Looking at the Honda dirt bikes, there are no more XR 250/400's even left in the lineup. For off-road (with the exception of the entry level machines and the 650, which is pure desert), all you can get is a CRF450X or CRF250X. There is definitely a trend here of.........out with the old and in with the new!

Quad engines reflect what is going on in dirt bikes, but with a few years lag time. So, what does the future hold for us quad riders? I would hope for a trend toward EXTREMELY light machines, using the CRF450/250 type engine technology. Much of what we are now riding, should be quite obsolete in the very near future! I hope for a world where anything that weighs more than 350 lbs., will be considered a tank.

 

Haven't really keep up with Honda since the 05 introductions. 350lb. quads would be nice but there is one 400 pounder I still wouldn't mind seeing, a TRX650EX. I wonder a little more about Kawasaki. The only real sport they have left is made by Suzuki. They been putting all their eggs in the utility basket. It does kinda feel like somethings brewing in the sport quad segment of the market.............but what?

 

I'd rather see a new 2-stroke quad.... If honda could make a new 250R with todays chassis and alluminum parts that would be awsome. Shave the weight down to 310lbs stock! Hell yeah...

A new 250 4-stroke motorcrosser would be sweet too. I think yamaha will come out with that one way before honda though. I will never ever get my hopes up for honda again..

 

same here a new 250r with up to date technology would kick a$$ everyone says a 250r bone stock aer slow but if they were up to date id bet they be on top ov everything those bikes are the best



-------------------------
99 440ex
84 atc 250r

 

It's a pity that the XR's aren't going to be in the line-up...however you can be sure that many people around the world will still be riding them for years and years to come...they never die!!!

 

damn...honda shoulda done an all-or-nothing 05 run of mass 250r's based on the old design, with maybe some better fixes. make a sh|tload and re-stock masses of em before the 06 models would come out

 

This is just my .02....but I think they need to look back into their modular engine program theory and go back to to individually designed OHC engines. Just my view.

Oh, and find another vendor for the crankshafts on the Foreman 450 models....LOL

 

hmm...a small run of souped-up 400ex's, like 400r's. DOHC, original 400ex plastics, no reverse, like 340 lbs. just something thats 400cc and could kick the z/kfx/dvx 400 in the *** lol

 

The quads of the future will have things like seat belts, roll bars, and heat. They will be called a quadcar.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

The quads will eventually be voice controlled so that people don't even have to push a throttle to go or a brake lever to stop. The quads will also include a computer chip that keeps track of your every move. No more trespassing.

The quads of the far off future will include a automatically activated bubble that will cover the rider while going through mud or water. Then it will retract afterward. No more dirty feet. Mud yuck![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

The quads of the far off future will include a battery cell. This will make it possible to have a environmentally friendly quad with a 50cc motor that will carry 4 adults. But it will only get 30 mpg. The power will be amazing. It might even be as powerful as a popcorn fart.

The quads of tomorrow will also include a safety feature to keep pickers and branches from hitting the riders delicate hands. The thing that makes it different is that the object will be instantly mulched so the next rider does not get his delicate hands scratched.

Probably one important feature will be a device that changes the direction that bugs are flying before they hit the driver or quad. This option is important to all the environmentally friendly people that don't want anything to ever be harmed.

In the far, far off future there will be levitating quads that do not tread on the soil. This is also an important feature for the environmentally friendly people that are tired of bugs, snakes and frogs being run over in mud holes. Oops! I mean the protected wetlands holes.

 

Great topic Recon. I have given this a little thought before jumping in. I know that I am in the minority here but I am just too damm skeptical about the long term reliability of the new racing 4-strokes. As long as there is a racing class for 450R's then there will be a need and Honda will supply. But a motor that rev's to 13,500 (250's) and 11,500 (450's) and holds only 0.6 quarts of motor oil plus 0.7 quarts tranny oil and that is ridden to its potential should not be as reliable in the long term as a motor that tops out at 8,500 and holds 2.0 quarts of oil like the XR400 and 400EX. I don't believe liquid cooling on the new 4-strokes gives back the reliability it has lost with the higher RPM's and compression.
I believe there is a place for the Honda XR650R motor in a big bore recreation sport quad as do many others on this board. Where I depart from the others is that I would rather see the 400EX evolve into an extremely long life 450 or 500 EX that provides the power riders want but weighs a few pounds more than the 450R, turns fewer RPM's, and has electric start. It would definitly be a better Preditor for the recreation riders who want performance but don't want to sacrifice any reliability. I would prefer this over a few pounds lighter 450R.
I don't forsee any need for a 250 racing 4-stroke in a quad. The weight savings compared to a equal powered 400 isn't worth the loss in reliability. I saw your post about the 200 hours on a CRF250X off road bike and I am going to be watching this issue very closely. I may be in the market for an electric start CRF450X 2 wheeler in the future if I can be satisfied about the reliability.