2 Stroke v 4 Stroke for City Riding

stillatwork

Active Member
Interested as to everyone’s opinions. Let’s take NYC for instance. Or any major city LA, etc. What motor would be more suitable for city riding conditions?
 
stillatwork said:
Interested as to everyone’s opinions. Let’s take NYC for instance. Or any major city LA, etc. What motor would be more suitable for city riding conditions?

Four stroke would be the best for city riding. Chances are, you’ll never get out of second gear. Two strokes.....too much to explain why not.


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I'd say a 300-600cc 4 stroke. Less power is fine if you don't leave the city and don't plan on over 60mph. I'd agree that smaller and lighter is great in a crowded city but the smaller you go the less happy you'll be if you leave the crowds for a freeway or something.
 
I would think one big headache with the two strokes are that you cant just fill up at the gas station and go. You have to buy 2-stroke oil and make the oil gas mixture.
 
stillatwork said:
Millermatic please explain if you could!

2 strokes. They are noisy, especially any exhaust mods you do to them. It’s going to run hot as hell sitting in traffic without any airflow. Terrible fuel mileage, are you pre-mixing or oil injected? Longevity of the top end on a 2 stroke is shorter. Doesn’t make much power down low, unless you rev the piss out of it to get going, increased clutch wear. Even if you change the gearing, now you’re limited on the top end. The four stroke is the way to go for that application, you can crawl in first gear, and have plenty of torque at a moments notice to shoot the gaps. I have ridden a two stroke in heavy traffic before, here comes the powerband......shit, cars slowing down, now you’re in the back seat. It’s a pain in the ass, I’d rather sit on an air cooled V Twin in traffic, during the summer, wearing leather.


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^^^I have to agree. A 4 stroke in the city is going to be a better way to go. And that is coming from an avid fan of two strokes, but two different tools for two different jobs.
 
Since I only own two strokes, I’m going to have to say two strokes are the better choice. I might be biased though.
 
The nature of the power band of 2 strokes generally can make it difficult for a newbe to negotiate the clutch when starting to move. 2 stroke enduros might be an exception here. If you could find a good DT360 Yamaha that would be good to learn on (I assume you are new to bikes). 2 strokes are usually lighter than 4 strokes as well as less top heavy and these are good things for a newbe to move around at lower speeds.

One way bikes are different from cars is that bike riders need to know how to do basic maintenance and pre-ride checks.

A bike like a Seca 650 for example, is not too heavy, is a bike that has enough power to not make you bored when after you feel comfortable riding and has a driveshaft, which means you don't have to be maintaining your chain so eliminates one thing to worry about.

When you do buy a bike take a friend that knows bikes to check it out, a maintenance nightmare or worse yet an unsafe bike when you are just learning is just going to make things more complicated.

By the way, I love 2 strokes

All in all, I don't think you will find a DT360 but I think the best for you would be a smaller 4 stroke that has a driveshaft, just to start with especially since 2 strokes have not been made for the street for years, so it is rarer to find a good one. Don't worry about one that looks pretty, chances are it's going to fall over on you when you are just moving it around or riding at slow speed like in a parking lot.
 
I rode a CB360 when I lived in Philly. It was a great bike to ride around that town. Enough power to move around and small enough to fit into tight gaps. Now that I own a DR350, I think that bike would be the tits in Philly.
 
I think it would be cool to do a CR500 Supermoto, could you imagine how much of a pain in the ass that thing would be to ride in the city?


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irk miller said:
I rode a CB360 when I lived in Philly. It was a great bike to ride around that town. Enough power to move around and small enough to fit into tight gaps. Now that I own a DR350, I think that bike would be the tits in Philly.

DR350 would be a great choice.
 
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