tyler
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know anything about the Suzuki lt250 im prolly going to get one. its a 1992 model. is it fast? if so how fast?
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lt250?
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my cousin has had a couple and said they have better bottom and top end than the warrior but mid kinda sucks
tyler
Well-Known Member
ya.. do you know how fast it would run
I assume you are referring to an lt250R. I know more than I really care to about them, my cousin had one and I spent a lot of time working on it.
His was an 86, which was only the 2nd year for them, and it was the non-powervalve motor. It made a little less power than the newer generation but not a huge difference. They're comparable with the other 250 2 stroke racers from the 80's, the honda 250r and the kawi tecate 4. For the era they were designed, the lt250r is a quick, nimble bike. They were pure-bred racers at the time, at the time they were considered to be stupid fast, by today's standards they're still pretty quick though, not 450 fast though. They handle ok, they're on the narrow side stock but they're light enough that they can still whip around better than bigger bikes, for pete's sake they only weigh around 320 lbs. I would rather have a honda 250r for the aftermarket parts support, or a tecate 4 because they're better performers and they're just a damn cool looking bike and I love lime green.
To say they lack in the midrange would be an incorrect statement. The low end power on them is pretty much non-existent, feels like a 4 wheeled weed whacker, but it hits strong in the midrange and the top end keeps on pulling hard. It's a 2 stroke, that's how they roll.
On the downside, please consider this though. Even though it was the last of the 2 stroke racers aside from the banshee and the blaster, it's still been 18 years since one of these has been produced. Replacement parts are hard to find and aftermarket support has faded off to near nothing. An 18 year old bike will surely need parts from time to time and aside from normal wear items, you could end up searching a while or have to have what you need custom made. Most of them were also rode hard and put away wet, and 2 strokes tend to be temperamental to begin with so don't sell the warrior, you'll want to have something you can ride while you're working on it. My cousin had his for about 2 years and in that time it was probably in good running shape for about 6 months all together. Granted, part of that was because he was broke and didn't have the money, but even simple **** like ball joints took weeks to track down sometimes.
To answer exactly how fast they are though, a good answer would be fast enough to make your warrior feel like **** for a couple weeks. Every time I rode my cousin's ltr the warrior seemed about as fast as my lawn mower the next couple times I rode it. Top speed with good gearing stock would probably run in the low 70's, and his was quick enough off the line to take a vito's 240 blaster by a couple lengths in a 200 foot drag. They're fun bikes, all 2 strokes tend to feel much faster than they actually are, just be very careful about buying one in poor or questionable condition, you'll quickly find yourself in an expensive and frustrating position.
His was an 86, which was only the 2nd year for them, and it was the non-powervalve motor. It made a little less power than the newer generation but not a huge difference. They're comparable with the other 250 2 stroke racers from the 80's, the honda 250r and the kawi tecate 4. For the era they were designed, the lt250r is a quick, nimble bike. They were pure-bred racers at the time, at the time they were considered to be stupid fast, by today's standards they're still pretty quick though, not 450 fast though. They handle ok, they're on the narrow side stock but they're light enough that they can still whip around better than bigger bikes, for pete's sake they only weigh around 320 lbs. I would rather have a honda 250r for the aftermarket parts support, or a tecate 4 because they're better performers and they're just a damn cool looking bike and I love lime green.
To say they lack in the midrange would be an incorrect statement. The low end power on them is pretty much non-existent, feels like a 4 wheeled weed whacker, but it hits strong in the midrange and the top end keeps on pulling hard. It's a 2 stroke, that's how they roll.
On the downside, please consider this though. Even though it was the last of the 2 stroke racers aside from the banshee and the blaster, it's still been 18 years since one of these has been produced. Replacement parts are hard to find and aftermarket support has faded off to near nothing. An 18 year old bike will surely need parts from time to time and aside from normal wear items, you could end up searching a while or have to have what you need custom made. Most of them were also rode hard and put away wet, and 2 strokes tend to be temperamental to begin with so don't sell the warrior, you'll want to have something you can ride while you're working on it. My cousin had his for about 2 years and in that time it was probably in good running shape for about 6 months all together. Granted, part of that was because he was broke and didn't have the money, but even simple **** like ball joints took weeks to track down sometimes.
