which bike?

[ridered50230]

For straight desert, no track riding, should i get a YZ or WR? i have a 230 and want, no need to upgrade

i dont mean dunes by desert

[Gallo]

I'd get the WR, do the mods and have fun.

[mike40860]

I have an 03 YZF and I recently started doing a lot of trail riding. I love my bike. That said, I am now faced with a few costly upgrades to make trail riding a little more enjoyable.

First off a larger fuel tank would be nice, as I have begun strapping a Gatorade bottle with extra fuel to the handle bars or placing it in my Camelbak just to make sure I don't run out. I recently stretched a full tank to 74 miles and cut my ride short to make it back to homebase on fumes. There is no reserve on the YZF petcock.

Secondly, I am now looking for a spark arrestor. If you get caught without one it is a fine (not sure how much $), but fines are an annoying waste of money and are usually preventable. It is also money better spent on your bike. Some on the board have recomended a spark arrestor insert from Dubach Racing or the Promoto Billet model, I'll probably go with one of these options for the rest of the season. Add to that, there is the noise issue on trails, and at organized rides. Some areas are sensitive to this and require your bike operates at or under a pre-determined noise level. Usually around 94db???

Thirdly, a kickstand would be nice. When taking a break after a few miles it is nice to stand your bike up on its own perch. I constantly find myself looking for a tree to lean my bike against. A kickstand would also be a great help when stopping for photo op or taking a whiz!

Fourth is insurance. In Canada I am having a B**CH of a time finidng insurance. It seems most companies will insure the WR but not the YZF. Riding in Canada on any nice trail system or club rides usually requires a minimum of liability insurance.

Lastly...the dreaded Monkey Butt! I am not sure about the WR seat, as I have never ridden one, but the YZF saddle is not a cross country seat by any means...when compared to my buddies KTM-SX's and KDX's. I know there are other factors contributed to this phenom, ie: I am learning to stand more and I will never wear cotton gitch on a ride again, and that gripper seat...bye bye! Nuff said on this one...

In a nutshell I am looking at $500-$600 US, to make my bike a little more comfortable, excluding any performance enhancing features, when I had an opportunity to get a WR for the same purchase price as my bike!!

Anyways, I suggest you seriously consider the type of riding you intend on doing. I made the mistake of listening to a sales guy (before I knew of this site) and he talked me out of the WR.

Thats just my $.035.

Cheers,

Mike ?

[wrooster]

Lastly...the dreaded Monkey Butt! I am not sure about the WR seat, as I have never ridden one, but the YZF saddle is not a cross country seat by any means...when compared to my buddies KTM-SX's and KDX's. I know there are other factors contributed to this phenom, ie: I am learning to stand more and I will never wear cotton gitch on a ride again, and that gripper seat...bye bye! Nuff said on this one...

mike,

i can totally recommend the GUTS "wide top" enduro seat for your YZF. just take your seat off, pull the cover and foam off, and ship the plastic base to GUTS. they will redo it with new wide foam and a quality cover -- the results are fantastic. on those long 100+ mile days your butt will thank you.

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB10&Number=629961

and

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB10&Number=677729

and

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB10&Number=800811

and

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB10&Number=616612

and

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/711946/

and

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB10&Number=485858

and

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB10&Number=904280

also see

http://losdos.dyndns.org:8080/public/wr-seat/DSC00260_sm.jpg

and full index

http://losdos.dyndns.org:8080/public/wr-seat/

finally, get yourself a pair of EVS "Air Tech" riding shorts. awesome, worth EVERY penny. nice and cool, with a padded synthetic chamois. and they don't "bunch"!!!

http://www.mxsouth.com/evs/evsshopp03.htm

jim aka the wrooster

'01 wr250f (w/ YZF-style tank and GUTS YZF-base wide top seat).

