2 STROKE VS 4 STROKE | Which is Better for YOU!?

[Music] [Music] thanks for joining me my name is Josh night at ride with the Knights comm and today we will be sharing with you our experience with two strokes and four strokes disclaimer between two strokes and four strokes neither one is better than the other they are just simply different and both have advantages and disadvantages in our experience we have recognized 14 key areas and differences that exist between two strokes and four strokes this video will be structured by individually addressing each one of these areas and discussing the differences between two strokes and four strokes please use this information to add value to your current riding preferences or decisions number one is weight two-stroke motorcycles are generally lighter weight four strokes often are a little heavier most of this extra weight is found at the additional moving parts within the motor there are a variety of effects caused by weight the first given fact is that with more weight requires more energy to move this can be a bad thing if you as a rider are trying to move the bike around frequently however this can also be a good attribute when considering the ground trying to move your bike around with more weight comes more stability personally when riding slow technical terrain I prefer the lightweight feeling of a two-stroke however when riding open high speed terrain I prefer the stability of a four-stroke provided by their increased weight this is one of the biggest deciding factors for riders two-strokes struggle to compete against four strokes with high speed stability while four strokes on the other hand struggle to compete with two strokes in tight sections this brings us to number two number two manoeuvrability manoeuvrability does share some similarities with the previous topic of feeling lightweight and it can be confusing however I would like to clarify some distinctions for our purposes weight will commonly refer to the total overall movement composed of three forces number one rider force to ground force and number three the motorcycles natural force maneuverability on the other hand will focus specifically on rider force excluding outside forces and focusing on the intentional movements desire by the riders the ability to lean and control the bike more easily is not only attributed to the overall weight but is also affected by the amount of moving parts internally two strokes have less moving parts this decreases the amount of gyroscopic force the engine produces maneuverability can also be affected by the speed at which the engine produces power some motorcycles reach peak RPMs quicker than others the speed at which an engine produces power can drastically affect how the motorcycle handles for example you may have a fairly heavy 450 but with quick power delivery it will make the motorcycle feel light beneath your feet on the other hand you can have a motorcycle that is technically less weight but if the motor is really slow to make power then chances are the bike will feel heavy and be more difficult to maneuver some riders are more sensitive than others and will be able to quickly recognize these differences number three engine power two strokes technically create more power per cubic centimeter that is why 125 two strokes compete against 250 for strokes and 250 two strokes can beat against 450 for strokes while they don't produce identical horsepower four-stroke still produce more horsepower they produce comparable power relatively speaking both bikes create unique power curves take a look at this graph this is a graph measuring horsepower from the 2019 450 shootout provided by dirt bike magazine notice that the power curve increases on a relatively straight line now let's examine some data for two-stroke motors this graph is found on KTM Talk posted by James Dean the two-stroke power curve is very similar following a relatively straight line however if we take a look at the torque curve you will notice a small dip and spike in the torque delivery this is often referred to as the power band generally speaking four strokes will create more consistent smooth power throughout the RPM range two-stroke engines produce maximum power within a specific rpm window this often requires the rider to modulate the clutch more in order to maintain that desired rpm range four-stroke motors create predictable consistent power that translates easy into torque to stroke motors create lively quick power although there are some characteristics that are shared within all two-stroke and four-stroke many of these attributes are subject to variability based on the displacement of the engine number four engine temperature the majority of modern two-stroke and four-stroke engines are liquid cooled meaning they use a system of radiators hoses and cavities surrounding the cylinder wall to dissipate heat created by the motor because two strokes have the ability to idle at a lower rpm range they often are able to run cooler at low speeds generally speaking four strokes struggle to stay cool when riding very slow and technical terrain when riding medium to high speed terrain both two strokes and four strokes are fairly even when comparing engine temperature if you are considering riding hard enduro terrain two-stroke motors will generally run cooler than four strokes any other type of terrain and both motors will be comparable number five is motor design and maintenance two-stroke motors have a simpler design and use less moving parts four-stroke motors use more moving parts in the event of a mechanical failure within the motor a two-stroke will most likely require less parts to be repaired and generally speaking will be less expensive when compared to a four-stroke although we have spent most of our riding experience on two strokes we have replaced a lot more two-stroke pistons than four strokes however when considering general maintenance both bikes are fairly comparable two strokes will require frequent air filter cleaning transmission oil changes chain lube and pre-mixed fuel for strokes will often require frequent air filter cleaning transmission oil changes oil filter changes and chain loop in the mechanics section of this course we will go over maintenance in greater detail including recommended maintenance schedules for the purpose of comparing two strokes and four strokes in terms of maintenance there are a few important things to remember one two strokes will require pre-mixed fuel and less oil injected or TPI two in the event of a motor failure of four-stroke will often require more parts to be repaired three both two strokes and four strokes are off-road dirt bikes and will demand very similar maintenance skills number six engine