To answer exactly how fast they are though, a good answer would be fast enough to make your warrior feel like **** for a couple weeks. Every time I rode my cousin's ltr the warrior seemed about as fast as my lawn mower the next couple times I rode it. Top speed with good gearing stock would probably run in the low 70's, and his was quick enough off the line to take a vito's 240 blaster by a couple lengths in a 200 foot drag. They're fun bikes, all 2 strokes tend to feel much faster than they actually are, just be very careful about buying one in poor or questionable condition, you'll quickly find yourself in an expensive and frustrating position.
just make sure the carb is tuned right
tyler
Well-Known Member
Ya i hear yall.. the deal is that im going to trade my warrior for this one that a 1992 model and its got aftermarket exhaust from the head to the tail pipe its bored .6 over and has many visual upgrades like plastics nerf bars etc... and new tires and just a few more things here and there. Bad part of the deal is i have to put a new head gasket and a new base gasket on it because the guy i am buying it from accidentally tore them two gaskets after he got it bored and everything when he was putting it back 2gether. So just be honest and tell me what you think i will greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
Thanks
In my honest opinion, I wouldn't trade a warrior for one. 2 stroke racers aren't trail bikes, they are polar opposites of warriors. It depends on what you like, but I wouldn't want one as my only ride. They are a handful in trails, and they're hard to keep running right (and if they're not running right they foul a plug or blow up). And if the person working on it couldn't put it together with the gaskets intact, you're probably talking about a person that has no idea how to work on engines, you gotta be clueless to damage both of those gaskets during assembly. There's a good chance that there are other hack job repairs on it as well.
Get your right leg in shape too, they're kick starts and my cousin's cousin's never started easy, especially in the winter, we'd be kicking that thing for 5 minutes before we could get it going and keep it going. The rear fenders are the most irritating thing when you're trying to start it too, because at least with the older models your heel hit that fender every time and got caught under it if you were wearing boots... ever damn kick. I guess they didn't consider to do a little engineering like honda did, and make them kick forward, away from the fenders.
In the end it all comes down to what you want. Not just do you want to go faster, but do you want to deal with more upkeep and the rest of the pains that will come along with an 18 year old 2 smoker? I myself have always owned electric start 4 strokes, and just switching to a kick start on my 4 stroke bike made me really appreciate that magic button. 2 strokes are even worse to try to start especially when they get in a bad mood, his definitely had good days and bad days. If you do trade the warrior you'll definitely have moments when you get yourself into some tight technical trails and really wish you had a low geared 6 speed with a john deer engine in it to chug around with.
Get your right leg in shape too, they're kick starts and my cousin's cousin's never started easy, especially in the winter, we'd be kicking that thing for 5 minutes before we could get it going and keep it going. The rear fenders are the most irritating thing when you're trying to start it too, because at least with the older models your heel hit that fender every time and got caught under it if you were wearing boots... ever damn kick. I guess they didn't consider to do a little engineering like honda did, and make them kick forward, away from the fenders.
In the end it all comes down to what you want. Not just do you want to go faster, but do you want to deal with more upkeep and the rest of the pains that will come along with an 18 year old 2 smoker? I myself have always owned electric start 4 strokes, and just switching to a kick start on my 4 stroke bike made me really appreciate that magic button. 2 strokes are even worse to try to start especially when they get in a bad mood, his definitely had good days and bad days. If you do trade the warrior you'll definitely have moments when you get yourself into some tight technical trails and really wish you had a low geared 6 speed with a john deer engine in it to chug around with.
tyler
Well-Known Member
ya like you said yamarider its what i like and i dont usually ride many trails mostly dirt roads open fields and i love going to mx tracks and jumping singles and whoops and everything and the warrior as i have found out its not exactly made for that ya know so idk really what to do i need to think hard about it. and you say there will be alot more upkeep what exactly do you mean besides it hard to start in the winter.
Primarily, it's an old machine. **** gets old, it wears out and it breaks from age, wear, and stress. The designs of the time weren't as refined, there are more weak spots than modern stuff. Pretty much figure on fixing something after every day of riding, that's how any old quad will be. Especially if you're going to be hitting the track with it, that's really hard on a machine. It puts a lot of stress on everything, my cousin damaged everything from the footpegs to the frame to bending the axle and blowing out shocks on his. Shocks can get expensive, you'll pretty much have to go aftermarket because nobody will rebuild them and you're getting lucky for any shock on a quad to last more than 15 years without blowing out. Also figure in it's liquid cooled, so there's another list of potential things to break, leak, and generally cause more trouble. Depending on how well it was maintained and how hard it was ridden, i'm not guaranteeing that it will happen with this particular one, it could be super reliable for you. More often than not, stuff like this will nickel and dime you to death.
On top of the stuff due to age, 2 strokes are just more "picky" about their jetting. A 4 stroke can run ok even if the jetting is pretty far off. If a 2 stroke isn't spot on you'll spend all day swapping out spark plugs if it's too rich, or the damn thing will overheat and burn itself up if it's too lean. With 2 strokes the leaner they are, the faster they are. Eventually it'll reach a point where it burns a hole right through the piston. To keep it running in the sweet spot we had to rejet my cousin's 4 times a year to compensate for the temperature changes.
They're also going to need more frequent rebuilds than a 4 stroke because the lubrication for the crank and piston are all through the premixed oil in the gas, which isn't as efficient of a system as having a real pressurized oil system.
