What's your bike's story? WRR/X purchase, etc

Here's my bike's story, then post yours?

I waited around and searched awhile due to being early retired. A bit of a penny pincher.

2 years ago in summer of 2010, I paid $2,900 for a totally stock 2008 WR250X with 2,507 miles on it. Found my bike on Dyess AFB in Abilene, TX.

Seemed like a good deal at the time.

In 2008 I took my TW200 into the dealer for service. While I was waiting for a repair estimate I poked around the showroom and stumbled on the just released, brand spanking new, fuel injected WRR.

When the service manager came out and quoted me something outrageous for the repair I said ... "never mind, I'm taking this one". Ten minutes later I signed the papers.

Zero regrets for what was a complete impulse purchase. Who buys a bike and then goes home to read about it? I did.

Like Tom Cruise said in Risky Business ... "sometimes you just gotta say what the f*ck".

gatorfan wrote:

In 2008 I took my TW200 into the dealer for service. While I was waiting for a repair estimate I poked around the showroom and stumbled on the just released, brand spanking new, fuel injected WRR.

When the service manager came out and quoted me something outrageous for the repair I said ... "never mind, I'm taking this one". Ten minutes later I signed the papers.

Zero regrets for what was a complete impulse purchase. Who buys a bike and then goes home to read about it? I did.

Like Tom Cruise said in Risky Business ... "sometimes you just gotta say what the f*ck".

Interesting history, gatorfan.

Good on ya' for getting into the WRR scene so early!

Well first of all I purchased a CBR125R in April, then did some 2up with the girlfriend and it wasn't really capable of that so there I went searching for another bike and posted the CBR for sale.

While doing an oil change on the cbr, while waiting for the oil to drain I started to clean the garage and stumbled upon a toy Yamaha dirt bike toy that my mom bought for me when I was younger. I absolutely loved the toy back then, so I went online and started looking for a dirt bike.

Did some research and stumbled upon the wrr, thought I had my heart set out for it but then I was wrong. I then discovered the wrx, to me it was like a dirt bike with sport tires and to me it was cool !

I found one then the next day I went to look at it and the exact same day I put a deposit down on it.

I'm very happy with this bike and I plan to keep for as long as I can, she hauls me & the girlfriend around with no problems !

unoR wrote:

Well first of all I purchased a CBR125R in April, then did some 2up with the girlfriend and it wasn't really capable of that so there I went searching for another bike and posted the CBR for sale.

While doing an oil change on the cbr, while waiting for the oil to drain I started to clean the garage and stumbled upon a toy Yamaha dirt bike toy that my mom bought for me when I was younger. I absolutely loved the toy back then, so I went online and started looking for a dirt bike.

Did some research and stumbled upon the wrr, thought I had my heart set out for it but then I was wrong. I then discovered the wrx, to me it was like a dirt bike with sport tires and to me it was cool !

I found one then the next day I went to look at it and the exact same day I put a deposit down on it.

I'm very happy with this bike and I plan to keep for as long as I can, she hauls me & the girlfriend around with no problems !

unoR,

IMO, that's as good a way to get there as any.

Already said, but my bike's an X, too. Likewise, very much likin' it. Maybe not unique to this bike, but just as you say, it will carry pillion - no problema!

I grew up riding dirt bikes. Always wanted to ride on the street. I got a new 2002 SV650s as a wedding present to myself, and loved it. Then I saw a DRZ400SM at the dealer one day in 2005 and fell in love. I wasn't going to give up the SV, but I started poking around, joined up on supermotojunkie, and dreamed of one day saving the cash to buy a supermoto. I had this impression that 'only' a 400 wasn't going to be enough for me. I saw the WR250x in the dealership one day in 2008, and thought that this was the coolest bike I ever saw. But they wanted $6500 for it, which is $1500 more than I paid for my SV, and it was 'only' a 250. So a few more years passed, I had 4 kids, bought/sold/bought another house, and still kept putting many happy miles and track days on the SV while secretly lusting after a supermoto. But I had no spare cash with which to buy one, and the thought of selling my SV was blasphemy. Then in 2011 I stumbled upon a quasi-supermoto that I might be able to afford. It was a Q-link XF-200, a 2009 very left over model for $1200 new. My younger brother wanted to get his M license, so we went halvsies. I eventually bought out his half so he could buy his own bike. So now I had the SV and the XF, but found myself riding the XF almost all the time. Whenever I rode the SV I got sore wrists, shoulders, back. The XF has about 15 hp on a good day, and while it was a ton of fun, I still kept looking and lusting over a true supermoto. Having the 200cc XF really opened my eyes to the fact that I didn't need 60 hp to comfortably ride on the street.

