Hey Cam,
about 20 yrs ago I went the other direction, from an XR600 to a CR500, and I would definately agree, the 4 stroke is much more tractable and had a tendency to wheelie, rather than spin up hills. The 4 stroke just did not have the tire speed, and hooked up and wheelied, wanting to loop, rather than spin and rip up hills.
So, yes a decent tire on a 2 stroke is safer than a 4stroke in those circumstances.
The same thing will be noticed that a 4 stroke will trench rather than plane on top of soft sand especially with a new tire.
you will love the 4 stroke when traction seems nonexistant, like when riding wet adobe sidehilling and climbing as you can keep the bike moving forward rather than spinning out
They both have their advantages for sure.
Idealy I would own both...LOL
I should add that the XCF505 I just sold was very tractable, but a handful of throttle resulted in wheelspin easy, sometimes I needed clutch to get the instant tire spin...then it would keep spinning, wheras my XR600, would hook and wheelie harder if I tried that! LOL
I think the HP and flywheel weight have alot to do with it. The new 4stroke wanted to spin, wheras the old one wanted to tractor! LOL