Anyone go from a KLR650 to a WR250R?

I was wondering if anyone here owned a KLR650 and sold\traded\got rid it for a WR250R? If so what was your reason and motive? And lastly are you happy with the move or is there anything you miss from the KLR?

I own a KLR650 and am really big into trail riding, but what got me thinking about moving to a smaller and lighter bike then the KLR650 was the sheer weight of the KLR650. My bike wet and with all it's armor and things I've added is pushing near 500lbs and when that thing tips it can sometimes take a miracle from heaven to get it back up, as was the case recently when I was riding alone and it slipped off the trail going down a steep incline. I couldn't budge the bike let alone get it up and had to weight a long while before 6 other large guys came on the trail and with all of our mights got it back to the trail. After this experience, I began doubting my KLR and began thinking I need something lighter when riding alone which I can better manage if something like that should happen again. I understand many people feel the WR250R is heavy at approx. 300LBs, but compared to lifting my KLR alone other times when it has tipped, I think the WR250r wont be near as bad. I know the DRZ400 is about 20lbs heavier then the WR250R and has lot more power, but I've heard from many people who own the WR250R that it is a fun bike to take into the trails. I'm thinking the WRR also because I need the bike to be street legal as the only I have to take it to the trails is to ride it there on the streets.

If anyone has any thoughts on any of this, please share.
Thanks.

I went from a KLR 650 to a WR250R about 3 months ago (I am 51 btw) and I do not regret it one bit!! Quite honestly, the WR is at least as fast if not faster then the KLR but you ride it differently (have to rev it). It is REALLY fun to ride. Off road there there is no comparison, even in stock form. The WR is an excellent off road enduro machine and inspires a lot of confidence....it helps it is at LEAST 120 pounds lighter!! On road wise it is very capable and depending on what gearing you choose to use it can either be a great road machine or an awesome off road machine with good street manners. I went from the 43 tooth stock rear to a 48 tooth rear (common mod) and it really wakes the bike up, makes 6th gear useable, greatly aids in its off road prowess and it will still easily do 60MPH all day long. Seems like a great compromise for a 250. :) For what it's worth I went through the same thing as you...went on a 4 day off road trip to the Smokey Mountains in April with my KLR. Everyone else had lighter enduro type bikes and after wrestling that damn KLR for 4 days I came home and put it for sale immediately. It was between a DRZ and a WR. I chose the WR and have zero regrets. It is a FUN, modern off road bike that is dead stone reliable. Good luck!!

Plus 1.

After getting the WRR I wondered why I bought a KLR in the first place, the only place I liked the KLR better was doing 75 mph down the highway, I even like the wrr better in town and on 50mph back roads. Some of the places I ride are pretty rough and undoable on a KLR but a piece of cake on the WRR, the difference off road is night and day.

I had a hard time picking between the WRR and a DRZ, the lower weight and lighter feel of the WRR made me pick it but some times I do wish I had more low end tq.

Yes. At the beginning of the summer I sold my KLR. I really struggled with it. I am 49 and in really pretty good shape. After riding and having to pick up the klr on the trails I was whooped. The WRR way more nimble and much more fun to ride. I wish I had just bought that bike from the get go. I did do some mods to the bike. Better seat and a bit wider handlebar. I really like the bike and it commutes to work just fine. I wouldn't want to go a full day of 70mph. But a couple hour commute to get to some good trails wouldn't even be a second thought. You will also like the confidence the bike inspired after handling the klr. Move on you shouldn't regret it.

I rode a KLR for 3 years until my son got a new WR. It only took one ride and I was hooked. The KLR was a lot of fun but it was to heavy for single track for me and under powered at high altitude. So I searched until I found a clean used WR and bought it. Love the weight and fuel injection. Traded the KLR for a Triumph Explorer 1200 this spring. Now I have what I feel is the best of both worlds. Just returned from a 2 week vacation in CO. Took both bikes, my son has a Tiger 800XC along with the WR. So some days we did single track and other days we did jeep trails and connection highways. IT WAS A BLAST!!

