The 2010 X Arrives :)

Hi All:

I wanted to head out today but had to get my forum News back on track :(

While most of you probably had a suspicion of this already, I am finding that the WR250X is not quite as fuel efficient as the other 250’s I have ridden with measured tanks but it is a lot more powerful way up top. Once above 40 mph, the WR really takes off unlike the rest which came up to and through 40 mph very linearly. Not really peaky as it has enough down low to pull from lights and signs without having to really get into it while above lug but it really begins to use those high tech, high lift performance cams from about 40 mph and above which per my RPM calcs using OEM gearing and rear tire diameter is around 4,400 RPM.

Another item I really like is the FI just starts this thing right up no matter the temperature or conditions. The CRF230L and KLX250SF were a bit more persnickety. Especially the KLX.

While setting up the pics for a Throttle Rocker Review shoot this evening, I took some of the WR250X by itself in the yard… She looks *$%!@)$ Fast even when standing still





Wayne

Your bike is hawt Wayne. What is it with our WR's that kick ass on all the others?


Oh right....it's a YAMAHA.

Hi All:

Been away for a few days with some of the competition... Well, not direct compeition ;-)


BMW Museum at BMW Manufacturing in Spartenburg... Actually Greenville, SC but who cares.

And one I am sure a few WR riders can associate with... And what a bitch getting it out of their too!


The "No road less traveled..." I wish I had a boat!

And some of the X riders might like the following...


The 1200 GS on the Dragon.

There were no WR's at the Dragon that day but there was a KTM 690 SMC, a Suzuki DR-Z400SM, (2), Kawasaki KLR650's and a KLX 250S amongst a sea of Harley's and Goldwing's! I have no doubt the WR250X would have been a F'ing BLAST on that road!!!

A few days to catch up and I'll be setting up the WR for an Iron Butt and Cross Country ride back to California

Wayne

Welcome back Wayne!

Hi She Wolf:

Thanks!

I took a ride at 01:30 AM this morning with the roads all but desolate and knocked out the Speedo (mph) and Odometer (distance in miles) errors using a Garmin Nuvi 1490T. I also performed the top speed run on an older abandoned highway.

Top Speed and Speedometer error

This was interesting because it was not linear like I would have suspected. During the top speed run, the WR250X hit 88 mph per the OEM Speedometer and 82 mph per the Garmin. The run was performed over an ~ ¼ mile stretch in both directions, temperature of 65 degree temps, absolutely no wind and in an upright seating position.

With that data, the Speedometer should be reading approximately 7.3% high in sixth gear from lug at ~ 33 mph (OEM indicated) all the way up to terminal velocity of 82 mph with my big @$$ on board.

At 59 mph per the OEM Speedometer, the Garmin read 55 mph. A 7.2% error which follows along almost perfectly with the high speed run as expected.

At an indicated 50 mph per the OEM Speedometer however, the Garmin read 45 mph or an 11.1% error. Even if it were 49 mph, the offset would still be 8.1% so it does not appear to be linear at all. The lower you drop down below 55 mph, the larger the error on a percentage basis appears. At an indicated 33 mph per the OEM Speedometer, the Garmin was indicating 30 mph or 10%. No big deal but just something I thought was interesting.

Odometer Error

This was the important one as it is the basis for actual distance which impact the fuel economy calculations.

I did two different segments on two different routes. I let the Garmin calculate a route from one intersection with no turns to a T intersection. The point to point distance was 7.5 miles per the Garmin. The OEM Odometer (Trip A) displayed 7.6 miles to the corner.

The other segment was a 15 mile distance calculated per the Garmin involving 6 turns. The OEM Odometer (Trip A) from reset to parked displayed 15.1 miles.

Averaging the two, an offset of 1% is miniscule by comparison to the Speedometer offset.

I will go out tomorrow and ride a longer run to lock it down further but the Odometer is pretty darn close right from the factory. The BT's are brand new of course so as they wear, the offset will increase a bit. At least I have a baseline and the two tank average of 102.7 mpg (220.8 miles and 212.5 miles on 2.094 gallons and 2.124 gallons respectively) is a solid calculation.

After riding the big 1200 GS all last week, the WR250X is like riding a bike and a welcome respite indeed

Wayne

Hi All:

The 100-mpg Adventure Touring Project Bike has begun :)



Wheels Off - The Avon Distanzia is on the rear wheel with the Front going on tomorrow.

