Calling all "X" owners that ride some trails.

Hopefully this year I won't get caught by the chopper pilots scrambling out of the dipping pond when I'm on the fireline.

this wasn't on the WR250X, but perhaps is relevant:

In the fall of '06, I was riding my new DRZ400SM with the stock street tires on a very mild trail.
It was 2-tracks through grass & had been perfectly flat, smooth & even for a couple of klicks. (uh, just over a mile for our American friends).
There must have been a bit of a spring, as it was suddenly soft, slightly wet & slightly rutted.
It was subtle enough that it couldn't be seen until you stopped.
But I wasn't stopped, was going about 70 kph (45 mph?).
The front slid sideways in a rut & spat me to the ground quicker than I could have imagined.
Didn't get a foot out or anything.
Fractured my left scapula (shoulderblade) in 2 places.
The ride home was memorable.
Just before the crash, I remember how impressed I was with the slicks performance on dirt & rocks...

Next ride (several months later) was on Distanzias.
Slightly better on gravel/dirt.
Not any better in wet ruts.

Ordered & installed Excel/Talon wheels in 18/21", with DOT knobbies.
MUCH MUCH better.
Never put the 17"s back on the bike.
Would have saved a lot of money & pain had I bought the S instead of the SM.

My WR250 will be the WR250R.

ok, now back to SheWolf's naked shenanigans...

If you're going to do mostly "wet ruts" then an R would likely be better. Actually, a full on MX bike would be better still. Bummer about the Scapula.
Although, you can certainly crash and break things with full on knobbies too!

I just went for a weekend ride that included 90% wet rocks, wet clay and creek crossings and I did fine with the stock well worn WR250X tires. If anyone is familiar with the "hero" section of the Shenandoah 500, I rode a bunch of the same trails in wet conditons. No issues for me ...a few took a tumble on true dual sports..... When things start to get squirrly the right wrist is your friend. I did a small write up on SJM and my friends posted a more complete write up on ADV. Skidmore Fork campout ;)

Glad to see you kept the bike Manga!

We will see about that. Supposed to have a guy and his dad coming to get it tomorrow after work ;) I need more displacement to make up for my riding skill ....

SheWolf wrote:

Glad to see you kept the bike Manga!

Chrispy1200 wrote:

Can you describe what kind of trails ? I know Distanzas can't handle mud but how much better was the traction in general ?

Riding on Mississippi clay -- on dry trails or dry pine needles, with Distanzias, the bike just grabs and rides. I don't need to rely on momentum to get me through stuff. Really, the rider is the limiting factor (I suck at dirt). It's easier to brake lightly downhill and not slide, which is how I've dropped gently lowered my bike to the ground twice.

In mud (sticky thick stuff), the Distanzias pack up so fast that they're really not any better than the stock 090s. You might get an extra 5 - 10 feet at best. If you spin up the rear in mud/mud puddles, you will move forward slowly (1 - 2 mph) where on the 090s you would just spin. In some ways the Distanzias are worse on a dry-then-wet trail because you are more likely to going faster when you hit the wet stuff.

On a layer of sand, the wider tires float better and the ciping grabs a little bit, so I could actually go fast enough to shift into 2nd.

Cool pics.

Nothing special, but def an eye opener while riding

Looks fun.

Distanzas. Scared of ice, snow, and mud over 6 in. other than that.....there great on my x.

Just finished a week riding Big Bend Nat Pk, TX.
First I would suggest everyone hook up w/ a trusted riding bud & go to this National Park.
It is bigger that some states.
There is nearly no traffic (on the unkept roads/trails).

But this post is about how my X behaved in the sand/thin gravel & climbing up & down grapefruit to basket ball size rocks. First you have to understand that the hand out maps at the ranger's check in office are actually very good. When they say the road is never maintained, that means high clearance & 4x4 for 4 wheel travel is a must. Bikes can pick & zig zag through much of the really rough stuff but at times you just have to rider up & ride it through & learn along the way.

My X had the orginal 17" wheels, w/ Kenda 270 mounted. Tire psi was what I run on the pavement, 28/32 w/ HD tubes inside & 8oz of Ride-On inside each tube.

I like the fat knobby tire up front & the stiff side walls which were my first level of cushion when hitting flat upright river banks after a washout had cut off the slopping bank. Some were a foot & a half deep. There were times each day where I wondered if the 21 " front wheel might be better here or there; but never having ridden a wr250r, I had to go back to my KLR650 ridding days.

