Yamaha WR250R Mega Thread

[Sock Monkey]

Originally Posted by bpg

I put together a very cheap and comfortable seat mod that lets you have plenty of clearance on the trails (it pops right off), and be happy as a Goldwing rider on the road: Sweet Cheeks seat widener, with an inexpensive gel pad on top:

+1

I use a very similar setup: sweet cheeks + my AirHawk from my Ducati.

Totally customize-able, easily removable, and gives me 4 liters of potable water for drinking, cooking, etc. Since I already had the AirHawk, it was $30 for the sweet cheeks and I was done.

-SM

[SR1]

I know I was asking for suggestions just earlier this week on a topic, but now I gotta butt in with my opinions on this GL thing. I can't wait to see some of you Great Basin guys on the trail...as long as I don't actually have to ride with you. ;)

The bigger your luggage the more shit you'll carry. The Coyote's ample. Really. I was shopping for it last year and asked here, and have used my Coyote on several remote trips in the US and Cambodia, and it's always big enough.

[Mr. Fisherman]

Originally Posted by SR1

I know I was asking for suggestions just earlier this week on a topic, but now I gotta butt in with my opinions on this GL thing. I can't wait to see some of you Great Basin guys on the trail...as long as I don't actually have to ride with you. ;)

The bigger your luggage the more shit you'll carry. The Coyote's ample. Really. I was shopping for it last year and asked here, and have used my Coyote on several remote trips in the US and Cambodia, and it's always big enough.

+1... I sold my Great Basin and bought a Coyote for my WR250... like it a lot

[bpg]

Originally Posted by SR1

I know I was asking for suggestions just earlier this week on a topic, but now I gotta butt in with my opinions on this GL thing. I can't wait to see some of you Great Basin guys on the trail...as long as I don't actually have to ride with you. ;)

The bigger your luggage the more shit you'll carry. The Coyote's ample. Really. I was shopping for it last year and asked here, and have used my Coyote on several remote trips in the US and Cambodia, and it's always big enough.

Also, one must consider how a trip is structured when examining luggage. For instance, my "hillbilly set-up" is typically used to ride paved/gravel roads to get to camp, immediately peeled off, and for the remainder of the time the bike is beautifully nekkid as we ride loops that return to camp every evening. IE, on most my adventures I just need to get the crap to one spot, and then ride trail routes in stripped mode until it's departure day.

Obviously, very different for the TAT, CDT, etc where you will be actually bouncing all your gear along on a "trail" for the entire trip, without the chance to ride in stripped mode...

[SR1]

I do that on my GS, not on the WR.

For whatever reason, I can't quite imagine that a lot of WR owners do that. I could be wrong. It seems that most of the WR trips are point-to-point backroads tours. I'll do that on the GS since the weight doesn't affect the bike that much even if I have the kitchen sink. (but since I strafe twisties with it, the bags get in the way).

Personally, I haven't found that the loaded Coyote adds enough weight in weird places that it is appreciably different than being stripped down. Lots of jumps in my last Cambodia trip and I didn't even remember it was there.

[GsVs]

Hey ...

What size of sweet cheeks are you guys using ??

Thanks ..

Originally Posted by Sock Monkey

+1

I use a very similar setup: sweet cheeks + my AirHawk from my Ducati.

Totally customize-able, easily removable, and gives me 4 liters of potable water for drinking, cooking, etc. Since I already had the AirHawk, it was $30 for the sweet cheeks and I was done.

-SM

[bpg]

Originally Posted by SR1

I do that on my GS, not on the WR.

For whatever reason, I can't quite imagine that a lot of WR owners do that. I could be wrong. It seems that most of the WR trips are point-to-point backroads tours. I'll do that on the GS since the weight doesn't affect the bike that much even if I have the kitchen sink. (but since I strafe twisties with it, the bags get in the way).

Personally, I haven't found that the loaded Coyote adds enough weight in weird places that it is appreciably different than being stripped down. Lots of jumps in my last Cambodia trip and I didn't even remember it was there.

(shrug) well, I do that - as do most my riding buds, so....

Different strokes for different folks is all, no biggie! I just happen to be located anywhere from an hour to 5 hours from some very good riding (Appalachian/Smoky Mtns). We usually meet up @ a campground / cabin on a Friday evening, drop all the gear, and ride great trails all weekend. Strap the gear on Sunday and head back.

Once unloaded, the trails we like to ride would be almost non-navigable by a GS, even less so by my Blackbird, lol... I wouldn't want to run said trails with ANY rear luggage (not even a tail bag)...

I agree, IF just riding back roads I would take the street bike. Gravel roads are pretty boring on the WRR (to me), and a waste of its talent. Rather be strafing paved twisties on it or chugging on some god-forsaken single track up a mountain side.

With all that said, I agree that the Coyote bag looks like an ideal set-up, for my needs and for resisting the temptation to throw unnecessary junk into the the luggage. Just a matter of $$.