The front 14T CS sprocket is on and I will swap out the rear 42 for the 40 tonight. Some said that CS sprocket was going to be a hell to come off. I used a 1.5' breaker and it came right off?

About the BT90's coming off am goimng back on. WTF, how is anyone going to repair these on the road? I had to take the rear tire to a local shop to have them break the damn bead with a machine! I still do not have the rear tire on the rim all the way so I am taking them to a local walmart Super Store tomorow to have them dismount the front and mount both front and rear Avon's with the tire machines. I spent way to much time trying to get that portion of the ride complete and all I can say is those with WRX's better have some slime and pump because they are not going to fix those Stiff BT90s and even stiffer Avon Distanzia's on the road... At least I could not???

Maybe I am to old and weak

Lots of other stuff to do even tonight but at least its started.

Regarding the Distanzia's, the following may prove interesting...

Manufacturer|Tire|F/R|Size|Weight|Diameter
　
Avon|Distanzia|Rear|130/80 R17 65H|16.25 pounds|79"
　
Bridgestone|Battleax BT90|Rear|140/70 R17 66H|9.5 pounds|76.75"
　
Avon|Distanzia|Front|120/70 R17 58H|9.5 pounds|72.625"
　
Bridgestone|Battleax BT90|Front|110/70 R17 54H|?.? pounds|72.5"

The extra weight in the rear may be a show stopper but we'll see???

Wayne

Hi All:

Except for dropping the rear end to shorten the rear shock so as to lower it a touch, she's as naked as she's going to get ;)



Wayne

nice posts.. i've got a set of tires coming in soon, and i'm going to give it a go on my X


how do you think a C-clamp and some wood would work at breaking the bead? (besides slow and arduous, lol)





use the wood to distribute the pressure where the clamp would meet the tire.

Hi Vortac:

A C-Clamp and block will work to break it loose. I could actually see the inner rim using irons and yet it would not let loose! I took the rear to a local Scooter shop and the guy charged me $10 to break it. He wanted $37 to swap them out for the rear only and I walked in with a rim and tire in my hand! It was bad enough to pay $10 for one minute of work to break the bead but $37 to finish it off? I thanked him and moved on my way. Car shops are far less expensive for this kind of thing.

Another bitch of a job is getting the BT90's off the rim and anything else back on. I am taking the rear to a local Wal-Mart Super Store down the street today in hopes they can finish off the last foot and a half of the Distanzia that needs to go over the X's rim edge.

I would recommend finding a local car tire shop to break them, remove them and install the second pair for $25 or less (for both!) vs. the torture you are going to go through with the X's OEM's and whatever else you decide to install. I have no idea how guys have fixed a flat on the road with an X because it was darn near impossible to do anything from breaking the bead to removing an edge to reinstalling the edge after any repair???

Good Luck

Wayne

hrm... well, since i've already ordered the tools for this, i'm going to be a dummy, and give it a go. before i moved, i had a local shop that would do both of my sportbike tires for $20 total.. now i'm in the same boat as you, shop down the street wants $40 bucks each! and that's OFF the bike... give me a break. i'm not sure i'd trust a guy at walmart to give me back my wheels undamaged. i hope you're taking off the break rotors and sprocket just in case. i've tossed around the idea of buying a No-Mar tire changer, but maybe next season. i'll never likely get my moneys worth out of it, but it's a tool that should last forever, and give me the satisfaction of doing the work myself.


thanks for the reply.

Hi Vortac:

You are very welcome and let me know how the swap works out.

I have changed many a tire in my day from the bike shop I used to work at to mini-bikes but the WR250X's swap has been the worst experience I have ever come across. For tire repair, I am going with slime and a 12V pump and pray its enough to get me to a bike shop up ahead...

Good Luck

Wayne

Hi Vortac:

I took the two wheels over to Sam's Club and one of the guys finished off the rear, dismounted the BT90 on the front, installed the Distanzia on the front and all for $12.00. He had some 2' + long irons and walked the rear right on, the front right off and the new front right on on like they were a knife through butter...

The front Distanzia's bead did not seat on the first go so he lubed it with some soap, refilled and pop ... pop and it was done.

To think I paid a guy $10 just to break the rear bead yesterday

Good Luck

Wayne

Hi All:

Spent way to many hours scewing around but it is coming together. I received a prototype tank yesterday afternoon and it is now installed.

