jeffchri Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Howdy - I'm in a bit of a bind, though not a bad one to be in. Short form: I bought a 2005 Monty 4RT from a friend, and I loved it but didn't ride it enough. Tried to sell it, was going to get a crappy price for it, so my finacee ended up buying it on a bit of a lark. She hadn't ridden trials before, but now is totally into it, the backyard is a trials course, and ... you guessed it, now I'm in the market for another trials bike. So I am obviously leaning towards finding a good deal on a used 4RT (and am even playing with getting a new one up in Canada), but I was trying to get a sense of the other 4-strokes that have popped up since I got the Monty originally. Beta has one, as well as Sherco ... how do these end up comparing to the 4RT? Thanks in advance for any help! p.s. and I'm confing my search mostly to 4-strokes for various reasons - fuss, traction, noise, "modern-ness", etc. Feel free to comment on that as well, if you'd like, but I'm pretty sold on this aspect of the plan ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil king Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 2 stoke noise is weired, especially on a trials bike. Your next to the bike and it sounds fairly loud, but 10 ft away you hardly hear it. The 4RT is known to be the loudest of all the trials bikes. Once you get used to premix it's hardly a bother. I'm not a fan of the 4RT but plenty of people get along with them very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 The Beta 250 is nice and gentile, the Sherco 320s more aggressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony27 Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 I'll add more to Cope's reply The sherco- early models were quite nice & smooth but had problems with starting when hot which the factory sent out kits to fix. Rode one of the first batch & was riding as much as I was game to on someone elses new bike. Last one I rode was a brand new 08 & engine character was night & day different, liked to lift the front at any opportunity on concrete The beta- had a play on NZRalphy's last year, really nice motor & quiet. Had seen what it's original owner could do on it so I know it revs. I found it easy to adapt to even though its riding position etc is different to the shercos I'm used to The mont- like alot of people I struggle to see how anyone manages to find traction & I really hate the thought of losing venues due to the noise they all seem to produce. I'd be interested to see what the true decibel reading is for one when being wound up at the base of a climb Personally I'd go for the beta which would be easier for you to get in the states anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdeane01 Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) I know you said you are set on a 4 stroke but perhaps there is a reason why there are no other riders at the world level riding a 4 stroke, other than the montesa, which i think is a long way from what we can buy. The 2 strokes are just as modern as the 4 strokes. Here in OZ there are not any top level riders who ride a 4 stroke anymore. Any way that is my two cents worth as you requested! Edited January 5, 2010 by sdeane01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffchri Posted January 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 I'll add more to Cope's replyThe sherco- early models were quite nice & smooth but had problems with starting when hot which the factory sent out kits to fix. Rode one of the first batch & was riding as much as I was game to on someone elses new bike. Last one I rode was a brand new 08 & engine character was night & day different, liked to lift the front at any opportunity on concrete The beta- had a play on NZRalphy's last year, really nice motor & quiet. Had seen what it's original owner could do on it so I know it revs. I found it easy to adapt to even though its riding position etc is different to the shercos I'm used to The mont- like alot of people I struggle to see how anyone manages to find traction & I really hate the thought of losing venues due to the noise they all seem to produce. I'd be interested to see what the true decibel reading is for one when being wound up at the base of a climb Personally I'd go for the beta which would be easier for you to get in the states anyway You are talking about the Beta and Sherco 4-strokes, yes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffchri Posted January 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 I know you said you are set on a 4 stroke but perhaps there is a reason why there are no other riders at the world level riding a 4 stroke, other than the montesa, which i think is a long way from what we can buy. The 2 strokes are just as modern as the 4 strokes. Here in OZ there are not any top level riders who ride a 4 stroke anymore. Any way that is my two cents worth as you requested! "Anymore" ... if 4-strokes are so much inferior to 2-strokes, why are more and more companies adding new 4-stroke models? Who are they aimed at? If it's novice/intermediate/early expert-ish riders, that will be me for my entire life, likely, or at least for years and years. So are 4-strokes more appropriate then? Do we really know how different Bou's Monty is from what you can buy? Even if it's a big diff and the public 4RT isn't as good, it sure seems to undermine the "4-strokes suck" theme when the top riders at that level ARE in fact on 4-strokes ... My biggest physical gripes with 2-stroke are noise and smell. We live in a fairly tight neighborhood and are riding the thing in the backyard as the only way to practice for miles and miles around, particularly as our best local riding area was just closed. 