picking up an 08 tomorrow!

Hi everybody,
ill be picking my 2008 wr 250r with 6900mi tomorrow morning!
Just thought i should ask some questions and start getting educated on what other than the oil should be changed/ checked on before i start riding her.
Also i haven't searched yet but would the fuel pump have made its self known by 6900 if it were going to be a problem?
Lastly though it may not be appropriate, since we have sort of agreed upon $2900 should i be trying for any less before i ride off the lot?? title is branded though bike is in great shape, should i be looking the bike over harder than i already am?

Check the underside of the swingarm up close to the countershaft sprocket. (not an easy thing to do)
See if the hard plastic "chain slider" has been eaten through. Or look to see if the swingarm itself has been damaged by chain in that area.

Depending on how long the bike has been sitting, check the airbox for unwanted guests.

Is the bike stock? Check under the seat to see if anything has been removed, gutted, or modified. Flapper mod? AIS removal. That sort of thing. Also do a quick look over of the wiring to make sure it's not been chewed on by varmints. (this might not be an issue if bike has been well taken care of by previous owner, but if bike has been stored for a while in a shed or something.....)

Handlebars straight and bike generally looks in good condition?

Fresh gas, fresh oil, clean air filter and airbox area.
Overall appearance reflects a lot about how bike was cared for.

The usual stuff. Post pictures when you get her.

Thanks moto!,
That adds at least 3 things to my checklist. I don't think i would of looked at the wiring and its probably way more important on a bike like this than its predecessors...

In the mean time I've been meaning to ask does anybody have any first hand experience with the head on our bikes, sooner or later I end up tearing my motors apart and so far i haven't really heard anything about porting the heads or if they would even benefit from a porting. sounds like they respond really well to air box and exhaust mods maybe the next step from there?

blusmoke wrote:

Thanks moto!,
That adds at least 3 things to my checklist. I don't think i would of looked at the wiring and its probably way more important on a bike like this than its predecessors...

In the mean time I've been meaning to ask does anybody have any first hand experience with the head on our bikes, sooner or later I end up tearing my motors apart and so far i haven't really heard anything about porting the heads or if they would even benefit from a porting. sounds like they respond really well to air box and exhaust mods maybe the next step from there?

Emphasis on checking to see if the seal guard (chain slider) has been eaten into by the chain.  Don't recall yet anyone reporting their chain had actually eaten right through into the bearings, but the ugly wounds of a chain-eaten swingarm might bring an immediate reduction in price, and is quickly repaired with some JB weld.  Current owner might not even be aware of this potential issue.

As for porting and engine mods... you have lots of time for a long, long perusal of the applicable sub-forums here dealing with this very issue.  IMO, the jury is still out on this, and it depends a lot on what you're intended use is.  Some owners insist the mods are necessary, some have done the mods and then returned the bike to stock feeling it didn't really add much, and a lot of owners figure the bike is just fine, as is, and haven't even bothered.  Included in the last group are some people that go on very serious, multi week adventure rides on their WRR every single year.

One of the big things for so many of us with this bike is that the stone cold reliability and long service intervals means that "tearing motors apart" is generally not one of the perceived attributes of the WRR.  Those "benefits" are more easily found by purchasing KTM and similar types of bikes/models.

I will get pics of her soon for you guys, she has a normal amount of scrapes and marks on the plastics and is missing the decal/stickers that go on the tank shrouds. The swing arm was not been eaten at all and the chain slider looked great, normal to low wear id say!

The only mods appear to have been aftermarket tusk handlebars with bark busters, a 45 tooth rear sprocket (aluminum i think?), and the air filter looks like it has a pre-filter sock over it.

Oh and the rear shock rez has a Motopro suspension sticker on it after a quick search it appears Motopro is a local suspension shop/company in Woodinville, WA. Hoping they did some kinda work to the suspension! I will research the stock spring weights and report back.

I didn't see an answer on your fuel pump question. I have 10,000 miles on my '08 with original pump. no problems.
maybe just me, but I try not to let the low fuel light come on. My theory is the gas keeps the pump cool... but then again all I know is I have had no problems. From what I read, it shouldn't fail all at once.... seems it may stop working and if you let it set a few minutes (cool off?) it will work again.

Anyone else have an opinion on this?

Hog86r wrote:

I didn't see an answer on your fuel pump question. I have 10,000 miles on my '08 with original pump. no problems.
maybe just me, but I try  not to let the low fuel light come on. My theory is the gas keeps the pump cool... but then again all I know is I have had no problems. From what I read, it shouldn't fail all at once.... seems it may stop working and if you let it set a few minutes (cool off?) it will work again.

Anyone else have an opinion on this?

I don't think gas level has anything to do with it.

I have a 2008 with over 12,000 miles and I run every single tank until the low light comes on.
Then run it about 10 to 15 miles more before getting gas.
Every time.

Yep - original fuel pump.

I think if you have a bike with a gas pump that was from a lot that was more inclined to failure than those since, running it into reserve without any cooling from immersion in the gas is not going to enhance its chances of living long enough to meet the MTBF rating of the pump.  Just as one "great" pump dying the first day doesn't mean anything, neither does a questionable pump which happily survives the worst operating conditions mean anything.

Most of the guys who reported their pumps failing, it happened in higher heat conditions...

... and it's not just the 2008s... the pump on my '11 (3k mi) just started to not prime after a hot ride and attempt to re-start.  Waiting until it cools down will let it prime/start again.  I have a new pump on order.