What would be the best 400cc scrambler?

[ayoasti]

Hi all... im plannin to return to my roots, tats riding a scrambler again after so many years but this time a 400cc. Been surveyin & researching Honda XR4, Suzuki DRZ, KTM 4, Yamaha WR4 & 250..etc. still cudnt decide on a gd reliable all in one bike, all stated bikes have individual pros & cons and i need help from the bros, sistas and pros here for some experience pointers/tips/recommendations. Wud also like to know based on experience, hows the performance,maintenance & parts wise, how much of a diff.

 

Thanx in advance and I appreciate every reply given.

Edited February 2, 2010 by ayoasti

[andrei]

What is a WR250? There is no such bike. There is WR250F, there is WR250R. There is a lot of difference between them

[mafitra]

All rounder, XR 4

[Snoek]

Ktm 400 ~!

[samurai8410]

seriously xr4! u will never regret

[ayoasti]

Both XR4 and DRZ are great bikes...cant reali decide. always liked XR4 but DRZ reali messing wif my mind haha!

[mafitra]

DRZ is for playing on normal road..... But if you want off road capability KTM 4 is superb but for both terrain, XR 4 is the best. Depends on wat kind of ride you want. Cheers!

[taaouicha]

I don’t know much about scramblers but the pick up of a drz deserves some praise

[mafitra]

They are all built based on different generations... LoL

[samurai8410]

I don’t know much about scramblers but the pick up of a drz deserves some praise

 

bro do u always pickup 24/7? hehe if yes dan ok..:cheeky:

[taaouicha]

bro do u always pickup 24/7? hehe if yes dan ok..:cheeky:

 

hehe i'm more into sportsbikes

krr-> zxr400-> gsxr 400

I got play pickup with some of my friends who have a thing for scramblers... 0-60km/h its very hard/ damn near impossible to match a drz

Oh well both zxr400/gsxr400 are damn old technology and playing launch with a scrambler is just asking for it lah

A liter sportsbike should do 2.8 secs 0-100, I think gsxr400/zxr400 is more like 4-5secs...

im betting u need at least a 600 or a liter sports bike if u want to match a drz in launch ;D

[taking class 2 in like 2 months so I can’t say for sure lah

Edited February 9, 2010 by taaouicha
double post

[taaouicha]

double post

Edited February 9, 2010 by taaouicha
double post

[hellkeeper00]

Normal Rd use - get a drz. (normal2, biasa)

 

Heavy Motarding - KTM4. (Its a very feeling bike. Vibrate ALOT. But POWER)

 

XR4 n WR4 - if u have spare cash to do repairs.

 

U do know scramblers are performance bike rite? Need constant care n attention.

[kewell_7]

xr4 and wr4 need alot repairs?

i dun think so.. perhaps maybe the wiring cos its an old model

both are world class trail bikes, light and nimble..

will easily outrun/out trail the heavy drz anytime..

if i knew bout wr4 earlier i would have certainly bought one..

only downside is the kickstart which can be real tough to master..

the reason drz is popular cos its cheap, motard ready and easy to maintain..

but dat doesnt mean the yam and honda cousins fall on maintananence wise..

 

just my 0.02 cents..

[mild_slevin]

What is a WR250? There is no such bike. There is WR250F, there is WR250R. There is a lot of difference between them

 

I believe TS referring to WR250X which is a motard setup... very neat!

 

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.uk/products/motorcycles/street/wr250x.jsp?view=techspecs

[firefox87]

Hi all... im plannin to return to my roots, tats riding a scrambler again after so many years but this time a 400cc. Been surveyin & researching Honda XR4, Suzuki DRZ, KTM 4, Yamaha WR4 & 250..etc. still cudnt decide on a gd reliable all in one bike, all stated bikes have individual pros & cons and i need help from the bros, sistas and pros here for some experience pointers/tips/recommendations. Wud also like to know based on experience, hows the performance,maintenance & parts wise, how much of a diff.

 

Thanx in advance and I appreciate every reply given.