2-strokes DO have a more shrill sound, that I do find more obnoxious, and they aren't called "smokers" for nothing. My fiancee's 4RT putters around back there just fine, with no obnoxious noise at all. Maybe when the motor is pinne revving it before a climb the Monty is louder, but I guess I haven't seen hat true at rev levels below that ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the observer Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Looks like a very nice one for sale here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffchri Posted January 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Looks like a very nice one for sale here. Ah yes ... that does indeed sound nice ... I wonder how much it would cost to get it shipped up here? (I'm in Seattle) ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motovita Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 The reason companies are developementing four stroke Trials bikes is because the F.I.M. forced them to. If you have the exhaust restrictors in your Montesa it is no louder than a Two stroke. Another thing to consider is that most two strokes won't run properly on pump gas thats available in the U.S. So you need to run expensive race gas that, I think, smells worse than the small amount of synthetic oil typically used in a trials two stroke. I suspect that a 125 four stroke or a 200 two stroke Trials bike would be much easier to ride in a small back yard tha a 4RT or a bigger two stroke. Ride what you like and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenser Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 The Beta is the quietest bike around and has support in the States, and in Vancouver, B.C. on the other hand the Montesa importer for Canada is in Mission B.C., just across our border. Both are great bikes, but I have always found that dealer support is very important in your choice of machine. Check for used bikes in southern B.C., I know that you can find a good example of each in the lower mainland/Squamish area. Spencer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1oldbanjo Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Ah yes ... that does indeed sound nice ...I wonder how much it would cost to get it shipped up here? (I'm in Seattle) ... If you have a Forward Air terminal near enough the shipping is reasonable. I made a crate and shipped a Suzuki RL250 to Colorado from Kentucky a year ago. I over did the crating and the entire package weighed 445 pounds and the cost was $ 284 to ship. Ryan Young uses Fed Ex and the original Sherco crates and last year he shipped my used Sherco 2.9 to Colorado for $ 200. If you use Forward Air's small containier you should be able to get it shipped for a bit more than $ 300. You might also be able to find someone traveling up you way that could bring the bike. If you are really interested in that one.....phone the guy and find out if he is traveling your way......you might be pleasantly surprised to find out he is planning on coming your direction or knows someone that is. I have bought several things and found connections to get them home at little or no cost.....maybe just a dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockyrider Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 "Anymore" ... if 4-strokes are so much inferior to 2-strokes, why are more and more companies adding new 4-stroke models? Who are they aimed at? If it's novice/intermediate/early expert-ish riders, that will be me for my entire life, likely, or at least for years and years. So are 4-strokes more appropriate then?Do we really know how different Bou's Monty is from what you can buy? Even if it's a big diff and the public 4RT isn't as good, it sure seems to undermine the "4-strokes suck" theme when the top riders at that level ARE in fact on 4-strokes ... My biggest physical gripes with 2-stroke are noise and smell. We live in a fairly tight neighborhood and are riding the thing in the backyard as the only way to practice for miles and miles around, particularly as our best local riding area was just closed. 2-strokes DO have a more shrill sound, that I do find more obnoxious, and they aren't called "smokers" for nothing. My fiancee's 4RT putters around back there just fine, with no obnoxious noise at all. Maybe when the motor is pinne revving it before a climb the Monty is louder, but I guess I haven't seen hat true at rev levels below that ... Have you ever seen those guys riding peddle trials bikes? Whew! There's a lot to be learned there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffchri Posted January 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 If you have a Forward Air terminal near enough the shipping is reasonable. ... etc. ... Great tips and advice ... though sadly, this particular Monty is already sold. Boo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffchri Posted January 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Still trying to find a quasi-local Beta dealer that actually sells the trials bikes, but I did talk to our local Sherco dealer and he has a 2009 3.2 4T sitting there, selling for about $7k. My understanding is that it's more "aggressive" than the Montesa, so I'm wondering how much I'd like it. It's not like I'm new to motos - I have dualsports, dirt bikes, a sport bike, and lots of experience riding them all - but definitely new to trials. Would te 3.2 just be too terrifying to learn on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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