Is this going to kill a WR450

[Qball1982]

Hi there,I'm new here and would like some advice from any guys in the UK who use a WR450F for green lanes around there local areas.

I live in Liverpool and would be looking at riding around North Wales and possibly South Lake District.

I have been on a few off road days with guides and really like the 400-450's 

Im not fortunate enough to be able to put my bike in a van to get to the start of my ride,which leads me to my questions.

Im looking to buy a new bike whatever I buy and im aware of what the maintenance is like on Enduro bikes but what I'm not sure about is would 60 mile ride to the start of my desired riding area kill my bike,I'm aware of sitting at 70mph on the motorway isn't the best idea so would just use A/B roads to get where I want and keep and high speed roads to an absolute minimum.

so basically what I want to know is the likes of a WR450F up to the job I intend to do with it or am I asking to much of it?

I would possibly do 350 miles in one day on the bike including my ride there and back plus any trails I go on.

 

The reason I'm looking at Yamaha is the fact lots of guys in the states use them in Supermoto trim and beat on them really hard and seem to have very little in the way of trouble.

iv looked at DRZ's but would like something up to date,also looked at KTM 690 Enduro but don't feel like it's up to the job of serious green lanes and it's also a bit porky!

[cxr100]

get used to changing oil alot, pack some ear plugs, and seriously look into a KTM/husky 450/500. ive rode over 2,000 miles since getting my 16' in october... i find that my oil can be bad in as little as 100ish miles of offroad or as much as 550 street miles. tuning sucks on the us models so street duty is kinda annoying and good luck finding nuetral when stopped.

The motor is incredibly smooth however and with proper gearing will run all day without complaint at 60-70mph

[Just_a_trail_rider]

WR's are reliable as hell and would survive a 350 mile day.   But... why?    Your ass will hurt, you're hands will be numb and your legs stiff from the riding position.

Would another bike be more comfortable?

[RacingDVD]

Buy a car and a small trailer ;-)

[Qball1982]

1 hour ago, Just_a_trail_rider said:

WR's are reliable as hell and would survive a 350 mile day.   But... why?    Your ass will hurt, you're hands will be numb and your legs stiff from the riding position.

Would another bike be more comfortable?

I have a 17 plate Africa Twin but don't think that's up to serious off road action and also my skill level isn't up to riding something that size off road.

[Qball1982]

1 hour ago, ocdaan said:

Buy a car and a small trailer ;-)

its not an option financially

[Qball1982]

1 hour ago, cxr100 said:

get used to changing oil alot, pack some ear plugs, and seriously look into a KTM/husky 450/500. ive rode over 2,000 miles since getting my 16' in october... i find that my oil can be bad in as little as 100ish miles of offroad or as much as 550 street miles. tuning sucks on the us models so street duty is kinda annoying and good luck finding nuetral when stopped.

The motor is incredibly smooth however and with proper gearing will run all day without complaint at 60-70mph

Iv looked at KTM as I used to race a 530SMR and iv had a 525EXC in Sumo trim but no longer have an off road KTM dealer close enough,the only dealers I have are dealers for KTM road bikes and they have no idea about dirt bikes. 

Oil changes and frequent servings don't bother me I just want to know that the journey to and from my trails isn't going to slowly kill the bike.

[RacingDVD]

hmm to bad, it is possible to ride to the event but it is not ideally, but yeah, if it is the only option just do it and see what happens right? Even a bigger adventure ;-)

 

\\ and no, it will not break your bike, just take the time to get there.

Edited August 29, 2017 by ocdaan

[Dako]

- 350 miles a round trip will not hurt it.  The factory oil change intervals are based on a bike that is being ridden hard, like in a competition.

- 350 miles, expect to go through about 5 tanks of fuel...unless you swap to a larger tank.

- Would definitely recommend a seat change...Seat Concepts makes some comfortable options.

- pillow soft grips...and a cheap, clamp on cruise control, will help the numb throttle hand on the long distance commutes.