[bpg]

Originally Posted by GsVs

Hey ...

What size of sweet cheeks are you guys using ??

Thanks ..

mine is the 6" model

[Sock Monkey]

Originally Posted by GsVs

Hey ...

What size of sweet cheeks are you guys using ??

Thanks ..

I'm using a 7" w/ full bottles.

-SM

[skierd]

Part of what I like about the wolfman enduro setup is I can leave my heavy things like tent, sleeping bag, and clothes in camp while still having room for lunch, extra gas, tubes, patch kits, and the necessary tools on the bike unobtrusively without having yet more bags or relying on a backpack (my camelbak is enough).

[skierd]

Woah that was quick! Lookie what arrived last night!





Way to go SportBike Track Gear! Ordered wednesday night/early am thursday, here friday morning! Can't wait to get them mounted, maybe on sunday hopefully I'll have time. Or, horror of horrors, i'll let the dealer do it..

[Reposado1800]

Your old tire still looks good.

[skierd]

On the sides yes but its at the end ar bars in the middle. It looks better in pictures

[Jäger]

Originally Posted by SR1

I know I was asking for suggestions just earlier this week on a topic, but now I gotta butt in with my opinions on this GL thing. I can't wait to see some of you Great Basin guys on the trail...as long as I don't actually have to ride with you. ;)

The bigger your luggage the more shit you'll carry. The Coyote's ample. Really. I was shopping for it last year and asked here, and have used my Coyote on several remote trips in the US and Cambodia, and it's always big enough.

If your sole obsession is getting from Point A to Point B, you won't have to worry about having to ride with a lot of us.

When you can shoehorn a set of wading boots, waders, a net, and a flyfishing vest in your Coyote, and still have room for all your other stuff, let me know, because I want to watch you do it. If you want to suggest ditching the boots and waders and just sloshing into the river in your tennies, then I'd like to watch your demonstration in the water around here. I'm even wondering how I could manage to stuff a float tube on my bike for some of the remote lakes up here. I haven't even come up with an idea on how to solve that one yet.

The bottom line is different strokes for different folks. If it's all about the ride, then sure, it's easy to go uber minimal.





Spare gas, a fly (if you're feeling like splurging), a bivvy bag, a stove, some food, and maybe a few articles of clothing. Travel light, freeze at night and all that Airborne philosophy. Can actually work just fine, and as you can see I do it at times as well.

But when the ride is part of the total package - like riding and flyfishing some of the finest remote westslope cutthroat streams in the world, a hundred miles from the nearest slab, then things change. It also changes when it is not impossible to get snowed in up high in August - not likely, but a possibility. You might want to plan for that as well. And then there's the guys who really are into photography or something similar and are carrying lenses, tripods, or whatever it is they're interested in. I also carry a spotting scope because I kind of like sitting and watching a family of grizzlies digging up pikas up on an avalanche slope for an hour or two.

I have a Coyote and have been using it in conjunction with a North Face Camp Duffel. It is pretty good, but I'm not quite where I want to be yet.

Bottom line is I decided on the Coyote because I had a feeling the Great Basin was simply too oversize for the WRR. Now I'm thinking perhaps I missed my guess by half. I would like to see a picture or two of a WRR with a Great Basin on it and loaded to the nuts, even if just stuffed with puffy pillows and sleeping bags to show it at full expansion.

Any Great Basin owners out there reading this?

[SR1]

Apparently broad brush strokes go both ways, Jager. If point A to B were my obsession, I'd fly. Simple as that. I doubt many, if any, of us are "just" into the getting from point A to B. I just don't like fighting my bike on the way.

Also, who said anything about fly fishing? Hell, what if someone's into deep sea diving, or is an astronaut. Now that guy has grounds to argue since the WR just isn't big enough to carry the deep sea diving equipment, or a rocket? Yes, you're entirely right, this Coyote is totally unsuitable, I can't fit my entire harpsichord in it. wtf.

The WR with a fully loaded Great Basin (full of something heavier than pillows) is going to be a cumbersome mess.


BPG, I know your AO, I grew up in Winston Salem and chose Chattanooga as my future home. I kinda know your riding area a bit. ;) What I meant was, I seem to do the wide circle routes on the GS and so far all my DS riding seems to be linear, rarely coming back to the same place. I kinda like the freedom of not having to "go back to the origin" on the same day when riding a DS. Certainly, a DS bike like the WR gives me a way more "vagabond" riding style, and the GS encourages sorties. That may change once I get into Chattanooga permanently, we'll see.


Considering my last paragraph, I'll stand by my words. I don't mean them to be hurtful to ya'll, but if I'm moving on every day and sleeping in a different spot, you can't blame me for not wanting to worry about another rider with an overloaded bike. I've actually BEEN that guy, and felt like a damned fool and way out of place. I try to keep it light now, it helps.