I found the much lighter wr easier to lift using the clutch/throttle on the extreme cases than the KLR w/ its 21". So maybe the 21" on the wr/r would have its merit. At the same time there had been on the same trail just around the bend about 1/8 a mile of twisty, pea size gravel road w/ thorney bushes guarding any possible exit other than the end of the road.
Here the front Kenda 270 just tap danced the bike over this soft stuff. & if I got to close to a rider who was all over the road & no safe chance to pass, then stopping & starting was never an issue.

Have ridden a bit of these old washout trails/roads & like nothing better. Speed will be gained at a cost of using your brakes suddenly as your surfaces change faster that you can see what is comming up. Here the X has great brakes. But that over powerful front X brake could get you in trouble quickly. But that huge rear tire will lock up when you want it to & let you drift to a controlled turn or stop. It's like a plow!

I can only compare my X to the KLR650 (lowered) & the DR650 (lowered). The X had the power & could use a touch more but the wr just didn't tire me out as the others did.

During a little friendly racing w/ a nicely mod KLX250. I took off about 2 minutes later & caught up & passed it in a few miles. It was a good surface dirt/gravel road which enabled the power of the wr to better what ever the KLX was able to do. The Kendas helped big time in the controlled drift on the turns & bit in great on the straightening out. There were a few times the front brake was locked up on the crest of a fast climb of a hill & I was very glad they did. These are not fat ballon tires which we've seen on another yamaha. But they are a lot wider that the wr/r is mounted w/.

I don't know which weighs more the 17" X wheel w/ the Kenda 270 front or the 21" R w/ a MT-21 front, I'm only talking the front wheel/tire. Would be interesting for a compare.

I bought this X to ride the back road/trails, not for open road touring.
Have ridden w/ KLR, DR 400 & 650, no ones waits on me at the next turn. If anything it is the other way around. These fuel injected 250s, at less than 300 lb wet are about the finest DS that I have ridden.....not the fastest, but the most fun. & you never have to rejet to keep your motor running at its peek when at high elevations, just change to a clean air filter.
Something else which may not be important to some of you, I can pick up this bike alone & I bet most of the women riders can too.

The X is about an inch shorter stock than the R stock. I measured them both before I bought the X.

Sorry if I slightly jacked the thread.

Thanks for the report, Poncho. I'm pretty sure the front 17 with knobbies weighs more than the 21's. I've got mt-21's on my x, & it feels heavier than my buddie's 21" R. but like you, i've not had any problems with the bigger front tire.. in fact, i think in mud or sand it's better. And it rumbles over the rocks just fine.

I run a lot less air in mine..usually 10-15#'s. The sidewalls are stiff enough they don't flatten, & they help with the bumps too. As long as they stay plumped up, they hook up fine in gravel, & they are better in rocks & sand. You might try lowering the pressure some. I think it makes handling on pavement better, too. They give a little like a radial tire & keep the rubber on the road. I've been able to ride twisties faster than i ever did on my drz, & my riding buddies can't keep up on their 21/18 combos.

I didn't know kenda had 17" knobbies.. i'll have to check them out when i replace my set soon. Where did you get them?

One of my riding buddy's has a klx, too. Long uphill straightaways he can't keep up. But he's a good rider & catches me in the rough stuff. He also doesn't push it as much in the paved twisties, but that's because he's smart & doesn't want to go off the edge of a mountain & die in a fiery crash.. unlike me.

I also like the shorter x & it is much lighter to pick up than other bikes.. my drz was very tall & top heavy.. it felt a lot heavier. In the last few months i've ridden in terrain where i would have dropped the drz many times, but i stayed up on the wrx. As you get older, it's a lot more fun to ride when you don't have to pick up the bike.

Sounds like a fun ride at big bend.. i might have to go check it out some winter.

scotty

Scotty,
The Kenda 270 are 4.60 FT & 5.10 RT. Will try the lower PSI just for a change.
I don't recall where I bought the Kenda, but it was online & less than 95 USD shipped.

You are so right about the light weight. The WRX is about my best bike for the off pavement. From stock to lightly mod the bike just seems to be very able.

I need the close to earth touch.

Something else about the WRX & R, it seems to have a very well built in toughness. After a fall it doesn't seem to ail w/ any issues.

The mpg are a real plus for only 2 gallons.

Need to look you up next time in AZ, bet you know some neat places.

Something interesting about the wrx & r is that if you want a larger or smaller front wheel/tire, just buy the front only.....either the 17 or 18 on the rear is so close leave it alone.
Just my thought.........