Te 250 v 300 or xc 200 250 300

I have a 04 FE 450 also a GasGas EC250 I love the EC250 way more for hard single track Its 25lbs lighter
Low end power is not an issue I am 50 yrs old.

Frank

My advise would be if you cant ride the 390 then dont get another bike just learn to ride the one you have and save the $, I would also suggest taking off the auto clutch as they are not needed and just learn to use the hydro clutch, just ride as much as you can with better riders than your self, before long you will learn to ride the bike you have and be a better rider for it. 2 strokes are a harder less forgiving bike to ride id your skills are not that great yes they are lighter but the bike you have will be a better bike to improve your skills on so you dont have to pick it up all the time.

I agree with Whitestars, learn to ride the bike you have. The 390 would be the best of all the bikes you are looking at for someone with a few less skills.
What about spending a fraction of the $ on a training course? the only way to improve is "biketime" ie actually out riding and do it with riders who are better than you. This way you get to see how they ride, what lines/tracks the take etc.
The 2strokes you ask about are all great bikes, but you do have to work a 2stoke a bit more. There is way more tractor ability on the 390, you can be in the wrong gear on a hill climb and just give it a bit more throttle. On the 2smoker you have to "clutch it" to keep the rev's up as thats where the 2strokes make there power.
Seeing as you already have a recluse clutch then I'm assuming that your clutch ability is limited, This is something you will have to learn if you swap to a 2stoke.
I'd say that they trade off of extra weight on the 390 is exceeded by the power delivery, the 2stokes are all lighter and easier on the flat stuff but when things start getting ugly then the 4stroke is the better weapon if you don't have the skills.

So in summing up I'd suggest a traing course and more time out riding. Also what are your tyres like? new tyres make a huge difference. And suspension setup? have you set your bike up properly? A day setting your bike up and fitting decent tyres is a day well spent.

Anyway that's my 2cents, will be interesting to hear from a few 2stroke riders on thier thoughts

I currently have a 2012 FE 390 & a 2011 TE 250, i love riding both bikes, you do notice the weight difference with the 2 stoke after a long day of riding.

I wouldnt be worried about the power delivery of the 2 stroke, as it is not aggressive at all, i also find the 2 stroke just as easy to ride on technical single track as the 390

I would choose the Berg over the KTM 2 strokes, as i like the suspension & the steering better on the Berg.

I also agree with the other guys, you will need to learn clutch control, to ride the 250

Cheers

I'm pretty new too, not having been on a bike for 30+ years. I made a slight mistake on buying an FE650 to get back into it with, so I'm in the same boat as you, except with an engine that will take you from zero to terror in 0.4 seconds, especially if you hit a bump in such a way that you give the throttle a bump when you didn't mean to!

I agree with the guys saying the 390 should be a great all around bike, since the only complaint I have with my bike is teh massive amount of power. I'm probably never over 1/3 throttle, and 98% of the time it's at idle or just barely cracked (woods tractor). The 4S powerband is very forgiving.

My plan was, and may still be, to get a TE300 next year, due to the same things you're talking about. However, this past Sunday I had a major breakthrough. I already knew to scoot forward for a turn per se, but it hadn't occurred to me that tight single track woods is really a long series of turns. I sat forward a few inches and it's a whole new story. That last 5 miles was probably the best I've ever ridden and the least I ever worked. I was getting killed in the woods, and a lot of people told me "that heavy bike will never be a tight woods bike", and pretty much EVERYBODY has told me to get a 300.

We'll just see about that. Anxious to see how I do this Sunday.

Sheeter said:

But I'd still like to know what is the difference between 250 vs 300. Several folks have told me that 300's can be ridden like 4s. But a buddy just demo'd a KTM 250 felt that he could tractor that machine as well. Any thoughts on this?

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haven't ridden a new 250 but own an '11 300.

have several friends who had a 300's for a couple of years and then swapped to 250's just for a change and they have said that overall the are having to rev the 250's harder than the 300 and hit the climbs harder on the 250's where as the 300's would just lug up them.

They both tractor but the 300 tractors better and longer

They are quite happy with them and dont regret the change at all.

way its been described best to me is;
if you race and sometimes go trail riding get a 250.
if you trail ride and some times race get the 300

though they are both so good it would probably come down to which i could get at the best price

The other thing is if your skills are not good then having no engine braking on slopes will suck and also the 4t is happier on the open rd between trails