As far as trail riding goes... including mud... you'd be hard pressed to beat a well ridden 250EX (on any other machine)... light weight, auto clutch, and shaft drive are the only way to go on trails... period... if your an experienced trail rider you already know this...

 

All of the above would slaughter the 250ex. I own both a blaster and warrior both piped with other minor mods. The Warrior kills the Blaster unless you get a really lousy start, which I've done. It's hard to drag race with your front end in the air sometimes. But yes, the Warrior is both quicker and faster than a similarly modified Blaster. That is not to say that a Blaster cannot be made faster as the 240 kit would probably kill most Warriors. A 300ex is probably a better beginner machine, I'd totally discount the auto clutch machine (250ex) If you're serious about riding you'll take the time to learn a clutch so you might as well start with one.

 

Again... trail riding... not drag racing... the 250EX will stay w/ anything in the trails... I don't care what you ride... if you are an experienced trail rider... and have ridden a 250EX... you'll agree...

 

Regarding the clutch comment... I've been riding for many years... I've ridden bikes w/ clutches and bikes w/ auto clutches... I've ridden two strokes (Honda 250R ATC, Suzuki Quadracer 250, and Polaris machines)... and have also ridden many different 4 strokes (250X, 300EX, 250EX, many 4X4's)... If you think a clutch is better on the trail... I don't know what trails your riding... you can shift faster, more cleanly, and come to a stop in gear w/ an auto clutch...

Try rock climbing w/ a clutch... good luck...

Remember... I'm only talking about trails... not drag racing or MX...

Also... shaft drive is the only way to go on trails... why do you want to drag your chain through mud, snow, water, etc.. It makes no sense...

 

Big difference between having ridden manual clutch 4 strokes and owning one. Like any vehicle you have to get to know them. Any competent individual can master the clutch and do very well over the rough and rocky terrain. I'd agree that a 2 stroke is not the hot ticket in the the tight stuff, they lack the torque to make it an easy run. Shaft drives do have higher ground clearance and that may be an issue, but a good rider can often make up for it. If of course you're in 2wd terrain. I'd have to stand by my earlier assertion that the 250ex is not in the same class as the other mentioned machines. Don't cut it short, it's a great beginner machine and I'd love to have one for the kids but they're learning to ride the Warrior and Blaster just fine. I do know at most kids level of experience an auto clutch machine would be a big help in rough terrain but the utility of the auto clutch diminishes with rider experience. Btw, the original post didnt mention anything about mud or trails, only which would beat what. SKT, you always post the exact same message anyhow, read it on the honda side too it's a bit canned.

 

So... you'd rather have a clutch in the trails... why? I don't see a strong argument for a clutch in the trails... actually I don't see a strong argument for a clutch anywhere... why do you think having a clutch is better?

 

SKT, are you seriously trying to say that you can stay with anything on the trails with your kids bike (250ex)? I figure I MUST be misunderstanding you thats why I am asking for clarification. That machine was designed for the kids that weren't big enough for a 300ex.
I'll tell you what, come out and ride some tight trails with me and if I can even hear you behind be after 3 minutes of riding I will GIVE you my Raptor for free.

 

I live in SC... the trails I ride are in the Mountains and pretty tight... I guarantee you that a 250EX will stay w/ you and most likely leave you if your riding a RAPTOR... don't get me wrong... the Raptor is a nice machine for open spaces and MX... but it's not going to beat a smaller/ligther machine in the tight trails...

I don't think there is a better machine available today for trail riding than the 250EX...

 

To say that a 250ex will stay with ANYTHING on the trails is a bit hard to believe. Also the word TRAILS is such a generic word. Let's just say that by trails you mean a little bit of everything...tight twisty parts, mud, rocks, and then of course the high speed section. The only place a 250ex would be able to keep up with a quad like a Raptor or 400ex would be on the rocky sections because speed doesn't apply at all. Well I guess that it could keep up in the mud too, but MUD is a generic word as well so I won't get into that. If the tight and twisty sections are fairly clear of obstacles then I don't see how the 250ex would have an advantage at all. Big deal you don't have to take a split second to pull in the clutch...so what? The power advantage that the other quads have over the 250ex will make up for that (heck, if your racing who says you even have to pull in the clutch). Then once you hit the high speed section of our fictional trail I think that you know the results.

Now, to be honest....If you were racing a 250ex against a Banshee up a long and super twisty trail where speeds didn't reach over 10mph then you might stand a chance. The Banshee's powerband is really narrow and in those situations it's hard to keep your speed up because of it. I have yet to see a whole trail that is nothing but steep twists and turns with no openings to "gas it" a little though.

-Josh

 

Oh my gosh SKT, I can't believe you are actually telling me this. It is obvious that you have never ridden with or on anything else besides your sons bike for you to say this and actually believe it. I'm really not trying to bash your bike, because it has it's demographic, but you need to get out more and try a grown-ups bike. I will agree that power certainly isn't everything in the tight woods but if you actually know how to ride you would probably be surprised at how fast a Raptor can get through the woods. Where a trail opens up for even a few feet I can be long gone and you will be cruising along at the same slow pace you had to hold through the thick stuff. You might be surprised what some body english and a little wheel spin can do for you. BTW, we also have our share of trails so tight that I you come back nearly bloody from the brush and trees whipping and scratching you if you aren't smart enough to wear a jacket. I'm not talking about dirt roads here, I'm talking about stuff that in some places is nearly impossible to climb on foot. If you don't believe me pictures can be provided that could likely make you think twice about what a tight trial actually is.
Sometimes I ride at a nice slow pace but it's nice to know I at least have an option of going fast.