[GuyGraham]

Can't speak for the new rev cyl generation 450's but I did have a 2008 450 that did 10K miles with nothing more than a piston change at 7-8kish (400hrs)

 I used it ride to a practice track that was 22 miles each way with no probs for 6yrs 12-14 times a year, and then also race it in Hare & hounds/cross country events with WOR etc

They are crap on the road due ot lack of flywheel weight

Off road tyres are crap on tarmac, and doing the kind of mileage you are talking about, will mean you will be going through rear tyres very frequently

The better the tyre is off road, the worse it performs on tarmac. In the wet they are quite skittish/dangerous

Ragging it up the motorway at 70mph will soon become a chore which you will find irrating, due to vibes (from tyre and engine), hard seat, wind blast riding position etc, and even A roads won't be much better.

Singles can burn a bit of oil at sustained high revs and the modern 4 stroke only have about a litre in them so keep an eye on the oil level, as they don't live long with out it

Other than that , you should be fine for what you are proposing

The Yam enduro bikes have a bullet proof rep for reliability if looked after unlike some orange coloured bikes

 

 

[Qball1982]

20 minutes ago, GuyGraham said:

Can't speak for the new rev cyl generation 450's but I did have a 2008 450 that did 10K miles with nothing more than a piston change at 7-8kish (400hrs)

 I used it ride to a practice track that was 22 miles each way with no probs for 6yrs 12-14 times a year, and then also race it in Hare & hounds/cross country events with WOR etc

They are crap on the road due ot lack of flywheel weight

Off road tyres are crap on tarmac, and doing the kind of mileage you are talking about, will mean you will be going through rear tyres very frequently

The better the tyre is off road, the worse it performs on tarmac. In the wet they are quite skittish/dangerous

Ragging it up the motorway at 70mph will soon become a chore which you will find irrating, due to vibes (from tyre and engine), hard seat, wind blast riding position etc, and even A roads won't be much better.

Singles can burn a bit of oil at sustained high revs and the modern 4 stroke only have about a litre in them so keep an eye on the oil level, as they don't live long with out it

Other than that , you should be fine for what you are proposing

The Yam enduro bikes have a bullet proof rep for reliability if looked after unlike some orange coloured bikes

 

 

Thanks very much for the response,this is what I was after.

Im no hooligan and I look after my bikes so I'm guessing it's going to lead a rather boring life compared to most.

plus with having a family I won't be trying anything heroic and I barely get time to go out as it is so it should see me good for a while before needing the likes of a piston. 

[Qball1982]

1 hour ago, Dako said:

- 350 miles a round trip will not hurt it.  The factory oil change intervals are based on a bike that is being ridden hard, like in a competition.

- 350 miles, expect to go through about 5 tanks of fuel...unless you swap to a larger tank.

- Would definitely recommend a seat change...Seat Concepts makes some comfortable options.

- pillow soft grips...and a cheap, clamp on cruise control, will help the numb throttle hand on the long distance commutes.

Thank you for your reply,I'll swap out the standard tank for a 15L Safari one anyway to overcome this issue. As for the seat I'll let my arse make that decision.

I use things called Grip Puppies on my Africa Twin,I think these must be similar to what you mention.

[Greny]

Get a 2nd hand wr450 between 2007-2011. Strong and cheap instead a new bike. Buy a 500 pound car and a 200 pound trailer. .. the rest forget it. You be paying huge bills oil , filters, tyres etc.......

[Just_a_trail_rider]

28 minutes ago, Greny said:

Get a 2nd hand wr450 between 2007-2011. Strong and cheap instead a new bike. Buy a 500 pound car and a 200 pound trailer. .. the rest forget it. You be paying huge bills oil , filters, tyres etc.......

i had a 2005 wr450 before I drank that damn kool aid!  Been paying the price ever since...