Trust me, old machines in general are more likely to break down and give you trouble.
On top of the stuff due to age, 2 strokes are just more "picky" about their jetting. A 4 stroke can run ok even if the jetting is pretty far off. If a 2 stroke isn't spot on you'll spend all day swapping out spark plugs if it's too rich, or the damn thing will overheat and burn itself up if it's too lean. With 2 strokes the leaner they are, the faster they are. Eventually it'll reach a point where it burns a hole right through the piston. To keep it running in the sweet spot we had to rejet my cousin's 4 times a year to compensate for the temperature changes.
They're also going to need more frequent rebuilds than a 4 stroke because the lubrication for the crank and piston are all through the premixed oil in the gas, which isn't as efficient of a system as having a real pressurized oil system.
Trust me, old machines in general are more likely to break down and give you trouble.
hatfield44
Well-Known Member
I personally would not trade ( a zilla would be a different story). You gotta carry extra plugs; oil if you wanna refill your gas tank. Can't forget the 2-stroke rebuilds either.
20warrior00
Well-Known Member
i own a 91 lt250r if you get them running right they are reliable , the 91-92 lt's are the best in my opinion cause they got the more modern style rear suspension. they are pretty wide stock (wider than the warrior) and yes they are pretty fast my warrior dosent compare a bit. parts arnt really hard to find, you can buy pretty much everything from suzuki still (frames, cases, cylinders). and if there running right they start easy, i just do 3 slow primer kicks and one hard kick starts every time. if you do get it www.quadracerhq.com is a good site theres everthing to do with them on there. good luck!
tyler
Well-Known Member
ok so 20warrior00 how often do you have to rebuild yours
I know you're asking him, but usually people will go about 3 years on a build with a 2 stroke, of course this can vary greatly. Someone that races and has the money may rebuild it every 3 rides, and I know someone who has a 250r 3 wheeler, was built in 86 or 87 and it's still got the original piston and rings in it. They'll still run if they're in need of a rebuild, the performance just gets sluggish as they get worn down. I'd figure on average, 3-5 years if the rebuild is done right and it's not beaten too badly. They tend to be cheaper to rebuild than 4 strokes as well, and easier, so don't let it scare you too much.
tyler
Well-Known Member
ya thats helpful also idk whether to go with the lt250r or a 400ex?
20warrior00
Well-Known Member
i just rebuilt mine like last winter, it had the original piston in it since 91, before i rebuilt it still ran great.
tyler
Well-Known Member
ok so what would you do if you was in my shoes 20warrior00
20warrior00
Well-Known Member
well the 250 would beat the 400 but the 400 would handle better
i like my 250 because its funny to see peoples faces when you beat there 7-8000$ bike by a 20 year old bike that i have about 1500$ in including the bike. id never sell mine.
i like my 250 because its funny to see peoples faces when you beat there 7-8000$ bike by a 20 year old bike that i have about 1500$ in including the bike. id never sell mine.
tyler
Well-Known Member
so do you think i should go with the lt250r cuz i can seem to find a 400ex that any1 wants to trade me for my warrior
I disagree, I think the 250 handles worlds better than a 400. The 250 2 strokes are just so damn light it takes no effort to flick one around and make it do what you want. Everybody talks about how good the 450's of today handle better than anything ever made, but I could raise a good argument about why a 250r, quadracer, or tecate 4 could easily do as good or better with good aftermarket stuff.
Do you just want to get rid of the warrior? It's mostly opinion but a 400ex isn't much better than a 350, I don't think it's worth the money to upgrade, and then you lose 6th gear and reverse and it looks like... well, let's just say the early 400ex's weren't the best looking things ever made, and the newer ones are just a wannabe copy of the 450r. I personally don't like the ergonomics of the 400ex, it would probably be ok if you got used to it but they just make me feel like i'm sitting high up on a bar stool compared to the warrior, which sits low, feels more like a chopper.
Do you just want to get rid of the warrior? It's mostly opinion but a 400ex isn't much better than a 350, I don't think it's worth the money to upgrade, and then you lose 6th gear and reverse and it looks like... well, let's just say the early 400ex's weren't the best looking things ever made, and the newer ones are just a wannabe copy of the 450r. I personally don't like the ergonomics of the 400ex, it would probably be ok if you got used to it but they just make me feel like i'm sitting high up on a bar stool compared to the warrior, which sits low, feels more like a chopper.
tyler
Well-Known Member
ya ive already steered away from the 400ex and back to the lt250r and to me the warrior is just not quiet fast enough, that dosent mean its not fast enough for other people i just want a more sporty faster quad. and with the lt250r it has something i want also, to be lighter because i weigh 220 and the warrior just is not cutting it. and the warrior is a GREAT quad i love it and i would NEVER sell it if it didn't weigh quiet as much and was prolly like a 400 or something.
