wr450

[marks]

Hi

I have the opportunity to buy a road legal 06 wr450 . I am not a fast rider and like 'woods' type riding as opposed to open/fast stuff. I also want to use it for some gravel/dirt (adventure) road riding etc where the grunt could be useful. Also would be used for a bit of normal 100km/hr type road stuff - although I expect a sore bum will be the limiting factor here.

Will this thing break me into a 1000 pieces (I'm pushing 50) or can it be ridden gently in the tight stuff without constant wheelspin/wheelstanding etc

I really want a kdx200 (dirt) that morphs into a drz400 (gravel) and then morphs into an xt660 (road).....

appreciate some info from those more knowledgeable...

cheers

Mark

[Ktmboy]

Hi Mark,

Yeah, great bike for all of the above. Cruise along the open road easily, slide around a few gravelly corners or even toddle around on tight knarly trails.

Go for it!

[Reckless]

yep my good riding buddy has just bought an 07 Wr450. He removed the palstics and put a yzkit on it for resale and looks.
Its perfect for what you are discribing. Good for the cross country rides and family Woodhill days etc.

[cowpoos]

Hi

I have the opportunity to buy a road legal 06 wr450 . I am not a fast rider and like 'woods' type riding as opposed to open/fast stuff. I also want to use it for some gravel/dirt (adventure) road riding etc where the grunt could be useful. Also would be used for a bit of normal 100km/hr type road stuff - although I expect a sore bum will be the limiting factor here.

Will this thing break me into a 1000 pieces (I'm pushing 50) or can it be ridden gently in the tight stuff without constant wheelspin/wheelstanding etc

I really want a kdx200 (dirt) that morphs into a drz400 (gravel) and then morphs into an xt660 (road).....

appreciate some info from those more knowledgeable...

cheers

Mark

absaloutly wicked bike the wr450's!!! dave andersons in masterton have a absaloute minter over there!! and Marks a good bugger for deals...especially if you tell him you know cowpoos

[Coyote]

Are you going to be ok with replacing piston and rings every so often? They're not cheap.

[marks]

Are you going to be ok with replacing piston and rings every so often? They're not cheap.

I'm assuming I'll do 3000 ish km a year which would mean a top end overhaul every 12mths? which I'm not capable of doing so I'm guessing $600-$800 a shot at a bike shop?

Am I in the ball park?

[cowpoos]

I'm assuming I'll do 3000 ish km a year which would mean a top end overhaul every 12mths? which I'm not capable of doing so I'm guessing $600-$800 a shot at a bike shop?

Am I in the ball park?

you should get longer than that out of a WR450 between topends...have a search on the net...they arn't quite as highly tuned as yz450s...and you get 40-50 hours out of a topend on one of those if given oil changes regularly...and also your not revving the living snot out of it on a MX track all the time!

[merv]

I'm an old c... and a short arse and only have a WR250F but even the 250 more than meets your first two requirements, I just doubt its quite as easy on the highway as an XT660 - the seat does give me a sore arse on long straight roads. However if the 450 is even better than the 250 what no-one will be able to do is get the stupid grin off you face.

When I ride my bike on trail or on adventure rides I just marvel at how light, fast and easy to ride it is. Coming up behind DRZ400's on gravel roads and just zapping by them is fun. You just end up laughing in your helmet. The WR is by far the most stable gravel road blaster I have ridden - the combination of power and throttle response, engine braking and light weight and how it just tracks so straight is joyous. Remember I'm a Honda guy and I'm saying this about a Yamaha. Going by my GPS the tiny little speedo is remarkably accurate and it takes very little to get the 250 over 160km/hr on the GPS and 165 on the speedo. Mine is running the 14T front sprocket in place of the enduro spec 13T and I've felt no need to change it because I haven't done hard out nadgery trails on it.

[marks]

I'm an old c... and a short arse and only have a WR250F but even the 250 more than meets your first two requirements, I just doubt its quite as easy on the highway as an XT660 - the seat does give me a sore arse on long straight roads.

I'm more inclined to trailer even my current 660 to adventure rides as I find state highways boring boring boring...and occasionally terrifying... Plus my son has a dt 230 which is no highway bike (even if it is quicker than my 660).

thanks for the feedback guys

[marks]

I gather from Mervs commments that the wr's are significantly better than drz 400? .I liked the drz 400's that I've ridden but they felt a bit on the heavy side.

[merv]

I gather from Mervs commments that the wr's are significantly better than drz 400? .I liked the drz 400's that I've ridden but they felt a bit on the heavy side.

I'm just saying I love my WR because its light and fast and I think you'd find a DRZ is a pig in comparison but then that is why Suzuki made RMZ's but where's their road legal enduro versions?

One of my beefs with the DRZ400 is the gear ratios are too close which in my view is a typical Suzuki problem for guys like me that like trail and road you want a good spread from 1st to top (5th in this case).

[marks]

I'm just saying I love my WR because its light and fast and I think you'd find a DRZ is a pig in comparison but then that is why Suzuki made RMZ's but where's their road legal enduro versions?

One of my beefs with the DRZ400 is the gear ratios are too close which in my view is a typical Suzuki problem for guys like me that like trail and road you want a good spread from 1st to top (5th in this case).

Thanks Merv - I'd forgotten about the close ratios on the dr - that's a real killer

[sidecar bob]

Are you going to be ok with replacing piston and rings every so often? They're not cheap.

Dont be gay, its equivalent to every 8 trips from Wellington to Auckland in road hours. B.F.D

[Coyote]

Dont be gay, its equivalent to every 8 trips from Wellington to Auckland in road hours. B.F.D

Oh right, thought it'd be shorter than that. I want a WR now

Test rode one before. Great fun. Wheelies were too easy though and I could see myself pulling one as a cop shows up from nowhere

[merv]

Right all this talk about WR's and yeah I know I only have a 250, but today in Welly was such a sunny day that after having our weekly meeting with the boss I thought I'd bugger off home for the rest of the day. Firstly got the VFR out and took it over to VTNZ for its WOF so its all sweet to ride. Another reason why I borrowed Mrs merv's DR last Saturday coz the VFR wouldn't have been legal, the WOF ran out while I was laid up.

Then I thought I'd better fire the WR up coz I hadn't run it for a while. With all the dirt bikes I do the usual drill of just undoing the carb drain screw and letting a bit of fresh fuel flush through then do it up and hit the starter button and sure enough it started no sweat. Sprayed a bit of lube on the chain, went and filled it with gas and then blatted over Paekak Hill and back. Yeah, yeah I didn't go dirt riding but hey that was fun enough.

A nice way to waste the rest of the day just fiddling with the bikes.