2018 WR250F Mod

[Scralatchtica824]

Picking up a new 2018WR250F this week and am going to do some almost mandatory mods right of the bat regarding the engine.

 

- GYTR competition ECU and throttle stop removal screw

- FMF powercore 4 with quiet insert (need spark arrestor)

- Remove baffle inside intake box

 

According to the Yamaha dealership rep and literature online these are almost necessary mods for this bike but was concerned if the bike will run too lean with all these mods. I’m not exactly sure what is different in the new ECU and I don’t want to damage anything long term. What are your thoughts?

 

I’m looking forward to getting on a Yamaha I’m tired of my quirky KTM’s and Husqvarna!

 

Don’t worry, pics to follow as I’m picking it up this week!

[YZEtc]

The GYTR Competition ECU kit is absolutely necessary because the WR250F is, and always has been, a model that is restricted in order to satisfy regulations, similar in idea to a street-legal bike.

In order to make your WR250F run and perform correctly, you need to buy the kit, read the instruction sheet that comes with the kit, and install that GYTR Competition ECU kit.

Period.

Your bike will not be overly-lean once you install the kit, but, it is overly-lean until you do install the kit.

That's why it is restricted the way it rolls off the showroom floor:

Restrictions with fuel mapping and air intake and exhaust flow.

What's different is, basically, the Competition ECU in the kit is programmed with more suitable fuel and ignition timing mapping that will allow the bike to run like a modern $8,000 Yamaha dirt bike.

Also, the Competition ECU kit allows the kit ECU to have it's mapping changed with the Yamaha Power Tuner (an electronic hand-held ECU programming device), while the stock ECU is "locked" (non-programmable, or not able to be changed in other words).

So, buy the kit and be happy.

I'd also consider buying the Power Programmer in case you wanted to fine-tune the mapping.

Not absolutely necessary, buy very handy.

Any questions?

I have a 2016 WR250F that I bought new in June of 2016 and installed the GYTR Competition ECU kit before I started the engine for the first time.

I am also still running the original muffler - very quiet with good performance.

I have a question:

Can you explain your KTM and Husqvarna quirks?

Edited August 6, 2018 by YZEtc

[LukeYZ426F]

Why do people still buy the WR? Why not buy the FX and take the money you’d have used making the WR “rideable” and put a freakin sweet LED headlight setup on it. 

[Scralatchtica824]

Why do people still buy the WR? Why not buy the FX and take the money you’d have used making the WR “rideable” and put a freakin sweet LED headlight setup on it. 

Harder to get it street legal and suspension is much “racier” on the FX

[NPWR250]

On 8/6/2018 at 4:35 AM, YZEtc said:

The GYTR Competition ECU kit is absolutely necessary because the WR250F is, and always has been, a model that is restricted in order to satisfy regulations, similar in idea to a street-legal bike.

In order to make your WR250F run and perform correctly, you need to buy the kit, read the instruction sheet that comes with the kit, and install that GYTR Competition ECU kit.

Period.

Your bike will not be overly-lean once you install the kit, but, it is overly-lean until you do install the kit.

That's why it is restricted the way it rolls off the showroom floor:

Restrictions with fuel mapping and air intake and exhaust flow.

What's different is, basically, the Competition ECU in the kit is programmed with more suitable fuel and ignition timing mapping that will allow the bike to run like a modern $8,000 Yamaha dirt bike.

Also, the Competition ECU kit allows the kit ECU to have it's mapping changed with the Yamaha Power Tuner (an electronic hand-held ECU programming device), while the stock ECU is "locked" (non-programmable, or not able to be changed in other words).

So, buy the kit and be happy.

I'd also consider buying the Power Programmer in case you wanted to fine-tune the mapping.

Not absolutely necessary, buy very handy.

Any questions?

I have a 2016 WR250F that I bought new in June of 2016 and installed the GYTR Competition ECU kit before I started the engine for the first time.

I am also still running the original muffler - very quiet with good performance.

I have a question:

Can you explain your KTM and Husqvarna quirks?

YZEtc, I have a '17 Wr250F with Comp kit installed. I can not get the bike to run well with the stock exhaust. Runs fine with a FMF slip on but to load for my liking.

It has a real bad bog/miss isf you try and roll the throttle on from 1/4 on up. Its fine if the revs are up but trerrible if revs are low ish . Any ideas?

Thanks, Shawn

 

[bkoz]

On 8/6/2018 at 2:54 AM, LukeYZ426F said:

Why do people still buy the WR? Why not buy the FX and take the money you’d have used making the WR “rideable” and put a freakin sweet LED headlight setup on it. 

Because some people ride strictly single track. I was looking for a WR but could only find an FX.  Now after putting on a fan, light and softening the suspension I have a WR...

[LukeYZ426F]

29 minutes ago, bkoz said:

Because some people ride strictly single track. I was looking for a WR but could only find an FX.  Now after putting on a fan, light and softening the suspension I have a WR...

My question was for the poeple buying WR’s and then spending a grand making them FX’s. 

 

But since you replied, what makes the WR a better choice over the FX for strictly just single track?

[bkoz]

14 minutes ago, LukeYZ426F said:

My question was for the poeple buying WR’s and then spending a grand making them FX’s. 

