2014 WR450

[offrd beatr]

Long time lurker here, first post. Im from the Boise, ID area. I enjoy riding woods and technical stuff. I chose the Yammer hammer for a few reasons. It has a reputation for reliability, It can be ridden at any pace (I have young kids), Yamaha finally put top shelf suspension in an offroad bike, the design isnt ten years old, blah, blah. I generally like the bike but it does have some things going on that i dont like. The list of stuff you have to do to these to make them run is obnoxious. The dealer did the airbox baffle and throttle screw. I bought the ECU with it. Rode it twice and ordered a silencer. I have read that people just put a different tip in the stock one. That does nothing for performance when the transfer tubing between the chambers inside the muffler is the same diameter as the stock outlet. Wide ratio my ass. First is too tall and the other four gears are right on top of it. A sixth gear in the current configuration would be a bandaid but better than nothing. For the clowns that scream out that they will go 85 MPH, you are right, but 1.thats not fast enough 2. its cruising speed is around 50 MPH which is slow as hell. Not real sure where Yamaha thought this bike was supposed to be ridden but a 40 mile range is not enough. Thats a 2X4 with a vinyl cover, not a seat. I have a 32" inseam and i am tippy toed in the garage! Makes it difficult in ugly terrain. The MX51 tires suck but not bad enough to replace them before they are worn out. The power is decent after being uncorked and the bike is fun to ride at speed (not high speed, it cant go fast). I just recently put the IMS tank on it to make it capable of getting out of sight of the truck and actually being able to ride it back instead of walking. The suspension is very good in stock form!! I need to put stiffer springs in it as I am 215 pounds ready to ride but it copes well like it is. It is very stable but still turns in nice. Are there any options to widen the gear ratio in the trans? I came from a twenty year old 2 smoker that would hand this bike its ass in terms of outright speed, power, range, and seat comfort but fell short everywhere else. I looked into 300 XC-Ws but they are a little too high strung to be ridden with my kids CRF80 and wifes TTR250. Overall im a little let down by what i thought this bike would be and the reality. It has grown on me but still needs the gearing sorted. I believe a large bore bike should be able to top 100 and still have a usable first gear. This one cant do those things with the ratios it has internally and no amount of external gearing would help it out. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for your time.

[flyandride]

I got rid of the ass hatchet on mine and got a Seat Concepts seat.  $160 but now my ass isn't sore in 20 minutes.  If Yamaha really wanted to sell a lot of bikes, they would read Thumper Talk and find out what we want.  

[Hans Schmid]

Ya, Yamaha would probably sell like 10 more bikes in total if they listened to TT. That being said, I raced one with zero practice on the bike. Would I say it was better or equal to my race bike KTM 500, no, but it wasn't giving up much ground....

[Hans Schmid]

Long time lurker here, first post. Im from the Boise, ID area. I enjoy riding woods and technical stuff. I chose the Yammer hammer for a few reasons. It has a reputation for reliability, It can be ridden at any pace (I have young kids), Yamaha finally put top shelf suspension in an offroad bike, the design isnt ten years old, blah, blah. I generally like the bike but it does have some things going on that i dont like. The list of stuff you have to do to these to make them run is obnoxious. The dealer did the airbox baffle and throttle screw. I bought the ECU with it. Rode it twice and ordered a silencer. I have read that people just put a different tip in the stock one. That does nothing for performance when the transfer tubing between the chambers inside the muffler is the same diameter as the stock outlet. Wide ratio my ass. First is too tall and the other four gears are right on top of it. A sixth gear in the current configuration would be a bandaid but better than nothing. For the clowns that scream out that they will go 85 MPH, you are right, but 1.thats not fast enough 2. its cruising speed is around 50 MPH which is slow as hell. Not real sure where Yamaha thought this bike was supposed to be ridden but a 40 mile range is not enough. Thats a 2X4 with a vinyl cover, not a seat. I have a 32" inseam and i am tippy toed in the garage! Makes it difficult in ugly terrain. The MX51 tires suck but not bad enough to replace them before they are worn out. The power is decent after being uncorked and the bike is fun to ride at speed (not high speed, it cant go fast). I just recently put the IMS tank on it to make it capable of getting out of sight of the truck and actually being able to ride it back instead of walking. The suspension is very good in stock form!! I need to put stiffer springs in it as I am 215 pounds ready to ride but it copes well like it is. It is very stable but still turns in nice. Are there any options to widen the gear ratio in the trans? I came from a twenty year old 2 smoker that would hand this bike its ass in terms of outright speed, power, range, and seat comfort but fell short everywhere else. I looked into 300 XC-Ws but they are a little too high strung to be ridden with my kids CRF80 and wifes TTR250. Overall im a little let down by what i thought this bike would be and the reality. It has grown on me but still needs the gearing sorted. I believe a large bore bike should be able to top 100 and still have a usable first gear. This one cant do those things with the ratios it has internally and no amount of external gearing would help it out. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for your time.

