new to WR250R and trail riding

Subject: new to WR250R and trail riding Sat Jul 06, 2013 6:14 pm

Hello,

I’ve seen several posts where people were looking to first dirt bike. I'm not sure if some of them had bought the bike already, however I would like to share my experience with purchase of the WR250R as a first bike dirt bike.

I've done some riding before, not much and it was street only. However at first I was skeptical going from 600cc to 250. At some point I was even looking towards 800cc DS bikes. However after trying riding trail (on borrowed 250 cc bike) for the first time I was questioning myself, should I even go with 250cc or find something less.

My approach to dirt bike purchase was similar to some of yours. I want to spend money on a bike that I’ll keep for long period of time. Bike I be able to learn ride trails and improve my abilities. I want the bike I can ride mostly trails, but if I have to travel I would not be restricted.

Amount of maintenance is very important aspect to consider: I want to ride the bike, not to spend time in the garage doing maintenance all the time. I suspect that some people will consider this statement not cool, but the bottom line the bike belongs on the road, not in garage.

Power (perhaps going together with maintenance): I was not looking for something which I would race on. If I don’t know the basics of trail riding, street riding experience does not apply here, therefore, what’s the point to buy race bike and go fast without control? So KTM was not even on the list.

New or Used: I view anything what spends time off-road is a subject to abuse. Yes, it’s less money for used bike, but what “history” will you inherit with it? Since it was my first bike and I have no idea what to look at when purchasing used dirt bike, I decided to buy new bike. Another reason to consider new bike was: the promotions from manufacturers are great now, and some dealers still have 2012 models in stock with full warranty.

I've done some research and focus on WR250R, klx250, CRF250L. I went to the dealerships to check these bikes.

CRF250L was least comfortable for me. A lot of people mentioned the height of these bikes and how the rider has to stay on the toes to reach the ground. That was my concern too until I’ve seen the pro races and observed some of the riders do not even reach the ground with both feet and have to use only one foot to keep the bike up. Reading more on this subject I’ve found out that ground clearance is the key here. It’s also more important how comfortable the bike feels while riding. Therefore, the distance between the seat and the pegs is more important to me, not from the seat to the ground. CRF250L has very short distance. It’s very uncomfortable for me to stand on pegs too.

With CRF250R out of the list, that left KLX250 and WR250R.

At first I was leaning towards purchase of KLX250 – cheaper, more lower power (according to some). But then it was: the carburetor on KLX vs FI on WR250R. I didn’t think that would be a concern until I’ve witness how the bike with FI gets offloaded from the truck, started, and rides right away compare to bike with carburetor.

There were some other drawbacks on KLX 250 compare to WR250R, but I consider them personal preferences.

So I found that WR250R is best suited for me. I went to the dealer and purchased the bike.

Time, between making decision and actually travel to the dealership and purchase the bike, is very important. Longer wait can lead to doubts and you may not purchase the bike at all. So consider this: the dirt bike is a toy. Practical application of this bike is very minimal, and if you trying to justify spending money on dirt bike as something practical it will not work. It you will be honest to yourself and others and admit that it’s a toy, the purchase process would be much easier.

After first couple rides I’ve confirmed to myself that with this bike I can learn ride trail and grow with. It’s not a power rocket, but not as mellow as CRF250L. With this reasonable power I can learn and experiment. If I would like to go between the trails I don’t have to come back to the car to load and transport the bike. After dropping the bike couple time I was very glad that I don’t go with heavier 400 models. FI allows me to start riding the bike and not wait for warm up. I’m very pleased with my purchase.

Please note that this review is strictly based on my preferences. I don’t want to encourage anyone to buy the same bike I’ve got. But I hope you can apply my knowledge when you purchase yours.

I’ll continue post here my impressions and experiences here. If any of you – newbies (or not) would like to contribute something or have a questions please feel free post here.

