WWGuy's WR250R photo thread

Saturday brought springtime riding conditions and great panoramic views on top of Black Mountain in the Owyhee range.

(Click here for larger photo.)

I added the TM Designworks rear caliper guard to match the rear disc guard I installed previously.  The gray factory caliper guard works fine too.  I just wanted a little extra blue bling.

The rear disc guard is holding up great after a few rough rides in the rocky Owyhee desert.  You can see from the photos that it's already taken a couple of good hits for the team.  I like how I can just file or sand out the rough edges around gouges without affecting the blue color.

The rear disc guard is TMD part# RDP-YAM.  The rear caliper guard is TMD part # RBG-YAM.



My stock chain guide is starting to show some wear from my adventures too.  The inner plastic guide is in great shape, but the aluminum housing is taking a bit of a beating.  Rumor has it that TMD's chain guide #RCG-KX2 will fit our bikes too.  I'll probably pick one up and try it at some point in the future.

I ride quite a bit in steep and/or tight terrain where low gear and low speed are required.  My choice of 13/51 gearing is great for this, but the inherent EFI jerkiness and engine braking characteristics of this bike make riding at low RPM ranges a challenge, especially coming on and off of the near-idle RPM range.  This is often made even more challenging by rocky terrain bouncing the bike around, which exaggerates my throttle control efforts. The cycle of giddyup-whoa-giddyup-whoa-giddyup can be both bone-jarring and frustrating.

I've heard that some of this can be mitigated with fuel map programming tweaks in the low RPM range for those that choose to install custom exhaust and EFI fuel mappers like the FMF or PCV.  But my current preference is for stock intake and exhaust, so I haven't had this as an option.

My first attempt at addressing the EFI jerkiness involved replacing the stock 1/4 turn throttle tube with a 1/6 turn throttle tube used on YZF-R6 street bikes.  (I got the idea after reading elsewhere that others had success with it.)  The R6 tube was $20 on Amazon, it came with a grip pre-installed, and it installed easily on my WRR without any modifications other than cutting the end of the grip off to accommodate my hand guards.  It provided some relief from the jerkiness, as the shorter rotation moved the throttle in and out of idle range more quickly.  But this same shorter rotation also provided less resolution for minor speed changes in other RPM ranges too.  Small changes in throttle rotation now resulted in larger changes in RPM.

Eventually I bit the bullet and made the Throttle Position Sensor adjustments suggested in this thread and elsewhere.  It was a bit of a daunting task because the TPS bolts have special security torx heads and they are difficult to access.  My TPS angle range as found was 16 to 97 (percent?) which I adjusted up to 18 to 100.  I also adjusted my idle down from 1800 to 1650 RPM.  The reduction in EFI jerkiness was immediately noticeable and is till the best thing I've found to reduce it so far.  But I still felt it somewhat, and still wished I didn't have to.  However I did like the improvement enough that I removed the R6 throttle tube and reinstalled the stock tube.  I've ridden about 500 miles since then, all off-road and most of them on mountain single-track.

In my research on the problem I'd also read about "throttle tamer" throttle tubes with custom cams replacing the round cams on traditional throttle tubes.  I recently ordered a G2 Ergonomics "Dirt Tamer" tube #40-4Y-HYK, which fits the WRR, WRX, TW200, YZF, and WRF bikes.  The cam on this tube is shaped to provide better (slower) control than stock from closed to 1/2 throttle, and then faster control from 1/2 to WOT.  It still provides full throttle control in 1/4 turn, just not in a linear fashion.  I installed it last night and rode around the neighborhood a bit.  I immediately noticed an improvement for my bike, especially in 1st and 2nd gear.  It's not the end-all fix-all for EFI jerkiness on this bike, but it's definitely a piece of the puzzle in regards to improving it.

Installation was straightforward, as expected.  The only notable fitment issue is that this tube with endcap removed (for hand guards) is about 18 mm longer than the stock or R6 tubes.  I didn't want to cut it down due to the Delrin bushings inside, which don't require lubrication.  Instead I moved my starter and brake controls over 18 mm to make room for the longer tube.  I had sufficient room for this on my Pro Taper Woods High Bend bars.

I'm looking forward to riding with it.  I'll report my updated opinion of it after I've got some trail miles on it.

