HOW FAST??

ive been doing so much research on all the dual purpose bikes out there and ive narrowed it down to the 2012 wr250r. but there is one question i keep finding mixed answers about. what really is the top speed of this machine brand new and stock? ive read anywhere between 90-110 MPH. whats the real deal from people who ride them everyday?

Why does top speed matter?

There's plenty written around this forum about this.

90-100 mph is pretty accurate.

Bone stock? Probably high 80s. Its so darn hard to judge though because of wind. I never noticed that the wind is almost always blowing until I got an underpowered bike lol. Yesterday on my ride there were times I needed to hold it wide open to go 70... and when off the bike it didn't seem like that windy of a day. Mines not stock, fastest I've been is a real 90mph on a calm day. It probably could have gone faster if I laid down on the tank and held it wide open for a long time. Not something I see much reason to do though. Especially since to get away from the wind I would have to do it off the highway (I also never knew that highways are the home of all wind lol), so I would be destroying the speed limit for several miles, just asking for a huge ticket.
Right now though, feels like a calm day. Wind 5-10mph NNW. Means for me to do 70mph, the bikes motor has to work like I'm going ~80mph! When 90mph is the top speed, thats a tall order. The bigger heavier more powerful dualsports do a better job of compensating for that because they have more torque and a bit higher top speed... but then you are on a big ol porky bike! Then there are the 690s, 610s, etc... but then you are paying a lot more money and adjusting valves 5x as often. Just have to pick your tradeoff.

Careful when reading peoples speed reports. They often just go by the speedometer. Its off when its stock. Its off more when your tire gets squared off. Its off even more when you change a sprocket. GPS is the only reliable measurement on these things. People reporting over 100?" probably using a 12 tooth sprocket. That or they installed the turbo kit.

Mine's bone stock and does 90 mph on a good day. It takes a lot of time to get there and I honestly don't see the point. I usually put around doing 60 or so, which is fast enough for me. If I wanted to go faster, I would buy another bike, not a 250.

Stock gearing will easily hold 80, even 85 on flats with low wind. 90 is about top, if you have 1/4 mile to get from 70-90 :). In other words, acceleration after 80 is minimal in real world riding. But there's more than plenty to pass a semi who's going 65...

I'm absolutely content on mine when riding alone. I get frustrated and want more top speed when highway riding with my cruiser buddies...

On a flat straight road in North Dakota I held it wide open until the speedometer wouldn't go any higher. Bone stock and it read 96. I was in a full tuck, the tire was likely worn some (smaller diameter, higher mph reading), and the speedomter is off to a degree anyway.

Top speed is not where you want to be. I really think it's irrelevant.

Who cares what the bike can potentially achieve when at around 80 mph anybody sane enough will stick with it. (speaking about the R here). The thing will wobble and any wind getting under the fender will push you from side to side. It's still "safe" to ride, but I wouldn't spend much longer than a few minutes over 80 mph. Just for the potential risk of a strong side wind, or maybe a weird wobble in the road or bump.

The bike is not aerodynamic enough to safely hold such high speed (say 100 mph), even if you can momentarily achieve it. So its a useless figure. For highway cruising, 70-80 is perfectly doable, bike doesn't suffer, and you can still ride it relatively comfortable.

All stock with the speedo off from the factory I got it up to 94 indicated mph, which was in reality closer to high 80's. Anything over 75 mph on this bike is sketchy and any sensible person would NOT want to ride that fast for any prolonged period of time.

Stock: 75-80 all day ; 85-90 complaining a bit ; low 90's if you push it.

A few common mods: high 80's all day ; low 90's complaining ; My top speed was 98

Tires matter here. I feel the engine has a bit more but knobbies vibrate a bit too much to go faster.

I'll be going the opposite direction on mine once I take delivery, and after breaking it in. I will be regearing to shorten up 1st and close the gaps. I also see zero need for a 90 MPH dual sport bike given my interests in the hobby.

I am looking to go with something like 13/48. Don't mind giving up 10 MPH (or more) off the top end to put it down low where I'll use it more. Besides, my wife's bike (Honda CRF230L) is most comfortable cruising at 55 MPH. Most of my forest road/blacktop will be with her along. Not having the ability to cruise at 75 MPH is a non-issue for me.

Have fun whatever you decide!


Vinduroman

I have an R with Dunlop 606 tires and 13/47 sprockets. 60 to 65 mph is quite comfortable on the flat. The bike will go over 70 but it feels pretty skittish and I don't do it for long.

I've been on the freeway before doing 60-80 on my X (technically shouldn't with bike permit). It's fine but I find it more comfortable to be bent over on the tank some, less wind.

essadv:

How low is 1st now with your chosen gearing? Can you plonk along picking your way over rocks at a slow speed? Did it help close the gaps between 1st and 2nd, etc?


Vinduroman

Mitas c20/c21 tires DOT knobby. 12/47 gearing. Speed off the front tire. 134kph is the fastest I have seen. Like others, this was not stable or much fun but the bike did it. 115/120kph all day long with no issues.

Oh one more thing to note, these 705s I have on here now will headshake with very little provocation at 70-80mph on the highway. Some bumps or wind at the right angle will get it going. Nothing major and you can settle it down, but annoying none the less. I dunno if its the right response but I usually push forward equally with both hands to make it stop, adding overall movement resistance to the bars like a steering stabilizer does.

I top out at 83mph and can cruise at 70 all day with 606 front and rear.

oic0 wrote:

Oh one more thing to note, these 705s I have on here now will headshake with very little provocation at 70-80mph on the highway.

May not be the tires. The stocks will go higher and the 705's are more street oriented. ????

My WR is all stock. With 13/47 it definitely pulls better in 1st. 1st to second is no problem. I am considering going up 1 or 2 teeth on the rear just to get a little more grunt. It wouldn't give up any top speed since i'm probably around 8000 rpm at 70 and clearly not at the rev limiter. I'm just not sure how much buzz it might add at the high end. Right now 65 in 6th is smooth.