I've put 6000 brutally hard miles on my WRR this year, and all I've done is 2 oil changes, 2 rear tires, and 1 front tire. There is no doubt in my mind the CRF could pull of the same feat. Since these are both 'mediocre' bikes, I'm very curious how well I would have done on a 'good' bike!
Brutally hard miles and 3k oil changes? You either went too far on that oil or have a completely different definition of brutally hard than many others. I've ridden over 2k on a RFS KTM without an oil change and I've ridden 100 miles on the same bike where I knew I had to change the oil before riding it again. Being on a CRF250L or a WR250R does not change the abuse the oil would take. Been there BTW with a WR250R. Brutal riding IMO includes extreme heat, severe clutch slipping and very low speeds with high drag, like deep mud or sand and nasty hills, if you are even moving at all. It doesn't matter what bike you ride, if you are "brutally" riding it the slipping clutch plates contaminate the oil, the heat bakes it and the stress will just destroy it. How many times in that 6k did your bike boil over? How many times do you need to adjust the overheated clutch? And the higher performance bike would be less stressed in that enviornment. It was designed for that. These bikes not so much. This is why it is important to know who is writing a post and how they ride.
navin- You're borderline trolling this thread. I may be newbie here but I am blown away that you care so much about some guy's post comparing two bikes that you really shouldn't care too much about since you're such an expert rider. Oh, and since you are such an expert rider, how come you're pussying around on 250's on the street? I mean, a 250 on the dirt is one thing, but a ninja 250 on the street? Come on... that's the sportbike equivalent of riding around on a 90cc kids dirt bike. Uh oh, I'm afraid I might have started something with someone. Do us a favor and since you don't care for either of these bikes, leave those of us who do alone. Maybe one day I'll be as hardcore a rider as you and I'll buy something better and ride it "brutally hard" for real, which apparently means I'll have to do more oil changes. Ugh, give me a break!
Well said! @navin- ...Why piss on everyones parade if you hate them so much? Go pound sand with your big boy bike!
Where did I say I hated any of these bikes? I've recently owned a KLX140 and two foo foo 250s and will most likely buy another base 250 very soon. Unwad the panties boys! GGamster, I didn't intend for any of my comments to turn this thead into the gutter. Knowing your riding resume helps readers understand what your opinions are formed from. Great bike for the money, maybe? Lets see after guys finalize the bill with new shocks, exhausts and fork mods. Will it equal a WR250R? Might, but it'll still be alot heavier if matched mod for mod. May cost more by then too. Comments about hard core "brutal" riding should be used with caution. Someone might call you on it.
@ Navin... this thread is not about KTM. Pleas take your comments else where! You have brought nothing but negative comments and have not contributing anything worth posting. If you don't care for these machines since they are not up to your standards then please keep your comments to yourself. Why not just let the people who ARE interested in knowing what the bikes are capable of have this thread. You have just been talking crap! "serious machine"-Navin ...."sounds like orange envy?"-Navin ...No! we just want to hear about what these two little bikes can do. You said the WRR is not up to your standards and riding style, then let it be and go find something that will. The guy bought two bikes for more than one KTM because he wanted to try both bikes. That was his choice and he said he didnt need an expensive KTM to have fun, so let it be! Some of us would like to hear what the man has to say, and not have a bunch of static from thugs like you. The guy know how to ride and should not have to prove himself for you, I currently ride a 78 xl125 and I could tell you 10 reasons why its better than your KTM, but that is not what this thread is about and I am not going to go to the KTM thread to tell you about them because you would be ticked off that I am pissing on your thread!
A little over the top, no? Are you going to go and watch the guy ride to verify it meets your definition of burtal riding?
Be happy to! I'll guide the ride in fact! But if it does his engine will be toasted with 3k mile oil changes. QUOTE=Navin;19398146]A Z50 can be a laugh riot too, doesn't make it a serious machine! [/QUOTE] And my "orange envy" comment was a joke to explodee when he started weiner measuring jokes. Quoting out of context belongs in the basement. Go back to drooling over the bikes guys. I never meant this to get derailed. Ggamster, my apologies if my comments prompted these ankle biters and caused their mighty 125-250cc fury to be unleashed!
I have/do own these budget bikes and will own more in the future, the only complex is the one you suffer from buddy.
Ah fer the love of....Just knock it off! You didn't mean to but yes you de-railed this thread. Please type less and read more so this thread can stay on topic: WR250R and CRF250L side by side comparisons. Thank you
See it's bullshit like this that draws my ire. Blatantly false and slanderous. Some noob will read this drivel, buy another heavy, shitty Japanese bike and throw thousands at it trying to make it better. Don't post irresponsible shit and you won't get the dog-pile. There's a reason why well over 50% of the bikes at any off-road event, organized or casual, are orange.
I hate that ggamster, the OP, has apparently quit posting in the thread he started for his 2 bike comparison, possibly because of you kids fighting about whether KTMs are the best thing since sliced bread, or unreliable junk. Please leave that argument out of this thread, and let ggamster continue to comment on the CRFL and WRR.
So.. all the bickering aside.. I have a question. First a little background. Right now I own a DL650, DR650, and a KTM 450 EXC. I take the DL on long rides and use it like a pickup truck around town. Most of the time it sees street duty but I do get some of the occasional forest service and dirt road miles on it. I take my DR on long DS rides. It is nicely setup for me. I took it this year on a 1900 mile trip on the TaT from TN to Mississippi Hill Country and back. Enjoy riding the bike - loaded and unloaded. Picked up my KTM 450 EXC on a trade for a VFR750 that was going to land me in jail some day.... just could not keep that thing under the speed limit. Had to do a little work on the KTM and it was a bit frustrating at first, mainly because I have not owned one before, but I really like how they build the bike and how you can pretty much use one wrench to take it apart. Right now I would take my KTM out on DS rides where we are usually camping in one spot and exploring the area. I would trailer it to the spot since the maintenance intervals are short and I don't want to waste the hours on the highway getting to where we are riding. That and I don't think I can use it like a pack mule in the same manner that I use the DR on the long DS rides. Been thinking about doing an easy enduro on it but the last time I did one of those was over 30 years ago so I am still thinking about it. Now to the question... I have found that with three bikes I just do not get around to riding them all enough and usually one sits for long periods of time which usually means I end up performing some additional work on one or another at times. So I have been thinking about picking up the WRR and selling the DR and KTM. I do not consider myself a hard core aggressive rider but I have been known to roost a few people. I am 6' tall and weigh 250. Do you think that the WRR will be enough bike to haul my big but down the highway like my DR650 does when I am riding to a weekend DS ride? Personally I struggle with the whole trailer the bike thing.. I mean I bought them to ride right. Thoughts?
You have a nice range of bikes there. I have owned 2 of them (Suzukis) 3 bikes will always be better focused than 2, which of course beats 1. Given the fine stable you have seems a shame to sell any of them. I just sold my DR650 and bought the WR250R in mid June. I am 5'11, 225 lbs, and the WR250R moves along just fine. I have not yet loaded it up with camping gear, nor have I ridden at sustained highways speed, the most I have done is ~ 70 mph (indicated) for ~ 45 minutes, and it did fine for what it is (not as good as the DR or DL). Certainly it is down on power compared to the DR, but it has enough for me, and it sure is lighter. I am expecting it will be much better off-road, though I haven't done any yet, just getting protection sorted out. I have time off in Sept and I plan to play more then. Good luck with your decision.
