Got Me Yet Another Bike :)

Hi. :)

Just picked myself up a 2008 WR-250R with 118 miles on the odometer.
It was traded in at the shop I work at by somebody who obviously didn't want to ride it, and since I got it for nearly half of the suggested retail price, I couldn't refuse. :)

The bike feels good while riding it, although since I'm also riding a 2009 DR-Z400SM with all of the commonly-done mods to wake it up, the WR feels pretty weak in the power department since it's still 100% stock.
That won't last for long, though, as I've just heated-up the bank account and ordered a bunch of items to uncork the stuffy EPA regulations.
I expect the bike to then feel like a modern 250cc single-cylindered engine.
I'll post my thoughts on this. :)

As for me, this is just the latest in a long line of Yamaha motocross, competition enduro (remember the IT series?), dual-purpose, sport bike, "naked bike" (like the FZ-1), ATV, and, well, it's quite a long list of the dough I've spent on my hobby (which is also how I've made a living since 1987 since I work for a Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki dealer).

-John

Awesome! Welcome to the pack!

How does the WR handle compared to the DRZ? (leave the 150cc difference behind)

The biggest differences between DR-Z400SM and WR-250R handling feel has to do with the wheel diameters and tires and the seat heights.

The DR-Z has a lower seat.
The tires are wider and the wheels are a smaller diameter.
The weights of the bikes are actually pretty close on the scales, but at the same time, you get the sensation of the WR having a smaller engine mass down there.

Out on the road, the WR feels like it has more straight line stability and is more resistant to cutting sharp, sudden corners.
This is something I mostly attribute to the wheel diameters.
The DR-Z is the opposite where it is more willing to respond to sudden countersteering at the expense of stability.
Saying such things could make you think that the bikes suffer from some sort of handling problems, but that's misleading.
That's just the way I explain the differences after riding both bikes.

Of course, with full-on sport tires (Michelin Pilot Powers) and a burly Brembo front brake setup on my DR-Z, that bike is at it's best cutting corners on back roads.
This is where it excels.

The WR-250R basically feels like the faster you go, the straighter it wants to go, although the stability at speed is what you want while riding off-road.
Basically, it feels like a dirt bike with street-legal lighting.

Heya! Welcome to the asylum! I never found the R² stingy when it comes to cornering. I've got the 606's on mine, and was getting some good cornering the other day. Tib was behind me and he thought I was going to scrape the pegs. I got home and looked at the rubber and there's only maybe 1/4 of an inch on the side treads that didn't contact the pavement. Not bad for a knobby.

You need to ride a WR250X (or get some X wheels) to really compare apples to apples. Tire/wheel size makes a huge difference in handling.

I sold my 600 sportbike to get the R². This bike handles just as good on the corners if not better than the 600 did. Lighter, more nimble, and not top heavy. I had 802's on the 600; really nice street tire.

Performed some basic mods to my WR-250R (and were done in this order):
Power Commander lll USB.
Full FMF exhaust of Powerbomb header and Q4 muffler.
Removed airbox flapper.

Now, thank god, the bike is performing in a satisfactory manner, where stock, the bike performed like a TT-R125L.
I'm not kidding, and I've owned 4 TT-R125Ls over the years.
The biggest change, by far, came with the airbox flapper removal.
The other two mods help, I'm sure, but it was the airbox flapper that made the bike run so poorly with zero power and acceleration.

Now, it runs like I'd expect and I'm satisfied.
Next is new knobby tires. :)

Here's a pic from just after getting home from tonight's off-road ride, where the bike performed well.

This afternoon (just before I watched the USGP from Laguna Seca :) ), I installed a new set of my favorite full-on knobbies:
Bridgestone M22/M23 hard terrain tires.
They don't like soft stuff like sand or mud, but they're magic everywhere else.
Next is the 12-tooth front sprocket and the removal of that mega-huge stock taillight/license plate holder.

https://2img.net/h/i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb240/YZFR6N/wr-250rxll001.jpg