Lots of us have done that switch. No regrets. Just do it. I am another one with the best of both worlds- WR250R and a Tiger 800XC !

If your only concern is performance off-road, then no contest: the WR is a far better bike than the KLR.

But if you are equally concerned about performance on twisty back roads, then you will miss the power of a big bore bike: I keep hitting the WR rev limiter on curvy roads, something that never used to happen when I was riding my DR650.

No regrets though, the WR is a far better bike, it's just that you constantly wish it was a 450 and not a 250.

I bought a new WRR this spring after 10 years and 110,000 on my 08 KLR
I also turned 65 this spring and wanted something lighter for the trails and mountain roads here in BC.
The WRR is about 150 lbs lighter than the KLR, but I was worried about going from a 650, which is the smallest CC's bike I've had since staring to ride in 1970.
I took it easy during break in, but even then I was impressed with the WRRs performance. Now with about 5500kms on it, I don't miss the extra CCs at all, and regularly have it over 100kph on the highway.

Since this thread has been rejuvenated, I'll chime in for others who may be interested. My first bike was a KLR650. I had it from 2002 until about 2005. I liked it a lot, but it was way too heavy for real off-road riding. Dirt roads and light ATV trails were about its limits for me. I sold it when I moved to another state. I've had several motorcycles since, but no dual-sports. I bought my WRR a couple weeks ago because I wanted a KLR that wasn't crazy heavy. I mainly wanted something that would be low maintenance and street legal but able to play on all but the most difficult dirt bike playgrounds. I would say it does what I wanted it too and is almost as good as my KLR was on the road. Better around town but not as good on the highway. If I could get my butt conditioned for it, I wouldn't mind doing long highway rides on it.

Ezra4no1 wrote:

I was wondering if anyone here owned a KLR650 and sold\traded\got rid it for a WR250R? If so what was your reason and motive? And lastly are you happy with the move or is there anything you miss from the KLR?

I own a KLR650 and am really big into trail riding, but what got me thinking about moving to a smaller and lighter bike then the KLR650 was the sheer weight of the KLR650. My bike wet and with all it's armor and things I've added is pushing near 500lbs and when that thing tips it can sometimes take a miracle from heaven to get it back up, as was the case recently when I was riding alone and it slipped off the trail going down a steep incline. I couldn't budge the bike let alone get it up and had to weight a long while before 6 other large guys came on the trail and with all of our mights got it back to the trail. After this experience, I began doubting my KLR and began thinking I need something lighter when riding alone which I can better manage if something like that should happen again. I understand many people feel the WR250R is heavy at approx. 300LBs, but compared to lifting my KLR alone other times when it has tipped, I think the WR250r wont be near as bad.  I know the DRZ400 is about 20lbs heavier then the WR250R and has lot more power, but I've heard from many people who own the WR250R that it is a fun bike to take into the trails. I'm thinking the WRR also because I need the bike to be street legal as the only I have to take it to the trails is to ride it there on the streets.

If anyone has any thoughts on any of this, please share.
Thanks.

Well I can't comment about going from KLR to a WRR, but just went from a DRZ 400e (dirt model, not dual sport model) to a WRR and while the weights are very simiilar. The WRR feels much lighter to ride and lighter to pick up off the ground.. I think it's because the weight is lower on thebike and more compact. The bike I have has am athena 290 kit on it and some other stuff done to it. It's geared a little crazy for me. I think it's like 12/50. But as fas as compared to the DRZ, it's much better suspension wise and the power is not lacking for me. I do 99% of my riding off road on atv trails at atv parks in the moutains of PA. It has not had any power issue at all and sad to say I'm a 300 lb rider...So much for the thought that small bikes can't handle big guys or big loads.. Based off the riding buddies I ride with and whether I can keep close to them or not. I'm a faster rider on the WRR than I was the DRZ...I haven't done any real road riding on the WRR so I can't comment on that much. One comment is the bike is pretty tall..I struggle with that a bit because I have pretty short legs...28-29 inch inseam. Right now my shock sag is 1.5 inches more than it should be and I'm tip toe. I also struggle with the shift lever. I have a size 12 boot and it's been difficult...All things I will work on changing to suit me better.

