Racing a WR250R....

Hi all. So here's my situation, opinion of anyone that's raced this bike (or anyone else) appreciated!

I race hare scrambles on a WR250F in NETRA (New England region). I move at a fair clip, but I'm not looking to win, just have a fun time on a good bike. I'd like to start riding some local Enduros and Turkey Runs. To do so in my region means a plated/registered bike. So no WRF for those.

I'd thought hard about a KTM 350 EXC, but I can't quite stomach north of $9k for a bike I'm going to beat the snot out of on rocky New England single track. That $9k is exactly double what I paid for my 2006 WR250F that I bought last year as a leftover (it was extra leftover!).

I found a 2008 WR250R with a power commander and full fmf exhaust on it (1800 miles) and we agreed on $4200. To get it trail ready it'll need a set of tires at a minimum, plus a skid plate. After I register it, figure $5000 all in.

Thing is, I don't know if it's going to be enjoyable. I weigh 140lbs, so the lack of power isn't a huge deal breaker. But by the same token, the weight is a big put off. I'm not sure how many times I can pick this thing up over the course of a race and not shatter myself

And of course to really make it go, I'd need to revalve and respring both ends, which is another $1000.

I guess my question is, for the money, will it be fun to race, or am I trying to turn a frog into a princess?

Not possible to plate/register the F? I've seen more than a few at dual sport rides with plates.

Jim

I race a YZ250 (Motocross and some Hair scramble)and trail ride my WRR, thought about taking the WRR out to local hair scramble just to see how many race bikes I could beat. Then I really thought about it, and said to my self that I did not want to kill my self. You could race a WRR and have an absolute blast, just don't over ride it. If you want to be competitive and beat the snot out of it the WRR it is too heavy. Out here in California I see a lot of people with plated WRF's, maybe talk with your local dealer/shop and they can tell how to plate your WRF. If you buy a WRR, look up Travis at GO RACING to revalve both the shock and the folks. He is on the East coast and knows the WRR.

miniceptor86 wrote:

Not possible to plate/register the F? I've seen more than a few at dual sport rides with plates.

Jim

In the same state as the OP?

The WRR does a lot of things well, but tight rocky snotty single track isn't one of them as its weight really shows the worst in those situations. If its more of a flowing style of single track it'll do great, but the tight banging off trees in a rock garden style of single track where you have to throw the bike around is too much imo. It is durable at least though, and I doubt you'd hurt the bike doing it, but you'll feel a lot more sore.

If you were going to set up a WRR as a single track bike, absolutely get the suspension reworked by GoRace. Absolutely the best improvement you can make for the bike if its going to be used off-road other than tires and protection items.

Howdy.
I may have read this same question on another message board.

I'm 47 years old, 5'5" , and weigh 150 pounds.

I owned a 2008 WR-250R that I used for riding the weekends on NETRA loop E8 (AKA the Pachaug loop) in CT., and also used it as my street transportation during the week.
So, while I owned the bike for about 15 months and about 7,000 miles (June of 2009 - September of 2010), it saw use.
No ultra-high-milage-for-the-time-I-rode-it use, but real use both off-road on real trails and street sport riding on the same bike.

I also owned a 2008 WR-250X in 2011, by the way, which is/was the street-going motard version of the bike.

Since the WR-250R, I've ridden the Pachaug loop on these bikes:

2009 Yamaha WR-250F
2009 Honda CRF-450X
2002 Yamaha WR-250F

Today, I still own and ride the 2002 WR-250F.
All three of these bikes were plated in CT. by me, so I know it can still be done in CT. if you want to do it.
Ask if you want to know the proceedure.

Here's my opinion on the WR-250R:

First, I feel the power output of the WR-250R is just fine and dandy.
The power output, I believe, is competitive with other Whatever-250Fs out in the woods as long as you do the basic uncorking mods (and it sounds like the one you looked at has had that done) and gear the bike lower since stock EPA gearing is rediculously tall for trails (I used 12/47 sprockets for my off-road/street compromise).
So, engine character and amount of power isn't a problem as far as I'm concerned, and if you truly need more, you need a full-race 250cc four-stroke, or more CCs.
Basically, the engine isn't a problem.

It makes an excellent bike for trail riding on the weekends and commuting on the street during the week because the bike is very good on the street.
The engine runs super-smooth and gives you the feeling that you can run down I-395 all day battling high-speed traffic without stressing the engine - it feels very much like the bike was built for lots of street use.
It was built for that, and is one of the big reasons the engines of the WR-250R and WR-250F are not the same.
As you probably know by now, only the WR designation is the same between the two (which I think is a cheap marketing decision, not to mention confusing to buyers and salesmen, alike).