Here are a few photos comparing the different throttle tubes side-by-side:







Here's the finished installation of the G2 Ergonomics #40-4Y-HYK throttle tube:



Finally, here's a recent review of the G2 tube from a guy I respect:



Hope this helps someone else facing similar decisions in the future!

Great day riding the motorcycle trails in the Danskin OHV area near the South Fork of the Boise River yesterday.  Springtime in Idaho is magical for me.

By the way, the new G2 throttle tamer is awesome for trail riding.  Today was probably my most challenging and rewarding trail ride yet and the throttle tamer helped in some of the tight steep sections.  I'll post up some GoPro video when I get a chance.





I stopped to chat with a group of 3 dirt bike riders taking a break high on the hill.  One of them recognized my bike from some of the photos I've shared in the SW Idaho thread over on ADVrider.  This morning he posted this photo of me riding out below them.

Awesome!   It was nice weather yesterday and today both.  Not much longer and I should be out riding also.   Good news on the G2.   I've tuned and tweaked on my programmer, and have improved the initial throttle tip-in, but it's still too jerky in my opinion.  Think I'm just going to order one of those and be done with it.  Which part number did you use?

Never mind.   Went back through the thread and saw you posted the part number.

Just ordered one from Amazon. Saves $15 that way. Should be here before the weekend. Cool stuff!

wwguy wrote:

My stock chain guide is starting to show some wear from my adventures too.  The inner plastic guide is in great shape, but the aluminum housing is taking a bit of a beating.  Rumor has it that TMD's chain guide #RCG-KX2 will fit our bikes too.  I'll probably pick one up and try it at some point in the future.

Please stop back to confirm if this is true. Mine's soon due for replacement too. I like my TMD one on my KTM.

N8 wrote:

wwguy wrote:

My stock chain guide is starting to show some wear from my adventures too.  The inner plastic guide is in great shape, but the aluminum housing is taking a bit of a beating.  Rumor has it that TMD's chain guide #RCG-KX2 will fit our bikes too.  I'll probably pick one up and try it at some point in the future.

Please stop back to confirm if this is true.  Mine's soon due for replacement too.  I like my TMD one on my KTM.

Will do!

Below is the video from my ride on Saturday.  It's 20 minutes long so feel free to skip through to something that interests you.  

It was a 4 hour 30 mile ride with at least 7 hill climbs and 2 Code 30 events, so there are some nuggets in there.  For example:

i would love to ride there. i ve had the g2 for a few years now and love it. one problem i find with it is log jumps in slow and tight terrain

michiko wrote:

I've had the g2 for a few years now and love it. one problem i find with it is log jumps in slow and tight terrain

Interesting.  Is that because you have to turn it bit further and faster to open the throttle quickly?

yeh, its getting a little too awkward, ill try readjusting the angle again. just cant get it spot on.it would be nice to have some sort of electronic throttle with varaible switches

michiko wrote:

yeh, its getting a little too awkward, ill try readjusting the angle again. just cant get it spot on.it would be nice to have some sort of electronic throttle with varaible switches

FWIW there are 5 different interchangeable cams available for the G2. If you can't find one you like for all riding conditions you might consider swapping cams for different types of riding.

I think that I've now tried all the throttle tube options available and I definitely prefer the G2 Dirt Tamer. But with only one serious trail ride so far I have to admit that I'm still learning it's variable range. It's easy for me to play with it on the flat ground but I'm working on intuitively feeling it the steep stuff. With the stock and R6 tubes I had trouble making small adjustments while climbing through bumpy terrain like in the photos above. The same small twitch of my wrist that popped me over a log sometimes launched me into outer space when climbing over a big rock on a 50+ degree hill.

Put another way... I got higher on hill with the G2 before being bucked off than I did with the others.

So this cute little Beta 300 XTrainer followed me home yesterday.  

I'm not necessarily looking to replace my WRR at this point, but there are just some steep tight places where I don't feel comfortable riding my WRR, including a few where I've tried and failed.  (I'm talking about serious stuff, not the OHV trails I've been riding in my recent posts.)

I was about to buy Yamaha's new YZ250X but struggled a bit with lack of lights and electric start, as well that the Yamaha is a bit heavier even without those features.

