The WR250R as a overlander bike?

Hello all folks in here. I am new to this site although I have been reading a little around on some of the topics in here.

I am for the moment in the early planning stadium of a long overland tour from Europe to Australia. And the first and maybe most essencial question that comes to mind is: What bike to bring on such a tour? And that is where the WR250R comes as an alternative to me. My idea is to keep it light and simple. Also when it comes to bike model.

- Reliability is important - maybe most important as you never want your bike to break down in middle of nowhere with.
- Weight and easy handling is also important to me. I will never even think of taking a 1200 ccm and 250-300 kg bike on such a tour as it will limit both were I can be able to go and the pure fun of it.
- Conveniance and comfort is also a thing to have in mind - but with aftermarket seat and maybe a windscreen and bigger fuel tank the WR might be fine to do such a tour?
- Oil change is every 5000 km and even though many travel bikes have the double its bearable I guess.

So what can you folks that are experienced with this bike say about it as an alternative overlander bike? Reliability? Weight and handling must be a big plus for this model I guess?
Add a bigger fuel tank, windscreen, aftermarket seat and of course the usual stuff as handguard, bashplate, radiatorguard, GPS mounting brackets. And luggage system as well.
Is something more needed in your opinion? I would like to keep the engine and exhaust stock as it seems safer according to reliability and fuel consum, well if there isnt something that makes the bike better and still reliable and is worth to do. Suspension is supposedly quite good on this bike and thus dont need improvment if youre not a pro dirt and endurorider....

I have been riding a XT660Z Tenere (the newer models from -08 and later) but didnt quite like it. Its just quite heavy and the engine is kinda slow and far from smooth (needs 3000 rpm to pull clean in 5'th gear)
However its a strong and proven reliable bike. I have also been riding a Honda Cfr 250L - which I really liked. However its newer and there are not many aftermarket parts available - as far as I can see.
It could be an alternative though.

So I ask for advice, opinions and thoughts and ideas about the WR250R as and overland bike?

Snakeboy,

First of all, welcome to the site. I do not have overland experience with this bike but in my opinion, with the addition of the basic modifications that you have mentioned, I would not hesitate to take the WR250R on such a trip. With a bit of a search you will see lots of high mileage WR's that have been totally reliable and have not required anything other than normal maintenance. Pack as light as you can, gas up, and go!! Second choice for me would be the venerable DR650. Good luck with your decision and have a great trip!
,

I have both a Tenere and a 250R. If you reckon the Tenere is slow, you won't want to use a 250, albeit a very good one like the WR.
 
If I was going to do this journey, I'd be riding my Tenere. This is what it was designed for. Sure, the 250 will do it, but the 660 will do it easier - provided the suspension is improved. That is, in my opinion, the worst thing about the bike before I fixed it (thank you, Ohlins...). But I agree, you shouldn't have to. But you will, according to this forum, have to improve the WR to carry heavy loads anyway.
 
Last, and off topic (sorry), it seems very popular to bag out the Tenere for not pulling hard below 3000rpm in top gear. If you want to wreck a big single's gearbox long term, make it slog. It's not hard to shift down and keep the engine/gearbox where it's happy.

This Q comes up all the time. IMO it depends more on you than the bike. The bike will be fine.

I backpack a lot and some guys can tie rope around a potato sack, put on any old pair of boots and never have a problem. Other guys whine about sore hips, shoulders and feet despite all the latest gear.

Do a little soul searching as well as bike searching.

And whatever you decide, keep us posted. Sounds like an amazing trip.

gatorfan wrote:

This Q comes up all the time. IMO it depends more on you than the bike. The bike will be fine.

I backpack a lot and some guys can tie rope around a potato sack, put on any old pair of boots and never have a problem. Other guys whine about sore hips, shoulders and feet despite all the latest gear.

Do a little soul searching as well as bike searching.

And whatever you decide, keep us posted. Sounds like an amazing trip.

He-he - you probably got a point there. Thanks for answering as well.... 

66T wrote:

I have both a Tenere and a 250R. If you reckon the Tenere is slow, you won't want to use a 250, albeit a very good one like the WR.
 
If I was going to do this journey, I'd be riding my Tenere. This is what it was designed for. Sure, the 250 will do it, but the 660 will do it easier - provided the suspension is improved. That is, in my opinion, the worst thing about the bike before I fixed it (thank you, Ohlins...). But I agree, you shouldn't have to. But you will, according to this forum, have to improve the WR to carry heavy loads anyway.
 