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:15 pm

Nice.
Welcome aboard. :)

My advice on maintenance when riding a motorcycle off-road:

Even the WR-250R - the bike that gets thumbs-up from riders and shoppers for the 26,000 mile valve clearance check interval and the 3,000 mile interval between oil changes shown in the Owner's Manual - needs basic maintenance done more often when riding off-road.
It even says to up the intervals for these things on the Owner's Manual, but lots of riders kinda' don't remember that part. ;)

Two biggies you'll want to do much more often than shown in the Owner's Manual if you are riding off-road often are:

1) Air filter maintenance.
If you don't know about how you perform this maintenance item, NOW is the time to find out.
You will need foam air filter cleaner and foam air filter oil.
No motorcycle - race bike or dual-purpose bike - will run correctly for long if it sucks dirt through the intake.
Myself, on my off-road bikes, I do this before each ride.

2) Engine oil change.
I would not go 3,000 miles between oil changes with an off-road bike.
Myself, I go one month or 500 miles, what ever comes first.
Guys that actually thrash their bikes measure this interval in hours, not months or miles.

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Sun Jul 07, 2013 12:25 pm

Thank YZEtc

I do appreciate you input.

If you purchased your bike new, how soon have you done the 1st oil change ?

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Sun Jul 07, 2013 4:16 pm

I think you summed it up, for a lot of us.
And there's realiable people to give us advice....thanks to the interweb ...and YZetc, and such...

I'm only surprised you felt the honda less comfortable....anywho,... I can wait for that test ride. thumb

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Sun Jul 07, 2013 4:40 pm

Glad you've found it useful.
When I've tried CRF250L I found it too low. Especially when sitting. Distance is too short between footpegsand the seat. I'm 6.1and 34 inseam.

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:04 pm

600 miles is the recommended first engine oil change.
I'd probably do it a little bit sooner if it's all off-road.

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Mon Jul 08, 2013 11:39 am

Thank you YZEtc

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Mon Jul 08, 2013 6:31 pm

My next step, after bike purchase, was selection of off-road riding gear. Reviewing the post of PROs on advrider and also checking other forums, I’ve learned that two items I should not be stingy were helmet and boots. Later, I’ve discovered the difference between items with positive reviews posted online and items which actually fit comfortably.

I’m big on Internet shopping, however I’ve decided to give local store a chance. As strange as it sounds, I’ve actually saved money buying at the store vs. online. Not only by saving money on return shipments and exchange charges, but also on prices. I came to the store with the list of helmets/boots I should try and possibly buy. However after trying these items I find out that they were seriously uncomfortable. To avoid second trip to the store, I started trying randomly, until I found the helmet and boots which fit me. Big thanks to store’s clerk and the great patience he had and his advices. If it would be reverse situation and I had to deal with such annoying person, the outcome would be way different.

Speaking of protection gear, there is a way to trim the budget on some safety gear at the beginner/learning to ride stage, if you have some items from ski/snowboarding/mountain biking protection gear. No, ski helmet will not work!!! But such items like knee/elbow pads, and impact shorts will work great at the early learning stage. By early learning stage I mean practice riding in 1st gear on flat area. Some people may disagree with me, and that’s they choice.

Goggles are also important to try before you buy. I’ve noted some of them are really pitching the top of the nose and does not allow breathing freely. So it’s important to get the proper fit before you start practicing.

Other items like jerseys and pants are available from many online retailers and if you not picky about style or color, you can dress yourself for $60 or less.

Subject: The First Ride Wed Jul 10, 2013 4:07 pm

The First ride is the event which almost everyone looking forward to, after bike purchase. One the other hand, first ride also has such unpleasant thing called “the reality check”. Below I’ll describe my experiences when going to ride the trail for the first time. I hope, the new riders will find something useful from this story and be able to apply it for the first ride.

I don’t want to discourage anybody. Just would like to warn new riders, to be prepared and set up some realistic goals for the first ride. By the way, even if you’ve sat on the bike inside the garage, or made a circle or two in your neighborhood, it will not turn you into Ricky Carmichael overnight.

Perhaps I’m talking about something obvious, but how many of us, deep inside, believe that we are a part-time superhero? You don’t’ have to raise your hand, just ask yourself. Once you’ve get to the trail, the things are much different compare to how it looks from sitting on the bike inside the garage or reading articles in Dirt Bike magazine.

That’s brings me to the next point – the transportation to the riding place.

