Greetings From Seattle

I just bought a WR250R last night. I was turned on to them after reading lots of trip reports and then reviews. I'm toying with the idea of trying to shoehorn a Timbersled kit onto it later. For now, I'll use it for riding up the interstate and playing in the forest. It'll also go into the year-round commuting rotation with three other bikes.

This site has already been useful, so I look forward to flooding it with stupid questions and comments as soon as possible.

Welcome! the little two fifty is underpowered for a timbersled track. Need a 450

I've had a chance to ride the bike both on and off road, and so I have a few reflections after coming (mostly) from the street bike world. First, I notice a lot more stuff when riding the WRR, probably due to the high and upright seating position. It makes riding more fun in that way. Also, it has enough power. My aftermarket seat isn't very comfortable, but it's much easier to stand up on this bike for a rest than on the R1200GS that I once rode across the country. It's a champ off road. The aftermarket skid plate mine came with is loud. I quieted it down a lot by putting some rubber between the plate and the frame, but it could still use some work. The bike zips around town pretty good - not as quick as my sport bike, but it's pretty agile and might actually get me around tight spaces faster. It's also easier, with a tighter turning radius, to maneuver around in the driveway and garage. I don't like the location of the ignition switch, but I'll get used to it. I miss having a flat spot (gas tank or seat) to rest my helmet on while I gear up, so I'll probably rig something up.

Oh, also, this bike seems to turn heads way more than my other bikes, which is ironic. I think people are trying to figure out why there's a dirt bike on the road or identify the model (it has aftermarket plastics and graphics).

FWIW.

It's great to read that you're having fun with your new bike!

saha6818 wrote:

The aftermarket skid plate mine came with is loud. I quieted it down a lot by putting some rubber between the plate and the frame, but it could still use some work.

My Flatlands aluminum skidplate drove me nuts when I first bolted it up.  I thought something was wrong with my engine at first, until I read here that it's a common issue.  I had good results with a roll of high density foam weatherstrip I picked up from Home Depot for $3.50.  It has adhesive backing on one side.  I just cut pieces to length, stuck them to the frame and cross-supports, and then bolted the aluminum skid plate over the top.  I have about 2000 miles on it now and no issues or complaints.

wwguy wrote:

...I had good results with a roll of high density foam weatherstrip I picked up from Home Depot for $3.50.  

Excellent tip, wwguy! I just found a roll of this stuff in the garage when I was cleaning up. I'll give it a shot ASAP. I think I've got the same skid plate. When I removed it, I could see it had been chaffed where it touched the frame. I suppose another option is to use thick rubber washers. And even though I can still hear the noise a little now, I'm even happier with the bike now that it at least doesn't sound like a coffee can full of gravel.

Nice looking bike!

Good tip, thanks! Quick question, did it get too hot? Do I need to put any heat shield material?

Lawmanfl wrote:

Good tip, thanks! Quick question, did it get too hot? Do I need to put any heat shield material?

No issues for me. On dirt bikes foam is often placed between the skid plate and the crankcase to prevent buildup of debris etc. (Google "skid plate foam" and you'll see what I mean.) The main source of heat is the cylinder head, which is higher up on the engine.

More updates! I've been commuting on the WRR (but mostly I work from home), and I've taken it up to the ORV park again. The speed wobble is annoying me, so I'm hoping to diagnose it through the process of elimination. It wobbles at about 70 (indicated) on the freeway, but I once got it to indicate 90 with no wobble. And it wobbles at 60 on gravel. It seems worse with a headwind, and I suspect the hand guards may be the culprit, so I'll swap those out once I get some mirrors that don't mount there. Tire pressure had no effect, and the alignment seems good. The tires are more aggressive than stock, so that's a suspect too. I'll also check tire balance if necessary. I've been searching the forum and have lots of ideas.

Also, I'm about to order a 3-gallon tank, and that will be a relief. Otherwise, my only complaint is that the bike absolutely refuses to trigger the car detector and let me exit a parking garage I occasionally use.

I'm getting 60 mpg while riding like an asshat. If I rode my sport bike at wide open throttle as much as I do the WRR, I'd be arrested immediately. It's a hoot.

More importantly, I've been practicing riding off road! I got in a little over my head on a more difficult trail. Photos attached. The right hand guard had lost a bolt at some point, so that folded over and loosened the front brake hose. It took me a while to figure out that it was not broken, and then I was pretty excited that I still had a chance to make it down alive.    I also got a nasty strained tendon in my arm. I tried out the stock seat, which I think I'll swap back to the other seat the bike came with.

I think your riding that bike too hard, seem`s like it`s always laying down taking a nap hahaha cheer`s keep at it, it will get easier,

Looks like you're having a great time!

