TW200 owner interested in WR250 ...is it worth it?

Hey guys I have a TW200 and I really like it. My house borders the apalachicola national forest so I ride sand trails just to get to my house. Also I know of woods roads that are short-cuts for me to go up town. I love my TW but the only problem is when I get it out on the street, mini-vans pass me and going on the interstate would be out of the question. The power and suspension travel is a little lacking on the TW...
So my question is:
Is the WR good on the road like I could ride it over to my brothers house 2hrs away on the interstate? But also good enough to ride sand trails around my house with plenty of power all around and hit bumps and jumps all the good stuff?
I'm 5'10" and 145lbs.

The WRR is built for the road/hwy, and does well enough with my abuse.
I could only imagine that the TW is better at leisure driving than the WRR. Small and cushy has it's place.
Though I would describe my bike as small and potent....it is tall and a big dirt bike.
The engine is fulfilling for 250cc, better than I hoped. I am getting used to the size, so it just keeps getting more comfortable.
I like the TW idea for what it is, but the WRR just works so darn good for me, I have to say something.

how does it do in the interstate?

I've only ridden canadian hwys, the fastest are signed 110kph...which is about 67mph.
My bike could do it all day, everyday, easy...though not sure about my butt.(a few hours tops)

I moved up from a xt225 to the wr250. I would say it has 80% more power so for your tw200 it would be closer to twice the power.
I had an 87 xt350 and the wr250 is faster and smother at highway speed. I am 6'2" and the wr is tall. The bike will handle the interstate, but I would not want to go over 65 mph. At 70 I find the bike starting to wobble from the air and any wind makes for a scary ride. I had the front end lift of the ground on my 350 at 70 mph when I hit a wind gust. - the front fender acts like a wing. The guy I bought the bike from did a 660 mile ride from Vancouver to Calgary.

I've owned two TW-200s, a WR-250R, and a WR-250X.

The TW is best at slow speeds, which you already know.
It's suited to 40mph back roads and trail riding that requires riding at a slow pace, like picking your way through a section at walking pace, and even at blazing your own trail.
The low seat height seems to make the bike tailor-made for that kind of riding.

The WR-250R is a traditional dual-purpose bike, which is a motorcycle that's based on a long-travel-suspension dirt bike with changes made to make it better on the street.
Since it's taller, it's not as good at picking your way through walking pace trails, but much better at anything else, basically.
If you want to ride off-road at a higher speed and more like a tratitional dirt bike, this bike will be better for that.

On the street, a WR-250R is much, much better than a TW-200, mainly because there is much more power and it is geared much taller, overall.
Where a TW feels comfy at 40mph, the WR-250R feels just as comfy at 60mph.
Top speed of a stock WR-250R is around 90mph, so, that should give you an idea of how fast you can cruise while still having some left in reserve.
60-70mph is easilly done, and when you keep in mind that we're talking about a 250cc bike, it's pretty amazing.
Compared to 250cc dual-purpose bikes of the early-to-mid 1980s, it feels like a Superbike, powerwise and street speedwise.

I feel that stability on the highway is dependant on what the rider is accustomed to.
I never felt that any of my dual-purpose bikes were unstable on the highway, and if I felt some buffeting, that was just because I was riding through some turbulant air.
In other words, if you spend your time riding through motocross-style whoops as fast as you can, then a gust from a crosswind or a blast of wind from an 18-wheeler on the highway is no big deal.
To me, it is totally acceptable, and even to be expected.

How would the wr250 compare to the honda xr650l?

I've never owned or ridden an XR-650L, although I have owned and ridden other big-bore thumpers, both off-road only (Yamaha TT-600K) and dual-purpose (Yamaha XT-550K and a 1982 Honda XL-500R).

I'd imagine the XR-650L would be the better bike for the open roads or for a big guy on more open off-road terrain.
They can be trail ridden, but the bigger you are, the easier it would be.
The bike is very tall.

carbednotch wrote:

Is the WR good on the road like I could ride it over to my brothers house 2hrs away on the interstate? But also good enough to ride sand trails around my house with plenty of power all around and hit bumps and jumps all the good stuff?
I'm 5'10" and 145lbs.

Highway: I can only maintain 70-75 mph for around an hour at a time before the vibration get's to me. I filled my handlebars with lead and it helped considerably with hand dumbness but my feet still get numb after an hour or so. I usually take back roads and I can pretty much ride all day below 60 mph.

