new rider, wanting info

Thinking of buying a wr250r. Main use for city riding and to work, also to explore some little trails around my area. Curious about how it will do as a daily commuter when weather permits. Ride to work is a 40 minute trip. Can get there through town or shorten with interstate

It will do fine, 70 easy with stock gearing. Sounds like the right bike for you

Thanks. Guess this is pretty boring topic. Pros and con's?

Bree13 wrote:

Thanks. Guess this is pretty boring topic. Pros and con's?

Only con I can think of is the 2 gal tank. IMS makes a nice 3 gal that I put on to increase range

Wonder what insurance would look like on something this size

I have done highways without issue, but it's not a speed demon, and frankly, highways are boring.
I commute on mine (only 15 mins unfortunately) and I love it.
I was going to sell mine and buy a bigger bike (KTM 500 EXC or 690 SMC) this past winter, but decided to keep the WRX and do the mods. I'm happy with my decision. It's still not a powerhouse like those other 2 bikes, but it's a whole shitload of FUN to ride!!!! I love my bike. I'll probably still buy another bike in a couple years, but I'll keep my WRX and add to the garage, instead of replacing the WRX.
Insurance depends on location, your record, etc... but I find it's cheap to insure. ~$200 /year - full coverage. I'm just outside of Montreal, Canada.

I'm not a speed demon!! Ha! I want something I can ride to work on and off road to some good fishing spots. I've wanted a bike for a while, just got a job where I can afford to spend. I never considered a dual sport till now. Just to think about riding dirt roads to creeks and rivers. But before this I thought all the Yamaha fzs were so cool. Still want one. If I go dual sport I can't make the trip back home, but seems like I could have some fun locally....... I pay $180 full coverage for an 04 mercury sable, got quite a few no insurance no license tickets. Two d.u.I. charges ( one is youthful offender.) Most recent is at 21, I'm 23

There are plenty of cons to this bike.
Some are
Jerky throttle response and lots of engine braking which really upsets your front back weighting. Like if you let off the throttle the front end dives, and you can't role the throttle on smooth. This bothers some more then others. It really bothers me obviously.
pricetag compared to competition
barely enough power. It depends on what you are looking for. For example it does 70 easily on flattish terrain, but don't expect that in the mountains. If I remember right the fastest I was able to get it to was 78 on the speedometer which is more like 73mph actual. (it has a notoriously inaccurate speedometer) and that was basically max throttle wound out. (completely stock bike) In all fairness it was windy that day, and I haven't been on the freeway since, but it still gives you an idea of its power.


This is the best dual sport bike for offroad not counting bikes like ktm. Best suspension and light, well if you consider 300lbs light. If the most offroad I planned to do was seasonal roads or a little worse, I would get a dr650 and never look back. A much better on road bike imo, and surprisingly decent offroad.

A bike under 250cc should be the cheapest to insure compared to larger engine bikes.

Dirt roads with the exception of whatever trails I come across will be the majority of my offloading. Lot of side by side people here so I now there's riding going on around here. No mountains, I'm just outside of mobile al. Forgive the spelling on cell.

Well the wr250 is a great bike no question, I just wanted to make sure you got a reality check on its capability since asking which bike to get on a forum like this is going to give you some one sided opinions. I honestly have flipflopped many times on whether this was the right bike for me. My friend picked up a old beaten DR650 and its also a great bike and he spent a lot less then I did. I guess I would say go out there and sit on a couple of different bikes and choose the one that feels right. For me, the wr was the bike that felt right.

10-4, I'm 5'9 180. Don't know inseam, going to local dealer tomorrow.

I just recently got a WR 250 R and I will say I love it, but I would highly recommend switching out the stock exhaust pipe for a more free-flowing one, as it really seems to give the bike a lot more power and it sure seems to tackle the highways much better now. It is an extremely fun bike to ride. The really high seat height is great for a commuting bike because it allows you to really see over the cars in front of you. But at the same time if you do not like being on your tiptoes when you are stopped it could be a problem.

The bike is very high off the ground. You're always on your tip toes and it can get awkward at times. If you think commuting is going to be the main purpose for your riding, for the same price Honda makes the CB500F. It has a considerable amount of power to get you down the highways and interstates, as well as a windscreen that you can adjust. My brother and I test rode one and I will say it is a very very nice bike. But we live in the Pacific Northwest with countless numbers of mountains and coastal back roads to explore. Plus the WR was just a lot more fun to ride.

Can it keep up with the two lane highway I ride where all these mills let bout at the same time? I do 80 in me car, when I'm late. But I figure I could pass better

Sorry I meant Honda CB500X, the adventure style model with decent ground clearance and the ability to tackle those dirt roads. The bike road smooth as butter but ultimately I love the gritty character and the fun to ride ear to ear grin you get when riding the WR

I don't think you're gonna want to do 80 mph all day with the WR. The Honda CB500 yes, but I've found that the WR is happiest around normal highway speeds, like 55-60mph. Above, someone mentioned the engine breaking and resulting nose dive. That's definitely true. With a smaller engibe its wound up high at highway speeds, so if you let go of that throttle that nose will dive as the engine sharply breaks. A more powerful bike will hold a lesser rpm at higher speeds, so it wont engine break hard. I'll be honest, the WR wouldn't be the ideal motorcycle if 80% or more of your riding is going to be hwy commuting. That Honda I mentioned is the same price but you get an engine that can definitely hold its own on the hwy. The WR is beyond wonderful on the twisties and backroads and obviously off road, but the WR is by no means the ideal tourer/cruiser.

Oh, and insurance-wise, I'm fully covered for only $125 a year. But I'm married, flawless driving record, class-A CDL, and 32 years old. All big factors, apparently. I paid about $380 a year for my SV650 when I was 21.

As for city riding the WR is great!!! My brother and I ride it around Portland every weekend. Like I said, the high seat height gives you a commanding view of whats going on around you, which is a huge bonus in an urban setting. But be prepared to spend a lot of time on your tiptoes. A LOT in the city. An FMF slip on reverberates oh so nicely off those city high-rises though dude!! The WR sounds like an apache helicopter with a pipe on it! It is very skittish though, as also mentioned above. It's not the smoothest bike of all time, but I couldn't care less. Being a 250, you'll also shift gears a lot. But it's so light weight and easy to throw around. And it's narrow! You can squeeze through a lot larger bikes can't.

The WRR is a great dualsport bike. I like it better than my old KTM640 for trails because it's much lighter and nimbler. It's actually better than the 640 for slow highways because it's really smooth. The KTM kicked butt on gravel and dirt roads, probably one of the best at this.

BUT if I have to go more than 20 or 30 miles I trailer it. It's just too small and underpowered for the open road, for me. Do the cage drivers in Alabama think they are in a NASCAR race on the highway? You will be just a traffic cone to them.

A friend had a Suzuki DDRZ400 he used to go fishing about 80 miles away. Then he got a DR650. He said there is no comparison, the DR650 is much better on the highway.