 

hey bro! welcome back to a scrambler! my advise for you is to get the kind of bike that you'll like that's within your budget.

 

are you thinking of going off-road, cornering on roads or a mix of both?

 

KTM 400

pros:

fastest 400cc scrambler out there

can be converted to motard for road use

brand factor!

 

cons:

expensive bike

fuel guzzler

expensive parts

 

price: $7k(2nd hand)-$18k(1st hand)

 

WR 400

pros:

up there along with the KTM 400 but at a cheaper price

can also be converted to motard for road use

reliable engine

 

cons:

long waiting time for spares (old bike)

fuel guzzler

aftermarket parts are hard to find (i.e. LV is the only street legal pipe)

 

price: $5k-7k(2nd hand)

 

XR400

pros:

power is close to wr 400 and yet at a cheaper price

even cheaper to maintain than a wr4 or ktm4

reliable and durable engine!

can also be converted to motard for road use

 

cons:

much lower in the look factor as compared to a ktm 400 and wr 400

 

DRZ 400

pros:

good all rounder bike

damn smooth for a scrambler(feels like a road bike)

good workmanship

spare parts easy to find

can be easily blinged

good resale value

 

cons:

only suitable for road use(can be converted to off road set up though)

too smooth for a scrambler

 

price: $8k(2nd hand) - $12k(1st hand)

 

every bike suits different taste la. if you want the best and have money to spare, get a ktm 400. if you are low on cash but want power and willing to spend money to maintain the bike, get a wr 400. if you just want to get a decent scrambler with easy to find parts, get a drz 400. if u want a scrambler that you can rely on with a good mix of raw power and budget, get an XR400. however, if you want to downsize the power and maintenance to a smaller proportion but with EFI and modern technology, get a wr250x, it's worth it though similarly priced with a drz400.

 

for me, this is how i decide on my scrambler. i want crazy pick up and i am willing to pay for the high maintenance. but however, i don't wish to get into a lengthy hire purchase so that leaves out drz 400, xr 400 and wr 250. i want power and yet, i don't want to burst my pockets and i don't mind the brand factor, so that leaves out ktm 400 and husqvarna te310. and that's how i settled on my wr 400, both motard and off-road setup. i have another bike so i don't mind the waiting time for spares(especially when mine is the 2000 model, it is even harder to find ready stocks in SG).

[firefox87]

xr4 and wr4 need alot repairs?

i dun think so.. perhaps maybe the wiring cos its an old model

both are world class trail bikes, light and nimble..

will easily outrun/out trail the heavy drz anytime..

if i knew bout wr4 earlier i would have certainly bought one..

only downside is the kickstart which can be real tough to master..

the reason drz is popular cos its cheap, motard ready and easy to maintain..

but dat doesnt mean the yam and honda cousins fall on maintananence wise..

 

just my 0.02 cents..

 

 

agree with that! wr 400 was once the best bike. 10 years ago la. haha... kick start can be mastered easily with practice. drz is not that cheap la but the reason that it's popular is that there are so many ready parts that you can bling your drz with. maintenance-wise, my wr 400 requires an oil change every 1500km while a drz requires an oil change at every 2500km-3000km. while my wr 400 has a fuel consumption of 18-22km/l(based on an FCR3 carb) while my friend's drz has a fuel consumption of 30-35km/l.

[taaouicha]

agree with that! wr 400 was once the best bike. 10 years ago la. haha... kick start can be mastered easily with practice. drz is not that cheap la but the reason that it's popular is that there are so many ready parts that you can bling your drz with. maintenance-wise, my wr 400 requires an oil change every 1500km while a drz requires an oil change at every 2500km-3000km. while my wr 400 has a fuel consumption of 18-22km/l(based on an FCR3 carb) while my friend's drz has a fuel consumption of 30-35km/l.

 

o.O

30-35 km/l for a drz ?

u sure about that bro ? for a scrambler it seems impossible

[firefox87]

o.O

30-35 km/l for a drz ?

u sure about that bro ? for a scrambler it seems impossible

 

oops! paiseh... it's 25-30km/l. and that's verified! if he ride relek2 on the throttle, the best he can get is 30km/l.

