Adventure in Ohio?

They go for less, they offered me 7k on a NOS 450, but maybe that was with the silly rebate built in? Not sure about the jetting from stock.

I'm a terrible off road rider, just bought what I wanted. I have sat on WR's and wasn't particularly comfortable If you ever get offered a test ride on a 690, take it. Warp speed with wheelspin.

Intended use? Hooligan bike.

Must have been, I went over a couple of hours after I saw you at Lowell. The rebate expired 09/30. I had $7k & he wouldn't take it for either bike. He kind of talked me out of it & said I would be upset with its performance if I planned to do things like ride from Marietta to Athens on pavement. He was also scary about the maintenance intervals. I told him I wanted to ride 50-100 miles on pavement, ride in the dirt, & ride home. IDK if I made the right decision, I'm pretty new to motorized bikes, but happy with the WRR so far.

My WRR has a Seat Concepts seat, I was on the bike about 10 hrs Sunday & really wasn't uncomfortable at any time. I feel it is more comfortable than my KLR. If I had to change anything I would like to slightly increase the seat to peg distance a little, but you & I are pretty tall.

The 690 is probably more suited to 4 hours of pavement than your WRR. Sluggish handling and 313 lbs. + fuel, etc. in the woods means stable on the more open forest roads and twisty pavement. Way more power than you need or want in the woods is an absolute hoot when the trails open up. It probably wouldn't be a lot of fun on the highway for that long, but it would do it with less wear and tear courtesy of the cush drive. It will get heavy to pick up after a day of crashing in the mud. Adventure Rides and Road Enduros are perfect for this bike. It will be fine on a dual sport or even an enduro with the right rider. Too bad KTM decided not to make the 690 Adventure:

The recommended service interval is intended for race-pace usage, for what we'd do it's much more relaxed. You didn't make the wrong decision at all, WRR's are great bikes and you got fair price I think.

Mine has a seat concepts seat also. Previous owner pretty much nailed it when he said it was much better than stock, but not "great".

For a middle of the road dual sport bike, you are probably on a bike that is as good as it gets right now. It has enough power, but isn't scary. It gets good (understatement) fuel economy. It won't get upset with you for riding pavement, you'll just wear the tires, chain and sprockets a bit more. It is capable of going just about anywhere off road. It might not be the easiest or quickest, but it is capable and you can ride it home afterward. Bolt on the protective bits like a skid plate and real hand guards if you haven't already and go have fun with it. Getting the seat height, bar position and suspension set up for you will do more to make you comfortable and help you learn faster and ride faster than a different bike. If the seat seems low, there is a good chance the bars are a bit low when you are standing as well.

In case you didn't read it before your purchase. these guys did a nice write up:

http://www.off-road.com/dirtbike/review/bike-test-the-yamaha-wr250r-23644.html

Already have the protective parts. Skidplate (Richocet), rad guard (flatland, came with), and handguards (Tusk). It came with Tusk bars (CR mid I think), I added 30mm risers. I can now stand all day on it. That 3 gal IMS tank is nice as well, I stopped for gas 3 times Sunday (never dry, but topped off), can't imagine having a smaller one. The suspension was set up for a 215 lb rider, so its pretty close for me at 200.
All of those write ups are pretty close, seems like the WRR is ahead of the game.

BTW, where's the ride this weekend?

Sounds like it is pretty well sorted for you aside from the seat. I didn't realize it had all that on it already. Take the time to set the sag with all your gear on and it sounds like you are ready to go play.

As the owner of a 2013 KTM 350 EXC-F I'll jump in here. Admittedly I haven't owned a Yamaha dirt bike since about 1979-I still have the 1977 Penton 175 that replaced my last Yamaha. Fuel economy was mentioned-my 350 has returned a consistent 55mpg since new. The fuel injection has functioned flawlessly, perhaps slightly on the lean side but certainly not so bad as unrideable, super crisp throttle response, excellent idle and starting. Concerning the electrical system the owners manual says the stator output is 168 watts. I'm more concerned with having adequate lighting than heated gear. The bike still comes with a 35w headlight but the stator should certainly support a 60w bulb. The manual does not include a wiring diagram but what I see from looking at the harness and reg/rec it looks like KTM has finally abandoned their ridiculous split AC/DC system. Habit, convenience, and choice of shop certainly influenced my purchase. The nearest Yamaha shop is 45 minutes away, the KTM shop is 15 and I have to drive by it at least once a week. (WTF there isn't even a Honda shop in Yo. anymore.) The guys there treat me great-know me by name, nice discount, feed me when I show up at an event. I also got a great deal on a 2013 in August, I think because it is an EXC and they didn't want to get stuck with it. One more thing... it's a 350!

I guess I've been away from ktmtalk too much. I missed that they made the 350 an EXC and fuel injected. That makes it a strong contender against the WRR with more of an off road performance leaning. Still, the WRR is a good bike for the buck despite the extra 50 lbs.

The Beta 400RR is a hell of a dual sport option too, not nearly as common as the KTM but on paper a great "do all" bike. It's a 349cc, 250lb 6-speed with a good suspension. Street price is similar to the KTM. The only downside is the lack of dealer network, but Iron Pony is carrying Beta and they're very popular in other countries so aftermarket and parts are out there.

Make your own

http://www.ktmtwins.com/ktm-rally-raid-690-990-products

Hey Pete, my 250 has that split system, I have the lights on AC and just the starter is on DC. BMoto54 lives up on the N side of Yo and is in the same situation as you are and said Cleveland (where he works) is even worse for dealers. I'm guessing you are dealing with Pointview? I rode over there a couple weeks ago to get brake pads and a front sprocket for the 950, nice guys, good deals. BMoto uses them also I believe. I remember when that place was a dance hall.



For those who care, Crow Canyon will be privatized for next year and will be closed to the general public.

mgorman sez:

"For those who care, Crow Canyon will be privatized for next year and will be closed to the general public"

Yep, private club and fortunately, one of my co workers who still likes me (he doesn't know me very well ) is part of the management structure.

Apparently they are selling, or will be selling quite shortly, memberships. They are around $300 a year though, which is more than I care to spend. Actually, Crow is pretty decent, but I'd have no interest in a membeship even if they were $100 / year, and I live within sight of the place.

They are moving their "pro shop" to Philly, too; which kind of sucks. I liked running up the road to grab something I needed.

Yeah you would, hell you spent $45 to be a member of the shittiest gun range in Ohio.

Meef sez:

"Actually, Crow is pretty decent, but I'd have no interest in a membeship even if they were $100 / year, and I live within sight of the place."

Yea, but the way I understand it, the members can bring a guest. And we both know one of the members of the management team....... But for most of my off road riding, I just go up behind the house

The guys who run the shop wanted to grow....so the "pro shop" needed to move on up.....sure is convenient for me on the way home

I'll decide when I find out what they plan to do with the mx track.

I'll be watching for used ones in a couple years. I have heard that the FI KTM's are the cat's ass.

Only because they caught me there shooting and I was compelled to join on the spot.

Remember, I tried to tell the guy I was your life partner and was covered under your membership?

That was some funny shit! That old man did a double take then kept right on insisting for a membership.