2-stroke good or bad?

[pontiac]

wanted to know if two strokes are good or bad..and if it is true that they brakedown easy

[300exredrider]

2 stroke perform really well, speed wise but on the trails they arent as good as 4 strokes. i've heard they break down more, and when something little goes wrong u have to fix it unlike with 4 strokes u can still drive it with that little problem. not sure if this is true though.

[Ash]

i wouldnt my trade a 2-stroke for anything. no they dont break down anymore than any other quad. if you run correct jetting in them and keep the filter clean they'll last a long time. plus you'll get more power out of them than the 4-strokes

[SaMs0n]

If your looking for a reliabilty go with a 2-stroke. You have half the moving parts, plus they take motor mods a lot better. 4-strokes are reliable too if they are low HP, but hi output 4 strokes can be finicky.

[samhonda]

Generally I agree, but you will never answer the debate of which is more reliable. Two strokes deliver huge power, but only for a short time, unless you can ride it in the powerband, which takes more skill than a four. You can just fang a four and lean forward, do that with a two stroke and you might still find your front half off the ground. That is why two stroke fans love them. But something else to think about is that two strokes are becoming obsolete, slowly. This is the last year for the cr500, what's next?. Plus the new yz400f's from yami.

there making bikes that have enormous amounts of power. The only thing I think stopping killer quads from being sold is the politicians. A grand prix bike (four stroke) weighs 150kgs (300pound), and has 170hp at the back wheels.

That is FUN.

[WyoDuner]

There are a LOT of people who are ignorant about 2 strokes. No, they do not break down more than a 4 stroke. In fact, I would have to say that in many ways they are MORE relaible and LOWER MAINTENANCE. Why? Simple a 2 stroke only has a few moving parts compared to a lot of moving parts on a 4 stroke. There are no valves to adjust or cam gears/chains to wear out. A 2 stroke is going to need piston/rings/hone more than a 4 stroke but it's not very often and it's cheap and easy to do. My Banshee is now 2 years old and compression is still at factory fresh spec; a little over actually but that's probably just my meter not being accurate enough. Proper jetting and oil mix will go a long way towards making a 2 stroke last a long time.

The more you modify a 4 stroke the less reliable it becomes. Same for a 2 stroke but to a lesser degree I believe. Also, a 2 stroke is MUCH easier to modify for power than a 4 stroke. A 2 stroke doesn't have the RPM restrictions of a 4 stroke either.

Also, a 2 stroke does not necessarily produce less low end than a 4 stroke. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a day riding a trials motorcycle. That thing had tons of low end torque because it was TUNED that way. The machines we ride are tuned for mid to top end power not low end so people assume 2 strokes have no low end. They just don't know any better.

2 strokes need to be made to be more fuel efficient and have cleaner emissions if we want to continue to see them around much longer though.

I like them both and they both have their place but for high performance and quickest acceleration a 2 stroke can't be beat CC for CC.

[crazyAb]

I think that a lot of people in this thread have not looked at the whole picture when it comes to the internals of a two stroke engine. I think that a few good points have been made, in that if you keep a two stroke tuned right, it will last a long time. Even though a two stoke has less moving parts, it is running alot faster, thus creating the need to rebuild the top end of the engines more often. Which may not seem like a big deal to me, or most sport two stroke owners, does still factor in to how much work has to be done to ones machine.

[RdingManiac420]

I personaly love two strokes. They usually do entail a little more maintanance though. You must keep them jetted wright at all times wich can be a little hard because mine needs rejeted just between summer and winter fot the temp differances. My top end only lasted about 6months which didnt empress me. But I do love the power and I think it is well worth it to rebuild every couple years just to have that sound and thrill of a two stroke.

[imported_juggalo]

i don't think my LT was rebuilt once in its lifetime.. and it has been raced and beaten to hell over the years. i do know for a fact though that i had it for 3 years and i never had to rebuild it even after riding it all the time and riding hard too and also the guy that had it before me had it 4 years and he also never rebuilt it. before it was stolen it still had good compression and could beat the hell out of piped 400EX's. 2 strokes are a lot more reliable than people think they are.

[IceMan11]

There are pluses and minuses to both two strokes and four stokes. Here's how I see it:

2 Strokes:
Amazing power for the displacement (+)
Engine is simplier to work on (not as complicated as a four stroke) (+)
Bike is usually lighter than a 4 stroke (because the engine is simplier)
Responds to engine modifcations better than a 4 stroke (+)
Has a narrow power band (-)
Engine needs to be rebuilt more often then a 4 stroke (assuming they both have been taken care of properly). (-)

4 Stroke:
Wider Power Band (+)
Longer interval between rebuilds (+)
No messing around with Oil/Fuel Mixes (+)
Usually heavier than a 2 stroke (-)
But what is really comes down to is your personal taste is riding. I'd suggest riding a two stroke and riding a four stoke and see what works better for you.

2001 Yamaha Raptor (GYT-R Bumper, DG Skid Plates, Pro Design Kill Switch)
1988 Yamaha Warrior (too many mods to list)