[taaouicha]

Damn that’s fantastic bro

My krr was like 25km/l

Zxr400 23km/l

Gsxr400 was 21km/l

 

hehe i always had the impression scramblers were bigger oil guzzlers than sports bikes :/

Guess im wrong.

[firefox87]

depends la bro. for old bikes like mine, normally can get 21-24km/l. but mine is on fcr3 carb, maybe that's why fc drop until 16-19km/l cos of the extra juice of hp. but even with hard riding on a drz, i can't see the fc drop below 25km/l unless some engine mods has been made. the petrol guzzler are those 2 strokes scramblers!! haha!

[taaouicha]

hehe didn't know that o.O

btw hows it like to ride a motard setup vs off road scrambler bro ? any difference ?

personally i've always refrained from getting a scrambler. ( though i kinda fancy the pick up of scramblers when moving off after red light)

 

To me i just have the impression that off road tires + rainy weather = bad mix ? any truth?

hows the handling of a scrambler like ? (wide handlebars n upright seating posture) ?

[firefox87]

hehe didn't know that o.O

btw hows it like to ride a motard setup vs off road scrambler bro ? any difference ?

personally i've always refrained from getting a scrambler. ( though i kinda fancy the pick up of scramblers when moving off after red light)

 

To me i just have the impression that off road tires + rainy weather = bad mix ? any truth?

hows the handling of a scrambler like ? (wide handlebars n upright seating posture) ?

 

i totally understand how you feel. i also felt unsure last time. but luckily, i discovered motard! between a motard setup and an off road scrambler, the only difference is in their handling. a motard is shorter than an off road ones, due to the smaller wheels so it's definitely more stable when cornering. with road tyres instead of knobbies, you can be sure to corner low without skidding. and also, with more traction, you can definitely feel more power in a motard. simply said, motards have the superb pick up of a scrambler with the cornering capabilites of a sportsbike. a motard definitely can corner faster than sportsbike, due to late braking and the ability to carry more speed through a corner.

 

off road tyre + rain is definitely a bad mix. that's why i prefer a motard. off road tyres are better suited for just off road riding. just have to be extra careful when road riding on these tyres.

 

as for wide handlebar and upright seating position as well as the narrow seats, i find it more comfortable. but not on long distances trip though cos of the narrow seat. every bike got their pros and cons la. for me, i LOVE the pros of a motard and i don't mind the cons of a motard.

 

just know this, motard can corner like a sportsbike and can play pick up like a scrambler

[taaouicha]

i totally understand how you feel. i also felt unsure last time. but luckily, i discovered motard! between a motard setup and an off road scrambler, the only difference is in their handling. a motard is shorter than an off road ones, due to the smaller wheels so it's definitely more stable when cornering. with road tyres instead of knobbies, you can be sure to corner low without skidding. and also, with more traction, you can definitely feel more power in a motard. simply said, motards have the superb pick up of a scrambler with the cornering capabilites of a sportsbike. a motard definitely can corner faster than sportsbike, due to late braking and the ability to carry more speed through a corner.

 

off road tyre + rain is definitely a bad mix. that's why i prefer a motard. off road tyres are better suited for just off road riding. just have to be extra careful when road riding on these tyres.

 

as for wide handlebar and upright seating position as well as the narrow seats, i find it more comfortable. but not on long distances trip though cos of the narrow seat. every bike got their pros and cons la. for me, i LOVE the pros of a motard and i don't mind the cons of a motard.

 

just know this, motard can corner like a sportsbike and can play pick up like a scrambler

 

Thanks bro , its informative

U mentioned motard is shorter, as in the wheelbase? for sports bike the shorter the wheelbase the more stable the bike is during corners, same applies for scramblers ?

Lastly to convert say an offroad bike to a motard setup what is the extimated cost like ? is it only tires to change or do u need to change swingarms etc ?

haha sorry for being a nub about scramblers

[else]

still miss my xr4