Well, I've owned a KTM 520EXC in the past that was a tagged DS and I just sold a Husky TE-610 specifically to find a nice Yamaha WR250R. I know exactly where you are coming from on the KTM. I loved every minute of it I was flogging it and and running around N. GA on the trails although I will say even at times it got boring on the gravel because it was so over kill. I absolutely hated any length of street. The Husky did much better at bridging this gap and even did a 2000 mile TAT trip on it. Even though the Husky is way better than the KTM maintenance wise, its still on the excessive side in my books with the amount of mileage I put on bikes. So I'm now looking at the Wr250R simply from a maintenance perspective and a fun small bike. The fact it has a 350w stator certainly doesn't hurt. If you haven't already, a great site to check out is BigDogAdventures.com. Mark put many miles on a Husky TE-610, he owns/owned a KTM 450EXC and his current bike of choice for an adventure bike is the Yamaha WR250R - WR250R build up - http://www.bigdogadventures.com/WR250R.htm KTM 450EXC - http://www.bigdogadventures.com/1KTM450EXC.htm
I'm not certain exactly what you have in mind to do on it, but I will share some thoughts briefly, based on my experience with both. The WRR is one of the best general purpose, true dualsports ever made. She'll haul your butt & gear in comfort for miles on end along highways & byways, dirt roads & two track....faster than any posted speed limit with NO VIBES (in stock form). She's not a bad single trail bike, but certainly no comparison to the far superior nimbleness & torqueness of the real woods racers, you have mentioned. Get a WRR if you want to enjoy to and fro, and don't mind working a fair bit on the trails. Keep the plated dirtbike for the hardcore trail days, when you feel like trailering to the woods. If I had to pick just one to do it all.....the WRR is it. But fortunately, or unfortunately, I've reached the age where its permissible to have at least three. HF
I used them after the second time my left seal started puking oil. The left one lasted about 200 miles before the compression action of the fork and the pressure of the fork protector wore a hole in it. If they had remained intact I guess thay might do the trick but with a quarter sized hole right where the seal is they served no purpose; I cut them off.
It was available locally and is 1.5 gallons compared to one for the RotoPax Not sure how wide the Pax is mines 4.5" . Its nice to have the extra fuel but of course the penalty is more weight on the tail.
I have a 530exc and a wr250x. I bought the wr for similar reasons, the riding I was doing on the slab was making me nervous on the KTM (maintenance). I love the 530, its an amazing bike (modded), suspension, brakes and a motor that will let you ride casually or rip your arms off if you want to open it up, to me its almost the perfect motor. Its also massive overkill on singletrack (for me). The wr I suggest you ride, it takes a while to get use to the lack of torque especially if you've come from big 4strokes. I thought there was something wrong with mine when I first got it.Once you get use to keeping it on the boil its fine. I think its a bike that's exceeded my expectations more than any bike Ive owned. I run the tight canyons with mates on their super bikes and annoy them, then hit the trail, then commute. Basically as much as it pains me to say this out loud, I'm considering selling the KTM as its being neglected (then I get on it, loft a few 3rd gear clutchles wheelies and...). You will miss the torque (no casual lofting wheels over obstacles on demand), you will have to get back to using the clutch again (not hydraulic and so noticeable when I switch back and forth between bikes). Weight wise I think it carries itself really well, manhandling it doesn't feel too bad at all. Look the KTM does everything better but my little yamaha I have absolutely caned and basically changed the oil and filter occasionally and it runs great and doesn't concern me beyond that.. I think a good rider could probably run a set up one of these at maybe 90% pace of what he could on an equivalent enduro and that's good enough for me.
TNX, The Rotopax is (9 1/2 L x 13 1/4 W x 3 H) so the extra 1/2 gal is what you get with the Koplin. I have the 2 gal rotopax for my KTM 990, but debating the extra cost of the can mount and can (koplin or rotopax) for the WRR as apposed to doing like some of the Aussies do and getting a 3-4 L fuel bladder you can roll up and hide away when you don't need it and lash it down filled when going up North (you know up your way). Paul
Hey guys. No real step by step guide from me. I used these videos and it was easy as. I also referred to the manual as well while I was doing it just to make sure everything was right. I used no special tools at all. A couple of tips and tricks: instead of a "Seal bullet" you just wrap the area of the large bushing where the sharp lips are with electrical tape and just use heaps of lube on everything and it makes everything go back together so much easier. As for special tools, I already mentioned tape instead of seal bullet. I just used a screwdriver to get the inner bushing home (super super carefully and slowly to not touch the inner fork tube and rotating very regularly to make sure it all goes down level) then for the fork oil level, I just marked it out on a long screwdriver and kept adding oil until it touched the end of the screwdriver. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y43k1qFVGW4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/C9ICr-DOmdk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Hi, Mike. I haven't owned a KTM, but I have put over 10,000 miles on WR250R/X including one with a big bore, and I've put nearly 30,000 on a DR-Z400S. If you think you might miss the torque of a KTM, you might want to consider the DRZ, particularly if you are tall. (Caveat: Compared to some people, I seem to own a magical DRZ. It always starts. Never stalls. No vibes.)