Trails: Even bone stock I never felt my bike was underpowered on the trails. It's pretty flat around here though. If you have hills and stuff you might prefer to up the gearing a bit more. Jumps and bumps are smooth as glass after a rear shock revalve. I think my best so far is about 10ft-12ft elevation and about 25 feet of road cleared off some railroad tracks (65mph). Bike took it like a champ.

I'm 5'11" and 165lb and my only two complaints are the weight (compared to a trail bike) and that there isn't enough torque to throttle the front end up like my boss' KTM.

I went from an XT225 to the WR, and what I loved about the XT, the slow speed handling and the light wieght, is what I love about the WR.
I did have to put a bigger rear sprocket on the WR to do the really tight single track I love, and as such I have a hard time on a freeway, but that's not what I ride. I also lowered it front and rear, since that's another thing I loved about the XT, the ability to put both feet flat on the ground.
What i didn't like about the XT was having to worry about the carb at high altitudes or if I left it alone for more than 2 months it totally gummed up the pilot jet. I love fuel injection.
I also put a larger 3.1 tank on, since the sprocket reduces range.
I just don't think anyone could ever be dissapointed with the WR. I am 5-10 and 190 pounds, so you will find it even more sprightly.

I put a 14 tooth front sprocket on mine, which makes the speedometer very close to true and brings revs down a bit at speed. Still comfortable offroad but a bit more clutch work at very slow speeds. 65mph is the upper limit of 100% comfort. The bike isn't working hard, theres leftover oomph for passing, mileage is decent. 70mph is easily done but you start to feel like you are working the ol girl and passing power is diminished. 75mph and you know ol girl is working, you couldn't pass an angry geo metro, and your mileage has gone to crap. 80mph and you get the feeling of "should I be going this fast if I want the bike to last?"

I have a Dakar, a DR350 and a 225 (my wifes) before, and I thought about getting a second one. Needed a lightweight bike to ride in the back country and go on highways to get there. The Dakar is just too heavy, too clumsy on trails and the DR 350 is simply not comfortable. :>(

So I took the 225 up 'Antenna Ridge' on the way up to Orleans Lookout (California). It was 6,000 feet up the ridge... big up... and 6,000 feet back down. Alas, the 225 really didn't have enough power. It was bogging in between gears (probably 2nd and 3rd), first gear at the top... and I cooked the paint off the rear hub on the way down the ridge. (it turned 'gold') On the highway back... same thing, not enough power... couldn't keep up with a KTM 690 or Honda 650 either, just wouldn't maintain 55 or 60 when the road went uphill.

So I decided to get a WR250R. It is comfortable on the highway (well, as fast as I want to go), good handling, pretty good suspension, light enough to pickup... It's a winner.

I live in Denver and bought a WR250r from Sacramento. I just sold a 2000 KLR650 and a 2000 KLX300. I rode the bike 1530 miles from sacrament o to Colorado. The WR did everything I asked of it. I started at 25 feet above sea level, and rode up to 12,800 feet over Engineer pass in Colorado. I road Highway at 75 MPH (GPS), road fast desert riding in Utah(the burr trail), Road at slickrock with my luggage off, Rode 3 high mountain dirt passes. This whole ride was with 200 pounds of me and 60 pounds of gear except slickrock. This bike excelled at everything. The only edge the two bikes before this had is that maybe the KLR650 was a tad better at highway riding. I really like my new WR.

I moved from the TW to the WRR.

The only thing the TW excels over the WRR is sand. The TW excels over EVERYTHING in the sand d/t the fat tires. Other than that, the WRR has it by a mile. There is simply no comparison. And there shouldn't be for the price, technology and engine size.

Can the WRR do the interstate for 2 hours? Sure. Not the best tool for the job. And and if there are lots of trucks on your stretch it might get a little nerve racking. The wind will push the bike around some. I certainly wouldn't commute everyday on the interstate with a WRR.

It also depends VERY MUCH on the tires you put on the WRR. You can go with a street oriented tire and do much better on the interstate but there goes your sand. 90/10 (dirt/street) will pose a problem on the interstate. It will be the tires holding you back not the engine/gearing.

With stock tires and gearing I hold 70-75 no problem on empty county roads. As I said, on the interstate, wind moves the bike around. If you've got street oriented tires you'll feel more secure when a semi blows by you.

Very true. The WR is no use whatsoever in dunes. I've tried. :(

And for tires i chose the street-knobbies from Michelin. Amazing tires, with Ultra heavy Duty tubes. My bike is a 99% dirt machine...