Im thinking of fitting the tenere headlight unit to my wr. what do you guys think? Just spoke to Yamaha now to get the figures, they will call me back.
Prices are in The bracket, screen, Cowl, Inner and outer inditcator panel and headlight will cost just over $900 I need to now think long and hard if I want to convert to motard or dakar replica. :/
I agree with above...all this talk about oil/maintenance is rubbish with the WR series. The WR's have great engines that require minimal tweaking. I did the TAT on my WR250F, with a 6.6 Gallon acerbis, Giant Loop bag, with a few mods for gearing and carb/exhaust. I had no problems with the engine and oil use. I changed my oil once in Colorado, and then just kept going til the end. I had a few bolts work themselves loose and the spokes in the rear wheel loosened up. The fork seals got filled with fine sand, so I was cleaning them with a tear off on the trail to keep them sealed, but it never really stopped the slow drip. The 6.6 gallon tank I thought was too big, all that fuel put alot of weight on the front end and the bike would plow through the sand. The good thing about the tank was it covered the radiators to help with the crashing...... I lost the knob from my trip odometer also..... The seat SUCKED the first 5 days but I got used to it.
steve o....as I could not sleep thought I would post a little. I'm running stock gearing 14/48 I believe. I don't have a Tachometer, but will be ordering a Trail Tech Vapor this week. Then I will know what RPM I think would be best. Also going to order up a front 15t and a rear 45t. My goal is to run 80mph as close to the same RPM I currently run 50mph. Anyway running mine where it felt good I was running right around 50mph on pavement. It was not revving too high, had the power to accelarate, was not lugging, would pull any hill, and just ran fine. The only issue I have is at what RPM will I get the cruise speed I want in 5th. My concern is running the bike for 10-12 hours on pavement at high rpms just to get home or to meet up for a ride. Running dirt roads at 40-50 is nothing, and hopefully I can stay in 3-4th without lugging or revving it. I put a 3.3 on last year with a Gutts Tall Soft. Should have put a 6.6 on and probably will this year. Rode 700 miles in three days at DV sitting down the entire time due to a completely torn loose (as not attached at all) ACL. Seat was a little soft, but if I was riding normal I think it would be fine. Oil changes are nothing to do on the trail as I don't change filters until 1000miles or more at times. Depending on the riding I would simply drop the oil as I felt it was needed. Another thing to remember is that running these bikes at 40+mph they run much cooler then most think. If I was riding slow, close to boiling, lots of clutch use, etc. then an oil change every 100 miles or so maybe less. At those speeds a 40 mile day is super hard. If I was going to run a lot of slab I would cover up half my radiators to keep the heat up unless it was 100 degrees out. Cooler temps cause oil to not break down as fast. Looked at oil coolers, but they don't add enough oil to equal what you shake off. Again with the Vapor I will be able to monitor how hot different riding conditions actually are. Not hard at all to carry a quart or two of oil, and that should allow you to ride 1000 miles over a few days easy. I will be seriously looking at a Cush Hub also. They are expensive at around 700 bucks laced with a rim, but there have been those with transmission problems. It is not a fact that you have to use a cush hub, but enough have shown up to make it a serious consideration for me. Well need to get going as I have a five hour road trip ahead going over two passes.
The biggest thing in South Africa is that its big Dual sport country. You hardly find smaller than 650's riding out and most of the enduro bikes stick to enduro trails. Having a plated Enduro bike is like chicken teeth. When I go riding, I usually ride with 800 Bmws and 990 Ktms. On gravel they dont ride slower than 80mph. So i need to gear my bike accordingly to stay with them. I have in the meantime changed my riding group to more techincal riding and virtually no dualsporting. With the 13/50 combo i run 60mph at 8500rpm. The nice thing about the vapor is I can now monitor my engine temp and rpm's.
SteveO......You are totally correct and the WR is not the best ADV bike by far. I think it can be made into a decent off road ADV bike, as long as there is not long miles of fast dirt or pavement. I am dumping/loosing money into/on the WR because I can not get a 800 or 950se. And it won't do what I need the way it is set up. Hopefully next year for a real ADV bike.
I can see the WR as a Dual Sport, however to me an adventure bike must be able of putting on some days with big milage (600 miles or more) on the slab, say 10-12 hours of running time a day. Anything without at least a long day's ride to the adventure is a dual sport day in my book. Using that logic, I think the 525 is at best a marginal Adv bike, and the 450 is about the same. Combine the short maintiance and overhaul intervals with the lack af a substantial subframe, no cush drive, smaller fuel tanks etc and I wouldn't bother. I think they make really good Dual Sports, but not adventure bikes.
what makes the 530 better than the Wr450? Yes i know the 6th gear makes a big difference. But you could sort the WR out with just a slight regear. Ive added the Promoto rack and im actually impressed. Takes a jerrycan, tent and sleeping bag with no trouble. Rest of the stuff in a backpack and there is very little that will stop you.
I tend to agree with most opions here, If you want to put on the big miles you would probably be happier with a longer stroke engine. I have a o6 450 that I use saddle bags and a large duffle that will carry all my camping gear with, oh and my backpack The bike has 3.3 Accerbis tank(200 mile range), skid plate, Rad guards, Rear Rack, stock gearing, Barkbusters, softer seat ect. I find the bike runs quite happy at 50-60 mph, Living in British Columbia Canada and having Rain Forest to Deserts, pavement to single track,we dont need to travel so far, but if I wanted to travel to other provinces or countries I would prefer KLR 650, 650 XL DR650 or something similier, As far as dependability I have 12000 k and have done nothing to the engine other then staying on top of maintenance Oil, Oil filters, Sparkplug, tires. I have had several other bikes ie, dr350, xt350, xt600 ect, but you dont get the same thrill when you twist the throttle.
I have a brand new 6.6 gal tank I never put on my bike I am going to sell..........It is clear and for the 03-06 WRF year. PM if interested
Thanks for keeping this thread going. Just received my Trail Tech Vapor and some sprockets for gearing. Hope to get on the install/testing thing in a few days. Will post up the info I find out if anyone is interested. Just replaced my fork seals and the oil was TOTALLY SCREWED! Just came out like a big old glob of snot. Needless to say I will be changing it out every year from now on. Even had some rust on the inside on the little metal cup thingy majiger. Totally shocked how bad it was after only around 4k of off road riding. Check out the f800 thread on a german tire. Really looks to be a good durable on off road tire. I only run full dirt on mine and the Maxxis seems to last the longest. About 1500 miles to a rear tire for pavement.
I don't think either is an acceptable compromise for an "adventure" bike. I think they are both fine dual sports. It all come down to definitions and symantics. I feel adventure bikes need to be able to endure big road miles (more than 200ish miles/day) a couple of time per week. I think the WR250 D/S version is a much more capable adventure bike.
I have a acerbis mid size tank (about 14 litres I think) and the Giantloop Coyote on my WR450f (2007) and they are perfect. I just did about 2500k's around Cambodia on a WR250f with the Giant Loop Coyote on and hardly even noticed it was there except when doing jumps (wasnt a problem but just would notice it there) I also use a Wolfman enduro tankbag (the small one) on long trips. I have no hesitation doing rides upto 1000k's long without changing the oil in my WR but I normally change oil and filter every 500k's cause it is a cheap way to look after the engine and get a long life from it... A small pillion size Airhawk will help with long days in the saddle as well!
