 4 strokes. So what is here not considered is this: For the same rpm of the rear wheel has the 4 stroke obviously an advantage in the higher rev band, the gear ratio can be shorter for the same wheel rpm and similar good torque. That shorter transmission balances than up a lot, and in the end is clear why the 4 stroke drives better, large rev band, and in the end as fast as a 2 stroke. While simply easier to handle. I have never heard that anyone would take a low rpm high torque engine over a higher rpm lower torque engine when it comes to performance, where you can let the engine rev. Only where revving the engine is not good, like a long hill up with increasing steepness and limited traction, there you wish an engine which can rev high above the max torque point and has so a long way to go without shifting a gear down. The 4 stroke makes that much easier. That is as I see now the reason why nobody looks at 2 strokes anymore. They only appear to be brutal in short gears, but when it comes to power on the rear wheel at any speed, the four stroke is better. Just get the gearbox right. Before seeing this video I watched a Honda 450 compared to the its 500cc 2 stroke equivalent video (Tomasin). Shockingly the 450 was faster on the track, although the 2 stroke supposed to produce MUCH more power. The point is, in this machine is the gearbox identical taken from the 450. Well, that's a nogo. They cannot be identical due to the rev band difference. I guess the 2 stroke needs a longer transmission ratio and closer steps between the gears, plus plenty shifting gears to keep it in the best range. Over-rev no way, only shifting up. That's what I see in these curves.
I think it's an excellent video, but yes it does miss-out on the gearing component, which is crucial. However, equally I think you might underestimate what can be done the other way with a two-smoke: as I know you well recognise, a gearbox is a torque multiplier - but it can reduce as well. If the two (say a 300) makes more power at all rpm than its competitor until it drops markedly, then you can afford to lengthen the gearing, and so flatten (and effectively lengthen) the power curve. I know you wouldn't, but half the teeth on the rear sprocket would reduce the torque at the rear wheel very unmysteriously by exactly half and (were drag etc not a factor) exactly double the top end speed, which one might find useful. (I recognise you do have to get there, but again I am not talking about starting with a 100-rpm powerband engine.) It's why I don't really like to see engine torque talked about as though it were the torque that you feel - generally people mean low end tug from the seat, which is very connected with gearing; if you're producing enough hp over a reasonable-iah span, that's the crucial thing as hp tells you the potential work-done-rate, and then gearing can give you all the low end tug and more that a lesser hp'd bike could with optimal gearing. Finally, of course, even if, as with the 300 2 compared to the 450 4, you're actually not producing more hp, but you can nevertheless potentially be lighter, then there may be life in the old dog yet.
I was born in So CA and like you, rode a variety of Suzuki, Yamaha, and Honda 750/1100 cc sport bikes; all over Angeles Crest HWY, Ortega HWY, and even up to Mammoth Lakes and race over Tioga RD to Yosemite, or up to HWY 46 off 395 and race with a friend all the way to Benton ,at the intersection of HWY 50. After moving to remote CO in 1994, I began my enduro and off-road education. Currently I currently ride a 2023 KTM 350 EXC-F for difficult off-road trails and a 2017 KTM 1090R for fast pavement and easy off-road rides. Colorado has an infinite amount of off-road areas with a variety of skill level requirements to explore. I was considering buying a beautiful 2004 KTM 950 Adventure S, because it is an analog machine without all the stupid electronics seen on the new generation KTM 790/890/1290 bikes. But after watching videos like yours and others, on maintenance, it is obvious my mechanical skills are not up to the complexity this bike requires. So my plan now is to simply keep my two dedicated machines and be happy. Thanks for sharing this video!
2 strokes make more power because they have less pumping losses. Less moving mass overall, but more importantly, they have ignition every time the piston comes up, where 4 strokes have ignition every other time the piston comes up. However..... 4 strokes have a much flatter power curve. They make great torque right off RPM, and horsepower is a nice steady increase. 2 strokes are absolutely gutless at low RPM, and need to be wound out to get any kind of performance out of them. The 300cc 2 strokes are a big exception to the rule. The KTM 300, GasGas 300, Beta 300, Husqvarna 300 (all KTM engines anyway) are designed specifically to be very 4-stroke like in performance. They have a perfectly square bore. 72mm piston, 72mm stroke. I heard of in 2 strokes. 2 strokes usually have a very long stroke, and a comparatively small bore, while 4 strokes are the exact opposite, with a short stroke and big bore. Because the 300 has a much larger bore given the length of stroke, it has a much more 4 stroke, tractor like feel to it, and does very well at low rpm
3 things: 1: agreed. the tire sound is crazy! The sound of traction is something to get used to. 2: I don’t think a clutch is needed. Id you understand proper throttle control. 3: you should be able to tune the off throttle response. (You can with a controller). It controls how long the power is delivered or cuts out when the throttle is released.