My SV650S:

My Qlink XF200:


In the summer of 2012, I found a KTM 625 SMC for sale locally which was gorgeous, and asking $4k. That was the catalyst. I decided to sell my SV and the XF and buy a proper supermoto. I posted my SV on Craigslist, and within a week I sold it with nearly 40,000 miles for $2400. I posted the XF and within a week I sold it with about 5,000 miles for $1400 (remember I paid $1200 for it new). The KTM was sold by then, but I realized that I really wanted a DRZ or a WR, with a strong preference towards the WR. In all my searching over the years, finding a good WR250x for sale was very rare, at any price. But after selling my other bikes, I found TWO of them within a few miles of my house. One had about 25,000 miles on it, and was asking $3600. The other one had 2800 miles on it, and was asking $4500. I checked out the low mileage one, and it was immaculate. And it already had a lot invested in mods, Q4 pipe, programmer, bars, speedohealer, fender eliminator, etc. and came with EVERY stock part that was removed, and a full service manual. I offered $4300, without ever riding it and he took it. I brought the bike home at the end of August, 2012.

While I may still be in the honeymoon stage, I could not be happier with this bike. I haven't put too much money into it, because all the good mods were already done. Everyone thought I was crazy to give up my SV for a 250cc dirt bike, but it was absolutely the right decision. Sorry that was long winded.

dmmcd,

Excellent pics and background, IMO.

i used to ride moto x bikes in the uk i stopped riding in the late 80s and didnt go near a bike for nearly 20 years then i started working with a friend who has road bikes,so i started thinking about bikes again but didnt have a bike licence so i started lessons for a road licence in the meantime i am looking to see whats out there i was thinking of buying a ccm 230 dual sport they are not a lot of money then i see the wr-r. so i was in italy went online and see a 2008 wr-r for 3300stg so i call him and he seems a good bloke i explain to him that i wont be in the uk until a week later so i call my brother and ask him to go look at the bike which he agrees to do so i call the seller back and arrange a viewing and test ride i have to call my boss to tell him and to make sure that i am in the uk for next week to pick the bike up, it all goes to plan like clock work i get up to the uk and pick the bike up put it on the trailer and drive it down to italy ship the trailer over to malta and on the monday i get to see and ride the bike for the first time i was so pleased with the bike but could not ride it about because still no licence, from the date of buying the bike, getting it down to malta,with working away from home up to 6 weeks at a time, then taking my bike test and passing first time, it took 6 months before i could ride it legal but it was worth the wait that was just under 3 years ago and the bike has been fault less apart from the fuel pump which was an easy fix (took pump apart cleaned it all out put it back in no problem since) so i travelled about 3200 miles round trip a lot of international phone calls to get the best bike i have owned so far it is here to stay i wont sell it

Mick,

Thanks for adding your international MC hunt to the thread. It must've been difficult having the bike and waiting to ride until you got your mc license again.

When you cleaned out the fuel pump, what did you find in there? Varnish or abrasive or..? Any tips for getting it apart without breaking the plastic bits?

hi lightfoot to take the fuel pump out of the plastic cage all i used was a flat end screwdriver 1 person to hold it tight another just to prize it gently apart with a little bit of patience it will come apart as for the fuel pump i opened it up on one end took it all out cleaned it all out with petrol reassembled it, i didnt see anything in there that would make you say that was blocking it but it done the trick

I really only started to love bikes when I was 15 and rode a 110 semi-automatic scooter/motorbike thing in the philippines. I had been riding scooters since I was 13, but it was more of a way to get around to school and to the girlfriends house. I quite liked the 110. easy as driving a scooter with the added coolness of changing gears! Couple months later, when I was back in the philippines again, my dad for some mysterious reason that no one ever understood, he rented a honda xr200 for me instead of the usual scooter or semi automatic we usually got. man I loved the thing. compared to the wrr an 80s honda xr200 is a peace of crap, but at 15, it felt like I was flying! I was exploring the jungle, cruising about the island. Best 12 days ever!

Since then I couldn't get my mind off motorcycles. As soon as I turned 18 I took my license, and with some convincing my mom and dad, plus all the cash I had saved up in 18 years, I bought a brand new shiny wr250r. never regretted it for a moment. in little over a year I put 13,000 miles on it. LOVE IT!


For me, I simply had to get a dual sport. it was an XR200 that made me fall in love with bikes, so there was no other alternative!

I still love it very much, but I am now really planning on also getting a sport bike to complement the WRR when I graduate university. what I plan on getting?? the best handling bike ever to be produced, an Aprilia RS250 ! I know, I know, a 250 sport bike?!? yes, and yes. that little 70 hp two stroke twin goes like a rocket. plus I like wringing the heck out of small engines! you take that thing to the twisties and it'll smoke any modern supersport as long as you stay away from the straights. plus it's like owning an artwork, a piece of motorcycling history.

the WR250R and my future RS250 is what keep me motivated to go through all this crap

mick wr250r wrote:

hi lightfoot to take the fuel pump out of the plastic cage all i used was a flat end screwdriver 1 person to hold it tight another just to prize it gently apart with a little bit of patience it will come apart as for the fuel pump i opened it up on one end took it all out cleaned it all out with petrol reassembled it, i didnt see anything in there that would make you say that was blocking it but it done the trick