Which 20yr 2t you talking about? I owned a RMX and a 96 CR 250 and I can tell you those two bikes couldn't match a WR for outright speed. What range? Don't know many 20yr old 2ts or even current ones that can go 100 miles on 3g tank...

What the heck do you need to go 100mph for? Even my 500 won't do that without serious gearing changes.

Lots of whining in your first post.....

Edited July 7, 2014 by Monk

[GP1K]

First off you need proper exhaust like an FMF Q4 or 4.1 or similar. You already have the comp ECU, but you really need the GYTR FI remapping tool to take full advantage, the base map in the comp ECU is ok at best, I sure didn't like it much. You can really change the power deliver (and fuel economy) of the bike with different maps.

 

As for speed/gearing, I don't know what to tell you... I ride tight woods so I actually went +1 in the rear. Dunno what it does top speed, it never comes up. I do get into 5th gear pretty quick on fire roads, but that's never for very long. I do agree a six-speed would sure be nice and makes sense on a bike like the WR, but apparently Japan has some edict that if bikes are ridden in the dirt, they CANNOT have more than 5 gears, period.

 

MX51s are ok, but the stock profile sucks. A 90/90 works much better. Though depending on where you ride, there are better choices.

 

Sounds like maybe you should have bought a 500 XCF-W or EXC. *shrug*

[offrd beatr]

Which 20yr 2t you talking about? I owned a RMX and a 96 CR 250 and I can tell you those two bikes couldn't match a WR for outright speed. What range? Don't know many 20yr old 2ts or even current ones that can go 100 miles on 3g tank...

What the heck do you need to go 100mph for? Even my 500 won't do that without serious gearing changes.

Lots of whining in your first post.....

1995 CR500 with a big tank. Just because you dont see the need to go that fast does not mean that I want to crawl around with the motor bouncing off the rev limiter when the trail opens up. That "whining" is called opinion. I didnt say anything that wasnt true in my eyes. I payed for the bike and this is how I feel.

[offrd beatr]

First off you need proper exhaust like an FMF Q4 or 4.1 or similar. You already have the comp ECU, but you really need the GYTR FI remapping tool to take full advantage, the base map in the comp ECU is ok at best, I sure didn't like it much. You can really change the power deliver (and fuel economy) of the bike with different maps.

 

As for speed/gearing, I don't know what to tell you... I ride tight woods so I actually went +1 in the rear. Dunno what it does top speed, it never comes up. I do get into 5th gear pretty quick on fire roads, but that's never for very long. I do agree a six-speed would sure be nice and makes sense on a bike like the WR, but apparently Japan has some edict that if bikes are ridden in the dirt, they CANNOT have more than 5 gears, period.

 

MX51s are ok, but the stock profile sucks. A 90/90 works much better. Though depending on where you ride, there are better choices.

 

Sounds like maybe you should have bought a 500 XCF-W or EXC. *shrug*

It has a FMF on it. I looked into the katooms but thought them to be over priced and they dont have the bullet proof reputation of the WR. I can get the stealership to flash the ECU for free. What maps do you like? The stock one does seem to be a bit snatchy but not bad compared to how my old bike was all the time. I had heard that you richen the mixture to mellow the motor out and that results in even less range. Thank you very much for your input!!  Maybe the 5 speed thing has something to do with displacement?? The TTR250 has a six speed and i believe WR250Rs do as well?

Edited July 7, 2014 by offrd beatr

[Hans Schmid]

1995 CR500 with a big tank. Just because you dont see the need to go that fast does not mean that I want to crawl around with the motor bouncing off the rev limiter when the trail opens up. That "whining" is called opinion. I didnt say anything that wasnt true in my eyes. I payed for the bike and this is how I feel.

Ok buddy. Baja guys like Kurt were doing max like 110mph! 1.) Your not Kurt 2.) Very few places your doing 100mph.

You spend more time putting around in 1st gear with your kid then you ever do going 100mph. So you need to compromise.

And yes, it's whining...

What did you really expect when you bought a 5spd? Even when it's a wide ratio it wasn't intended to go 100mph unless you gear it too the moon.

And regarding a CR500, your comparing a bike with 1987 technology towards a new one? A ill handling, poorly suspended, odd ergonomic motorcycle. If your CR500 was so good, maybe you should dump the WR and buy another one...

