So the day finally came, both sad and happy

Last Friday it eventually happened - the WRR was handed over to the dealer and the first ride with my own Husky followed.
Only some 30 minutes to bring it home, now it will stay in hibernation till spring. Oh how I hate the cold months of the year  

I really liked my WRR and it wasn't easy to let her go. Such a formidable, reliable, good looking and cheap-to-own bike.
One of a kind, there is nothing else like it. I've made quite a few changes, especially the 57t sprocket really made a difference.
And there was no ride I didn't enjoy. Only one thing, the black spot on the shiny surface, so to speak. The lack of power.
Sure, 95% of the time it's alright, but with a rider @210lbs it always struggled at higher speeds. Overtaking? Sometimes a challenge.
I had many bikes over the last 30 years, including "beasts". But none of them I liked as much as the little WRR. But hey, you guys know what I'm talking about.

Some of my buddies ride more powerful enduros and since one them got a Husky 701 this year, I couldn't get it out of mind. But my worst idea was to ride it....    
It felt as nimble as my WRR but good lord, the power! The POWER! Turn the throttle just a little bit and it unleashes hell.
After that, nagging started. I still loved my WRR but it felt so underpowered now. Still I wasn't ready to fork out the money. Why exchanging a bike you like for another one?
But then......did I mention the power of the Husky? I checked out a dealer some two weeks ago and he made a good offer for my WRR and a good price for a 2018 701.
Asked the wife for permission and she said....yes  
Guess I'll have to bleed for that some time in the future......

Anyway. Thanks to my WRR. Will keep a place in my heart forever. And thanks to all you guys here in the forum, it was such a wonderful source of information.

CU on the road!

Wow, awesome bike, congratulations! I think most WR250R riders would welcome more power at one time or another but as you say that's pretty much it's only drawback. Enjoy!

You know I recently went to purchase a new 701 and instead picked up a WR250R.

The 701 looks good on paper but for what I wanted to do with it the WR is awesome.

Enjoy the 701!

I owned a 17 701 SM for a summer, wonderful bike. Seemed just like a better 250x.
That said, I've had CBR 600 F3, CBR600rr, XR650R (2), WR250X, R1, 1290 SD, 701SM. Only one I have kept is the 250X.

aw113sgte wrote:

I owned a 17 701 SM for a summer, wonderful bike. Seemed just like a better 250x.
That said, I've had CBR 600 F3, CBR600rr, XR650R (2), WR250X, R1, 1290 SD, 701SM. Only one I have kept is the 250X.

OK, I'll bite: if the 701 was a better version of the WRX, why did you keep the WRX?

I have succumbed to the same fate... 2017 701e. My wrr is up for sale cheap to pay for farkles.

I think the 701 is about the only bike that is a straight upgrade to the wrr, it's just hard to choke down the insane cost.

3x the power
30 lb more weight
3.4 gallon x 50 mpg means 150 mile range
Almost as smooth

Have not had many bikes. I have the Athens 290 wrr and yz250fx
And find the wrr fast enough on the street to (80+ mph) scare you and fast enough on the dirt, just needs little more low end power off of idle and lose 20lb of weight for the dirt riding. i dont even know how fast it really goes Ive been behind a van on intersate and the clock read 95mph but beleave me after 80mph and everything get lose and wobbly.

dhally wrote:

30 lb more weight

On paper, that's true. But the WRR is top heavy, whereas the 690 I rode (I presume the 701 is the same) is the opposite, so it doesn't actually feel heavier than the WRR.

And of course the power is simply awesome.

What keeps me away is not the cost, but the reliability.

johnkol wrote:

dhally wrote:

30 lb more weight

On paper, that's true. But the WRR is top heavy, whereas the 690 I rode (I presume the 701 is the same) is the opposite, so it doesn't actually feel heavier than the WRR.

And of course the power is simply awesome.

What keeps me away is not the cost, but the reliability.

I had a KTM 640 before the WRR, and it never stranded me. But. It seemed to require a lot of fiddly maintenance, and little leaks and electrical problems kept me busy with repairs.I am hoping they have I improved all this in the last 15 years.

The other thing with the Euro bikes is since there is greater potential performance, the urge to modify and farkle is strong. Must resist...