[KC_Escure]

To start with, they're both great bikes, but from my understanding the YZ was meant more for tracks. The YZ250F is pretty much ready to ride, except for needing the spark arrestor. The WR does come with a spark arrestor stock, BUT it's too mellow as a stock bike. The WR suspension is also meant more for trails than for desert or sand. We've already put around $2k into my bike and there are a few more things to be done. The seat is the same as the YZ (very uncomfortable), it does have a reserve, great granny gear (if you need it-I tend to start out in 2nd because 1st is so low), it's heavier than the YZF, and the suspension is pretty soft on the WR (I've bottomed out hard on those drops you get in some trails). It's a hard decision in some ways, but you'll spend less money I think on the YZF; you can add an aftermarket perch, larger tank and some of the other perks for less than it would cost to buy a WR and have it upgraded to an electric start YZF (that's basically what mine is now).

[mxher151]

WR, even if you ride the track once in a while, it's not that bad if you stiffen it up. I pulled all the lights off and made mine lighter, and the e-start is really nice after riding all day or wreck. It's not as hyper as the YZ, but it will be faster overall in wide open desert and EZ up big hills...

[ridered50230]

soo would i be able to keep up with say some 250fs, and 125s?

[Zippo_72]

You would be able to beat 125's in the desert and keep up with 250fs, but on a track you might be able to hang with the 125s but get beat by 250fs. It is mainly about the rider though.

[mxher151]

A WR will smoke both the YZs in the desert in wide open areas, top speed on that bike is fast, the YZs are geared to go fast in short periods, where as the WR is not so responsive off the get, but it machs. I rode my WR on the track for a couple of months while I was waiting for my YZ and it slowed me down a little at first, but I got used to it and got it to go just as fast, it was just a little more work off jumps, it's heavier. It didn't turn as good either, but I got BRP offset triple clamps (killer) and took all my lights off and it handles a lot better. I had a KX250F for a short while, and my WR smokes that bike on the trails and the track. The only thing I would change on the WR if I decided to just have it as my only bike, is I would stiffen up the suspension, oh and definately do the mods with the throttle screw and pipe and all that, but for desert and woods, it's the best bike I ever rode. (The offset clamps are really great too). FYI, I love my YZ250F just as much, but mainly for mx......I KNOW my WR won't stall when I'm working slow through technical stuff or up hills. The YZ likes to go fast, it stalls easier, and no e-start....that really comes in handy and saves a lot of energy if you plan to race hare scrambles or go on very long rides. Isn't it so much fun getting a new bike!!! Good luck.

[ridered50230]

hmm ok, i really dont want the lights, not important to me, could i sell those or soemthing and make a little money? im not heavy, and i wont be jumping very big, so i doubt that the suspension will be a problem for me. so say like a 250f wont pass me up on the lake bed either, and how much slower (acc) is it?

what is the dry weight on it, without light, idk if i even need the E start (can that be taken off) my friends all make fun of me for being lazy when they are trying to kick theit bikes over while alls i hafta do is press the little button.

and Jw, what are the HP comparisons between yz and wr. Im coming from a 230 so anything is a step up, thankfully

and also, how much different would the WR be from the 230? besides 10 pounds lighter? i mean is it worth the 2-3 grand (after i trade the 230 in)

[mxher151]

The dry weight on the 04 WR is 232 lbs.(the 05 is supposed to be lighter) By taking the lights off, swapping the exhaust and sprockets and chain, I shed about 13 lbs off. (maybe you could sell the lights?? I'm keeping them so when I sell it I can put them back on) If you took the e-start off it would be a few lbs. more since you wouldn't need that battery-not worth it to me- people can say LAZY all they want, but I'll be started and on my way while they're sitting there kicking their bike in a race. As far as HP, I don't know the specifics, I have a YZ as well and I'd say their pretty close, just different. The WR has more torque power and does acc. slower, but not that bad; it's still gets up. You can change cams and do some power upgrades, but I don't need it, if I get so bad ass that my WR starts to feel slow, I'll just get a 450. Compared to the 230, major upgrade; definately worth the $, why do you think Honda came out with the 250X, they didn't have a COMPETITON off-road bike that could compare to the WR. You will definately be happy with either the YZ or the WR, I just know that my YZ is pretty much strictly for the track. I have ridden both in both types of riding and they both perform great, but I definately prefer to ride my WR when I'm on the trails..also being in California my YZ is illegal almost everywhere I would ride off-road. P.S. I've seen dealers offing the 04s for 4,800 OTD...not bad.