It ran for 7+ years and 10K miles at least.  One piston change and 1 exhaust valve changed... and that was at the very end.      The wr's are built to last.   

 

I know on the steel framed ones, they were pretty easy to work on.   Later years...  I don't know.    It vibrates like hell on the street.   I could not imagine doing 400 mile days on that.  But its possible.   

 

[Qball1982]

9 hours ago, Just_a_trail_rider said:

i had a 2005 wr450 before I drank that damn kool aid!  Been paying the price ever since...

It ran for 7+ years and 10K miles at least.  One piston change and 1 exhaust valve changed... and that was at the very end.      The wr's are built to last.   

 

I know on the steel framed ones, they were pretty easy to work on.   Later years...  I don't know.    It vibrates like hell on the street.   I could not imagine doing 400 mile days on that.  But its possible.   

 

Can't vibrate any worse than some Buells iv had?

[cxr100]

i would only rock the 07 or newer, much less vibes. I believe the 07+ wr got a counter balanced motor which is about time they started showing up as dual sports. ive ridden an 06, power was good but a little vibey for the street.

[finbike]

With that kind of mileage on tarmac, I would definetly buy a cheap used trailer. In a couple of years you have put the same money in offroad tires and oil changes. As mentioned the knobbies dont last long on tarmac. And then you dont need the safari tank either. Conclusion: more fun in the trails with fresh knobbies and lower weight.

[GuyGraham]

12 hours ago, Greny said:

Get a 2nd hand wr450 between 2007-2011. Strong and cheap instead a new bike. Buy a 500 pound car and a 200 pound trailer. .. the rest forget it. You be paying huge bills oil , filters, tyres etc.......

Gotta say that this does seem like the best option but i understand where the OP is coming from.

[Qball1982]

3 hours ago, finbike said:

With that kind of mileage on tarmac, I would definetly buy a cheap used trailer. In a couple of years you have put the same money in offroad tires and oil changes. As mentioned the knobbies dont last long on tarmac. And then you dont need the safari tank either. Conclusion: more fun in the trails with fresh knobbies and lower weight.

I don't have a car at all,as I don't have a need for one. I understand what your saying with regards to saving money on not wearing out knobbies but the initial cost in buying a car and trailer and the cost of insurance and road tax for the car is not an option as I'll only use it to transport the bike,I have considered a van but it's still only going be used for the bike.

as iv mentioned in a previous post the bike won't get a massive amount of use as I just don't get the time due to family commitments. So I guess I'll have to deal with the tire wear and ect weight from the lager tank. Just to put things into context iv only so far this year managed three full days out on my Africa Twin.

I have a good wife who understands my love for bikes and also knows I don't drink or smoke so she doesn't mind me having a bike in the garage that gets very little use as she know I love been on it when I do get chance.

My only concern has already been answered and that was if the bike would be ok with for road use if I took it easy getting to my trails and didn't thrash the nuts off it for 80 miles straight.

 

Edited August 30, 2017 by Qball1982

[Pancho_Jsy]

It's not going to kill the bike but it might kill you! Even with an aftermarket seat, it's not a very comfy place to sit for more than a few minutes. The motor is very smooth but a proper set of knobblies will give you a lot of vibes. They'll also wear fast. One thing to also bear in mind is that these bikes are designed to run at low speed. The large radiators are incredibly efficient, in fact they're way too efficient for fast road riding, especially in the North in winter ? . This makes the motor run too cool, which is just as bad as running it too hot. There's some threads on here about it (Not sure if the latest bikes have thermostats??) You can cover them in cardboard to try and keep the temp up but not very practical if you planning a couple hundred miles of riding.

One thing no one's mentioned, are you intending to ride alone? It's rather risky business riding enduro solo. If you come off or breakdown a long way from the road you could be in big trouble. What about joining a club in the area you want to ride and leaving the bike with someone local? They'll know all the best routes and riding with mates is a lot more fun.

Good on you for living without a car by the way!