I'll add another comment after posting a bit ago. since I have now put some good miles on the WRR. I have a goldwing in the garage, it now doesn't get nearly the seat time that the WRR does. I am having way more fun on the WRR. We just got back from the Black Hills where we spent 3.5 days riding the OHM trails. I couldn't have been happier with the performance of the bike. I rode trails I would have never considered possible on the KLR, I got to see things and go places I never thought possible. We stayed in Hill City SD, and had a 20mile ride north to some trails. The bike was just fine on the roads. For short distances like that it's no big deal. Next year we are talking about the Colorado Back Country Discovery Route. If you want ATV or single track the WRR is about as perfect bike as it gets if you plan on doing some (less than 100 mile road) riding. if your goal is Alaska on the bike, there may be a better option, but I guess for the future I see the WRR parked in the garage, as it has done everything I have asked of it.

what a great thread!!! I will only comment that adding a 5 gallon tank and a 14-tooth front sprocket made the bike a great long-riding tourer.

I too have the larger tank. But switched to 13 / 47. Love the sprocket combo

It all depends on your mission. My KLR was preferred if there wasn't any hard stuff on the route. I traded my KLR for an Africa Twin. I think the AT and WR give you a option for about any kind of ride/trip.

Fully agree. It does depend on your use. If you stick with the atv trails I think the KLR will do well for 90% of those. If you want single track the WRR is great. If you want longer distance then you will be very tired on the WRR. If budget is an issue one person in our group has a crf. The other an older LLC both way heavier but they have gone everywhere we end up going. I found that I wanted the single track and harder stuff and still have a plated bike so I could ride to town and get gas or lunch after hitting the ohm parks. The WRR for me was the lightest most capable bike at the time I knew of. One twist. I live in Minnesota and found out that it’s very easy to plate any dirt bike. If you want capability and lightweight people in my group have been playing ktm, beta’s, and I am now doing a WRF due to its 236lb weight. I got the bike used cheap and will eventually make that my trail bike. I have not finished it give me about two more weeks and it should be done. With the 2 bikes I have done this to before I can’t find the sweet spot to replace the WRR yet. Had I done this. Had I known how easy it was to plate dirt bikes here I probably would not have ended up with the WRR. One thing I have learned. Motocross bikes don’t for me make good trail bikes. For me I had a wr 426 it was too big for singletrack. And I learned that a wide ratio transmission is a bit nicer for the trails. Sorry for the longer post but that is what I have learned so far.

I have both a WR250R and a DR650SE which slots in about halfway between a KLR and a WR weight-wise. I've had the WR for 3 months now, and haven't ridden the DR at all since I got the WR. The DR will be going up for sale in the spring.

I find the WR to be better at everything except 65+ mph highway. It is so much quieter and smoother, and with the Screens for Bikes windscreen and the Seat Concepts seat, very comfortable. With the 14-50 gearing it will get off the line just as quick as the DR. It doesn't have the passing power of the DR once you get over 60, but it will comfortably ride 65 all day long. And as soon as you hit the dirt it really shines over the DR.

I did several long trips with my WR riding 500-1000 miles/day for a couple of weeks each time. With 65 mph and a 200 miles refueling schedule, I was doing 600 miles in 12 hours. Now I have an Aprilia RSVR1000 which cruises at 80 mph and with a 160 mile refueling interval; this resulted to 600 miles in 10-11 hours.

Bottomline: there is no need for more than 65 mph speeds and the WR is a multi diverse bike. I don't like the headlight seup but this guy did something smart with a WR450 assembly:
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/best-damn-fold-away-mirrors-on-cycra-handguards-mod-complete.1258391/#post-33309951
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/yamaha-wr250r-mega-thread.329337/page-3146