Im going to start by saying this is my OPINION, so keep your panties unbunched.
Recently the 4 stroke has been placed in high performance ATVs and Bikes. I think this has a lot more to do with the environment, and not the ability of a 4 stroke.
I am a gear head and can appreciate the 4 strokes advantages, like more consistant performance, quieter operation, no smoke, flater torque curve, and less fuel consumption. All qualities that make a great motor, except High Performance aapplications. If it only produces half the power of an equaly sized and tuned 2 stroke, YOU CAN HAVE IT.
Give me the powerfull and simple 2 stroke any day. Just wait till some of these abused HP 4 strokes are a few years old, in need of a total rebuild and tell me which requires more maintenance ($$$$ BIG BUCKS $$$$$. With 4 times as many moving parts you end up with 4 times as many possible problems. Unlike the K.I.S.S 2 stroke.
A 3 year old abused HP 2 stroke only needs a bore and new piston to be better than new ( more cc).
Just a few rambling thoughts to start a pissing match.
Have fun with it.

 

You are most definately right about the environmental issue. I would never have touched a 4-stroke until now. My new Raptor is super-quiet, very powerful and super smooth. Yes it lacks a bit of punch compared to my other ride...but with 660cc's working for it...it has just enough potential!

If only the enviro-freaks could learn that with proper R&D that someone could manufacture an environmentally "safer" 2-stroke. But 2-strokes already have a bad rap and you know how that is.

Later

 

COMING FROM A GUY WHO OWNS 2 ZILLA'S YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL, I AGREE WITH YOU 100%. YOU CAN HAVE YOUR DS'S, AND RAPTORS. ALTHOUGH I LIKE TO TOY AROUND ON THEM I LOVE DESTORYING A 2001 RAPTOR WITH A BIKE I BUILT BASED ON 15 YEAR OLD TECHNOLOGY. AND LIKE YOU SAID IF I HAVE A PROB IN THE TOP END 2 HOURS LATER I AM UP AND RUNNING WHILE THE 4 STROKES ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR THE PROB. BOTH 2 AND 4 STROKES HAVE THEIR PLACE, THATS WHY I HAVE A 500 SPORTSMAN FOR WORKING AND HUNTING, THE 400 EX FOR QUIET NIGHT TIME TRAIL RIDING AND 2 ZILLA'S FOR ALL OUT DESTRUCTION OF THE COMPETITION.

 

Mega

Since we haven't had any good arguements in the forum in a while, I will add some fuel to this fire .

First, I am not going to argue that two strokes are not faster than four strokes. Two strokes are definetly quicker, however, they stink. After riding last weekend at silver lake, I don't know how many times I passed a two stroke only to smell the linger of smokey oil in the air. I know some of the Polaris machines using the Gold oil don't produce any noticible smell, but some of the other oil gas combinations just stink.

Second, the two strokes are hugh polluters. I don't know how many two strokes I seen fire up last Saturday morning and get engulfed in a cloud of smoke until their machines warmed up. I didn't see any smoke coming out of the four strokes.

As for the rebuilding, you may be right that a high performance two stroke is easier to rebuild than a high performance four stroke. But for normal riding, how often would a normal four stroke need rebuilt? I owned a 75 Honda ATC 90 that a family friend bought from us in the 80's. It is still running and has never been rebuilt.

I don't think that this will be too much of an issue in the next few years. The manufacturers are all moving away from the two strokes before the EPA forces them to do it.

 

Hay MagnumMudMan,
Thanks for your thoughts on the issue.
I agree that a slow spinnin low horsepower 4 stroke can live much longer than an equally tuned and sized 2 stroke. When i was old enough to sit on it and touch the ground, I was rideing a Honda 70 dirt bike with a 4 speed manual clutch and it was the coolest ride on the block. Im not going to say how many, but many years later it was still running and given to a friend. It only had one top end rebuild and ran great, once you got it runnin.
The polution from 2 strokes has a lot to do with almost NO development over the last 20 years. The motor has changed very little. Back in the early eightys there was a car company over seas that was working on a 2 stroke 3 cylinder car engine. It was about 1000 cc, had electronic fuel injection, and some sort of valve system similer to a 4 stroke. It made good power and passed all emision laws (for that time) in california. I read the article in a popular science mag, but never heard about it again. Seams to me that with proper development a motor that fires on each revolution and not coasting every other should be able to get the most power out of the fuel, and could be made Clean Burning.
But you are right, it has a bad rap and in a few years the kids will point at one and say,
"Wow, look at that thing go, must be one of those old hot rod motors that the liberals made illegal!, they had it so good back then"

 

Mega

You are definetly right that the manufacturers have completely forgotten about making the two stroke less of a polluter. Polaris makes a two stroke, fuel injected, jet ski that is the only legal jet ski to be allowed on Lake Tahoo as it is so environmentally friendly, yet their two stroke atvs use old polluting technology. I really don't dislike two strokes (the above were complaints were more of the exceptions than the rule) and I almost bought a 400 Scrambler. But then I remembered that I never seem to get along with two strokes and I went with a four stroke. Different strokes for different folks.