Risers, grips, pegs (long story about those...), gearing and wheels with the Avon Distanzia's installed.

Still have the electrical to wire, remove the EVAP, install the Ricochet skid plate, ProMoto rear rack and install the panels...



Wayne

What tank is that Wayne?

Looks like the first IMS prototype tank to me.

Hi SheWolf:

IMS

It is one of if not Chuck’s one and only prototype.

Although I have not lined up the panels to make sure everything fits from that perspective, the (6) bolt mounts for the fuel pump/sending unit bracket , the (4) bolt mounts for the front and rear tank mounts, the panel attachment and seat guide mount(s) on top are perfectly aligned for what I have installed so far. In fact, if you have the right size Allen head for the Fuel Pump bracket bolts underneath, this was one of the easiest upgrades done to the bike… After removing the seat and panels, it’s darn near bolt off and bolt on so give Chuck and his team at IMS their due. Excellent quality and a very easy installation experience many a WR rider will experience over the next few months.

Fastway F5 Pegs

The OEM foot peg brackets appear to be able to be turned 180 degrees to give everyone an extra 1/2 an inch although I am using the Fastways with some adjustments that that the OEM pegs do not have. Someone else will have to confirm it but I am using the OEM brackets turned 180 degrees and the Fastways in their low boy position allowing ~ another ½ lowering of the pegs in addition to the ¾” or so with the Fastway’s provide on their own. If you do not have an impact wrench to remove the TORX bolts however, heaven help you.

Nice to get the extension and now the wide and flat pegs with insert spikes vs. the OEM mini-bike pegs ;)

RoxSpeedFX 2” Anti-Vib Risers

Although there is a lot of monkeying around given you introduce more degrees of freedom, once you get them close and begin snugging everything up, the new position of 1.4” up and 1.4” back is really nice. Still more interested in the vib reduction but it really is a HQ solution albeit a lot of adjustment to get everything lined up.

Wayne

Hi All:

Although I have some Speedo/odo calibration tomorrow, it is essentially finished. I still have to lower the rear end by an inch but that is minor compared to the rest… I hope ;) I will wire up the Gerbing Heated gear after the Boston to Chicago segment but before taking on the trek to the West Coast...
More tomorrow of course.

The Moto Billit/Fastway Rear Rack and F5 pegs, Ricochet Skid plate (oh is it a nice aero mod too ;)), RockSpeed FX 2” Anti-Vib risers, Spyder Anti-Vib Soft grips, Slipstreamer Spitfire windscreen, IMS prototype tank, Giant Loop Fandango tank bag, GYTR 14/40 gearing, Fused 12V power wired up to the Garmin 1490 attached to a Ram Mount and Dualsport Avon Distanzia’s are now installed.

I went to a local gas station and filled a 1.0 gallon can w/ .99 gallons, came back and dumped it all in. No leaks so I crossed my fingers, turned the key, and she fired up within a second. I let it idle for about 15-seconds as I want to find out the new tanks actual capacity which will have to wait until tomorrow. We have Tornado Watches and Warnings along the IL/WI border this morning.

Wayne

Man you guys get cheap petrol - its about £1.23/litre this side of the pond. I guess that works out at about $8/gallon (??) Soooo unfair

Hi Mash100:

I hear and feel for you!

While we thought we had it bad over here when gas averaged $4.11/Gallon in early July two years back, the Dollar’s recent strength vs. the Euro and Pound and the ever increasing and onerous fuel taxes the entire EU is having tacked on is making gasoline and diesel downright scary to purchase overseas! I did a story on fuel costs a few months back with a conclusion that the UK may possibly experience £1.29/L by year’s end thanks to yet more Government taxes piled on to the liquid gold? The futures are and have been for quite some time a touch over $2.00 USD per US gallon which is practically the same on the London exchanges. The British Government is taking a good $4.50 USD cut of every gallon consumed which seems excessive but for fuel conservation purposes, is probably the only thing that can curb demand given the British North Sea Oil fields production is falling off precipitously beginning quite a few years back.

$7.17 USD today and $7.52 USD per gallon by the end of the year at today’s exchange rates is getting up there but there is little that can be done about it other than drive and ride fuel efficient vehicles, hypermile and limit travel

Good Luck

Wayne

Hi All:

And now to the details… I was supposed to be on an Iron Butt ride to the East Coast this morning but had to postpone due to the shake down ride. Regarding the upgraded WR250X, some of the mods are a must have and do not even bother starting it up before installing them. Some were good, and one is not ready for my use but are surely ready for yours. Unfortunately that “one” is the most work to revert back to OEM

Let us start out with the good.