Here is my set up. I originally made the hwy pegs for my XR650L and just recently I added the tabs to accept the tool tube. I am worried the tire may hit it on full suspension compression.
Did you plug the vent hole? I imagine you would get water inside the tube if you didn't. Have you tested it in mud and water conditions - partial or full immersion?
The left hand fork slider will rub the plastic guard on all WRR's if you don't heat them up and bend them out of the way. When you ty-rap a seal saver to the top of the slider it's even more prone to rubbing. I have ridden with riders using seal savers when it's raining and muddy, and they don't skim the muddy water off the fork tube, and to make things worse they trap the muddy water under the seal saver which turns them into sand paper. After I saw that I made the decision they weren't for me.
Help with vacuum pump needed. I have a new (1 mo.) Safari tank. I was doing its first test to see what range I could expect out of it, and it ran out of fuel at 155miles with fuel still left in the wings. There is fuel in the two lines coming from the wing pickups but it is not going to the fuel pump. As soon a I put fresh gas in above the bottom of the fuel pump the bike began running again. Does this mean the vacuum pump is not working? All I can remember is that there appeared to be some fuel spraying near the rear of the fuel pump in the area of the vacuum pump when first installed last month. I am not seeing any now. Fuel appears to feed; thru the vacuum-fuel pump feeder hose; only when sufficient fuel in tank to cover bottom of fuel pump. :huh
And that is the reason I never opted for a cheap vacuum pump to feed the expensive injected pump. I was willing to carry my extra gallon in a rotopax. Sorry I can not help you but chances are your vacuum line has fallen off or been pinched someplace. Also remember that a motor creates its highest vacuum at idle so under wide open throttle where you need the most gas the pump is being starved of its vacuum to keep it running. I know they work for others but not going on my bike.
I own a 2008 WR250X and a recently purchased 2011 KTM530EXC. I initially purchased the WRX for a commuter bike and 3 years later it still does that duty well. I took the WRX on a longish adventure ride after fitting some dirt worthy 17" tires and it did pretty well overall. It did great offroad when speeds were a bit lower but after riding highway for a few hours chasing GS1200's I knew I wanted something with more power. That is my only complaint though. The bike is reliable, comfortable, and fast enough 90% of the time. I purchased a new 530 EXC and built it into this; I have been very happy with it so far. It lopes along on the highway at a fairly low rpm, has minimal vibes (comparable to the WRX) and is just as comfortable after an updated seat. For long highway jaunts I prefer this over the WRX. And once offroad it is no contest. But.......I don't commute on it so I don't rack up a lot of kms. It is new still so I haven't had to do more than oil changes and valve checks but I am amazed at how easy it is to work on though. Valve checks are probably 30 minutes without having to adjust. The only thing left to do is an oil cooler so I can extend oil changes. I would almost rather work on this more often than have to work on the WRX just for that simplicity. Although that being said there is something comforting about the little blue bike and if I had to choose one bike to do it all it would be a WR450R! Oh, sorry make that a WR250R. I would build it up just like the KTM. Big tank, Lynx fairing, and some wolfman racks. And I would be more relaxed and happy, but I would still long for the ability to loft my front wheel in the air from time to time. I think if your riding is more often offroad and short highway or city trips I would stick with the KTM's but if you are putting on a lot of miles the Yamaha would simplify things. Or you can wait and let us all know how the new 350 freeride is! I would recommend getting rid of the WR250F and looking around for a good used WR250R and then you can compare the bikes yourself and see what fits best. Cheers
Tried adding Engine Ice and some some cheap bling, to keep an eye on it. Hopefully that will keep the little red light from coming on. Anybody else experience the Rad Guard causing engine to run hot? http://www.jegs.com/p/Mr-Gasket/Mr-Gasket-ThermoCap-Radiator-Caps/874786/10002/-1 -= Scott
nope. do you still have the black plastic "deflector" right behind the fan? have you richened it up at all?
Ther 350 Freeride is a hybrid TRIALS (not trails) bike. I has a 1.5 gallon tank, ultra light-weight everything (alloy and plastic), minimal stator / alternator and is designed for weekend exploring in the woods at a moderate pace (professional marketing videos excepted). To me it has NO buisness as a long distance adventure bike platfom. Modifying a 350 / 500 EXC, however, is another story.