But how in the world did the bike end up laying on both sides in the same mud hole?

wwguy wrote:

But how in the world did the bike end up laying on both sides in the same mud hole?  

I don't exactly remember. For what it's worth, it fell on the same side about five times before it fell on the other side. There's a slippery slanted rock hidden in that little mud puddle. I eventually just dragged the bike away from it. In my defense, the trail is pretty steep there. In retrospect, I probably should have sat down for a break at that point. I even had a flask of good scotch. I guess I was having too much fun.

You had good Scotch, hell I would ride with you any time, I would even help you drag the bike out, as long as you shared the Scotch hahahaha

saha6818 wrote:

More updates! I've been commuting on the WRR (but mostly I work from home), and I've taken it up to the ORV park again. The speed wobble is annoying me, so I'm hoping to diagnose it through the process of elimination. It wobbles at about 70 (indicated) on the freeway, but I once got it to indicate 90 with no wobble. And it wobbles at 60 on gravel. It seems worse with a headwind, and I suspect the hand guards may be the culprit, so I'll swap those out once I get some mirrors that don't mount there. Tire pressure had no effect, and the alignment seems good. The tires are more aggressive than stock, so that's a suspect too. I'll also check tire balance if necessary. I've been searching the forum and have lots of ideas.

Mine consistently wobbles at 70mph when pressures are low.  I've also seen issues with heavily worn 90/10 off/on road tires.  I'd start by checking your pressure.  I've never had an issue with aggressive tires at speed but of course haven't tried all tires.  I've never balanced a dirt tire and run UHD tubes (which can mess with balance I understand).  I highly doubt your hand guards are the culprit.

-morgan

morgan9283 wrote:

Mine consistently wobbles at 70mph when pressures are low.  I've also seen issues with heavily worn 90/10 off/on road tires.  I'd start by checking your pressure.  I've never had an issue with aggressive tires at speed but of course haven't tried all tires.  I've never balanced a dirt tire and run UHD tubes (which can mess with balance I understand).  I highly doubt your hand guards are the culprit.

-morgan

Thanks, Morgan! That's helpful info.

Meanwhile, my new IMS tank came in last night, so I installed it immediately. I'm pretty excited about the fit and capacity and can't wait to see how many miles I can squeeze out of a tank now. I'm less excited about the extra weight (a high ~7lbs) if I'm going to drop the bike as many times as on the last trip. I suppose I could consider dropping it less.

Oh, and I practiced wheelies in an empty parking lot while my girlfriend practiced shifting gears on her bike. But mostly I just ran over all the parking curbs for fun.

More info about my skid plate noise fix, which worked great. I found some rubber grommets at the hardware store and used those in the mounting holes in the skid plate. They were a little too thin and fell apart to varying degrees as I installed the plate. Here's what they look like in the plate.




In this image, you can see my new method (thanks, wwguy!) on the left with my old method on the right. As you might expect, the rubber and zip ties still let the vibrations into the skid plate.




The black mark here shows where the frame and skid plate had been in contact for all those revs.




Finally, I also put several layers of rubber (make-shift washers) between the steel washers and the skid plate.

I just reinstalled the fuel tank - there was a kink in the fuel line that caused fuel starvation. I'm learning as I go. And I also changed out the teensy little horn after involuntarily sharing a lane with a SUV whose driver could not hear my incessant peeping. The FIAMM 72012 low-note horn seems much louder (I was wearing ear protection when I tested it). My other hand guard bolt fell out, so I need both now. That's next.

wwguy wrote:

It's great to read that you're having fun with your new bike!

saha6818 wrote:

The aftermarket skid plate mine came with is loud. I quieted it down a lot by putting some rubber between the plate and the frame, but it could still use some work.

My Flatlands aluminum skidplate drove me nuts when I first bolted it up.  I thought something was wrong with my engine at first, until I read here that it's a common issue.  I had good results with a roll of high density foam weatherstrip I picked up from Home Depot for $3.50.  It has adhesive backing on one side.  I just cut pieces to length, stuck them to the frame and cross-supports, and then bolted the aluminum skid plate over the top.  I have about 2000 miles on it now and no issues or complaints.

I did the same thing to my skid plate,made a hell of a difference.

It's amazing that a skid plate can make as much noise as the engine.

Related to those good vibes, I finally replaced my hand guard bolts that had fallen out. I soaked them in threadlock first

I went for a ride today. I bought the bike in large part to explore the sidecountry around I90/Snoqualmie pass about 55 miles outside of Seattle. First, I hoped that the WR would have enough power going up the pass. It did. It cruised at an indicated 80mph for 99% of the ride. I used my heated vest on the way up, finding a nice place to clip the control to the WR.