[openbook215]

I'm sorry to hear that your having buyers remorse.  You know I think I've heard a saying, well actually a couple for this situation... you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.  And finally... just like watching TV if you don't like what your watchin change the channel.  Yamaha has provided an excellent base package at a great price its up to you what you do with it.  I'm just sayin'.

[offrd beatr]

I'm sorry to hear that your having buyers remorse.  You know I think I've heard a saying, well actually a couple for this situation... you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.  And finally... just like watching TV if you don't like what your watchin change the channel.  Yamaha has provided an excellent base package at a great price its up to you what you do with it.  I'm just sayin'.

So you like everything about your WR? Its 'you're' and Im not having buyers remorse. I dont really want to pull the engine apart in a brand new bike to modify its ultra close ratios. The bike is called a WR...Wide Ratio??? It straight does NOT have a wide ratio box and needs to be fixed. Im not a fanboy and will not just blindly accept what any specific manufacturer produces without providing some feedback. 

[openbook215]

The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that I can't hit a stump at speed without destroying my pelvis, oh and the fact that I can't get out and ride now.  Oh did I just blame the bike for that my bad... sorry bruiser ( thats my bike's name) and thanks for the spelling correction mom.  You shoulda bought chinese.

[Chaconne]

So you like everything about your WR? Its 'you're' and Im not having buyers remorse. I dont really want to pull the engine apart in a brand new bike to modify its ultra close ratios. The bike is called a WR...Wide Ratio??? It straight does NOT have a wide ratio box and needs to be fixed. Im not a fanboy and will not just blindly accept what any specific manufacturer produces without providing some feedback. 

I find the the ratio plenty wide enough especially compared to my yz and other modern bikes I own. I absolutely love my new WR. I have compared my 2014 wr against a ktm exc and both are about the same in the ready to ride department at least IMHO and for the riding I do(tight technical trails and mud which the mx51s are lousy in). On the height issue I agree (I am shorter than you) and BTW don't bother to shave the seat foam either or your ass will be directly on hard plastic seat pan --good thing I stand a lot.  I checked with Seat Concepts and they didn't have anything for the 2014 wr450. So I decided to have Fisher seats make me a custom seat, haven't gotten it yet, but ass hopes it is soon.

[vlxjim]

First and you don't need to be told this, it's not a CR500. A WR450 has the power of a CR250 for the most part. Remember when 250T's would race 450F's. Next it is wide, have you rode a YZ or CRF? Your just use to a 500T the gears were miles apart and the power was huge. As far as the rest, the WR is insain for a 450F offroad bike. Maybe yours is not right, as mine one of the best bikes I have had in years. My friends with CRFs' love it so much they are now shopping for one. As most don't know how good the newer WR's have become.  Also make sure your idle RPM is at 2000 (spec) makes first gear not so tall. 

[suzuki son of a bitch]

Back then 250 2t could race with the 450's. Now it's a little tougher since 450s are making 55-60 hp

[offrd beatr]

Ok buddy. Baja guys like Kurt were doing max like 110mph! 1.) Your not Kurt 2.) Very few places your doing 100mph.

You spend more time putting around in 1st gear with your kid then you ever do going 100mph. So you need to compromise.

And yes, it's whining...

What did you really expect when you bought a 5spd? Even when it's a wide ratio it wasn't intended to go 100mph unless you gear it too the moon.

And regarding a CR500, your comparing a bike with 1987 technology towards a new one? A ill handling, poorly suspended, odd ergonomic motorcycle. If your CR500 was so good, maybe you should dump the WR and buy another one...

Thanks for your input.

[offrd beatr]

I find the the ratio plenty wide enough especially compared to my yz and other modern bikes I own. I absolutely love my new WR. I have compared my 2014 wr against a ktm exc and both are about the same in the ready to ride department at least IMHO and for the riding I do(tight technical trails and mud which the mx51s are lousy in). On the height issue I agree (I am shorter than you) and BTW don't bother to shave the seat foam either or your ass will be directly on hard plastic seat pan --good thing I stand a lot.  I checked with Seat Concepts and they didn't have anything for the 2014 wr450. So I decided to have Fisher seats make me a custom seat, haven't gotten it yet, but ass hopes it is soon.

I have been friends with one of the Fisher kids since grade school and have been to their shop many times. Good people that make a quality product, you wont be disappointed.

[offrd beatr]

First and you don't need to be told this, it's not a CR500. A WR450 has the power of a CR250 for the most part. Remember when 250T's would race 450F's. Next it is wide, have you rode a YZ or CRF? Your just use to a 500T the gears were miles apart and the power was huge. As far as the rest, the WR is insain for a 450F offroad bike. Maybe yours is not right, as mine one of the best bikes I have had in years. My friends with CRFs' love it so much they are now shopping for one. As most don't know how good the newer WR's have become.  Also make sure your idle RPM is at 2000 (spec) makes first gear not so tall. 