I appreciate you taking the time to post this, but riding an home built endurocross track is not the same as riding in "Extreme Conditions" Just about any tire can be acceptable in that shit....go tackle something gnarly and report back!
Sure, no problem. My tracks are a known commodity and reference to compare tires back to back. I obviously ride "hard" sections of trails. Il be riding the EN91EX at Silver Kings Enduro in June. I'll report back.
@2smoking.and.4stroking literally the exact reason I'm here. Trying to figure out what tire to go with at silverkings. Usually I'd go with a jx8. But do you think this is better purely performance wise? Also would be interested in your thoughts on just the regular en91 140
all the gummy 140x80's should be run at 8psi or less and never spin them - slip the clutch like you are using a rekluse They are amazing for climbing nasty rocky hills and creaks like a trials bike would. They are not sand / mud tires
Other back tire with mouse Front and rear is a must if you gonna do Enduro riding. Also another smoother softer setup on the rear and front supension. Did it on mine and it is perfect now
Interesting thoughts! Thank you for making this video. I was scared that it would be hard to control the bike, and would be easier to launch it into the next county if you lost balance, but it seems like the bike is super smooth.
I found it way too stiff for the kind of riding I so here on the west coast but it was still a blast to ride. Are you running the stock tires? I found them SUPER slippery.
hi, I advise you to use the exposure setting on your GoPro, in this weather -0.5 or -1.0 exposure level is great, then you will avoid overexposure. Thank you for the video
Nice setup you have there and congrats on the new steed!! Having demo’d twice - These bikes are a unique riding experience and unless you’ve ridden one you’ll never know. Agreed on how slim they are & handling incredible Currently on a 22 te250i which does great for all around riding from beach / dunes / deep sand / singles / hard enduro here in Western Australia. been so on the fence w one of these. Enjoy mate !
Just what i was waiting to see - perfect content 👌 Having demo’d twice never got a feel for any obstacles. Cant remember the channel but the handbrake apparently helps to ‘load’ the power up a bit.
#PandaApproved Thanks for addressing the questions. I do wonder if there will be a setting available to avoid backward freewheel on a hill. That would be a must for the gnar for me, and I've done some nasty stuff with a Rekluse, so I recognize it.
You need the hand brake, it helps for old clutch abusers. I run the dual setup on mine and it’s the best of both worlds. I use the hand brake 99% of the time but I have the foot brake in emergencies.
It's wild how much you can hear the chain/sprockets. LOL, that squeak on the jump! Standard 1-1/8 bars? Any expected issues running your preferred handguards? So is no regen basically more like riding a 2T into turns rather than 4T? What other manufacturers are the footpegs compatible with? Guess you can't just grab a set of KTM OEM pegs? I've seen pics of those tubes they come with and they look slightly stronger than baloney casings. What tires do they ship with? Are the brakes just standard Brembo or Braketec? Can you use the same pads from another common bike? Do you have to change your throttle style coming off the jumps to prevent looping it with that wild wheel spin the moment you break contact? What are the steps for horsepower? 5hp? Can a pro such as myself set it at 72.3 for best performance? 😉 How are the throttle inputs received? Like a TPS down on a controller inside the chassis somewhere, or is it that housing on the bars? Can you just drop on standard ODI lock-ons? Nitpick, the front axle clamp bolts being torx-only is kinda silly when standard hex bolts are easier to get a hold of in a place that's often going to be dirty and require you to pick the dirt out. Great note about saving that extra thousand bucks on the 60hp vs the 80hp model. Does the 80hp just have more amp-hours, or is it a motor/mapping change? Will some mad scientist 6 months from now announce that he's discovered how to unlock 80hp mode on his 60hp bike? Great review!
YAHOO, how fun! I noticed the mistake that everyone makes on an EV Moto, you kept the throttle back as you went over the jump and as you went over and hit the ground. de-throttle when you exit the jump. will save tires and not carve holes in your track. Have fun!
well you made an instant fan of your channel and content why? Well im in Central Oregon as well P ville actually. Love your reviews and ride this terrain. I have hell of time explaining this terrain to other non C O riders. There like nah the terrain can't change that much. I said tell me that after eating shhhhhh on a shallow juniper tree root in glacier rock terrain. Cant wait for more reviews that apply to my area.