I went down a road past where I turned my Jeep around due to downed logs and heavy brush. (Take a mental image of this shot - proof that my WR is sometimes upright.)



I stopped at this point because I had strayed off the "trail," which was probably a road 20 years ago. Looking for the trail, I found blueberries and huckleberries. I ate them until I felt sick.



There was another overgrown trail that I'd been wanting to explore. I'd been partway through on a snowmobile and an old street bike. Three times today sticks wedged between the engine and rear brake, dragging the brakes. Later, I found a washout. The back tire took off downhill halfway through, and I fell head-first down the gully. This whole stupid story is here solely for your entertainment. So enjoy.



My new mirror on the right side broke off right away. I tugged and dragged, but couldn't get the bike much higher. I think I dropped it uphill to give the left side some love but didn't take a photo.

Unfortunately, this side of the slope was too steep for me to get purchase. So I took the bike to the back of the washout and tried to get it up that side. Obviously, I needed to drop it back there too. It's in the right side of the photo now.



Traction was better back here, but it was still a struggle. At one point, the bike got traction while my body was torn back by the bushes, so the bike re-oriented itself with the horizontal position.



So I finally got the bike out. Awesome. Let's try getting across this gully again. Because, you know, entertainment for the forum. After significant improvement to the path, I made it through, but I could feel the back tire trying to follow the fall line. The bend in the path didn't help.

Further down this "trail," things got way too thick. My visor was scratched up, my glasses crammed back into my face. I couldn't put a foot down without the brush pulling my legs back. Once, the throttle got wedged on when my body got stuck, and the bike took off and fell over. Bushes got inside the right fairing and pulled the bolt holes apart. Later, a large stick got inside there and pulled the tab mounted to the tank back and almost removed the fairing.

I finally shut the exploration down when the trees were so bad that I couldn't actually drop the bike - it'd just stay upright. I tried walking further, but even that didn't work. So I turned around and headed back to the washout.

After the most recent close call, I stopped and improved the trail even more. Unfortunately...



I couldn't quite drag the rear tire up to the path, so I moved the path down. This time, I moved big rocks and dirt, stopping only when I was afraid the mountain would fall on me. And it worked! ...for a second.



More moving rocks and so on. I was pretty stoked to head home at this point.

On the way home, the bike was pretty slow. I was passed by most of the cars on the road. Maybe a light headwind was the problem? I cruised at only 70mph when the road was flat. I stopped for gas (getting only 50mpg), and when I got back on the freeway, the bike seemed much faster. Maybe the gas cap overflow was plugged and wouldn't let air in/fuel out fast enough?

So that misadventure is over. I've got a sprained finger, but that's getting off pretty light.

In case anyone finds themselves here in a quest for information about WR250R speed wobble, here's my latest experience. I haven't noticed any speed wobble lately. Either it was operator error (entirely possible, I guess), or the wobble went away as the tires wore in. The rear tire has about 70% left, and I notice howling on the highway. My suspicion is that more tire area is contacting the pavement now, and that has somehow fixed the wobble issue.

In other news, I've lately found myself lugging the engine when taking off from a start when the engine is cold. In particular, this is annoying when making a sharp turn - I lose my balance. It's okay once warmed up or if I go easy (what fun is that?).

Overall, I've found myself riding the other bikes only out of a sense of duty - to keep them running well. This one keeps the primary spot in the garage and gets commute and errand duty. It's just that kind of bike (mpg, comfort, fun, entertaining fart soundtrack). My big complaint is that the bike is like a little devil on my shoulder constantly telling me to run things over. But so far I've avoided most bushes, curbs, and freebie furniture.

saha6818 wrote:

In case anyone finds themselves here in a quest for information about WR250R speed wobble, here's my latest experience. I haven't noticed any speed wobble lately. Either it was operator error (entirely possible, I guess), or the wobble went away as the tires wore in. The rear tire has about 70% left, and I notice howling on the highway. My suspicion is that more tire area is contacting the pavement now, and that has somehow fixed the wobble issue.

In other news, I've lately found myself lugging the engine when taking off from a start when the engine is cold. In particular, this is annoying when making a sharp turn - I lose my balance. It's okay once warmed up or if I go easy (what fun is that?).

Overall, I've found myself riding the other bikes only out of a sense of duty - to keep them running well. This one keeps the primary spot in the garage and gets commute and errand duty. It's just that kind of bike (mpg, comfort, fun, entertaining fart soundtrack). My big complaint is that the bike is like a little devil on my shoulder constantly telling me to run things over. But so far I've avoided most bushes, curbs, and freebie furniture.

Nice bike!!
Anyway thank you for your information for my references

I had an autumn misadventure with the WR. The bike only laid down for about naps maybe three times. I was exploring some overgrown old logging roads that are now single track.