The power of orange compels you!

[zooom]

Of course, I'm getting the idea that dirt riding = crashing 15 times a day

it can...

I suspect the hinge would be a nice feature that would make walking around a little easier?

I take it that also means a sacrifice in protection? 

the hinges are designed for better mobility yes, but they prevent a level of hyperextension by design in limitation of movement...

 

I'd have bought the Primes right then and there, but nobody has them in anything other than white
 

spraypaint?!?!?!?

Opinions of Fox gear...

depends on WHAT exact piece(s) you are looking at...

[duccarlos]

Safety gear, helmets and boots.

[bikepilot]

For the most part Fox makes good stuff, particularly their chest protectors.  They have more chest protector sizes than most which is helpful for getting a good fit.  For most items of gear they offer high and low end versions and both ends tend to be on-par with comparable stuff from other brands.

All major high-ish end boots I've seen (tech 10, primes, sidi flex, oxtar-whatever-they-are-called, etc) have something to prevent  hyperextension, you don't need a hinge for that, though a hinge is one way of doing it. 

White is cool, McGrath nearly always wore white!  I think they have black primes as well (mine are actually black, but white wasn't available at the time  ) 

Kilm gear tends to be popular among snooty pumking pilots 

[Triple J]

my draw is to the power of orange, but of a different variety...hoping to fulfill my desire this January and deplete Triple J's supply of orange at the same time...we shall see!!!

It's waiting for you. 

...and I'm likely staying orange after it sells, just off-road...250 XCF-W is the one I'm looking at:

[zooom]

It's waiting for you. 
 

when I get closer, like after the holidays, I'll have to get the VIN from you for going and talking to my bank...

[TAftonomos]

I bought a pair of Sidi Discovery boots that I ride off road with.  Granted, they arn't nearly as tall as those Fox boots pictured above, but they have done their job 10 times over.  Nice, waterproof, and comfy right out of the box.

[duccarlos]

What is up with everyone heading offroad? We'll need to start a whole new board. 

[Monsterlover]

What's the opinion on Fly gear?

http://www.flyracing.com/

[bikepilot]

Its mostly a low-end/budget brand, but they have some ok stuff.

I'm probably not buying another dirt bike anytime soon, but if I did I'm pretty sure it would be the new KTM 150 with linkage.    The 250 thumper is a nice bike, but the 150 makes as much if not a little more power for considerably less weight.  I also like the feel of the two stroke better, but then I grew up racing small bore two strokes.  I think I bleed premix  

~30lbs lighter than the thumper

[Triple J]

^^

Ya, I have a buddy trying to convince me that a 300EXC is the way to go...but he's an old 2-stroke dirt guy too. Another friend, with similar overall riding experience to myself, recommended a 4-stroke. I don't know...I think I just want a 4-stroke since I'm comfortable with them. I've never owned a 2 stroke. 

[Monsterlover]

I never had one either.  Had a 2 stroke sled, though, and it was a lot of trouble.

That pretty much cemented my love of four strokes.  I'll deal with the extra weight and enjoy the torque that comes with.

As bikes go it seems my 450exc is on the heavy side at 254 dry (more like 270 with fluids I guess)

Why does winter have to be coming

[bikepilot]

Its really a matter of preference, they'll both work just fine and with top riders laptimes will be about the same.  The 300 is overkill for me in the east.  In Colorado a 300 is perfect 'cause its more open, the hills are much bigger and altitude saps power.  A 300 is good for lazy riders in the east too 'cause you can ride around a couple of gears high and lug it and still cover ground at decent speed.  The main thing, whether you go 2-stroke or 4 is to avoid getting a bigger/heavier bike than you need.  Big bikes are good for fast and western riding, pros and really lazy riders who don't want to shift.  Most all non-pro riders will be faster in tight stuff on a 125-250cc bike than a 250cc+ bike.  A lot of folks come from the street and buy 450 or 500+cc dirt bikes and end up riding like a spaz   Depending on venue I race anywhere from B class to pro class and I can't ride a 450 properly in tight/eastern conditions or on most MX tracks.  Desert (and dual sporting) is a whole different ball game of course  

2-t MX bikes require that you mix the gas and oil and are more picky about jetting (but its easier to get the jetting right and easier to physically swap jets), but other than that are extremely trouble free.  On balance I end up spending a lot more time keeping my four stroke race bikes (now sold mostly) running than the two strokes.  The 2t is just a much simpler engine with no valves/cams to mess with and one plug for tranny oil and no oil filters.  They require a different riding style, you don't torque off the bottom end on a small bore two stroke.  You have to keep the motor spinning all the time and use the clutch and gearbox to modulate power to the wheel.  The 300+ cc two strokes will generally tolerate rolling the throttle on from low rpms though, but won't snap as hard off the bottom as a 450.  two strokes also tend not to be very good for dual sporting (who wants to premix at the pump?) or long trips.  That's why I keep the XR650R around, it just eats up miles and miles of high speed desert and then I can swing into a pemex and pump in whatever grade fuel they happen to have and its good to go for another couple of hundred miles.

[Monsterlover]

I need to mention-

I ended up with the 450 because I knew I would spend a lot of time in supermoto trim, but I wanted something that was easily convertible to get me into the woods.

Seems like even at trackdays I get smoked by kids on 125's

2 stroke has it's place for sure

[duccarlos]

2 stroke has it's place for sure

But probably not in my garage.

[Monsterlover]

Or mine