New 2011 WR

This is what I would like to buy next...
http://cid-815343e4a9ab827d.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Motorcycles/WR650R.jpg

Of course it's not a reality yet, but maybe someday.

Nice Photochop.

Now if you photoshopped an XTZ660 motor on there maybe

Thanks.
Just wishful thinking I guess.

I'd prefer a 450 personally. :)

A 450 would be nice,,why don't they make a street legal wr450 ????

jason meacham wrote:

A 450 would be nice,,why don't they make a street legal wr450 ????

Cuz they dont have a 2012 EPA compliant 450 engine

Looks good

Yamaha's Tenere 660 is essentially a WR250 on steroids with a bias towards road touring. Just Google Yamaha XT660Z Tenere. Or Yamaha's Super Tenere you should be able to compete with BMW 1200 GS.....

Those things are so butt ugly tho...

Ahhh... the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. I've been there and done that. I would not want a 650 unless it was for 100% street riding. Did you folks read Big Dog's take on the WR250R versus the TE610 for adventure riding?

Yeah, agreed. I had a 600 sportbike and sold it to get this. It was heavy. I have yet to find any dual sport over 600cc's that isn't heavy, not to mention one you can single track with and not have that weight factor get in the way. That TE610 is a damned skyscraper...

The "more displacement" topic is always interesting. It is always assumed that everything else will remain equal, but history shows this to be a false assumption. Example, the SV650 was always more popular than the (now discontinued) SV1000.

hamish54 wrote:

Yamaha's Tenere 660 is essentially a WR250 on steroids with a bias towards road touring. Just Google Yamaha XT660Z Tenere. Or Yamaha's Super Tenere you should be able to compete with BMW 1200 GS.....

Everytime I change from the 660 Tenere to the WR250R or vice versa, I wonder how different they are. The Tenere does not compare to the WR250R at all in my opinion. It feels totally different, engine characteristics is totally different, riding style is totally different. I have both motorcycles and they fit together perfectly since they are so totally different, while on the other hand both of them could be used for a wide range of purposes. The Tenere is heavy, has got a heavy engine with a big punch and low rev level. It is huge with high balance point, so quite a mess to maneuvre around, but it rides well and is a true big thumper. It is a relaxed bike that gives you a feeling of adventure. It can be ridden as an enduro bike, some have done so, but then the gap to a WR gets even wider.

The WR is agile, easy going, a working tool with a lawnmower engine just ready for whatever you need to do with it. No thumper feeling, no ponderous workout, everything allowing for aggressive riding style onroad and offroad. Get on it and go. No brain no pain. The way to go as far as a playbike is needed. It is a sportsbike. The WR will go in arbitrary circles around a Tenere when circumstances get difficult.

Although both are enduro style single cylinder bikes, they do not compare at all in my opinion. They are the most different single cylinder "enduro" bikes that I personally know, but that makes it worth of possessing both of them :)