The Beta XTrainer (Cross Trainer) was comparably priced and ticked a lot of "dream trail bike" boxes for me:
- 300 cc 2-stroke liquid cooled engine
- Electronic oil injection (no more pre-mixing fuel or loading up the engine with oil at low RPM.)
- Electric start
- Comes with headlight, tail light, and horn, which is all I need to register and plate it here in Idaho.  It's also pre-wired for turn signals if I want them at a later time.
- 6 speed transmission (vs. 5 speed on the YZ250X) with hydraulic clutch.
- High torque, low RPM, linear power band.
- 218 pounds dry (vs. 229 lbs for the YZ250X.)

So far the kids seems to playing well together.  

Awesome! By all accounts, that's a really great woods/trail bike. Still mystified that Idaho lets people register these for the road though.

I enjoyed some trail time above Boise after work on Cinco de Mayo.  I'm fortunate to live in an area where we can ride trails like this directly from city limits. By my reckoning there's about 10,000' elevation change on this 40 mile ride: 3000' up, 2000' down the other side, 2000' back up, and 3000' back down to town.

The video is 19 minutes long, but if your attention span is short feel free to jump to the most interesting bits (by my account anyway):
- Rocky hill climb at 2:15
- Gnarly woods trail riding fun at 4:45
- Race Tech suspension making the whoops look easy at 13:10

My Scott's steering stabilizer was sorely missed on this ride, as I currently have it mounted on my Beta Xtrainer.  I knew it made riding trails like this easier, but I didn't realize how much until I rode 40 miles without it!  This was my first ride without it since I first bought it for the WRR.

wwguy wrote:

I added the TM Designworks rear caliper guard to match the rear disc guard I installed previously.  The gray factory caliper guard works fine too.  I just wanted a little extra blue bling.

The rear disc guard is holding up great after a few rough rides in the rocky Owyhee desert.  You can see from the photos that it's already taken a couple of good hits for the team.  I like how I can just file or sand out the rough edges around gouges without affecting the blue color.

The rear disc guard is TMD part# RDP-YAM.  The rear caliper guard is TMD part # RBG-YAM.



My stock chain guide is starting to show some wear from my adventures too.  The inner plastic guide is in great shape, but the aluminum housing is taking a bit of a beating.  Rumor has it that TMD's chain guide #RCG-KX2 will fit our bikes too.  I'll probably pick one up and try it at some point in the future.

im interested in the chain guard. interestingly the part number you have mentioned is for a kawasaki. where did you get the information that it may fit.
ps enjoyed your last video man.

I can vouch for a kawi chain guard fitting.
I had a 99kx250 that came with a box of spare parts, one of which is the chain guard, its exactly the same as the wrr's and I kept it for a spare.

I learned about the kawi guard fitting from a WRR rider who had one on his bike. At the time green was the only color available. Now they make them in blue too.

So the little Beta 300 Xtrainer in the previous post above has been occupying quite a bit of my trail time lately.  I still ride the WRR occasionally but am no longer trying to push it to the limits of it's capability off-road.  Instead I'm riding it mostly on forest roads or on OHV trails with my wife and her ATV.  I'm not sure what the future holds for it at this point.  I've got the WRR dialed in to just where I wanted it but am now looking to the lighter and more powerful Xtrainer for my single track antics.  I may consider selling the WRR if I can find someone who appreciates the upgrades I've done on it.  

I don't have any new WRR photos or videos to share, but thought some of you that have been following this thread might get a kick out this video of me riding my Xtrainer into a canyon where I'd never dare to ride my WRR.  (Apologies in advance that there are no WRR's in this video.)

^^^ nice riding bud...quite a aways down there in the video

July weather in the Idaho high country is quite nice! Yesterday we rode from 2600' elevation, up to 7300', down to 2800', back up to 7300', and back down to 2600'.  The view is looking northeast from Hawley Mountain, a popular local dual-sport or ATV/UTV ride in SW Idaho.

Nice riding weather up there. It's nice down here also, bit warm. May jump on the bike this evening and take a ride. Been working on stuff to help pay for my car and bike habit today. Tearing engines apart and building cylinder heads. Really miss riding this year, but getting the garage in shape and projects done after the move has taken priority. Jealous of your riding excursions lately! Love the pics.

Great fall weather to be out and about!

I was out riding around yesterday near my childhood home and saw some interesting looking mountains. So I rode up there to see what was going on.

Days like this remind me why I love my Race Tech suspension and Scott's steering stabilizer!

Nice! Did the steering stabilizer really make that big a difference? I use them on quads, but I've still never used one on a dirt bike.