All fair points. To each their own as far as terrifying - I like taking a bike to redline and feeling a rush but not feeling near death - of course that line will be in a different spot for different folks. Plenty of riders are desensitized to liter bike power, while others describe a 390 Duke as "very fast." For me, now, the 675 is perfect. A 765 would last me longer though. Someday

​​​​​i love the looks of the z900rs but not into inline-4 cylinders generally. I'd be fine with one for a track bike but I'm all in on triples for street use.

I'm in a similar spot, I have a SV650 which is heavily upgraded, it handles much better than stock and sounds great and is decently fast. Sure it isn't a liter bike but it is more than fast enough to get yourself in trouble. I think if I ever upgrade it will just be to get something that handles better and has more advanced abs/traction control etc.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...13a28c7c4d.jpg

Sharp looking SV. I still really like SV's. That's what I was looking for but ended up with the Triumph instead, just found a deal that was too good to pass up. The SV has such a sweet motor and it's plenty of power to have a blast. Such a friendly bike.

Thanks, the Street Triple is pretty similar. Handle bars and riding position it pretty comfy compared to the sportier alternatives too.

I agree, love the SV. Solid bike, good looks, light and fun, and love the motor (partial to twins). Good pick and nice mods. I can agree that on the streets, similar to a miata, slow(er) bikes are way more fun to ride. This is why I'm selling my 1125R, sure it has great buell handling but I like the slower bikes more because how you can wring their necks.

And because no man needs 3 street bikes, let alone 3 of the same make. That said, I'm definitely getting a dirt bike next year so paging @turbofan

What do you think of the Beta 300RR? I damn near left with a 2024 model after checking them out at the dealer. A work of art, but I try not to make big purchases off passion so I'm going to wait it out until the spring to make a purchase on anything.

Contenders are the KTM 300xc-w and beta 300rr. I looked at the yz250x, but at the price I'd make the jump to the 300 for sure, and I want something I can ride to the trailheads, AND to work when I want (the dealer in CO sells either plated for street use with temp tags, right out the door - I have no idea how legal this is but he assured me I'll just register it as a normal on road motorcycle in NM). Not looking to debate whether riding a 300cc 2 stroke to work is a good idea, I live in a rural area, it's like a 40mph speed limit and 4 mile ride to work and I've even considered an e-bike for the commute. Not your normal stuff.

So far I'm leaning towards the Beta, but here's my thoughts right now.

• Beta is still carburated. I kinda like the idea of this, but not sure if I'll miss the TPI in practice. I love a good carb though, and actually this might be a plus. I know they worked out the issues with the TPI though and I'm sure it's amazing.
• Beta is a bit less refined, still counterbalanced but a bit buzzier than the KTM from my research. I'm probably fine with this, coming from buzzy ass 250 2 strokes of yesteryear.
• I like the idea of sprung suspension vs wp air stuff, but again, I've been off dirtbikes for so long either is gonna blow my mind.
• Beta had some main bearing failure issues in 20-21 which have been addressed, otherwise the new ones seem very reliable.
• Parts cost on the beta are a bit cheaper, but that's pretty much a wash.
• Beta comes with a mirror, spark arrestor, has a horn, and is wired (and has switches) for turn signals outta the box. +1 for streetage.

Some pics I took of the beta I was looking at. It's a 24 model, 10.5 out the door.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8107fcc608.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e285b2de97.jpg

Ooo, this is relevant to my interests. I <3 Miataturbo.net

The beta seems to be ever so slightly preferred for hard Enduro due to the super predictable nature of the carb, but IMO the TPI benefits are worth it
TPI bikes get oil injected directly onto the bottom end (rather than diluted with fuel) so bottom ends routinely last 500+ hours, compared to MAYBE 200 hours for premix bikes. They also require no tuning or fiddling of any kind. A buddy of mine has a 2019 XC-W TPI with something like 300 hours on it. He's done two top ends, not because performance was suffering but because he felt like he should, and other than that just put gas in it. It's absurd how low-fuss it is, and that's huge for me.

I love the nimbleness of the Beta, plus the fact that it's not like everyone else's bike. But if I were buying a 2-stroke Enduro bike tomorrow it'd be a GasGas EC300. That's the most popular hard Enduro bike right now by far, for 2 reasons:

1. It's the cheapest of the TPI bikes
2. It's the only way to get the linkage rear suspension with an aluminum subframe and a wide ratio gearbox.

All that said, if you're not trying to do super gnarly hard Enduro, I still like the 4 stroke better. Powerband is so much more fun in open terrain whether street or dirt. I love my '13 450 XCW, no plans to upgrade.

The beta 300rr (non-race edition) that I was looking at is oil injected. I believe that system is relatively now to Beta, but not sure. But I do like the oil injection for sure. I don't know about where the oil is injected, or if that's going to increase the bottom end longevity like you were saying, probably something I should look into.

I'll check out the GasGas, they were kinda on my radar, but I haven't seen one in person so I'll have to see if there are some dealers around here.

And you aren't the first person to try and sway me 4 stroke, and honestly it's probably better for my use (not racing), but I just love the sound, smell, lightweight, no valve adjustment, simple nature of the 2 stroke, and I want to get one while I still can. The modern 300 2 strokes are super tractable and really are great trail bikes, unlike the old 2 stroke racebikes of yesteryear.