 

But since you replied, what makes the WR a better choice over the FX for strictly just single track?

Softer suspension, fan, headlight.  That being said I am not sure how much softer the WR is compared to the FX.  The FX and WR engines/transmissions are the same after uncorking. 

[Scralatchtica824]

The GYTR Competition ECU kit is absolutely necessary because the WR250F is, and always has been, a model that is restricted in order to satisfy regulations, similar in idea to a street-legal bike.
In order to make your WR250F run and perform correctly, you need to buy the kit, read the instruction sheet that comes with the kit, and install that GYTR Competition ECU kit.
Period.
Your bike will not be overly-lean once you install the kit, but, it is overly-lean until you do install the kit.
That's why it is restricted the way it rolls off the showroom floor:
Restrictions with fuel mapping and air intake and exhaust flow.
What's different is, basically, the Competition ECU in the kit is programmed with more suitable fuel and ignition timing mapping that will allow the bike to run like a modern $8,000 Yamaha dirt bike.
Also, the Competition ECU kit allows the kit ECU to have it's mapping changed with the Yamaha Power Tuner (an electronic hand-held ECU programming device), while the stock ECU is "locked" (non-programmable, or not able to be changed in other words).
So, buy the kit and be happy.
I'd also consider buying the Power Programmer in case you wanted to fine-tune the mapping.
Not absolutely necessary, buy very handy.
Any questions?
I have a 2016 WR250F that I bought new in June of 2016 and installed the GYTR Competition ECU kit before I started the engine for the first time.
I am also still running the original muffler - very quiet with good performance.
I have a question:
Can you explain your KTM and Husqvarna quirks?

Thanks for the informative response! I hope the fmf with quiet core insert isn’t too loud.

To answer your question I’ve had previously a 2007 KTM 250xc and 2013 KTM 500 exc but currently have a 2008 KTM 300xcw and Husqvarna te250 with the latter 3 having full springs and revalves from enduro engineering and SP performance. These bikes have never handled as well as other bikes I have ridden. It always seems like I could not get them right no matter what I did with sag/clickers/tires/tire pressure/handle bar set ups/etc. I threw a leg over my friends Alta and was zipping effortlessly through the woods and the same goes for his Suzuki rmz. The funny part is he is probably 30lbs lighter than me and rides much differently. On those bikes and others I felt immediately comfortable and confident riding faster than I would have on my own bikes. It’s almost as if people get so wrapped up in “KTM makes the best bikes no matter what” that I started to believe it myself. I’m very much so looking forward to getting on a jap bike with their famous KYB suspension.

[YZEtc]

9 hours ago, NPWR250 said:

YZEtc, I have a '17 Wr250F with Comp kit installed. I can not get the bike to run well with the stock exhaust. Runs fine with a FMF slip on but to load for my liking.

It has a real bad bog/miss isf you try and roll the throttle on from 1/4 on up. Its fine if the revs are up but trerrible if revs are low ish . Any ideas?

Thanks, Shawn

 

When you installed the GYTR Competition ECU Kit, did you run the map already loaded in the ECU, or did you change it to something else?

When I installed mine, the next thing I did was hook-up the Power Tuner and load the map recommended for the stock muffler.

This map is supplied in the instruction sheet that comes with the Competition ECU Kit, and I believe the ECU in the Competition ECU Kit comes loaded with a map that's for an aftermarket muffler.

I'm guessing that's because they assume most riders will be switching to an aftermarket muffler at the same time.

Not me, though, as noise is a concern for me, and the bike has run very well from day one.

Impressive, actually, with a good spread of power and torque from the lowest revs to the top end.

Edited August 8, 2018 by YZEtc

[YZEtc]

5 hours ago, Scralatchtica824 said:

 

Thanks for the informative response! I hope the fmf with quiet core insert isn’t too loud.

To answer your question I’ve had previously a 2007 KTM 250xc and 2013 KTM 500 exc but currently have a 2008 KTM 300xcw and Husqvarna te250 with the latter 3 having full springs and revalves from enduro engineering and SP performance. These bikes have never handled as well as other bikes I have ridden. It always seems like I could not get them right no matter what I did with sag/clickers/tires/tire pressure/handle bar set ups/etc. I threw a leg over my friends Alta and was zipping effortlessly through the woods and the same goes for his Suzuki rmz. The funny part is he is probably 30lbs lighter than me and rides much differently. On those bikes and others I felt immediately comfortable and confident riding faster than I would have on my own bikes. It’s almost as if people get so wrapped up in “KTM makes the best bikes no matter what” that I started to believe it myself. I’m very much so looking forward to getting on a jap bike with their famous KYB suspension.

 

I owned one KTM, a 2016 200 XC-W.

I bought it as an experiment to see what "drinking the Kool-Aid" would be like.

It turned out that it was a good bike overall, but, honestly, possessed no magical traits that any other 200cc 2-stroke off-road bike couldn't have offered.

In fact, I owned both my 200 XC-W and my 2016 WR250F at the same time for a while, and rode them back-to-back one weekend.

I preferred the WR250F, and eventually sold the KTM.

I believe that the No. 1 thing KTM have going for themselves is that they have a larger line-up of dirt bikes to choose from in 2018.