Last, and off topic (sorry), it seems very popular to bag out the Tenere for not pulling hard below 3000rpm in top gear. If you want to wreck a big single's gearbox long term, make it slog. It's not hard to shift down and keep the engine/gearbox where it's happy.

Thanks for answering and your advices, its appriciated. Very interesting that you got both a Tenere 660 and a WR250R - could be nice to share some more ideas. I presently own a Tenere 660 myself so I know that model quite good. And it s not OT to me as then Tenere 660 will be an alternative for the trip I plan.

You say the Ten is designed for such trips. Well - IMO no bikes at all are designed for overland travels except maybe for the past KTM 640 Adventure if I go mildy about it. There is no market for overland bikes, or more correctly the market are too small for such bikes. The Ten is very very heavy, probably the most heavy single thumper ever build (except the DR Big from Suzuki..) and 20-30 kg heavier than the original Tenere from the late 80's. Its not an improvment at all as weight is a major thing when it comes to this kind of use. The Ten has - as you mention - quite low quality suspension, wheels made of cheese and heavy as well, terrible wind buffeting issues with standard screen for persons of normal height, real shitty seat, a major cush rubber problem (needs replacment every 10-15 k' miles) and most other parts of rather low quality as for example chain and sprockets, nuts and bolts etc. So to say that the Ten is designed for overlanding is far from correct IMO. On the contrary - a WR 250 needs only new seat, bigger fuel tank, bash plate and radiatorprotection and maybe a windscreen and its good to go - as far as I see it. But I must add that dont own one and have never ridden one. The suspensionon the WR is after what I understand more than good enough standard, so are the rims and most other parts. If the Ten 660 was 20-30 kg lighter and didnt have all these issues I would gladly take it for overlanding. But as it is now it needs improvement for a whole lot of $ to make a decent overlander. But it will still be quite heavy.

You say that the Ten will do it easier? I dont quite understand what you mean by that? Its a lot heavier, needs much more improvements before going, has got a much more unsmooth engine... Why would it do it much easier? I am not sarcastic - I need an honest view since you own both models.

I dont find the Ten slow, I just find on the total opposite side of smoothness. For me it feels just ridicoulos that the engine needs more than 3000 rpm to pull clean. I dont have a whole lot of experience with big thumbers but I did own a Honda NX 650 Dminator for 3 years and it was a whole lot smoother and pulled clean from much lower revs than the Ten. So its not all about being a big single. And I have fitted most mods than can be done already on the Ten as replacement O2-sensor, Fuel mod, new airfilter and box and aftermarket exhaust. It got a little better but still feels very unsmooth to me.
But the Ten is sturdy and reliable to not slag it totally. Its just that I think that the WR250R will be as sturdy as the Ten and a whole lot more fun and it will be able to take me to places the 50-60 kg heavier Ten 660 just wont be able to go.

Hi Snakeboy -

We rode from Goteborg to Aslund this summer and your country is beautiful. We are trying to forget the part about being so expensive. :)
Ironic to have a Norwegian calling himself Snakeboy, though.

The trip from Australia to Europe has been done on a Vespa scooter and it's been done on a Harley.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325533/Drew-Milne-completes-epic-10-000-mile-journey-Adelaide-London-beloved-scooter.html

So it really does come down to YOU. I have the 1200 Tenere that I've ridden to the corner States of the USA. (not to the actual continent corners - yet). Of the bikes we own, we also have a WR250R that I plan to ride on the Trans American Trail this summer. I have no doubt that the big Tenere could do it or that your 660 could do your trip. But just as you wrote, to me the trip sounds like more fun with a small light bike. My son wants to go with a 650 and that's just as much his choice.

It's like the old song said:
If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.
:)

I rode my 2013 WR from Irvine California to Ohio, a couple day rides in Ohio & then back to California earlier this summer. I put nearly 6,000 miles on this great machine in a week. I averaged 80mph @ 53mpg. The only mods I have done is a SeatConcepts seat, IMS 3gallon tank, Pirelli Scorpion tires for the long pavement ride & made a rack out of a CocaCola crate. I picked up a rugged Flexible Cooler from REI that fir perfectly into my crate, it kept all my gear dry even through a 6hour rainstorm through Iowa & Nebraska. I ran the bike very hard as it was still under warranty & it never even thought about breaking down, even after a 15hour, 1,000 mile day of nearly wide open speeds. I did an oil & filter change in Ohio after 2,500 miles.
I wouldn't hesitate to take this bike on any adventure! It's like Gatorfan ^ said, the bike will be fine, it's up to you to make it. I say go for it, not many people can say they rode a 250cc Dirtbike on a long Overland tour!

Hey Gurvey....gotta pic of your Coke crate pic?....fabricate side brackets?

