Ec250 as first off road bike

[wmcpb04]

Hi just brought an ec250 as my first off road. I come from a road back ground and was wondering if its ok to labour the engine as every timei hit the power band

the bike tries to throw me off the back. It's a 1999 model is there anything you can do to smooth out the power or is it just something to get used to

 

[SGM]

...ride it in a higher gear if possible. Learn how to use your balance to counter the forces...and know when to take a break, cramping arms along with a revving 2-stroke isn't the best of scenarios. Been there... xD

 

[wmcpb04]

Thank, been riding round mx track in 3rd and 4th gear but was abut concerned if this wasn't good forthe engine or if this was a bad idea for learn how to ride off road as people keep telling me me to keep the front light in muddy conditions

 

[wrench]

Forget everything about riding street. Often a different style required. As someone who has raced both, I would suggest enrolling in an intermediate riding skills class. You may think it is stupid and beneath you, but trust me when I say it will pay dividends.

Where are you located?

 

[Jakobi]

Agree. Road and Dirt are almost the inverse of eachother. With dirt you almost want to keep your body at right angles to the ground at all time and lay the bike over to do the work. Try to keep the hands relaxed and use the bars for the controls and not to hold on. This means transferring your body weight forwards under throttle, and back under brakes. You want to remain neutral on the bike. It'll also lead to the power being less intimidating as it'll end up pushing you and the bike forwards, instead of trying to flip you off the back.

I'd suggest watching some of the Shane Watts DVDs/videos, and then focussing on the skills drills. Its really learning to go slow and then the speed follows.

 

[bowhunter007]

If your lucky, you won't develop hard-to-break bad habits. I had to unlearn what I knew, and relearn to ride an offroad bike. Given the hours spent riding, and studying the different styles of our local enduro guys...I'm at least maintaining contact with much faster "woods" riders. My learning curve is shorter than most, I have the time to ride...a lot. While it's certainly a long standing controversy, I'm now almost more confident riding off the seat than on it.

 

[Cruiser]

post up your location.. there are plenty here that are willing to help and you never know, one may be a neighbor.

 

[wmcpb04]

From Birmingham uk

 

[krazy]

From Birmingham uk

If u want to green lane join the trf. And look at enduro news dot com for training days and enduros. I practice at mx tracks sometimes. I'm near hull.

 

[wmcpb04]

I have been looking at wor events and fast eddy fed days just sure if I will be too far out of my comfort zone

 

[hannesd]

maybe start with looking at the jets in your carb along with the needle?
look at other people with the same year bike and weather conditions, what they have
powervalve sticky maybe, quite some options to why it may be so explosive...
it may be something "wrong" for your needs in one of those departements, and you could get it adjusted for your needs and riding skills, just so you know

cheers, Hannes.

 

[krazy]

I have been looking at wor events and fast eddy fed days just sure if I will be too far out of my comfort zone

Depends how good you are. I did a practice day at Tong, there is an easy route and a hard route. The hard route was bloody hard, but I am not very good. You can do some research at enduronews, mxtrax.co.uk, greenlanecrew and possibly other forums for events that may suit. There are some good lanes in the midlands also.

 

[gasser]

A Suzuki NEDW needle made my 2011ec250 way more manageable. Power is still good (even stronger off the bottom) but comes on slower without the hit.

 

[wmcpb04]

That's what I'm looking for. I have always owned four stroke road bikes but with maintenance schedule I thought better go with 2 stroke. I have looked at the PV expanded chamber but at ?100 I was hoping for a simple /cheaper solution or maybe my style is all wrong

 

[hannesd]

start looking into your carb, i swapped the needle and jets and gave me a completely different bike, much more managable
and if you're a bit lazy like me sometimes, you can try lowering your needle 1 or 2 clips and see how she behaves. (start with 1)

cheers , Hannes.