WR250F

Is the WR250F street legal??

Not by a long shot in the USA, anyway.
The Certificate of Origin (looks like a title) says right on it that it's not street legal.

On the other hand, in some states, you can install the parts needed to make it street legal, bring it in for an inspection at the friendly DMV or inspection station doing so on the State's behalf, pay your money, and get it street registered.
If you're thinking about such a thing, I'd call your DMV and ask about this kind of inspection/registration before anything else.

Over here in OZ all enduro bikes sold are road legal including the WR250F.
So you could proberly order the parts from here and convert one to be legal.

YZEtc wrote:

If you're thinking about such a thing, I'd call your DMV and ask about this kind of inspection/registration before anything else.

I wouldn't trust just one DMV clerk's answer - Five clerks will probably give you six different answers. I'd also check with 3 or 4 bike dealers that have been in business for awhile - they probably REALLY know the answer.

If your location was a little more specific than 'homestaed', you might get a little more useful information.

In Minnesota as well as Arizona, and probably other states I'm not familiar with, it is relatively easy to plate a dirt bike.

In MN, the bike must:

Have a Certificate of Origin
Have switchable high and low beams
Have a tail light
Have a brake light activated by the front lever AND/OR the rear pedal.
Have a horn
Have a mirror
Meet sound requirements.

Turn signals are not necessary, though I never figured out how you can clutch and signal at the same time when you drive on the right.

Once you have a letter that the vehicle passes inspection from a local law enforcement agency, and on their letterhead, you can go to Driver and Vehicle services and get a plate.

In Wisconsin, it's almost impossible to plate a dirt bike, so many people buy plated ones from MN and transfer the title.

FYI - KTM COO's do not carry the restricted to off road statement, so they are usually an easier conversion, but if you're going to buy a KTM, just get one that's already plated and save the hassle and expense.

Funny that INSTIGATOR posted this question about this bike because I'm picking up a low-hour 2009 WR-250F tomorrow and plan on street registering it (just so I can legally ride the local NETRA Enduro Loop).

I'll update here as I go along. :)

YZEtc wrote:

Funny that INSTIGATOR posted this question about this bike because I'm picking up a low-hour 2009 WR-250F tomorrow and plan on street registering it (just so I can legally ride the local NETRA Enduro Loop).

I'll update here as I go along. :)

Any updates? I want to find an 08 or newer WR-F and legalize it.... just for something different from the WR-R

I would look at the KTMs too, but I'm too short for those ... they seem like awfully tall bikes.

Time flies.

Yes, I did buy that 2009 WR250F, modified it with the required parts, got it through inspection, registered it, and rode it for 2 years.
It was a very good bike off-road.

It was, however, not a good street bike, and the only reason I street registered it was to be able to legally ride my local trail loop which requires that since the sections of trail are connected by paved public roads.

The reasons it was a lousy street bike were mainly because it had a 5-speed transmission versus a 6-speed of a WR250R or X, and the overall gearing was short to make the bike work well off-road.
In other words, you were revving the bike out doing 50 mph on the street.
Power wasn't a problem as it had plenty of that.

So, if you want a great dirt bike, a WR250F is a great choice.
If you plan on street riding, a WR250R or WR250X is MUCH better for that.
Take my word for it.

Too short?
I'm 5'5" and 150 pounds, myself, and I bought a 2016 KTM 200XC-W this past June.

YZEtc wrote:

Time flies.

Yes, I did buy that 2009 WR250F, modified it with the required parts, got it through inspection, registered it, and rode it for 2 years.
It was a very good bike off-road.

It was, however, not a good street bike, and the only reason I street registered it was to be able to legally ride my local trail loop which requires that since the sections of trail are connected by paved public roads.

The reasons it was a lousy street bike were mainly because it had a 5-speed transmission versus a 6-speed of a WR250R or X, and the overall gearing was short to make the bike work well off-road.
In other words, you were revving the bike out doing 50 mph on the street.
Power wasn't a problem as it had plenty of that.

So, if you want a great dirt bike, a WR250F is a great choice.
If you plan on street riding, a WR250R or WR250X is MUCH better for that.
Take my word for it.

Too short?
I'm 5'5" and 150 pounds, myself, and I bought a 2016 KTM 200XC-W this past June.

Well, that's good information, thank you.

You may have saved me a big hassle. I rode an F down the road and back and noticed how short the gearing was, but thinking a smaller rear sprocket would make it doable. That may not be the case. I heard a rumor that the newer F bikes have a wider ratio gear box ... don't know if that's true or not. I guess I'll just have to be happy with the R.

Yeah, I'm only 5'6 and so maybe I'll check the 200 out. I forget what model it was, but I could barely tippy toe it on one of those KTMs.

Yup, the newer ones are 6 speed.