Yamaha WR250R Mega Thread

I have the IMS 3.1 tank and carried 2 MSR 30oz fuel bottles in the right side enduro saddle bag (along with a spare front and rear tube, tool kit, patch kit, emergency stand, spare levers and shifter, oil filter, spark plug, and a bottle of HEET for fuel for my alcohol stove). I'm good for about 200 miles of trails and 175 miles of pavement with that setup.

The pole thingy was my surfboard rack, I was planning on renting boards as I went down the coast but except for one day when I had to catch a ferry it was Lake Atlantic.


RE: tools and other pokey things, I took and old pair of blue jeans and cut up one of the legs to make a tool wrap, then cut another strip to make a tie for it. Super durable so far and makes it easy to keep everything together when doing trailside maintenance. Lay the tools in the middle, fold the ends over, then roll like a burrito, tie the strap with a half hitch. As far as beer goes, buy cans.

Originally Posted by jtmajors
On the outside a KTM is sexy. It's like that drop dead gorgeous girl you meet for the first time. Spend a little time with her and you discover she's really a prostitute with a lot of issues and baggage waiting to give you vd and take all your money.





Does that mean its made in Brazil now?

But we always clamor all over ourselves to open a door for those kinds of women in spite of what better judgement might be.

I used to feel that way about KTMs too. Then my neighbor and another buddy with 950 Adventures rolled up 35K plus miles each with no real issues. Then last April I bought a 950 SE and since have put almost 20K miles on it with no problems whatsoever. That beast is pure pleasure to ride (on all but tight single track).

So I'm not gonna bash the new orange bike just because she's a purdy thing. Sometimes good looks and good personality can come in the same package.

Now, about the price... well that's another issue!

Yup, my local KTM dealer is showing an MSRP of $9500 for it. That's $3000 more than the WR250R, but the "waah its just a heavy 250!" crowd will get their horsepower and lower weight and admittedly a better suspension from the factory. Hell, its only $200 less than the 500EXC and is $300 more than the 400. Will KTM sell them? Maybe, and if they do it might be the only hope we have of seeing a larger displacement WRR.

Not that it matters, as the WR250R and X appear to be gone from Yamaha's lineup in 2012. Maybe they're holding off for a year to bring a new model in 2013?

agreed

Why do you say that?

The "2012 Street overview" lists exactly 3 models: The Super Tenere, the XT250 and the TW200. Somehow, I think there are going to be a few more street models offered in 2012. Somebody running the website is guilty of premature optimization. Or something.

I agree. They haven't put up 2012 R-1s, r-6s or even yzf 450 or 250. There is no way they won't offer 2012 models in those bikes.

Triple Ho-chi-momma!

Finally an EFI - exc

Does it have a steel subframe?

HF

i want the exc500!!!!


well not sure about SUB frame..

From the specs posted above:

"Subframe Aluminium"

I don't have a sexy KTM... but my slug of a WR250R seems to get me around a little bit...









If I was a go-fast enduro guy, roosting my way out of every corner, lofting the wheel, and generally working up a good sweat challenging myself and the bike, then maybe I too might suffer from Orange Envy. Or 300/360/450 envy.

But the WRR seems to carry me and my camping gear, flyfishing stuff, cameras, etc, (no Skierd surfboard yet) pretty much everywhere I want to go, without issue or complaint. It does require changing the oil and replacing tires... if KTM can make a bike that eliminates that, then I'm in.

Otherwise, I think I'll just keep trying to wear the WRR out.

Been waiting to hear how it went.






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More info, please?

Well here is the picture from when I first noticed it after riding it again. I can't believe I didn't notice it by just looking at the bike.


By taking the advice of others and just loosening the lower triples I have been able to almost get it straight. I am using the tip of the fender as a reference but am also test riding. Right now the tip is just on the outside of the center TW lug and I still need to hold the bars a little crooked to go straight. By my estimations the tip on the center of the center lug would probably be perfect or as close as I'll be able to tell to perfect. I just can't seem to get the last cm or so of twist. Any advice other than twist harder?

Thanks for all the input. Think I'm gonna go with the mini beta plus with the rain cover. It's simple, less expensive works well based on what others have said. The mini will fit better and challenge me to take less. First ride coming up next weekend. http://texasadventure.net/Beyond Epic/Beyond Epic 4 registration.pdf 6 hours of hwy for me just to get there. After this I may love this bike even more or end up getting a freaking Tenere.

Last year when Travis Jones (of GoRace in Christiansburg VA) did my suspension upgrade, this was one of the mods he did. It does require me to carry a small 8mm socket and extension or similar. It takes eight full turns to go from normal (no camping gear) mode to the max setting that was tuned for the weight of my camping gear. Takes about 10 seconds.

Not sure what the preload mechanism cost by itself. He did a full suspension upgrade - revalved forks, serviced and revalved shock, added a stiffer spring matched to my weight and set the sag and tuned the bike to me as a package deal in addition to the remote preload. And he did it all in a day - dropped off in the a.m. and picked up around 5 p.m., when he set the sag, etc. to tweak it all to me. Cost - 2010 - $1K. Best money I've spent on any bike.

It helps to have 2 people. One holds the wheel between their knees and the other straddles the bike and pulls the bars in the direction needed after the pinch bolts are loosened just enough to enable the forks to move.

Should I also loosen the uppers a little? Right now I just have the lowers loosened to where I can finger twist the bolts. I'm doing it myself from the front but may be able to get some assistance later.

Another vote for the Giant Loop Coyote. No compartments, but that's the idea behind any of the light soft bags out there. Compartments force their choices and location on you; waterproof bags (even the el cheapo garbage bag) don't.

With thoughtful packing, for backcountry travel only, a Coyote is just fine. It's bulky stuff that will defeat you with a Coyote, so if it is your sleeping bag or a bunch of extra clothes causing the problem, a decent high compression bag or rethinking the clothes you will need will fix that problem. There are smaller soft bag setups out there; the problem is you can always make a slightly big bag smaller with compression straps - but there's no way to make a too-small bag bigger. I do wish the Coyote was slightly larger, about half way between it's current size and it's big brother. I haven't seen the full size Giant Loop up close, and I know some guys have used it on the WRR, but the pics I have seen of it make me think it is just slightly too big for my needs

When I have bulky stuff along - like my flyfishing vest, waders, etc, then The North Face's small Camp Duffel mounted behind the GL works very well. Not a dry bag, but unless you shove it under water and hold it there, it keeps your stuff dry. And has detachable shoulder straps which turn it into a decent knapsack for short hikes away from the bike.

For running around town on the bike, the Wolfman racks and bags do have some appeal. They look much easier for going grocery shopping with, easier to pack than the choreographed sequence of fitting everything in the Coyote, etc. Big bags and little bags both have their respective advantages and disadvantages.

I can't comment on security... in Montana, for a couple of very good reasons, people generally don't mess with other peoples' stuff. I don't worry about leaving stuff on my bike where I live, so security never really enters my mind.

For stuff wearing through soft bags... pack to ensure soft stuff only is against the bags. Anything that doesn't work for... that's why ruined tire tubes are so useful.

Sometimes to get it to go the last inch you need to abandon the knee method and place the tip of the front wheel up against a post or some other immovable object. Place the side of the tire against the post and twist hard. 2 people are better than 1 in a situation like this. You will eventually get it back to where it was. Just don't go beyond where you want it. Make small adjustments.

If it were me, I'd loosen everything. Upper and lower triple clamps as well as the front axle. Get everything lined up loose, then start tightening from there. Better than forcing it, imo.