Moto Billet/Fastway F5 Pegs: A spectacular addition to the WR250X! Not only do they allow a bit more room thanks to the low Boy position, the flat platform when standing adds a degree of stability I have never experienced on a bike before. If you have a 34" or more inseam, the lowboy position adds a level of comfort I have never experienced on a dualsport before. Really good stuff here!

Moto Billet Rear Rack: I have only attached a few items to it using bungie cords and it worked as expected. I will have it loaded up for a few lengthy rides planned over the next few days including the Iron Butt and the 100-mpg attempt ride back to LA. Solid as a rock and it is so damned good looking with the some of the best machine work I have seen from an OEM accessory anywhere!

RoxSpeedFX Anti-Vib 2” Risers: Yet another HQ addition. Reducing vibes through the incorporated rubber isolation while also making the WR much more comfortable for someone 5’-10” or taller. I thought there would be a lot more bar movement while still heading straight yet there was none. You can tighten them up even more to reduce any rubbier feel the isolations may have induced but from their arrival on a mostly asphalt ride, I did not feel any unintended movement whatsoever. They will however get in the way of lowering the front forks in the triple clamps as they mount over the inner edges of the fork tubes from the OEM bar mounts with the bottom end bolts allowing at most 1/3 of an inch of rise before they come into contact.



IMS Prototype – Larger cap tank: .99 gallon from a portable fuel container as shown previously and then a short ride to a local station < .5 miles away for the top off. I filled 1.796 gallons plus ~ 1/100th of a gallon to start up the WR for 15-seconds or so the other night and ride the WR to the station yesterday morning. All total, 2.801 gallons from bone dry to topped off…

When topped off using the IMS prototype cap, any movement of the bike and a small amount of fuel squirts out the top. With a tank bag, this could be a problem so a word to the wise, without an anti-evap OEM like cap, don’t top off the IMS as you will have a small amount of fuel leaking underneath your bag base and down the side of your tank until a few ounces are consumed.

Size, 2.8 gallons from the prototype (3.0 + the final production unit will include) is certainly better than the miniscule 2.1 the OEM tank can hold and will come in quite handy when riding across Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon

Slipstreamer Spitfire Shield: If you are doing long slab rides, this low cost add-on is absolutely the bomb. It allows some air flow to catch the upper part of the chest while reducing the wind blast down the Interstate by at least a factor of 5. Marc and I rode some higher speed sections of I-94 from Milwaukee back to the IL/WI border and at 65 + mph, the buffeting is way down. The constant reminder of being pushed back and bounced around is almost eliminated as well. On the terminal speed run in both directions, the Bike in fifth w/ new gearing to match the OEM in sixth topped out at the same 82 mph per the Garmin.

Yamaha GYTR accessory 14T front/40T rear sprockets: If you run over 45 mph, yet another addition I thought was very worthwhile. While most are installing lower gears on the off-road capable R’s (12/48’s seem to be a common swap) in order to add punch, moving up adds a much needed subdued quality not available from the OEM gearing while on the super slab. The Speedometer is now reading two to 3 mph under actual while above 45 mph vs. the 6 + mph over as the OEM stock readout provided. This is a plus for making sure you do not get run over but a negative in case you are prone to speeding tickets. Nobody here would be prone to that, right

Some here have warned me about a first gear launch may need some clutch work with the taller gearing. I did not find this to be the case other than when launching in the dirt and climbing over a small curb when I killed twice while being my usual non-aggressive self. Other than that, launches from a standstill felt hardly any different from OEM stock which is pretty low to begin with.

One negative item all OEM WR250’s incorporate is a rather significant throttle tip in between fuel cut and the injector coming online. Carbureted bikes do not really have this but a small displacement single with literally no inertia having fuel injected where there was none before can be slightly disconcerting during the on-off-on power addition. WR riders get used to it quickly of course but the taller gearing removed much of the “tip-in launch” without the negatives that I could tell so far…

While I have always searched for the mythical 7th gear on every bike I have ever ridden including the OEM WR250X, this was the first time that I only did that just once and it was a downhill section at 55 + mph when I requested it. In some cases, I accidentally found myself in fifth when there was another gear available above 45 mph! The Yamaha accessory gearing really feels right for an all-pavement rider. For much of my riding, I was actually swapping between fifth and sixth and back again allowing me more choice to match the terrain and speeds I was riding vs. OEM in sixth the entire time and wishing for more.