Oh for sure, modern 2 strokes are awesome. It's about impossible to stall them. Having ridden my buddy's TPI back to back with my 450, I like mine maybe 15% better in open terrain, and his 60% better in the super super gnarly stuff.

Didn't know that about the beta - if people are getting similar life out of the newest Betas then it's that much more appealing.

The whole valve adjust thing is sort of moot though - 4 strokes need valve check/adjustment every 100-150 hours, and 2 strokes need top ends in similar frequency. But top ends are super easy so 🤷🏻‍♂️

Fair argument. That's pretty much a wash, I'd agree. Thanks for your input, Ed, you've got infinite more offroad experience than myself and I respect your opinion on this!

I was also looking at used bikes but got a bit afraid. The 2 strokes I'm less afraid of, but some of those older 4 stroke motors are expensive and hard to find, so if I god forbid get a bike that needs a motor down the line I might as well scrap it for a newer one. Also, the level of abuse that some of these bikes see is insane, and some of these bikes used still cost nearly 3/4 of the original price. I think I'm going to go new, and just keep whatever bike I get forever.

I was also checking out the TM's but they look a bit stiff/pipey/racey for my tastes.

Also, my first valve check on my bike was performed at 110 hours and it didn't require adjustment, so that was neat. I'm now in the 180 hour range and the bike runs perfect. Bought it non-running, and after sitting for 4 years it needed to have the injector cleared (used an air compressor and brake parts cleaner) and fresh fuel. Easy.

That Beta for $10.5 OTD brand new seems like the move if you want fewer strokes.

I want to ride it.

Went to a mini moto event yesterday. Used a friends 50. The group was about 50/50, 50cc and 110cc. Secretly, i was hoping i hated it. But nope, it had to be too much fun.
To be clear, i've never ridden anything on two wheels in a competitive environment, much less on a track.
I was stuck between foot forward and knee down. Most everyone there had a full leather race suit on. I'd feel more confident if i did too. I even crashed twice. Everyone crashed. It's wild.
The group had everything from little kids, to moms, to actual professional riders.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...eb4d6dc6b4.jpghttps://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1370b8dc67.jpg

That looks like entirely too much fun :)

Back in 2021, I was getting sick of almost being killed by homicidal idiots every. single. time I went for a ride, so I sold my bike. For the first time in 30 years, I would be bikeless, so it was a hard decision. But I knew we would be retiring and moving to a less congested area, so I did it with hope for the future, and that time has come. We retired, we moved, and I bought another bike. '07 VFR800

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cee19ec2_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...527ee709_c.jpg

I always liked the Honda V4s, and a VFR was the first bike I ever bought new, waaay back in '96. VFRs are not the sharpest tool in the drawer, but they're a great street sportbike, and I'm old enough to know I'm never going to ride like I did 20 years ago when I was racing. Build quality on these is fantastic, and the sound.... :naughty:

I wasn't a fan of the VTEC when these came out... thought it was unnecessary complication that didn't add anything, but I can live with it. It's got some 5 year old no-name tires that need to go, and an exhaust is already on the way. Did I mention the sound? :D

I had a chance to ride an old Interceptor VF750 for a weekend back in the day. Not as powerful or refined as what you have but still the same engine family. It was Honda reliable.

I had an '09 bought new, which was the same bike in all white, with hard cases. Loved its all-round capability. I picked it up on a Thursday after work and by Monday I was back at the dealer because I was already past the oil break-in mileage. Riding position, easy, competent handling, smooth, mellifluous engine, ABS, and great headlights for the time were all strong points. I immediately was more confident on it than I had been on my TL1000S and liked that it was a bike designed for the street instead of being a track bike with turn signals. I would've liked to upgrade the suspension for the rough roads around here, but sadly I wrecked it on some road salt before I got the chance.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8280ca8ac5.jpg

I tried to find one with the original hard luggage, but finding the anniversary colors with OEM bags at a decent price was pretty difficult. This one was an hour away and super clean. Probably not a big deal, as I'm not likely to be motorcycle touring like I used to. If I need them, I might be able to find a used OEM set, and the Givi stuff is still available.

Always loved VFRs, especially that anniversary edition one. I had an anniversary edition one but it had been wrecked and replaced with trash plastics from eBay that didn't fit, but I bought it anyway cuz it was cheap (what can I say, I was in college...)

Ugly because of the plastics but it was really a sweet bike. Loved that engine. For some reason the riding position didn't get along with me in those days so I traded it for a Buell XB12R haha

This was the day I made the trade. Couldn't even ride the thing. Once I could wear a shoe but still had crutches I would strap the crutches to the bike and go ride.

POS VFR:
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...51b96ea933.jpg


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...690055f4ae.jpg

Also went out and played trials again. Gotta do this more often, so much fun.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c323077064.jpg

Impressive, Ed. I had the pleasure of riding a trials bike for a few hours at friends practice course on his property. About the most fun you can have going slow. It was a beta 300 2 stroke the the motor was spicy. It's a hell of a workout wheeling those things around at a few MPH, balancing, and hopping logs, etc. I certainly couldn't do what you are doing there!

Thanks man, I was pleased at how comfy I felt relatively quickly. She's an old bike but not holding me back. So much fun!!