Yamaha WR250R Mega Thread

[byron555]

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 I originally made the hwy pegs for my XR650L and just recently I added the tabs to accept the tool tube.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.

[coresports]

thanks for the reply..i will pass on them and use the $$ towards a spare set of seals.

Originally Posted by MeefZah

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.

[ramz]

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 I originally made the hwy pegs for my XR650L and just recently I added the tabs to accept the tool tube.

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?

[AZ TOM]

Originally Posted by ramz

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?

I thought you sold your WRR?

[KansasBob]

Originally Posted by MeefZah

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.

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.

[pfy50]

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.

[Sewerat]

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.

[Subaru297]

Originally Posted by mikem9

After posting this as a stand alone thread in Thumpers I saw this thread pop up. Any thoughts?

Has anyone switched from a KTM 400/450/525/530 EXC to a Yamaha WR250r. Or have both? Would you mind sharing your experiences? I hear some folks are increasing power, lowering weight etc. of their WR250r's.

My boys and I share 3 tagged dirt bikes: 04 KTM 450 Exc, an 06 KTM 400 Exc, (plus an 01 WR250f). . Just got back from a trip to Colorado where we trailered our bikes out there.

We love riding the KTM's off-road (singletrack etc they are perfect), but we are getting a little tired of the maintenance intervals and issues. Also, when Dual sporting, they are not very fun on the street. The 5 speed Yamaha WRf is especially not fun on the street.

One of the KTM's, with 5500 miles, couldn't go on the trip because it needed new valves and a top end rebuild at the last minute. The other KTM (4500 miles) had to have it's valves adjusted (will need new valves soon) and new wheel bearings, then on the trip we blew a fork seal, blew a clutch (slave cylinder), and wore out the swing arm and steering head bearings. The frequent oil change intervals, steps you take to change the oil and valve check intervals are getting old.

The old yamaha wr250f only needed an oil change and was bullet proof the entire trip, besides being finicky to start at times. (negatives - 5 speed and no electric start).

Considering trying a WR250r for easier maintenance intervals, better reliability and better street ability. I realize they are not supposed to be near the dirt bike as the KTMs, but the tradeoffs may be worth it?

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

[Scott_PDX]

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-G...74786/10002/-1

-= Scott

[clapped_r6]

Originally Posted by Scott_PDX

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?

nope. do you still have the black plastic "deflector" right behind the fan? have you richened it up at all?

[Gryphon12]

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.

[Sewerat]

Originally Posted by Scott_PDX

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-G...74786/10002/-1

-= Scott

I have the rad guard on and took the bike to Florida at Xmas at that time I did not have a fan working. Engine ice and keeping the bike moving kept enough air to keep the light off.

[monkey]

I have 2 questions if anyone can assist :-

1/ Does anyone know if they still manufacture Sweet Cheeks seat covers? It appears there website no longer operates.
Perhaps I should get the Airhawk seat cover?
2/ Can I run 14/43 sprocket setup successfully? I've the Athena BB kit on road tyres and the WR seems to over-rev at
highway speeds ( in Oz that's 100-110 kph or 60-65 mph). I'm planning a 700 klm highway trip soon, rider and gear
will weigh in at approx' 100 kg (220 lbs) so I guess it's not too heavy.

Thank you in advance once again, John.

Edit. Oops, currently running stock 13/43 sprockets.

[1Down-5Up]

Originally Posted by pfy50

TNX,

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

Well you better pack, our Mattawa to Sudbury off-road ride is leaving in early September.

[GSBS]

Originally Posted by monkey

Can I run 14/43 sprocket setup successfully? I've the Athena BB kit on road tyres and the WR seems to over-rev at
highway speeds ( in Oz that's 100-110 kph or 60-65 mph). I'm planning a 700 klm highway trip soon, rider and gear
will weigh in at approx' 100 kg (220 lbs) so I guess it's not too heavy.

Thank you in advance once again, John.

Edit. Oops, currently running stock 13/43 sprockets.

Most folks need to go the other way, but maybe the Athena kit adds enough ass to make it practical to gear up instead of down.

My WR-R came with 13/43 stock and it needed gearing down to pull hills in sixth and I'm around 200 pounds with gear. I first went down to a 12T on the countershaft, then the chain ate my swingarm guard. Now I'm running a 13/47 combo with an oversized trials tire (taller profile) and it seems about right. YRMV.

One thing is switching out CS sprockets would be relatively inexpensive to try. Be aware that the CS sprocket on this bike will be a real bitch to remove because they use some kind of super Locktite at the factory. Had to use a pneumatic impact wrench on mine the first time (make sure bike is in neutral if you do this!). But after the first time it's a five minute job to change out CS sprockets - just remove nut, replace sprocket, reinstall nut, adjust chain.