For those that believe this setup would be too tall, drop back a gear for your technical sections and it places you right back at OEM. Drop back two gears for those doing the wild short gearing and you are right into the sweet spot. All the while making 45 to 70 mph speeds far more relaxing as I had hoped when beginning the project. I was initially considering far taller gearing than the almost 15% addition through Yamaha directly and I am so glad I did not make that mistake. The WR250 engineers were on the top of their game when offering the 14/40 gearing solution through Yamaha itself. This is about as high as I would want now that I have experienced it firsthand.

Ricochet skid plate: I incorporated this addition due to its aerodynamic qualities of all things. The underside of the bike (just about every aspect of the bike and rider) is a real mess in terms of aero qualities. The Ricochet plate smoothed out the entire under section portion of the engine/frame while still offering an oil drain hole and 10-minute bolt-on experience. I used a thin strip of foam tape between the frame rails and the skid plate so as to eliminate the possibly of the two beginning to vibrate and sing as things loosen up over the miles. Very easy install, great bash protection for both the engine and water pump, looks great and it sure does cleanup the short section under the engine itself.

Spider Off-Road/Motard Grips from RockSpeedFX: Yet another soft and comfortable feel over OEM. While I cannot speak of vib reduction due to the vib reducing risers doing all the work, at a touch over $16.00, another must have.

Regarding the Avon Distanzia's… First, let me say the Distanzia’s add some on-highway stability over and above the OEM Bridgestone BT90’s. While riding a rain grooved cut concrete section of I-94 through downtown Milwaukee yesterday, the slight wallowing that had to be corrected for with the OEM BT90’s was almost absent with the Distnazia’s. Same section of road with the two different tires at similar pressures and two different feelings of stability. Less twitchy might be a better description for it.

For light off-road, there was a section of light, hard packed sand I was riding through and the Distanzia’s made this ride doable without the washing out feel that the OEM BT90’s were prone to whenever leaving hard asphalt or concrete. Confidence inspiring on both the slab and clean off-road trail that I was very pleased to experience.

Finally, the BT90’s have a tendency to skip a few mm’s when turning hard on sealant filled cracks over rougher sections. Although I only have ridden through a few sections similar to this with the Distnazia’s attached, the unnerving skip that the BT90’s allowed was absent with the Disntazia’s and these were brand new tires with few only miles on them!

And the negatives :( The Avon's are much heavier as discussed earlier and the weight is added at the worst possible location (at the outer ends of the wheels) for a lightweight 250. I thought about just installing the rear when I finally had the rear OEM BT90 off and weighed it against the Disntazia but decided to install front and rear and let the results be what they may…

Manufacturer|Tire|F/R|Size|Weight|Circumference
Avon|Distanzia|Rear|130/80 R17 65H|16.25 pounds|79"
Bridgestone|Battleax BT90|Rear|140/70 R17 66H|9.5 pounds|76.75"
|||||
Avon|Distanzia|Front|120/70 R17 58H|9.5 pounds|72.625"
Bridgestone|Battleax BT90|Front|110/70 R17 54H|6.25 pounds|72.5"

The extra weight caused a slightly heavier feeling when swinging the bike around. Not anything that would procure riding the bike by any means but just a heavier feel when maneuvering the bike from side to side. This probably accounts for the increased higher speed highway stability!

Acceleration effects. The heavier tires cause you to have to use a lot more throttle to get to speed than the OEM’s. At first I thought this could be entirely contributed to the taller gearing installed so I began using fifth gear to match OEM’s sixth. The bike was lugging during any acceleration under my standard acceleration scenarios (vey light and as easy as traffic would allow) vs. the OEM which I could keep just above lug with similar throttle inputs. During the first high speed terminal run, it took almost ½ a mile to get up to the same terminal speed as before (in fifth gear to match the OEM 6th gear) vs. ~ 1/3 of a mile from 50 to 80 + with the BT90’s. I was WOT for a lot longer period and running out of real estate before reaching and holding that same exact terminal of 82 mph. I performed the run in both directions with the same result.