If you take off your rear fender there are 4 outlines on the bottom side of the fender that show you where to drill holes to tie into the license plate bracket via longer bolts.
I put an aluminum handicap parking only sign in the bottom of the crate to work as a mounting plate and mounted it with stainless steel bolts. I covered up the Coca Cola emblems with thin aluminum and put FMF stickers on.
https://s916.photobucket.com/user/Cgruver1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps52f2062b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
https://s916.photobucket.com/user/Cgruver1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsc8594273.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
https://s916.photobucket.com/user/Cgruver1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps50b799d6.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

I'll take some more detailed photos tomorrow of the mounting bracket and my hillbilly engineering.

.....me likey!

https://s916.photobucket.com/user/Cgruver1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps8058c2b2.jpg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=138213899&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=3

https://s916.photobucket.com/user/Cgruver1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps20df51bd.jpg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=138213899&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=2

https://s916.photobucket.com/user/Cgruver1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps0bf9edc4.jpg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=138213899&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=1

https://s916.photobucket.com/user/Cgruver1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps482be34b.jpg.html?filters%5Buser%5D=138213899&filters%5Brecent%5D=1&sort=1&o=0

Gruvey12 wrote:

I ran the bike very hard as it was still under warranty & it never even thought about breaking down, even after a 15hour, 1,000 mile day of nearly wide open speeds.

I love my WRR, but can't even begin to grasp that kind of distance and time in the saddle at once (and I've got the Seat Concepts as well).

As far as the bike on a trip like this, I'd say definitely.  There will probably be times you'll wish you'd taken a bigger one, but then other times you'll be SO glad you didn't.

Thanks for those pics!!

Snakeboy, how popular are WRRs in Norway?  I lived there some years ago, but unfortunately that was the phase of my life that I didn't have a bike because I had 2 little boys and thought it was selfish of me if something had happened to me.   It would have been wonderful riding around Norway on a WRR though!!!

Hi again folks.

Thanks for all answers so far, I really appriciate it. Special thanks to Gruvey12, nice pics!

Zekester63: The WR and all other bikes under 600 ccm are not popular at all here in Norway. The motorbike market here are kinda "The more ccm's - the better" and small ccm bikes are usually not even considered real motorbikes, just mopeds.
I have just found one guy that actually ones a WR not very far away from me. I will pop over and have look at the bike on day.

I am still in the process of deciding.....  

You'll never find a more reliable machine than the WR250R.

And I think going as slowly as possible is the best way to see things off the main road. Almost like a bicycle with a motor. If you're just into acceleration and power, stay home. If you REALLY want to see what you are riding, slow down...

IMHO - Lots of wisdom in this statement from GusinCA.

GusinCA wrote:

And I think going as slowly as possible is the best way to see things off the main road. Almost like a bicycle with a motor. If you're just into acceleration and power, stay home. If you REALLY want to see what you are riding, slow down...

zekester63;
You know first hand that the SeatConcepts seat helps, but surely doesn't justify that amount of seat time in 1 day, let alone 6 days of it. It was an "inspirational ride"! My dad was diagnosed with a cancerous kidney & had to have it removed, he was going through a very difficult time during recovery & that was my way of showing him that we are not your average people & we can overcome difficult obstacles. I didn't tell my parents I was coming until I was 2/3 of the way there coming through Missouri. You should have seen there faces when I pulled in on the WR. After I was in Ohio for a few days my dad threw his leg over his Harley and we did some daytime riding :)
No better inspiration than seeing your goofy/crazy son pull in on a cross country trip on a 250cc Dirtbike!

Ohhh & he is CANCER FREE & back to 100% now!

Excellent news!! Good for your dad.
 
Re the Tenere not being suitable because you 'have' to replace so much - I totally disagree. The suspension, sure. And I, too, have owned a lot of big singles, and none could be said to pull well under 3k in top. So I don't try. I have total confidence that, should I attempt it, my Tenere could travel my country without modifying anything except the suspension and maybe that bloody hopeless regulator setup. It's all in the mind. There are people who travel Australia in all conditions on just about anything, including Honda CT110s and Teneres. (have a look at the 5-part High Country test on Youtube, for example).
 
Having gone pretty much off track, for which I apologise people, I have no hesitation in stating that my WR would do the same distances and survive very well. It's true the Tenere is not comfy for some people, but this vibration this has me confused. I don't think it's any worse than anything else. Of course the WR is smoother - it's a baby engine and can't vibrate as strongly. As has been said elsewhere, ride what you are comfortable with. If the Ten is too heavy, and no doubt it is in the bottom of a bog hole, there will be times as you drone across the world that you'll find the excellent 250 is hard work, too. Somebody said a scooter will do it...  true, I guess. But I'd rather not, thank you  !!

