Future WR250R Owner ( MAYBE) Many Questions

Greetings all;
I'm thinkin' about one of these for a commuter/in town fun/arrand bike. The 89 XT 600 has seen it's better days and soon will be put out to pasture. I would have to make short jumps on the freeway with it (70 mph) for about 7 or 9 miles or so and was wondering how your bikes handle this ? And what kind of performance mods have you done, what did they cost, were they worth it and would you do it again ? Also, what other bolt ons have you put on that you really like or that you think work good ? And what do like most and least about your bike ? I bettr stop there, thanks big time up front guys (gals). The word I get from you will make up my mind.
Thanks Again,
Marty.............

Welcome! from your post im guessing you're looking for an X? since you don't mention any off roading.

Anyway,

1. 70 mph on the freeway is no problem. especially not for the 10 miles you stated. it'll happily sit at 70 all day long. I've spend 6 hours a day on the freeway doing 70. no problem there (other than a sore arse).

2. Me, I have don't any performance mods so far. My bike is still in warranty, loving the rock solid reliability and as a student haven't got the cash anyway. Bike does fine without mods, but of course it's always nice to have a little extra umph. Lots and lots of post of other members here doing plenty of mods. do some searches, you'll find lots of stuff.

3. Must have addition are hand guards. Dropped it twice (standing still) off road, once bent clutch lever and once broke brake lever. Got me some acerbis rally pro to solve that issue. (plus looks better)

4. Like lots of things about. Lots and lots of fun, relatively light weight, does great as a commuter. Good mileage. Love sitting so high up, gives a great view of the road. some negatives are the small tank and relatively hard seat. Although if you break it in properly (or your butt gets broken in) it becomes ok. Depends on user, some really complain, I do fine, no problem doing 600 miles a day on it.

Overall just awesome bike. Never regretted getting it. Plus virtually no maintenance compared to some of the other (higher end, more expensive) options.

Ooops, I should have mentioned "R" , I really wanna' go EFI.

Spend some time reading around this forum.

All the answers are here for you.

All x's and r's have efi.

This forum is not for F's.

My only vehicle since 2009 has been a WR250R. First one had 17k miles when it was stolen, current bike has just under 40,000 miles and I have owned it since new, purchased January 2010 as a leftover 2008.

1) 70mph on the highway is no problem so long as you're not climbing steep grades in the Rockies, dealing with 40+mph headwinds, or are at really high altitudes (6-7k feet plus). An X will be smoother on the highway and cruise slightly faster than an R due to the smoother, better riding street tires but both are equally capable. I've taken 6000+ mile trips on both wheel setups and generally prefer the X setup for long distance touring, unless I've plotted a ton of dirt riding.

2)Modifications - My first bike was left completely stock except for luggage and protection items. Current bike has a full FMF exhaust (powercore4 pipe, powerbomb header) fmf programmer, and a unifilter with an opened up airbox in addition to the protection bits. A good skidplate, bark busters, and radiator guard are critical if you're going to be riding hard off road. The power mods are nice to have on road as the extra power is particularly noticeable and welcome at highway speeds, but pretty much unnecessary off-road. If you plan on doing a lot of dirt riding or riding anywhere that you'd rather not draw a ton of attention to yourself thanks to a loud exhaust, I'd leave it stock. If I were doing it again, I'd probably leave the airbox alone but keep the exhaust.

3) Loves - Probably the best bike for urban riding you can get. Great suspension to soak up bumpy city streets, curbs, etc, good enough power and torque for riding in close traffic, very stable yet maneuverable, etc. I still think its the best 50/50 true dual sport. Low to no maintenance, good enough power for highway work but never overwhelming off-road, light enough for single track but stable enough to ride 3 hours on the slab to get to it, great transmission ratios, big watts output from the stator to run your heated gear and gps and heated grips if you're traveling. I love that it still makes me smile when I walk out and see it shining in the sunlight waiting for another ride.

Hates - I wish it had more torque for climbing up some of the steeper grades in the Western US, particularly when up at altitude facing strong head winds loaded with luggage. I wish it got better gas mileage (I average 50mpg most of the time, occasionally 60+ on trails), though it still has a solid 150 mile range with the IMS 3gal tank.


All in all, I've had a great time with this bike and I don't know if I could ever really sell it. I certainly don't want to sell it up here in Fairbanks where I'd have to see it running around all the time with someone else. I've come close twice, but fate kept me with it for a little while longer. It still just does everything I want it to do so well, except that it can't do 100+mph occasionally or really scare me with acceleration anymore, but otherwise its a fantastic motorcycle.

Here is a pic of my WR250R as it appears for touring/commuting duty...

Since this pic was taken, I added the Yamaha side bag to hold my first-aid kit and flat-repair gear. EFI, plenty of electrons for heated winter gear and 70 MPG!