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i currently have a 05 250x with some minor upgrades jetting, quick shot and pipe love the bike but like to hill climb and a lot of steep tight trail riding i was thinking about buying my brothers 03 450r only rode 1 yr was wondering if anyone has rode both in these conditions and wich they liked better. my other concern being i find myself riding my 250 like a 125 just screaming as the 450 a lot less revs how and worried how long will the 250 last or is there any defects wit the 03 450r . any input would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Jim,

I ride an 04 and my buddy an 03 450r. We ride 70% trails, 25% desert, and 5% track. These bikes are awesome and I love how it handles in the terrain. Should you go from a 250x to a 450r? To me it would come down to a question of power. The nature of the X and it's wide ratio tranny, larger rads, etc do make it more suited for trail riding. However, I personally prefer my R to an X and I have ridden both. Do you want the extra power? Gear it right, over flow bottle, possibly a fly wheel weight, maybe a Rekluse, and you would have a sweet trail machine.

I have 05 250Xs that my kids ride and a 03 450R that i ride.

You`ll miss the handling and light feel of the 250, but the power will make up for it. The only thing i really don`t like about riding the 250s is i do a lot of shifting to keep it on the pipe, you don`t do all that with the 450. Loose hills can be a little tricky sometimes, were i`m spinning with too much power, the kids seem to just lug up with no problem.

The only real problem i have with the 450 is that it eats up tires pretty fast.

madmax wrote:
The only real problem i have with the 450 is that it eats up tires pretty fast.

Im noticing that also lol. I just got my 450r and I only ride trails, my buddy I ride with has an 06 crf230, and the only thing he can do that I can't is keep the front wheel on the ground. The power is really managable, and I garentte you will love the 450r

I have only been out on my 450r a couple of times and I gotta tell ya, it is awesome. I still have my 250r which doesn't really compare to an f but with the 450 I just have to burp the throttle and it launches stuff I used to have to rpm up to clear. also all my friends that tried my bike all have 250's, and well let's just say walmart need to restock their "for sale" signs

I meant x not f sorry

first off thanks for all the imput guys have been away at work now back and have the 450r 03 love the power but the suspension pretty rough im 195 ride a lot of trails and climb any body about my size that has set up there suspension looking for a ball park where to start to make it feel more like my x did but different number of clickers etc. been messing with it but cant seem to get it dialed in likes to push in the corners when i get the rear end where it feels good but i lift the back up to compansate and it is so rough any input would be great you guys made the right choice for me before so im back

Sorry but it will never handle like the 250. The 450 is known for pushing it`s front end, i`ve read where different triples will help a lot, 22mm i think.

When i first got mine i tryed everything, sag, clickers, different front tires and still didn`t like the way it turned. But as i rode it more and more the problem got less. Now i don`t really notice to much unless i ride one of my kids 250s. Turning with the throttle seems to help.

The thing i hated the most is that the front end would glance of rocks, i went to two clicks from full soft on rebound and compression and i`m happy enough but i weigh 235 lbs.

does anyone actually no the stock suspension settings i dont have a manual

jim10 wrote:does anyone actually no the stock suspension settings i dont have a manual

For the 2003 450R:
Front compression = 8
Front rebound = 10
Rear compression = 1-1/2 to 2 turns out from full in
Rear rebound = 9 to 12 clicks out from full in

Joe

thanks alot guys i will put it back to stock and work my way from there