I wanta make it Better,Better,Better

For 28 years I owned a Yamaha xt 550 which spent it's life in the mountains of Western Colorado or the deserts of Baja Mexico. It was used and abused as was I, but although in all those years, through I always wished for a lighter better performing bike, I never found any that turned me on. In the 28 years that I owned that bike, I never bought it anything other then oil, gas, sproclets,chains,plugs and tires, and never did anything to it other then adjust the valves and carbs. When I saw the wr250x/r it was love at first sight, and since I bought it about three months ago I can't stop buying it things. My latest desire is a new muffler.....a Yoshimura,a PC and AIS removal and airbox mods. The whole enchilada. Now today some guy posts that he whats to sell his FMF and power bomb because he put the original back on to see the difference and it works better the the new stuff. I'm coming to the conclusion that this bike works great, Yamaha did a super job with it, and I should just leave it alone.......pink would look nice.

I wouldn't say it necessarily works better than the aftermarket stuff, but it does do its intended job well which is keep the bike quiet. Small tubes make torque, and the stock pipe is definitely limiting top end power vs the aftermarket setup while giving a feeling of more grunt off the line. There was also less hesitation with the aftermarket setup. My goals are quiet and gas mileage, not outright power. Plus the money I get back for the exhaust + programmer will likely equal close to a week on the road, maybe more.

Your goals may likely differ.

Hey Skierd, Yah, I kind of miss quoted you...sorry, but for me quiet and low end grunt are more important the top end performance. I just don't like that big heavy Yamaha exhuast , but I'm going to learn to live with it.

I basically feel the opposite.
In my opinion:

With the 2008 WR-250R I rode last year, I thought the stock setup was way too choked-up and I wanted better throttle response.
I also wanted much lower gearing because stock, it's so tall, 6th is like an overly-tall overdrive, not to mention the gaps from gear-to-gear which hurt acceleration.
So, I went with the FMF exhaust (Q4) and Power Programmer and much lower gearing, removed the AIS, got rid of the airbox flapper, and enjoyed more performance.

I felt the bike was still quiet.
In fact, when the guy I sold the bike to last September rode off on his test ride and then rode back to me, I remember saying to myself that the exhaust tone and volume sounded very civilized. :)

I bought a 2008 WR-250X 2 months ago for my new street ride this year.
Immediately, I made plans for the same mods and have already done so. :)


I believe thet you'll have to ride the bike some more and decide for yourself. :)

I wish i could ride a modified bike. I would know instantly weather I wanted to do the mods or not. The darn bike just works so well I'm afraid to mess with it.

Well the good news is the bike still works really damn well modified. It has a lot more power from the mid range and on top with the exhaust. No hit, just a continuous surge. No dyno proof, but the motor was happier on the highway at ~10mph faster speeds (happy cruise at 75mph vs 65mph indicated) and pulled stronger at speed. Got about 5mph in top speed too. Right where the stock motor falls off, the modded one kept pulling to redline. Throttle response was somewhat better I guess too.

But for my purposes, at least right now, i need gas mileage and stealth (especially say searching for a place to camp for the night) more than outright power. It is a happier and faster machine with the modifications.

Again too, the other thing is I looked at what the pipes and programmer are worth, and realize that I could travel quite far on that alone with how I roll. That in itself is reason enough for me to go back.

skierd wrote:

Well the good news is the bike still works really damn well modified. It has a lot more power from the mid range and on top with the exhaust. No hit, just a continuous surge. No dyno proof, but the motor was happier on the highway at ~10mph faster speeds (happy cruise at 75mph vs 65mph indicated) and pulled stronger at speed. Got about 5mph in top speed too. Right where the stock motor falls off, the modded one kept pulling to redline. Throttle response was somewhat better I guess too.

But for my purposes, at least right now, i need gas mileage and stealth (especially say searching for a place to camp for the night) more than outright power. It is a happier and faster machine with the modifications.

Again too, the other thing is I looked at what the pipes and programmer are worth, and realize that I could travel quite far on that alone with how I roll. That in itself is reason enough for me to go back.

Posts: 117
Joined date: 2010-11-07
Age: 71
Bike: wr250x
Location: San Diego


Subject: Re: FMF exhaust Fri Feb 11, 2011 6:41 am
I have a place high up in the Western Colorado mountains. I adjoin the forest which adjoins a wilderness area. My main form of transport up there has always been a dual sport. It gives me a greater range then I can cover on foot, and a lot more fun then trying to get around in my 4x4 pickup. My nearest neighbor is seven miles away. I used to spend a lot of time in the woods on foot because it's a great way to be one with nature, and SEE things. Now I always did whatever I could to reduce my footprint on the bike. Keep it as quiet as possible; ride only on game trails or forest roads. When I walk through the woods with others I don't talk. I look and listen. When I come across an ass hole on a loud bike, blazing a new rut in a damp meadow, I want to shoot that somn of a bitch, and I will use my vote and do everything I can , to keep him and others like him out of the woods!

I think we have the same needs Skied

Here's something else too on the topic of responsibility to the environment... I wanted to put the cat back on.

I'm always going to dream about the beautiful , shiny Yoshimura I almost had........

Then get it! If you hate it, you can always resell it. Always someone else looking for a deal that doesn't need to have brandy new parts. :)

Nope Skierd, I've done a lot of mods to this bike and I love um all, but the motor and exhuast stay stock. Ordered a 45 tooth for the back and a 110 chain. That should keep me happy for a while. Good luck with the sale........