Mick, good info; good to know. Thanks for posting!

bigg wrote:

I really only started to love bikes when I was 15 and rode a 110 semi-automatic scooter/motorbike thing in the philippines. I had been riding scooters since I was 13, but it was more of a way to get around to school and to the girlfriends house. I quite liked the 110. easy as driving a scooter with the added coolness of changing gears! Couple months later, when I was back in the philippines again, my dad for some mysterious reason that no one ever understood, he rented a honda xr200 for me instead of the usual scooter or semi automatic we usually got. man I loved the thing. compared to the wrr an 80s honda xr200 is a peace of crap, but at 15, it felt like I was flying! I was exploring the jungle, cruising about the island. Best 12 days ever!

Since then I couldn't get my mind off motorcycles. As soon as I turned 18 I took my license, and with some convincing my mom and dad, plus all the cash I had saved up in 18 years, I bought a brand new shiny wr250r. never regretted it for a moment. in little over a year I put 13,000 miles on it. LOVE IT!


For me, I simply had to get a dual sport. it was an XR200 that made me fall in love with bikes, so there was no other alternative!

I still love it very much, but I am now really planning on also getting a sport bike to complement the WRR when I graduate university. what I plan on getting?? the best handling bike ever to be produced, an Aprilia RS250 ! I know, I know, a 250 sport bike?!? yes, and yes. that little 70 hp two stroke twin goes like a rocket. plus I like wringing the heck out of small engines! you take that thing to the twisties and it'll smoke any modern supersport as long as you stay away from the straights. plus it's like owning an artwork, a piece of motorcycling history.

the WR250R and my future RS250 is what keep me motivated to go through all this crap

bigg,

Good history; thanks for adding to the thread. That Aprilia sounds like it should be a blast!

Hi,
I had a friend that took my trail riding, lent me his xt350. I hadn't been off road for around 35 yrs. I was hooked, found a used xt350 and rode it for a couple years. Still liked riding off road but got to hate the kick start only, hard starting after a get off and after getting a sweat up on a frosty morning at a dual sport ride I knew I could do better. I have a dl1000 and am a devotee of injection so that was a must along with the magic button. Started my research and narrowed it down to a te310 or a wrr. Yamaha has a good parts supply system, local dealers and more known quality to me. Picked the wr and started pricing on the Internet, set my price goal hoping to score a left over, the 2010's were out so I had two years to work with. One dealer thought I wanted the f model and asked me to drive the 60 mile one way trip to fill out the paper work for a "racers discount". After I got that straightened out he still would not give me a price over the phone. Called another dealer and she didn't have one but would check around to see if she could find one in a crate so they could be sure it was set up correctly. No luck. Checked out a Cycle Trader add with a good price only to find that it was the old low ball price to which you had to add $900 freight and set up bringing it up to full retail for a then two year old bike. Called Iowa City power sports in my home town about 110 miles away, asked if they had a wr250r, the sales person asked for a moment to check his list, yes they had an '08 and without me asking quoted me $4500. I said I would take it, he said give him a minute to make sure it was there and not just on paper. It was. I made arrangements to pick it up in two days, no deposit required. Then about 2 hrs later still not believing my good luck I called back to make sure they weren't going to add on freight and set up after I got there. No, just tax and registration. All this in January in Iowa!

Two weeks later I loaded up the wr, drove across zero degree, wind screaming out of the north north west, Iowa on icy snow covered us 20 and I35, through a Snow storm in N Texas and bonded for six days putting the first 800 plus miles on it in Big Bend National Park, camped in a tent with 40 degree nights, rode all day with temps getting into the seventies most days, one into the eighties.

Great bike with no problems have around 4k miles on an athena big bore and no signs of any problems!

It's a keeper!

miniceptor86,

Thanks for adding to the thread. Sounds like you surpassed some challenges and found a great deal on a NEW bike.

Almost took a trip to Big Bend myself; will probably do it some day.

Big Bend is great and big. I love the desert especially during an Iowa winter. I have visited three times and never been disappointed.

Been to Moab with out the WRR so its next on the list, hopefully Sept.-Oct of this year.

Jim

I got my motorcycle endorsement and I went looking for a bike, i really wanted a bobber or a rat style ride for a while but then i talked to some local riders and a lot recommended fuel injection.

i found a 2008 wrx with 6k miles that needed a fuel pump, i checked it out and it ran on a really cold day so i picked it up.

tried swapping out the pump with the ca-cycle works one but it was completely wrong, they refunded it and i bought the pump through the internet. had it installed in less than a hour and i was on the road! it ran right out of the gate and its not stopped yet.

i need new tires

i paid 2300 but it's been more like 2700 to get it on the road

My story on the new member thread. however, i must add that this purchase is the most bang for the entertainment buck i have gotten EVER, Just beginner's luck I didnt end up with one of those 430 pound pigs.

To paraphrase a friend, "even a blind hog finds a plum once in a while"