Growing pains of switching bike sizes..

[WellsMX524]

Recently switched from a 250 to a 450, and I'm actually having a tough time with the switch. I understand that setup is a huge factor, but is it just my riding style that will have to adjust and change? Can anyone give me some tips? I honestly don't want to move back down to the 250.

[yzmxer608]

I'll try to help, but it's been a while since I made the switch and raced the 250 so most of this is from memory of how I used to ride the 250.

First, what exactly are you having problems with? Is it timing jumps, braking, looping out or something else? Can give you specific advice depending on what you need help with. One of the main differences is engine braking, you really don't feel it on the 450's whereas on the 250's you can definitely feel it. I'm not sure if you downshift late to counter the effect of the engine braking (which kicks the back end out, actually it's very helpful in supercross. I remember at least on the 125 downshifting while using the front brake coming into a corner and actually upshifting again and downshifting to get the angle of the back end sliding in just right) but you don't need to do that anymore. IMO it feels smoother still if you stay in a higher gear while braking and downshift late but it doesn't make as big of a difference as on the smaller bikes. The second biggest difference is that you can lug the bike, you'll find you don't have to shift as much and you'll often only use a few gears depending on the track and gearing setup. Besides the shear power difference, the 450's are smooth, they get up to speed fast and don't require the constant RPM monitoring like the small bikes. They are harder to stop though, part of which is just because you are going faster than on a 250, less engine braking, and they are just heavier.