Oh, it runs very well. It is a good bike overall with a few very glaring hangups. I really miss the wide spread in the trans and will continue to research possible fixes. Its very apparent to me now that people like close gearing in new bikes and are either unaware that something better exists or unwilling to believe it. This is the first new bike ive had. I spent a little time on 2010+ KX450s and they were pretty strong but not what i was looking for. Ive had a 98 CR250, 01 KX250, 2003 XR400, 2003 TTR250. All while using the 500 as my main ride. I sold it when I got the WR so that is saying alot. Not only can I ride the WR faster in most situations, I can do it for significantly longer.

[080]

 I dont really want to pull the engine apart in a brand new bike to modify its ultra close ratios. The bike is called a WR...Wide Ratio??? It straight does NOT have a wide ratio box and needs to be fixed. Im not a fanboy and will not just blindly accept what any specific manufacturer produces without providing some feedback. 

 

The Wr does have a wide ratio tranny compared to the track bikes. I'm surprised first gear is to tall, I found it to low and raised it as it had to much torque in 1st/2nd for me. Even the KTM 500's with the 6th gear are going to struggle hitting a 100mph max speed. These 450/500 4strks just aren't designed for that. Even the 500 2strks would need a 14/46 to get to 3 digits and couldn't hold that rpm for very long. I'm running a 14/50, have a cruising speed of 65 and would guess a max speed of around 95 or so (haven't tapped it out yet). My Yz450 with 13/51 had a max speed 81 with a cruising speed of 50 mph.

[GP1K]

It has a FMF on it. I looked into the katooms but thought them to be over priced and they dont have the bullet proof reputation of the WR. I can get the stealership to flash the ECU for free. What maps do you like? The stock one does seem to be a bit snatchy but not bad compared to how my old bike was all the time. I had heard that you richen the mixture to mellow the motor out and that results in even less range. Thank you very much for your input!!  Maybe the 5 speed thing has something to do with displacement?? The TTR250 has a six speed and i believe WR250Rs do as well?

 

Do a search on this forum and there's a pretty good thread on FI maps for the new WR. Currently I'm running a modified version of the 'muddy slippery conditions' map as it makes it softer on the bottom for tight trails. But yes you are correct, the 'softer' maps add fuel and retard timing so mileage suffers, which is part of why I started modifying it and now has less fuel and a little more advanced ignition, a happy medium for me. I'm turning my WR into a dual sport, so at that point I'll likely gear it taller and put the FMF map in it.. which could be considered the 'full power' map, but I found it a bit much in the tight stuff. That map would get decent mileage though.

 

Yes the WR250R has a six speed, but it's the dual sport version. The WR250F is a five speed.

 

As for KTM being more expensive... well yes and no. I just bought a 2014 KTM 250 XCF-W. It was the last '14 they had so I got it $1100 of MSRP, or $7500. On my WR, I had to buy a comp ECU, FMF pipe, GYTR tuner, remove throttle stop, remove snorkel, have dealer tune CO level, all at a cost of over $700, just to get the bike to run right and start hot reliably. My KTM? $0.00 it runs great right off the showroom floor. Stock pipe sounds good, and makes good power, no need to change a thing. There is no 'uncorking' to do whatsoever. The brakes are all Brembo, the clutch is Brembo hydraulic, and all brake/clutch lines are braided. So you are getting something for that extra money.

 

A 2013 WR250F MSRP is $7000, the KTM is $8600. But you'd have to spend $500-700 to uncork it, and then be within $500 or so of the KTM. Now will the KTM be as long term reliable as the Yamaha? I dunno... time will tell. I'd still have to give the nod to Yamaha for longevity/reliability, but the performance of the KTM is so good I don't care. YMMV.

[GP1K]

So you like everything about your WR? Its 'you're' and Im not having buyers remorse. I dont really want to pull the engine apart in a brand new bike to modify its ultra close ratios. The bike is called a WR...Wide Ratio??? It straight does NOT have a wide ratio box and needs to be fixed. Im not a fanboy and will not just blindly accept what any specific manufacturer produces without providing some feedback. 

 

It *IS* a wide ratio... but still a 5-speed. Seriously, go ride an MX bike and then tell me it's not a wide ratio. MX bikes have taller 1st gears, with the rest spaced tightly behind. A WR has a lower first and more evenly spaced ratios. What would be interesting would be to compare 5th gear and final drive ratios on a new YZF vs WR, but I'm too lazy to go google that all up.

 

The WR really does need a 6th gear though, would be SO much better as you could run lower gearing and get away with it as you'd have that 'overdrive' 6th. I'm just not holding my breath on Yamaha ever doing it.