A little 200 vs 250 comparison: Some impressions

[firffighter]

My brother (HRRacing) has an '03 EC250 and I have my new '03 EC200. We just spent several days on a riding trip and on Sunday we traded for several miles.

The terrain was 2 track with good traction and lots of loose and embedded rocks. It's very twisty with almost all of the corners being off camber with no bank and loose rock built up in the corners. You are continually between 2nd and 3rd and there were a few 90 degree corners with steep short climbs.

The 200:

Definitely dances around more. I am not running a stabilizer and my brother does so that is a factor. It feels a lot lighter although it's not, but it feels 25 lbs lighter to me. I swear my trials tire helps a ton with stability and I switched to a Maxxis IT for this trip which was a big mistake.

Much quicker revving. Snappier. But, lacks the umph big time. Cannot pull a gear high on the climbs and must be ridden in mid range to climb the steeps. Have to switch gears more.

The 250:

My brother has it set up really nicely and it tracks awesome. Very stable with no deflection. It feels very slow turning in comparison to the 200. The extra cc's and added inertia makes it feel like it's pushing you in corners.

The motor is electric. Crisp smooth power delivery that pulls hard throughout. You can lug it down to nothing and roll it on and easily pull hills. You do not need to carry momentum with this bike the bike just pulls so nicely.

Overall:

The 200 is light fun and keeps you on your toes. It slices and dices very well. In flowing terrain it is an absolute blast. You can change lines at any moment and stuff it tight into corners. It lugs really amazing for a 200 and doesn't ever seem to stall no matter how low you get in the rpms. But, in steeper terrain it has to be ridden in the mid range on up to get you up and over obstacles. It will make every climb, but you can't be lazy and gotta keep your revs up.

The 250 is stable and tracks awesome. It still feels light, but the 200 feels a lot lighter when carving. The 250 motor is so nice and requires a lot less work. A lot less clutch work is needed and it can make life pretty easy in a lot of ways.

They both have advantages and disadvantages. I enjoy the 200 in most of the terrain I ride, but could enjoy the 250 easily with the nice motor that allows you to be a bit lazier.

[HRRacing]

Did you ever consider that the rider of the 250 was plain better than the rider of the 200? That's what I experienced.

[bowhunter007]

Originally Posted by HRRacing

Did you ever consider that the rider of the 250 was plain better than the rider of the 200? That's what I experienced.

Ouch! That stings

[firffighter]

Typical little brother envy. He's always tried to be as good as me, but come up short.

[liv2day]

Originally Posted by HRRacing

Did you ever consider that the rider of the 250 was plain better than the rider of the 200? That's what I experienced.

Bahahahahah...nice come back.

Need to get out with both of you guys at some point

Haven't had a chance to put my brother-in-law's 250 through the paces on a trail yet, need to get him out to TSF and put it through some of the stuff I typically hit. My instinct tells me the power will be nice, but I'd miss the feeling of the 200 more and that would overrule the nicety of additional power.

Russ - I'm following that steering stablizer thread you started - very interested to see what you learn.