Why Jonny Walker Says Four-Strokes Could Be the Future of Hard Enduro
Jonny Walker’s always been pretty straightforward with his opinions, and what he just said might mean something big is about to happen in Hard Enduro. After he split from Beta Motorcycles and thought about what to do next, the British rider hinted that we could see a huge change in the toughest part of off-road racing — looks like the four-stroke could be making a comeback.
“I think there’s going to be change in the next few years between two and four-stroke in extreme. Four-strokes could be coming in more. I’ve heard certain riders are pushing to ride a four-stroke, not naming anyone but they’re pushing to ride one in extreme because they prefer it.” Walker told Enduro21. “There could be a change coming very soon.”
That one line could totally become the next hot topic in the sport. For ages, two-strokes have been the kings of Hard Enduro ’cause they’re light, easy to handle, and super reliable when you hit a rough patch on the rocks. But when Walker teased that four-strokes might be making a comeback, he wasn’t just blowing smoke — it really shows how the sport, the riders, and the tech are all changing.
A Shifting Scene
The two-stroke has for almost a decade been a favourite tool of every major Hard Enduro rider — from Billy Bolt to Mani Lettenbichler, their mechanical simplicity and light touch rendering them untouchable on tight, technical ground. However, the latest four-stroke has been a rather different creature. Lighter, snappier, and infinitely tunable, the difference between it and its two-stroke rival has been increasingly diminishing.
Walker’s been on both sides. His Beta 300 two-stroke days earned him victories at Romaniacs prologue, Red Bull Tyne Ride, and a few Hard Enduro and SuperEnduro podiums. However, with increasing numbers of firms building reputable four-stroke enduro bikes — and riders finally taking a gander at what they’re capable of — the British veteran’s words strike just the proper chord.
Why the Four-Stroke Argument Matters
It’s not whether you are a fan of a particular engine. It’s more whether the whole sport is shifting. Four-strokes give smooth power, better climbing stability, and better traction if set up correctly. They might not tear through a rock garden like a 300 two-stroke, but they are demonstrating they are good for endurance races, speed, and consistency races.
Therefore, as a group of factory teams are investing their R&D hours into four-strokes for EnduroGP and cross-country type riding, it’s no surprise that the technology is transferring to the extreme scene. The A-class riders — even Walker himself — are catching on.
“Honestly, I’m not too worried,” he said when someone asked him about his next bike pick. “I chose a two-stroke mainly because if something goes wrong at the track, I can fix it on my own. It’s way harder with a four-stroke. But I think there’s gonna be some shifts in the next few years between two and four-stroke in extreme.”
The Walker Perspective
That mix of forward thinking and realism defines Walker to a degree. He’s not quite letting go of the simplicity of two-stroke yet, but he definitely knows where the sport is going, proving how sensitive he is to its progression.
So, while Walker’s thinking about his next steps after Beta, he’s all about performance instead of sticking with a brand. He said, “I’m only going to go with a team that supports me with a good enough bike and who’ll push to help me win,” and if he ends up riding a four-stroke, it might get people talking for a bunch of reasons.
What It Means Coming Up
If Walker is correct, and increasing numbers of elite riders start to prefer four-strokes, we might witness a large upheaval of bike development and set-up thinking within the Hard Enduro paddock. Riders may reassess weight bias, their cooling, and their delivery of power to try and enable their larger engines to perform better when things are tight and technical.
It’s too soon to forecast a two-stroke extinction, but a two-stroke-crowned Erzberg or Romaniacs podium a few years hence is easy to imagine. As riders push the bar, so does technology, stretching what’s possible for enduro-dominant off-road rides.
For Jonny Walker, it’s pretty obvious: the sport’s evolving — and he’s totally cool with going along for the ride.
“Four-strokes could be coming in more,” he says. “There could be a change coming very soon.”