Gruvey12 wrote:

zekester63;
You know first hand that the SeatConcepts seat helps, but surely doesn't justify that amount of seat time in 1 day, let alone 6 days of it. It was an "inspirational ride"! My dad was diagnosed with a cancerous kidney & had to have it removed, he was going through a very difficult time during recovery & that was my way of showing him that we are not your average people & we can overcome difficult obstacles. I didn't tell my parents I was coming until I was 2/3 of the way there coming through Missouri. You should have seen there faces when I pulled in on the WR. After I was in Ohio for a few days my dad threw his leg over his Harley and we did some daytime riding :)
No better inspiration than seeing your goofy/crazy son pull in on a cross country trip on a 250cc Dirtbike!

Great reason to ride and good motivation to get there - well done!  I'm sure it meant a ton to your dad (parents) for you to do that.  And what a better reward than it all going well and ending up riding together!  

And somewhat back on topic, what a great bike to do this on as well!  If you keep an eye on the basics (chain, sprockets, oil changes, etc.), this little bike will almost always do what it's told, with few complaints.  If anyone needs any proof of these things going the distance, just look up BigDog and Dingweeds over on ADVRider.  They both have over 50K miles on their WRRs, and have done little besides normal maintenance.

Gruvey12 wrote:

Ohhh & he is CANCER FREE & back to 100% now!

Very good to hear. The big C is a heavy disease to fight. Hope he stays well.

66T wrote:

Excellent news!! Good for your dad.
 
Re the Tenere not being suitable because you 'have' to replace so much - I totally disagree. The suspension, sure. And I, too, have owned a lot of big singles, and none could be said to pull well under 3k in top. So I don't try. I have total confidence that, should I attempt it, my Tenere could travel my country without modifying anything except the suspension and maybe that bloody hopeless regulator setup. It's all in the mind. There are people who travel Australia in all conditions on just about anything, including Honda CT110s and Teneres. (have a look at the 5-part High Country test on Youtube, for example).
 
Having gone pretty much off track, for which I apologise people, I have no hesitation in stating that my WR would do the same distances and survive very well. It's true the Tenere is not comfy for some people, but this vibration this has me confused. I don't think it's any worse than anything else. Of course the WR is smoother - it's a baby engine and can't vibrate as strongly. As has been said elsewhere, ride what you are comfortable with. If the Ten is too heavy, and no doubt it is in the bottom of a bog hole, there will be times as you drone across the world that you'll find the excellent 250 is hard work, too. Somebody said a scooter will do it...  true, I guess. But I'd rather not, thank you  !!

Thanks again for sharing thoughts....  

One can go RTW, cross continents and travel long distances with a lot of things, Vespa 50 ccm, Honda Wave/Dream 100, Yamaha R1, and Harleys and Gold Wings as well. It has been done for sure. Even by bicycle or by feet. No doubt about that. But I am choosing a motorbike and I want a reliable, a practical, a fun and a conveniant one. For these reasons I consider a 250 ccm instead of a 650. Of course you can go half way around the world on the Ten 660 without doing anything with the bike - just keep it stock. But how much fun and how conveniant would that be? Susupension wise, sitting comfort-wise, wind buffeting/turbulence wise, with the grumpy and unsmooth engine and with other low quality items on the bike? If I choose the Ten 660 I know for sure I have to do something with the suspension, with the seat, and with the windscreen. The weight and the grumpy engine would still be there. However it should be better than a 250 on highways and it would carry weight/luggage better.

Its probably correct that no big singles pull very well on 3000 rpm but no bike I have been riding is that grumpy as the Ten 660 when it comes to low-reving power. The Honda Dominator 650 was remarkably better, The Royal Enfield 500 is very much smoother on low revs - but a totally different bike of course. And the Kawa and Honda 250's I have been riding were also much much smoother.

The little vibration somebody complains about on the Ten 660 is really not something that bothers me. I can feel those however.

I have watched the "the 5-part High Country test on Youtube" that you recommended. And although it was a good "feel good" peice of video it wasnt so much of a motorbike test. But it revealed clearly that the WR 250 was the better and more fun bike to ride when the the conditions got more challenging. And - the most challenging part of the journey is the one to have in mind when youre choosing your bike. And in the end in the video the Ten threw his rider into the gravel..... , maybe not such a good thing to have on its CV......

Well - I still havent decided. Must do it in a moth or two.....