And the crux of the matter. The new 14/40 gearing and slightly taller Distanzia in the rear had to be accounted for with any future distance/FE calc’s. I did a short 15.2 mile run two nights ago for a ball park offset. With a reset Trip A, 13.6 miles rolled off over ~ 15.2 miles giving a 11.76% negative offset. I used this for the first two fuel economy calculations of the lightly modified WR250X Adventure Touring Project bike.

Using the 11.76% offset, Marc (WH1984 on the CleanMPG forums) and I rode from my home, across some scenic farm country on County highways and through some of North Milwaukee’s finest stop light to stop light traffic conditions. This was a very similar run and on some of the same roads as the Review rides first tank which allowed slightly over 105 mpg.

From the Adventure Touring Project bikes initial top-off fill in Kenosha, WI to my home and then to Milwaukee, the results came in as follows…

51.4 miles via Trip A (~57.44 miles actual with ball park 1.117 gearing offset applied) /.731 gallons = just 78.587 mpg. This is way too low for the bikes intended goal!

As mentioned above, I did perform the one WOT Terminal speed segment over an ~ 1 mile distance which consumed ~ .0333 gallons (1-mile at just 30 mpg) which I will take into account in the final calculations. See below…

From that fill, we rode a higher speed mostly Interstate run to Miler Park. I wanted to get a longer distance calibration offset so I reset Trip B at the Miller Park Exit and Highway 18 and off we went. Google Maps listed the trip at 49.0 miles and the Garmin listed it as 49 miles to destination. Just before arriving at our destination, I stopped for a second short tank, higher speed top off to top off FE calculation which revealed the following:

52.7 miles indicated (~ 58.9 miles per the first short distance 1.117 gearing offset applied)/.829 gallons = 71.049 mpg.

Final long distance odometer offset calculations - We arrived at our destination with Trip B showing 43.1 miles ridden while Google and the Garmin said it was a 49.0 and a 49 mile ride respectively. This longer distance odometer calibration leads to a 13.689% negative offset which I can now take into account for fuel calc’s above.

Top-off to Top-off City/Country Short Tank #1: 58.4 miles/.731 gallons = 79.94 mpg

Subtracting the ~ 1-mile Terminal speed run and fuel consumed from the Short Tank #1calculations…

Top-off to Top-off City/Country Short Tank #1: 57.4 miles/.698 gallons = 82.27 mpg

Top-off to Top-off Higher Speed Highway Short Tank #2: 59.9 miles/.829 gallons = 72.27 mpg

Avon Distanzia conclusions

While offering a number of benefits including a light off-road capability to the on-road based WR250X, improving highway stability and adding cornering benefits through rougher sections, the lower speed stop sign to stop sign and light to light FE was decimated to the tune of almost 23%! The higher speed all Interstate rides at 72 + mpg was not bad at all however. All said, the Disntazia’s do not harm the X’s FE when running at higher RPMs, higher LOADs but any stop/start like riding and they are a fuel economy killer.

Because of the slower speed FE detriment, I have to pull the Disntazia’s and re-install the OEM Bridgestone BT90’s for the Iron Butt to Boston and the cross-country run. It is too bad as it sounds like Beatr911 (another CleanMPG member) has some off-road Mt. St. Helen’s riding areas we will traverse when I get there where the Distnazia’s would be perfect vs. the cussing I am going to be giving to the OEM BT90's while taking the same route and hoping not to dump the WR in the process! If only the Avon’s were constructed from a lower rolling resistance compound and were lighter weight to match the OEM BT90’s, they would be the bomb for me. For most WR250Xs riders, the Distanzia’s provide all and more over and above the OEM BT90’s and I would not dissuade anyone from purchasing one of the best true dual sport tires available for those that ride the on-road WR250X.


Because I cannot incorporate tables in the WR forum correctly, you can see more at the following: The 2010 Yamaha WR250X Review Has Begun…

Good Luck

Wayne

Don't the Rox Risers hurt your aero position?

Hi SuperSize:

They do not unless your natural body position on the WR was leaned forward to reach the OEM bars.

The Bike being high or low makes a differnece to reduce frontal area but the bars being up or down does not as its the protrusion into the windstream where the drag occurs has not changed.

Wayne

Ah, so you body position has not changed. I guess you were sitting straight up to begin with.
Wouldn't getting your body leaning forward make a big difference? I do a lot of mountain and road biking and an aero position is huge.