"WHAT IS THAT" ?

Well decided to take a little trip with my good friend who was dying to get his new pimped out KLR out for a good long ride. We decided to ride from Seattle to Winthrop Washington along the North Cascade Highway. We rode approximately 500 miles in two days with 99% being asphault. On the rode was nothing but Harleys GSs and sports bikes.... a lot of them. At each stop the constant question the many riders I met was...."what is that" ? None could believe it was a 250cc and fuel injected. Some had a disproving look at first but could not help themselves but like what they saw.

The ride was in elevation of over 4,000 feet and 80-90+ degree weather. Could not have been more beautiful. The riding was brisk averaging 70 miles per hour. The sweeping turns were nothing short of Zen like. My WR is set up for commuting with the Safari tank and the Mayers custom seat. Both worked extremely well although I do believe the saddle could be more enjoyable with a little work. My ass needed a break ever hour and a half which is fine for a long commute. But for real touring Alaska Leather cover , Air Hawk type cushion or additional accomidations are a must. While the WR has minimal vibe compared to many of the thumpers, it's still a thumper and some fatigue will result from long durations in the saddle.

With that said, it is a spectacular motorcycle with a huge amount of versatilaty. Again we are talking about a 250. Very impressive indeed. It lends itself to a spirited, excelerating experience everytime. I can honestly say for the simple enjoyment of being on two wheels both street and dirt the WR is a killer package. The WR in it's stock form has some limitations....as all motorcycles . But with a few mods it can do amazing things. Nice choice ladies and gentleman.

Yah Josh, I am constantly amazed at how much fun this bike is to own and ride. I've always wondered why no one made a decent dual sport and can only assume that the technology was not previously available at a decent price. I don't understand why this bike is not hugely popular. By the way, I'm coming up to seattle on the 24th for two weeks and looking for something to rent for mostly road riding with a friend. Any idea's.

mordicai wrote:

Yah Josh, I am constantly amazed at how much fun this bike is to own and ride. I've always wondered why no one made a decent dual sport and can only assume that the technology was not previously available at a decent price. I don't understand why this bike is not hugely popular. By the way, I'm coming up to seattle on the 24th for two weeks and looking for something to rent for mostly road riding with a friend. Any idea's.

Run a Craigslist ad in Seattle and/or check out local dualsport shops who rent. I will do a little research and get back to you. How are you getting up here...flying or driving?

I think Yamaha marketed the X as a supermoto/track friendly bike and just didn't see how it could broaden it's appeal. Frankly the way it is stock it has a very narrow appeal. The WR is a great base plateform to convert into something more useful like a economic , light weight, versatile commuter/tourer. A 3 gallon tank should be a stock item. A really good comfort seat would make a great accessory. Oh well what do I know?

Yah the seat is the first thing I changed(seat concepts) . I need to have the suspension worked on, but other then that I'm happy. My wife used to have a Suzuki 250 enduro, nice and light, and I would ride it sometimes on single track because it was a lot easier then my XT 600, but it was a dog compared to the WR. How the hell did they ever get so much performance out of this little 250 4 stroke? My daughter gave me her Honda Civic Hybrid last year when she moved overseas so for the first time in 40 years I'm without a pickup. I was going to buy a lightweight trailer and put a hitch on the Civic to tow my bike up, but it didn't seem like a good idea for the little 1.3L engine. I'm bummed because I'd really rather be riding my X in Washington. My friend lives in Omak and I am flying into Seattle. I've put ad's on Craigslist for Wenatdhee, but so far no repleys. Man ,i've got to get rid of this Civic and get a big boy's pickup again.

Performance is spot on.I know there's debate about the fuel economy, the tank size, the odometer being off, but I got 70 miles to the gallon in the high altitude. I thought my low fuel sensor was broke. Normally it comes on at 165 miles. It came on at 190. I went 214 miles before I added 3.0 gallons.Plus or minus, that's pretty damn cool.

The vibe is minimal but still there. I'm just a wuss and my A** can't take too much.

It would be cool to see a 250cc street/cafe bike with that engine.....cruise the hood in style. Very happy with her for sure.

Just wanted to add that theCee Bailey windshield worked extremely well and rolled the air off my shoulders (5'6"). The highway pegs from Happy Trails were a huge benefit for staying comfortable. Rox risers make for some very comfortable riding. For touring having soft luggage seems to be the best way to go. My friend had some Wolfman bags which were instrumental for carrying extra stuff. Very high quality with a ton of attachments. And finally, the Avon Distanzias were awesome both on asphault and gravel where they were resurfacing the highway. Very confident tires. OK...thats all I got for now. Ride safe.

I think the reason its not more popular is two fold.
A: Its not a sport bike. That eliminates half of the kids who walk in, meanwhile old guys don't always want something so sporty
B: Its a 250. Even now, I tell people 250 and they immediately think . You get a look of pity and contempt. I've been tempted to pull off the stickers so I can just lie. "Its a WR600X" seems like a good line to go with lol. Speaking of which, the raptor 660 / 700 engine was origionally a street bike engine. That could be a nice addition to this bike too.

oic0 wrote:

I think the reason its not more popular is two fold.
A: Its not a sport bike. That eliminates half of the kids who walk in, meanwhile old guys don't always want something so sporty
B: Its a 250. Even now, I tell people 250 and they immediately think I've been tempted to pull off the stickers so I can just lie. "Its a WR600X" seems like a good line to go with lol. Speaking of which, the raptor 660 / 700 engine was origionally a street bike engine. That could be a nice addition to this bike too.

250cc seem to fall into budget beginners bikes. Harley and BMW seem to be really good at marketing size matters. While the younger guys want to look fast even at rest. I must admit those sports bikes look awesome.....but not with my back. This 250 seems to have great potential. However, the marketing people and the design people haven't really figured out how to sell it yet. At least we're having fun.

josh wrote:

The old guys ( my age and older) seem to have the general belief that in order to have a good time Size Matters.

????????

You know how many members on this site are over 50?

For that matter, over 60?

I don't know how you'd do it, but if you did a poll I'll bet the median age for WRR riders is a lot older than for roughly similar KTMs, Husqvarnas, etc.

Comments re-worded.

I'm over 70 and I think it's a perfect old man's bike. Easiest bike t o ride I have ever owned and light enough for my old bones to push around and pick up.