WR450R?

So I was in my local dealer and he seemed keen to put my WRR on consignment (sounds like he already had a buyer) for a price that caught my attention. The other part of the deal was a deal on a 2014 KTM 690 Enduro R.

I have ridden the Enduro R and the power is AMAZING but it just is not as nimble as the WRR in the tight stuff and even though it is a bigger bike it struggles to carry a big load due to the whole rear plastic gas tank / subframe combo. That being said he had my attention. As we were talking through some stuff I asked him what was up with the Yamaha and a WR450R.

He told me that the Sales Rep was in the week before and he asked him that question. He said the guy TOLD him "you will have to wait till the October Announcement" but his eyes were saying it is coming.

So now this really caught my attention. Since here is a Sales guy I have known and bought from for years who just about has me talked into a KTM 690 and he drops this little bomb which pulls me right out of the deal.

So I am wondering if anyone has heard of this Yamaha Unicorn:



For now I have decided to keep the WRR and show it a little love by sending the suspension out to Travis to be re-valved and re-sprung.

I`ve been reading stuff online about this bike since the beginning of the summer, Yamaha could easily make it happen i would think if they wanted to. Seems like the big four really don't have an interest in the 450/500 DS category in the US, or they would have done this years ago. I think they def would sell here.

I'd be one of the first in line, depending on how heavy it is.

The bike shown in your pic is a WR-450F as sold in Australia.
It is very much like the USA version except the Australian importer adds those street parts to allow street use with the bike.
The USA version has no street parts on it and is off-road only.
The USA version is also performance restricted straight off the showroom floor and needs to be "uncorked".
The WR-450F is based very much on YZ-450F (engine) and YZ-250F (chassis) designs.

In my opinion, although I'd love to be wrong, IF a new model called the WR-450R were to arrive, it would probably be a whole 'nother animal, just as with the WR-250R.
That is, EPA approval and liability-lawyer-appeasing parts that go along with it.
AKA:
A WR-250R in 450cc.

Hi
The bike you show in the picture is a wr450f, we have had it for a long time here in europe, but it is extremely expencive, about 40000 us dollars.
It's more related to the yz-f motocrossers, I have had it's predessor the wr426f, a really beast in the dirt, but not so fun on tarmac, it got more than twice the power, and weighs 15kg less.

I looked at the Australian web site, and it only weighs 129 kg, which is 284 pounds. That's lighter than the WR250R.

I'd love to have one here.

In black. I only work in black, and sometimes very dark grey.

YZEtc wrote:

The bike shown in your pic is a WR-450F as sold in Australia.
It is very much like the USA version except the Australian importer adds those street parts to allow street use with the bike.
The USA version has no street parts on it and is off-road only.
The USA version is also performance restricted straight off the showroom floor and needs to be "uncorked".
The WR-450F is based very much on YZ-450F (engine) and YZ-250F (chassis) designs.

In my opinion, although I'd love to be wrong, IF a new model called the WR-450R were to arrive, it would probably be a whole 'nother animal, just as with the WR-250R.
That is, EPA approval and liability-lawyer-appeasing parts that go along with it.
AKA:
A WR-250R in 450cc.

I suspect if it was as easy as throwing on the 'street' bits on a WR450F we would already have it in the States. So IF it is announced I am pretty sure we would have another WR250R type bike with very little being interchangeable with the WR450F.

Stopped by the shop today to pick up a box to ship my suspension to Travis at Go-Race. The owner of the place was there and he told me that he should know something in a few weeks when he is at the big Yamaha US Sales Meeting. Says I am #2 on the list.. lol

That would be AWESOME if we finally got the WR450R here !!!

I have a wr450f, the power is pretty brutal. Not sure if a high performance engine like that would have good enough engine life for a dual sport.

I'd very much like to see a WR450R, but I'm worried that it will weigh 325 lbs or more.  That's a fair amount for an older guy like me to pick up on a steep hillside at high altitude.

Dave

DPete wrote:

I have a wr450f, the power is pretty brutal. Not sure if a high performance engine like that would have good enough engine life for a dual sport.

