Yamaha WR250R Mega Thread

Today I replaced my first Pirelli MT43 DOT trials rear tire on the WR-R with another just like it. The mileage was almost exactly 2,800 miles and it could've probably gone a couple hundred more.

But before mounting up the fresh meat I thought I'd finish her off with one last off-road test. McCoy Mountain Road is an old roadbed about 25 miles from here that without being worked since the 1930s has become a fairly rocky and steep piece of roadbed, usually with a few downed trees thrown in to make things more interesting.

The MT43 has been a great tire and the most amazing part is that as its worn the handling characteristics haven't changed enough so I can tell much difference between when it was new almost 2,800 miles ago and today. The previous four rear tires on the bike were all D606s and I averaged changing them at 2,500 miles (high of 2,800 and low of 2,156). However, each of these 606s was pretty much useless for anything but street or easy gravel duty after around 1,500 miles.

The entire time running the Pirelli I've run a cushy and tacky 12 psi (with rim locks). The Dunlops' pressures varied from 18 to 32 depending on which tire it was and where I was riding.

Yesterday I did about 30 miles of fast (50-60 mph) gravel FS roads on the Pirelli which had around 2,600-2,700 miles on it and had none of the skating or wandering I always seemed to experience with the Dunlops with a thousand less miles on them.

This morning I measured the center knobs on the MT43 and they had about 1/16th inch remaining of the original 3/8ths inch tread depth. I figured if I really wanted to push it I could eek another couple of hundred from the tire to reach the 3K plateau, but at the risk of getting a flat from a large thorn or some such. Already the tires have outlived the average for the 606s by 300 miles.

This video tells the story...

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PbVQLdtpSCo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The only problem spot I came to - the downed tree at a diagonal to the roadbed - a new and sharp knobby wouldn't have done any better.

Below are some other pix of the two tires...

The old MT43 just before riding in the above video (about 2,770 miles on it):


Old and new tires side-by-side:


Fresh rubber:


I'm thinking this will be my DS tire for the WR unless I know I'll be riding in deep mud all day. For that a knobby would be superior I believe. But for nearly all the riding I do this tire is just about perfect.

Nice report GSBS on the MT43 thanks.

I can see this tyre is probably ideal for our lightweight low power bike. Sophisticated carcass and compound, classic tread. Doesn't look quite as sexy as a rock slinging 606 but when you're looking at a 3000mile DS trip ahead it makes a lot of comfortable sense. Worth thinking about.

I ran out of gas today while on the highway. Luckily, the bike is light and I was one mile from a gas station. I got 27 miles from the time the low fuel light came on. Is that about normal for speeds in the 70-80 MPH range with stock equipment?

>"MT43 Update..."

What's the seat on your bike ??? Looks pretty comfortable.

In my experience yes.

Rick Mayer seat

I use a Flatlands kit (tail rack, radiator guard, skid plate). 30L dry bag fits nicely w/ratchet straps.
The 15" tire iron thread is here or search The Garage for "tap a bolt"
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=721573&highlight=bolt

thanks for pics. I use one on my 450 exc, why am i on here.. i have yammie lust in my heart for the 250.... perhaps some day.
My experience with the MT is also very favorable as i am not a ROOSTafarian. Thanks for all the valuable info... This is a great thread!

J you need to buy a WR. You can try mine anytime.

I've got about 3800 miles on my WR and it just started making a loud squealing noise which appears to be coming from the lower cases. After reading reports of crank bearings going out, this is not making me happy. Unfortunately I am not under warranty any longer due to a deployment 6 months after purchasing this bike.

It's the rubber on the rear sprocket. Lube the fuck out of it, cover it in mud, or change the sprocket.

No it's definitely coming from the lower case with just the bike running and not moving or adding any throttle.

Okay I give up. It feels like I'm trying to get a 17" tire on an 18" wheel. I don't have the slightest chance.

1) I got the tire to room temperature (and some sun)
2) I got it lubed properly
3) I had a hard time getting the tube in (heavy duty tube)
4) Spooning, I had no chance getting the last quarter of the tire over

Yes, I did push it down on the other side. Yes, it was still lubed. I really don't know whether I'm doing something wrong - but I guess I do. The tire irons are damn short, but still, I should be able to get this thing on. Not a chance. Not even close. Once I'm closing in on the last 10 inches all I'm able to do is lifting the tire, I can't pull the iron over.

I'm getting it to the shop in the next days and I'll not attempt this shit again. It was a workout, but if I want a workout I can go to the gym.

What tire are you installing? Often the tubeless type tires are harder to get on. I remember the first time I changed tires on my KLR. I had help and still the tire we were installing had a very stiff sidewall.

Did you have the valve stem out. no air in the tube?

I was going with the video mentioned above, some air in the tube, but not much. It was softer that the shown in the video.

You either need longer spoons for more leverage or you do need to go to the gym.

Of course there is a limit to how much you can/should force a tire before you start gouging or bending the rim, esp. on spoked rims. I find having three spoons helpful. One to pin the starting place and to keep the section still outside of the lip from sliding around while I work the rest of the bead into the wheel. Having extras are also handy when cursing and throwing them around the shop.

Not only do you need to push down on the opposite side of the tire to get enough slack to work with, you also need it to curl under, esp. on tubed rims.

The tire was still way to stiff for this. I got it in the dish, but I could do much else. I'm fairly fit, but I had plain no chance at all. I was trying not to scratch the rim too badly so I used plastic rim protectors, but overall - it was just a terrible experience that I won't try again soon. Not with the tools I have. Longer spoons might help, better spoons that won't scratch the rim as much, and also a bead buddy or so might help.

Still - it wasn't just the tools. I don't know what I still did wrong, probably quite something, but again - I'm sick of this and I just pay the 20 bucks and be done with it.

I know why they want a little air in the tube, to make it harder to pinch when installing, but it is easy to get just a little too much in and it will make the difference whether you can get it on or not.

I agree with airing it up to round the tube out but i always take the valve core completely out when spooning it on. If I had to guess that is your problem.

At this point you need some real in person help from someone with experience. Mounting a tire is not that hard, something just isn't right.
I don't understand having a hard time getting the tube in, they just slip right in, nothing to it. Unless you are meaning getting the valve stem through the hole, that can be a real pain sometimes.

Some tires are tougher than others but still doable.