Anyone here have experience with modern 4 stroke versus 2 stroke dirt bikes? My last ride on a 4 stroke revealed that the two had come much closer in performance than was the case back in the day.
Yes. And no.
2 strokes are still king when it comes to power per CC, and there's nothing a 4 stroke can do about that.
In motorsport, 2 strokes and 4 strokes compete against each other.
125cc 2 stroke vs. 250cc 4 stroke
250cc 2 stroke vs 450cc 4 stroke
So per CC, 2 stroke is still king.
Where the 4 strokes have come a long way is the design and engineering. Before, 2 strokes were generally THE competition models and 4 strokes were hobby/trail/recreation models. Which meant they were heavy, big, not highly tuned, etc
When the AMA and other sanctioning bodies said 2 strokes could compete against 4 strokes in the late 90s, that's when manufacturers threw all the tech at the 4 strokes and made legit competition models.