The trade-off with the above is that since the engine was built to easily withstand such high-milage and high-speed and ride-it-every-day-back-and-forth-to-work-and-anywhere-else-I-have-to-go use, the bottom end of the engine is noticably larger than that of the WR-250F, and that's one of the places the extra weight comes from.
And it's not just more weight showing on a scale at rest, but a heftier feel on the move, too.

To me, the additional weight isn't even the No. 1 thing that the WR-250R has going against it for off-road racing (or riding like you were racing), but is the cheap-feeling rear shock absorber.
Instead of a nice, state-of-the-art 46mm KYB damper like a WR-250F or YZ-250F will have, the bike got a Soqi KYB-wanna-be that comes off the showroom floor with, according to suspension guys, a good dose of air mixed with the oil inside the shock.
That's the last thing you want inside your shock absorber.

The end result and feel I got from the WR-250R was that it felt like a decent trail bike with a cheap rear shock.
It felt exactly as if it had air in the oil, and on a couple of occasions, it rebounded and bounced back way too hard considering the size of the bump it had just hit.
Too bad, because otherwise, I feel the bike did just fine.

The front KYB fork is decent, and can be revalved/resprung like any other contemporary dirt bike.
Stock, it works OK and isn't as much a problem as the rear shock - at least it always feels the same and works, and if you're not satisfied, you do the typical revalve/respring as with any other modern dirt bike to get what you want.
Travis from Go Race Suspension (Mr Go Race on this forum) is one of the suspension guys who knows this model, and I had him revalve the rear shock on my WR-250X.
It came back feeling great.

Racing the WR-250R, you will be at quite a disadvantage, mainly due to the rear suspension cheapieness stealing away straight-line stability and the secure feeling of sure-footedness.
Everywhere.
When I first rode my 2009 WR-250F off-road on the same trails I'd been riding the WR-250R for months, there was NO COMPARISON to how much more confident-feeling the bike was to me.
For real, and I can't put into words how much so that was.

So, in summary, sure, you can race a WR-250R if you want.
Just report back on your opinion if you do.

https://2img.net/h/i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab259/shorttrack915/061409_20031.jpg

Raced mine and got third in a short track event up in N.Y.

This bike is undersprung and over weight. The suspension can be revalved by a few guy with exelent results,the overweight part is another story.
If this is all i had i would race it. I have other bikes that do the job better.

I concur. In the pure offroad bike category there are cheaper bikes that will perform better.
Personally though I have a beef against 250 4t off road bikes. They're just too high strung and maintenance intensive. the WR450 is supposed to be a rock solid bike that is also rock solid on the street (Actually sold as street legal in countries with less emissions laws). Its one of the most commonly converted supermotos so if you can't find one in your area you can maybe buy an out of state supermoto and put dirt wheels on it.

I plan on racing mine...
The bike being overwieght is blown out of proportion imo, its about 290ish pounds thats only 5 lbs more than a crf450x and 10-15 lbs more than a husaburg 390-570, people think those bikes are light enough and race them all the time. The newest ktms are a bit lighter but they're still around 260 pounds.
The real wieghts of most bikes are higher than people think, magizines and manufacures give dry wieghts with no gas, oil, antifreeze, lights, hand guards, rad guards or skid plates. My gasgas ec 250 2 stroke is 250 pounds ready to ride and is one of the lighter full size bikes, all the 450 4 strokes are more than that.
While riding it feels about as light as my gasgas ec250, the extra wieght is all down low, you can only tell its a bit heavier when you have to lift it onto the stand, grabing the bars and standing it back up after dropping it, it doesnt feel much heavier.
Get the shock revalved, if I was in the US I'd of sent it to go race, I just got my shock setup with a stiffer spring (im 240 lbs) and a race tech gold valve kit by a local tunner, im testing it out tomorrow, stock the shock lacks rebound and is a bouncy pos. Im getting the forks done next week.

I rode an enduro with mine and spent a fair amount of time training. With the suspension revalved and appropriately sprung for you weight, good enduro tires, and low gearing (13/49 worked well for me) It will pretty good. I wouldn't waste your time/money with exhausts and programmers if the bike doesnt already have them. The bike is quite capable in the right hands if you are riding more as a participant than a competitor. Cut the bars down to 31 inches or maybe less so you can fit through the trees. The only time I really could have used more snap was on sharp uphill turns or bigger log crossings. Good clutch work to keep the rpm up is a must, but the bike tolerates that well. That being said, it weighs 50-60 pounds more than the two-strokes most people seem to prefer around here, and you will feel that difference over the course of several hours in the tight stuff. You will likely find yourself wanting an upgrade if you race more than once or twice a year. Racing is tough on any bike, so don't expect the same maintenance intervals if that is how you are using it.