From mountain bike riding I’ve learned that the most enjoyment I get is to ride mountain bike on the hills. Pedaling to and from place of riding is not fun, particularly if you have to pedal home up hill. That’s where the car bike rack becomes your buddy. This statement may cause an angry comment from dedicated MTB riders, but for the rest of us, part –time Superheroes, bike racks make it more enjoyable experience of mountain biking.

Well, the same thing goes for a dirt bike. Yes, the WR250R is a street legal machine, but unless you live near riding place (and I’m talking less than 2 -3 miles), do yourself a favor and invest in the motorcycle carrier.
Driving to and from riding place has many benefits. For example: extra fuel supply, dry and clean clothes, extra food and water.

And of course, don’t forget the most crucial one: free towing service.

If your bike have decided to “take a vocation” while you riding, you have a way to bring it back home or straight to the repair place, without humiliating phone call “Honey, could you pick me up please?”.

The moment you’ve involved you better half into motorcycle affairs, especially on “rescue me” bases, could lead to more painful feeling than the ones form all bruisers and scratches the part-time superhero would get from riding. So think about it, when you’ll look at the price tag of the motorcycle carrier.
Anyway, after purchasing motorcycle carrier plus the hitch, and spending the evening assembling and installing both, I was ready for my first ride.

Next morning after several attempts I managed to roll the bike onto carrier and secured it. I’m not a procrastinator, just could not do it the night before; the garage door would not close otherwise.

After all, I was on my way to the riding place. I picked the week day – less people in the area, fewer chances to get on the YouTube for public entertainment. Driving to the riding place was uneventful, except for looking at the rear view mirror 10 000 times, to make sure the bike is still there.

Do you self a favor and try the riding gear, you've purchased, before first ride. Try to ware it for a period of time, not just put it on and take off right away, especially boots and helmet. You don’t want to waste riding time fighting with your riding gear on the parking lot

In my case the, I forgot the long socks, and had to ride with my short sport socks. That was not critical but was uncomfortable.

After offloading the bike and getting ready I took it straight to the trail.

"Hello" said first reality check.

Everything was looking much steeper and narrower than on the pictures and video; I’ve looked the night before. In addition to that, the riding surfaces are quite slippery compare to the paved road in the neighborhood, thanks to the sand and small rocks. I’ve managed to complete the ”extremely difficult” beginner (green) trail using first gear (since anything above the 1st was super fast) and comeback to the parking lot.

Here, after coming myself down and replacing the fluids I've lost by stress –sweating, I've tried, what I should have done in the beginning: practice some exercise I’ve picked up from training video. I was riding standing up and practice throttle control.

Man! Why did I go to the trail first? Even after 30 minutes of exercising these relatively simple tasks, I had boosted my confidence and gave myself a brief feeling that I could somewhat control the bike. Later, I made it a habit; every time to spend 15 -20 minutes for warm up myself and my riding skills before going to the trail.

I’ve completed the first day of riding by going back to the same green trail feeling more confident. The reality still showed the signs that it exists and I’ve lay the bike several times a get some scratches on the new plastic faring. Oh well, it’s a dirt bike, not a show room treasure - trophy.

I think the lack of fear of dropping /scratching the bike is important as the riding skills.

I’ve got back to the parking lot with the feeling that I’ve achieved something that day. With all the events occur that day, I was not discouraged from riding. On the contrary, I feel glad that I’ve found something I’ll be able to learn, improve, and enjoy.

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Wed Jul 10, 2013 8:18 pm

Good going. :)

Keep learning, and keep us posted on what you experience.

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Thu Jul 11, 2013 11:25 pm

I'm also new to off road riding. I recently told one of my buddies that I ride with that everytime I ride, I find myself actually giggling in my helmet (God I love this!!)

Admin

ilyaon wrote:: Yes, the WR250R is a street legal machine, but unless you live near riding place (and I’m talking less than 2 -3 miles), do yourself a favor and invest in the motorcycle carrier.
Driving to and from riding place has many benefits. For example: extra fuel supply, dry and clean clothes, extra food and water.

And of course, don’t forget the most crucial one: free towing service.