braking similarly to many of the other characteristics discussed in this video most are caused because of the amount of moving parts within the engine engine braking is no different and is correlated with the mass of the internal moving parts four-stroke engines offer strong consistent engine braking throughout the transmission two strokes offer little to none in breaking can be used very effectively when combined with regular breaking to slow down quickly for the most part engine braking can provide a lot of value to your writing however there can be a few cons depending on the type of writing you will be doing for competitive purposes engine braking is very useful for leisure riding engine braking can take some time to adapt to number seven starting to stroke motors are often much easier to start and require less energy and effort four-stroke motors are much heavier and require more strength to kick whether using a kick starter or electric start to stroke motors will often start quicker as well however many modern four-strokes come equipped with electric starters and are becoming increasingly more reliable and quick so reliable that many manufacturers have removed the kick starter altogether when purchasing a new motorcycle take the time to consider how frequently you will be stopping and starting this may affect whether you purchase a two-stroke or four-stroke number eight traction due to the consistent linear power offered by four-stroke motors they often provide better all-around traction than two strokes four-stroke motors provide smooth power throughout the RPM range when riding a four-stroke you will often find that no matter what gear you are in you will be able to apply strong power and strong traction to the ground two-stroke motors continue to offer great traction but due to the fluctuating power and decrease weight they struggle to compete with horse tropes when considering traction when riding a two-stroke you will often be shifting gears and adjusting clutch or throttle control to achieve that extra traction this leads us into our next category number nine clutch and throttle control all riding is a balance of throttle and clutch control to receive maximum power and traction your engine will make peak traction and power within a specific window on the RPM range by using clutch and throttle control you will be able to modulate the RPM range to stay within this window four-stroke motors often have a much larger window in which they produce power and traction therefore making it much easier to apply traction to the ground and generally speaking require less modulation of the clutch and throttle to strokes on the other hand have a more narrow rpm window in which they make peak traction this requires the rider to modulate clutch and throttle control very fine adjustments number 10 carburetor versus EFI with the exception of a few modern models most two strokes are carbureted all modern four strokes are fuel-injected carburetors use different sized Jets or ports to determine the correct air and fuel ratio to inject into the motor these Jets have to be tuned and changed manually fuel injectors utilize electronic computers to determine the air fuel ratio because these computers use sensors they are able to compensate for air pressure and air temperature to calculate the perfect air fuel mixture everytime fuel injected bikes generally speaking do not need to be tuned manually when purchasing a new motorcycle consider whether the bike is fuel injected or carbureted 11 vibration two-stroke motors often distribute much of the rotational force caused by the motor throughout the frame and handlebars as high frequency vibrations this vibrating sensation can be felt through the foot pegs and within the handlebars depending on the magnitude of the vibration and the sensitivity of the rider this may cause fatigue or the inability to properly grip the motorcycle however some manufacturers have developed solutions to this issue KTM and Husqvarna developed a counterbalance er within the motor that can be found on most models 2017 and newer in my personal riding this counter balancer has proved to be very effective my personal opinion is that the KTM two-stroke is the smoothest two-stroke available bata also developed a counterbalance or that can be found on their 2020 models for strokes on the other hand do a great job of retaining this energy within the motor and significantly reduce the amount of vibration felt through the handlebars and foot pegs number 12 sound two strokes and four strokes are both dirt bikes and they're both loud however four strokes are generally louder four strokes produce a deeper sound that carries more energy greater reading on a decimal meter the two strokes produce a higher sound that generally does not carry quite as far the sound of your motorcycle is directly subject to the type quality and condition of the exhaust system mounted to the motor a poorly maintained exhaust system or the absence of a muffler altogether will greatly affect the sound of your motorcycle number thirteen manufacturing with a few exceptions most modern motorcycle development has been focused on the four-stroke engine Japanese manufacturers continue to develop and progress a four-stroke motorcycles typically releasing a new model each year KTM has set the bar high for two-stroke motorcycles and has never halted the development and progression of two-stroke engines many other European motorcycle manufacturers as well continue to develop modern two-stroke motorcycles when purchasing a new motorcycle remember two strokes will offer less current variety amongst all manufacturers number fourteen racing when considering racing as a whole two strokes are less common in race classes especially among the prestigious motocross and Supercross series due to a combination of characteristics and factors many athletes find themselves more competitive on a four-stroke motorcycle depending on the discipline of racing a few exceptions include different styles of off-road racing due to the difficulty of terrain many riders prefer two strokes when competing in hard enduro personally I find great joy in both two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycles for myself neither one is better than the other remember to choose a motorcycle that fits your needs and take advantage of their strengths if you have any further questions please feel free to reach out and we will see you in the next video [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Ride With The Knights

Views: 1,302,386

Rating: 4.9133615 out of 5

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Id: Nt-dAN6qFWI

Length: 12min 20sec (740 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 16 2020