Trend going back to stock

Anyone else notice that there are a good bunch of WR owners switching their bikes back to stock in more ways than one after going through all the farkles. I'm one of those who switched back to a stock exhaust for a more quiet ride. I see others who found the same thing & also things like other aftermarket add ons being less reliable or not performing up to par. Kind of shows how much R&D goes into these bikes. Used stock parts are going to be getting scarce possibly.

Mine's been stock from the start in terms of performance, except for bigger rear sprocket (48). No complaints here. Added the standard protection stuff, a couple of power outlets, and a stabilizer.

Yep, I'm a firm believer in "Stock Rocks". Besides a skidplate and a bigger rear sprocket mine is bone stock.
I've been riding 32 years, and almost without fail the bikes and quads/Rhinos that break down in the middle of nowhere are the most heavily modified. One guy had a Rhino with the extended suspension and one of his wheels simply fell off mid ride. Took 3 trips out there to replace the parts. Cheaper than renting a helicopter, I guess.

Many times, an engine like ours is "under-stressed", in that it is designed to be able to handle more stress (big bore kit, etc), but anytime you ask more performance from the same machine you are reducing the reliability. My guess is, that if left alone and properly maintained, our engine could run for 100's of thousands of miles...

I can see if a mod is a bad idea or silly to start with or just doesn't suit your taste, like a rack that supposedly allows you to carry everything but the kitchen sink.

On the bikes I have owned (a 2008 WR-250R and 2008 WR-250X being two of them) and still own (2009 Honda CRF-450X), there are basic mods that, I feel, only improve the bike, such as carb rejetting or adding a fuel programmer.

Still, different strokes for different folks.

Sorry guys but I don't have the EPA breathing down my back !! Berwyn

Here in California they keep talking about requiring smog checks for motorcycles any day now, so we'll see what happens...

A few state have votes to make sure the stamp on your pipe is still in place to meet emisions.Think N.H just had a vote on this topic,and it almost passed. Got to say stock it got better gas mpg and was so quiet. I kept all stock parts,just i case of changes to inspection laws.

Yeah, I kept my gas canister just in case as well.

All of that aftermarket pipes are just too loud on a motor that has to work pretty hard. The pipes for most sport bikes are just as loud, but they don't need to get on the gas so much. I would probably go back to stock if I had one, or at least try it to see if I missed the power.

Changed the gearing to 12/47- biggest improvement. I opened the airbox - Hi-Five style. Fmf programmer. Stock pipe. Sounds good but not too loud. Not sure a performance pipe is in the works. Too much $$$. Maybe too loud for those longer road tours. Probably get the rear shock done next year. Seems a little squishy for me. These are fairly minor mods. I'm happy with them. Shouldn't affect the reliability of the bike in the long run. Did I absolutely need them??? Gearing? Yes. Rear shock work? I think so when I get it done. The other stuff??? I'm not sure. Love the bike.

Back to stock? Never. Not this guy.

Nothing against those who do though. Different strokes for different folks.

What is the difference in rear wheel HP and rear wheel torque between the stock setup and the typical pipe, airbox, FI programmer setup?

When I first bought my bike in March it had an FMF PowerCore and I rode it home and the next day immediately put the stock pipe back on it (thankfully it came with the bike). The power to noise ratio just wasn't worth it to me.

I tend to lean towards mods that are more useful or for protection than performance. Such as I replaced the stock tank with an IMS 3.1, added heated grips, 12v outlet, barkbusters, etc., stuff like that. A Seat Concepts seat and maybe a skid plate are about the only mods left in my plans for the bike. Well that's a lie, I also think this fall/winter I am going to buy some Warp9 SM wheels for commuting and then I can swap back to my stock wheels for dirt.

GusinCA wrote:

Yep, I'm a firm believer in "Stock Rocks". Besides a skidplate and a bigger rear sprocket mine is bone stock.
I've been riding 32 years, and almost without fail the bikes and quads/Rhinos that break down in the middle of nowhere are the most heavily modified. One guy had a Rhino with the extended suspension and one of his wheels simply fell off mid ride. Took 3 trips out there to replace the parts. Cheaper than renting a helicopter, I guess.

Many times, an engine like ours is "under-stressed", in that it is designed to be able to handle more stress (big bore kit, etc), but anytime you ask more performance from the same machine you are reducing the reliability. My guess is, that if left alone and properly maintained, our engine could run for 100's of thousands of miles...

Agree 110%!

I saw that one to, figured someone would post it.

Someday we'll all be riding electric bikes that get 300 miles and can charge in a few minutes (here's hoping) and they'll be silent as a mountain bike but with massive torque and no gears (here's hoping)...

I've kept my brand new '08 WRX I got in 2011 bone stock. After reading many of the posts here and other boards, I saw a lot of pics of chopped up air boxes. I said the hell with it. Then I priced aftermarket exhausts. And of course you need an EFI... more big time $$$. There was never one consensus opinion on what mod to make.

Then I read about guys having strange problems (bike cutting out/stalling, etc.) and it could always be traced back to the odd mod they did. I like the way my bike sounds when you twist the throttle and really get on it, so I didn't change the pipe. And I didn't want my air box looking like swiss cheese.

I added frame sliders to save the cases; removed the reflectors and thats it.

I am in a similar situation as kingsquid.

apart that I dont have the $$$ right now, I am torn between the improvements the mods bring, but at the same time I don't want to give up any reliability.
I know my bike is still quite new, but still, it never skipped a beat. In the winter it would start right up at -10C and in the summer never had overheating problems. Engine is rock solid. Pushed to the limit, driving autobahn at 120 kmh for 700 km with only stops for fuel. also no problem! Went for 15 hour a day rides without a single problem.

I just don't want to give up any of that! So although a bit more ponies would be nice... I think I will keep it stock for a while to come (also considering this is my only vehicle)... seems like the stock bikes have significantly less problems than the modded ones