If your bike have decided to “take a vocation” while you riding, you have a way to bring it back home or straight to the repair place, without humiliating phone call “Honey, could you pick me up please?”.

To each their own, including how they choose to ride a dual sport. However, I'll offer a difference of opinion on this part.

First, this is a DUAL sport bike. Meaning, it is eminently capable of doing more than two or three miles on the slab to get to the dirt, forestry roads, designated offroad track park, whatever. An hour long ride to get to/from some of the further rides that are favorites is pretty normal for me; three hour commutes on slab at 70+ mph aren't particularly fun, but quite capable on the bike. I wouldn't bother trailing for an hour of travel, but of course that's just me. Particularly when my 3/4 ton 4x4 doesn't get anything close to the mileage the bike gets, even when running flat out for an hour. And when you're not in a play park, the ride usually doesn't end where it started i.e. where the truck is parked.

Extra fuel? That's what gas stations are for. And fuel bladders, rotopacks, bottles, etc. Not going to double back to the cage for that either.

Dry/clean clothes? I can handle wet/dirty for the extra bit it takes to get home - I'd personally prefer a shower before crawling into clean clothes anyways. Gonna ride in the dirt? Wet/dirty is a state of existence - even on street bikes wet is a state of existence unless you just cruise around a few minutes from home. Good riding gear deals with wet and dirt anyways - for anyone who's curious, the Tourmasters Transition 2 riding jacket is the absolute bomb, no matter what the weather. Good gear is about more than protecting your hide; dual sport clothing should deal with all possible kinds of weather you might encounter as well.

Food and water? There's luggage and packs for that stuff - and if you're riding anywhere other than a play area, you ain't going to double back just for a suck on a water bottle or a power bar.

Free towing service? Learn to fix a flat tire - that's probably about the worst thing you're going to encounter out in the dirt. Check our website here out and you'll find one subject most noticeable by it's absence "My bike broke down on the trail and I had to be towed out". You might manage to crash it so bad you can't get it out - but if you do, it's an even chance you won't be fit to get it out anyways. One of the biggest features of the WRR is they are stone cold reliable.

And then of course there's this:

Quote :: After offloading the bike and getting ready I took it straight to the trail.

"Hello" said first reality check.

Everything was looking much steeper and narrower than on the pictures and video; I’ve looked the night before. In addition to that, the riding surfaces are quite slippery compare to the paved road in the neighborhood, thanks to the sand and small rocks. I’ve managed to complete the ”extremely difficult” beginner (green) trail using first gear (since anything above the 1st was super fast) and comeback to the parking lot.

Here, after coming myself down and replacing the fluids I've lost by stress –sweating, I've tried, what I should have done in the beginning: practice some exercise I’ve picked up from training video. I was riding standing up and practice throttle control.

Man! Why did I go to the trail first?[/color]

Exactly. Perhaps riding on local streets would have been a better place to start - even riding to where the dirt begins. Riding instead of trailering might help with that.

Time in the saddle... it all counts on motorcycles, slab or gravel. Being on the slab doesn't mean you have to be riding at the speed of heat, and local streets, parking lots, etc are good places to make operating the controls, clutch control, etc., an unconscious act instead of something you have to think about doing. Empty parking lots are great places for all kinds of balance and other sorts of drills.

So again, to re-state, to each his own. If you want to trailer your WRR any distance more than 2-3 miles in order to go riding, it's certainly not wrong. But suggesting to other new riders that they'll be doing themselves a favour by minimizing the distance on slab to only 2-3 miles and trailering anything more than that isn't very accurate in my opinion. The amount of mileage guys like Skierd have put on their WRRs on the slab - ignoring how much they've also put on riding dirt - is almost scary. This is a choice that is more about personal preference than anything else.

Not trying to discourage; just offering an alternate viewpoint. Hope you discover all the different types of fun you can have with your bike!

Subject: Re: new to WR250R and trail riding Sun Jul 21, 2013 7:21 pm

Jager,

That is a fair and rational offering of an alternate point of view. I agree with all your points. I am just heading out this week for a little 4000 km trip that will be about 50/50 asphalt/gravel. My WR will be the perfect (for me) bike for that trip.

It's all good ! Enjoy!

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