Ride report on the Mountains of CO and some time on a KXF

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gtoron
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Ride report on the Mountains of CO and some time on a KXF

Post by gtoron »

Well took some time of to visit some family out in the Colorado springs area.
I was able to find a rental place and rent a KXF 250 "4 stroke" to ride the mountain trails in an area called Divide. Trails are very well maintained and they have a bunch of different trails and difficulties to ride on. The big difference was the loose small stones that are on the trails. This east coaster was not used to riding on that!!!
I give you guys a lot of credit for riding on this stuff because it was like riding on marbles. Wow is this stuff slick.

I took it real easy as I did not want to bust myself up on vacation, and I can tell you that it would be very easy to lose it on this stuff.
Traction is low and stopping is a real thrill along with slowing down on some downhills....did I tell you that this stuff is slick!!
There were basically only a few people on the trail as it was the weekday but I hear it get busy on the weekends. I definitely recommend giving it a try but be careful if you never rode anything like this before.

Now onto the KXF....I general it had decent amount of power but is was a horror to start. When the rental dropped me at the trail head he tried to start the bike to make sure everything was ok....that was a sign of thing to come. It would not start then it ran for a few minute and died then we got it running all all seemed ok. I kicked it over and rode off. The bike ran well when it ran but was very difficult to start when I dumped it a few times. Now I know why I hate 4 strokes. At one point I think I kicked it for a half an hour until I nearly passed out (sic) from lack of air at 9000 feet. If I was on a downhill I could pop the clutch in 2nd gear and get it to start sometimes. 50% of the time I could start it on the 2nd or 3rd kick. When I could not start it on a few it took forever to start...definitely not like a 2 stroker two jabs and it fires up. If I ever got a four stroke I would get "e" start...But I would not get a four stroke, I feel two strokes are they way to fly on a dirt bike, your going go down on a dirt bike and why break your stones trying start a bike, but then again I am preaching to to choir on this site...I think you guys know that already :wink:
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Colorado Mike
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Post by Colorado Mike »

Sorry to hear you had trouble with starting that thing. That can sure be an incentive not to fall. Most of my buds ride 4 strokes and all of them are a pain in the ass if they fall over.
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Post by skythrasher »

How about some info on the rental place. We are considering a trip out that way and I might like to sneek off one day and ride, this sounds like it may be fun. Name, town, website, cost, etc?
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Post by gtoron »

>|<>QBB<
skythrasher wrote:How about some info on the rental place. We are considering a trip out that way and I might like to sneek off one day and ride, this sounds like it may be fun. Name, town, website, cost, etc?
here is the website and contact info http://www.woodlandparkchamber.com/memb ... berid=1950

Company was called bigChoppers
Cost was $85 for 4 hours ride they drop you off at the trail head with the bike.
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Post by canyncarvr »

Hot start lever? It had one? You used it?

IF it has one (probably does..don't all 4T-TPS carbed bikes?), and you didn't use it (especially after an up-ender), starting (trying to) it would ruin your day.

What year was the 'F'?

Some came with a hot start circuit..come didn't from what I unnerstand about 'em.

They're a must have on a 4T.

Rocks? We don't got no rocks out here....

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gtoron
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Post by gtoron »

>|QBB<[/url]
canyncarvr wrote:Hot start lever? It had one? You used it?

IF it has one (probably does..don't all 4T-TPS carbed bikes?), and you didn't use it (especially after an up-ender), starting (trying to) it would ruin your day.

What year was the 'F'?

Some came with a hot start circuit..come didn't from what I unnerstand about 'em.

They're a must have on a 4T.

Rocks? We don't got no rocks out here....

Image

Image
It had the hot start lever...did not help any. All of us had some trouble at one time or another...even when I was waiting for the guy to pick me up. I stopped the bike and waited about five or ten minutes and he kicked the daylights out of it before it finally started.

Not sure about the year but i think it was maybe two or three years old the most.

One thing that surprized me was that even with the high compression that this motor is it was not that much more difficult than a KDX!
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Post by Indawoods »

That's because they have a compression release built onto the kicker assembly..... at least the ones I have seen.
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Post by kawagumby »

I think the last 4stks to have manual compression releases were the 02 yamahas.
There's a trick to using the hot start buttons. Once you get a routine setup for starting them after a fall, they start up pretty quickly. I base that on my owning an 02 wr426, an 03 YZ250F, and an 04 CRF250X. There was a learning curve, but after that no big deal. Still not near as easy to start as a 2 stroke, tho. The power rocks on 250 mx'r 4 strokes - great fun! Long controllable wheelies no problem! :mrgreen:
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Re: Ride report on the Mountains of CO and some time on a KX

Post by Racing220 »

I live there in the springs, and in divide I really didn't mind the stones, just out west of Colorado springs I hate the sand
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