Don't tell that to crash279 or a bunch of the other guys on SMJ http://supermotojunkie.com/showthread.php?146405-Crash279-s-Fuel-Injected-2014-WR450
According to them, it's already a great bike to ride hard on the roads.

Knowing that it's a Yamaha it would be crazy reliable, just like every other of the dozen Yamahas I've owned.

I would love the extra power, but I'm not willing to deal with KTM prices or reliability or short maintenance schedules.

Bring this machine to the US!

hjorth73 wrote:

Hi
The bike you show in the picture is a wr450f, we have had it for a long time here in europe, but it is extremely expencive, about 40000 us dollars.
It's more related to the yz-f motocrossers, I have had it's predessor the wr426f, a really beast in the dirt, but not so fun on tarmac, it got more than twice the power, and weighs 15kg less.

40 000 usd ?

its 9629 usd here in Australia

The only thing I don`t love about this bike is the 5 speed trans, that extra gear would be nice on the highway

I don't think you'd need it, with a 450 engine you'd have so much torque just anywhere you want it that shifting to keep the motor in the rev range becomes less of an issue.

rsteiger wrote:

He told me that the Sales Rep was in the week before and he asked him that question.  He said the guy TOLD him "you will have to wait till the October Announcement" but his eyes were saying it is coming.

Tomorrow is October....Did you find out when in October this announcement might be made?

If the 450R comes in 2015 and the KTM 690 SMC also doesn't reappear, who knows... I might sell my 2013 450F.   That SMC should be very similar in weight to the 450R and I've been thinking that Orange Koolaid would taste mighty good.

To the 6 speed question, my road plated stock geared 450F with knobbies seems to not enjoy cruising at more than 110 kph.   It can easily do more.   The first time I cracked the throttle wide open in 5th at highway speeds, I realized I needed to hang on tighter.    However smoothness is not her forte and since it's so comparatively rough, it feels like anything approaching 130kph borders on being abusive.

Totally diff animal compared to my 250R which was smooth as silk in comparison.

My 250R is no longer with me however she was a WAY better street bike and travel companion (6 spd, subframe, pass pegs)... and frankly way better at everything except for putting a smile on my face.   The 450F has got that in spades.

Evol wrote:

rsteiger wrote:

He told me that the Sales Rep was in the week before and he asked him that question.  He said the guy TOLD him "you will have to wait till the October Announcement" but his eyes were saying it is coming.

Tomorrow is October....Did you find out when in October this announcement might be made?

I think he told me October 15th or 16th

I'm sitting in a board meeting for our local Friends of the Library. One of the Trustees is an engine designer for Yamaha. He claims Yamaha will be announcing a WR450R very soon. I hope he's right!

Dave


.

I'm praying that it won't weigh 320 lbs, have a high center of gravity, and offer the same 2.1 gallon tank.....

Dave

There've been rumours about this bike since 2009 yet Yamaha did nothing. What do you think has changed now?

Ozgur83 wrote:

There've been rumours about this bike since 2009 yet Yamaha did nothing. What do you think has changed now?

Well it took time to fit the 4 gallon tank and get the wet weight down to 280 lbs.

LOL.. Hope I guess. For me it was sort of when the Salesman that I have been dealing with over the last 6 years talked me out of buying a KTM 690 on the show room floor until after the Yamaha announcement this month. He said he had no hard info but based on his Yamaha Sales rep reaction to the question he suspects something is a foot.

Should know something by the end of the week.

Man, I gotta say, the anticipation is killing me....

I must add that it really depends -providing the WR450R/X does make a debut- on how it handles. That will determine if I also keep the WR250X or sell it and only keep the WR450R/X.
Other than the WR250X being underpowered, I really do love the handling/balance/feel of it.

Also: I want to see the maintenance schedule for the WR450R/X. If Yamaha can keep the "zero maintenance" of the WR250R/X with the power that comes with the 450cc engine...


P.S. I am referring to it as the R/X because even if it only gets released as an R, I will convert it to an X.

Agreed. 450 power, Typical Yamaha reliability and almost zero maintenance, 300 pounds, I'm there.