Anticipation...NEW WR250R!

[Lawn Dart]

The Farkle Box.  

In my garage it's the cardboard box that sits on the work bench gathering nuts, bolts, spare parts and a beer can or two as I wait.  Wait in anticipation for a new challenge.

The Farkle Box is getting pretty full this time.  There's a reason for this madness though:







The GS is a fine machine.  Strap some knobbies on it and it will take you places you've never thought possible.  Unfortunately, it demands a certain amount of respect.  550# of motorcycle don't take too kindly to larger rocks, heavy throttle hands and imprecise tire positioning.

[DangerMoney]

For off-road that 's why I switched from this




to this:

[Lawn Dart]

Those three pictures above represent a very expensive ride.  I managed to destroy not one, but BOTH rims on the bike.  Taco'ed, cracked the spine, air leaks, hub damage.  Yep, FUBAR.  Made it out ok in the end with the help of the GS Riders group I was with - good people them.  Very good people.  

See the GS on it's side?  My first official crash during a ride (defined as losing control) in 47,000 miles.  9" deep sand at 5 mph.    Yes, yes.  Pigs CAN indeed fly.  Kept in 2nd gear and at 25-30 mph the GS handles sandy loose stuff just fine.  Keep an open throttle, keep the eyes up, don't worry about ruts and just keep on keeping on.  

But it's not the perfect tool.  No, not by a long shot.  

I started looking around.  I wanted a dirt bike to learn...but I needed a dual-sport to go the places I wanted to go.  Death Valley, Joshua Tree, National Parks.  Here in Cali those places are Plate-Only.  None of this "red-Sticker Green Sticker" stuff.  It's either street legal, or it's not being ridden in the parks.

I am anal retentive by nature.  I don't like making avoidable mistakes.  When I buy something, I reason everything out.  Bike design, future intent, life span, etc.  The list goes on.  

I'm also a cheap bastard.  Proud of it too.  Gonna buy a new (*or used) bike and I'm gonna get it at the best price I possibly can.

And then I'm going to make sure the bike is protected appropriately so I can enjoy it for a long, long time.

Hence, the farkle box.



It's full of all sorts of goodness...waiting, patiently, for the day the new bike arrives.

[Lawn Dart]

DM, you are absolutely correct you know.  

But I just don't ride for Team Orange.    

[Lawn Dart]

The Farkle List (to Date):

1. Flatlands Racing Skidplate, Radiator Guard and tail rack.
2. HDB handguards w/ foldaway mirrors
3. Pivot Pegz - Wide Edition
4. Rotopax 1-gal w/ mount
5. Garmin Nuvi hardwired mc GPS mount
6. Powerlett Socket.  Cuz, well, yeah.  
7. USB 5-volt hardwired charger.  Cuz you need to recharge the IPhone on the road...

Already have usable tank panniers and a tailbag.  

I think next weekend:  Death Valley.  

[DNA]

That stuff is gonna look awesome on the Trip!

Can't wait to see the pics!

[Lawn Dart]

And then, there is this!  

[Rincewind]

Nice 250!  Good move - Congrats!  

[DogBoy]

Congratulations. Suggested new screenname: Yamaha-R!

[Lawn Dart]

Initial thoughts based on a 10 mile break-in ride.  

1. Suspension:  not bad at all on the street.  Fork dive seems very controlled.  Not dialed in at all so improvements will be very real.  

2. Seat Height:  Ok, I can get both tip-toes down at a stop.  No need to worry about seat height.  Heck, I spent 80,000 miles without ever being able to flatfoot a bike...it's not like this is all that different.

3. Power:  Not bad at all.  First gear runs out fast...Second and Third have a nice, broad range.  Bike won't top out in 4th, 5th or 6th.  Saw 87 indicated on the freeway - figure high 70's in real terms?  I wasn't passing anyone but I didn't feel like a target either.  Throttle is light and fueling is a bit snatchy on the bottom.  No cush drive I suppose.  

4. Handling:  all due respect to new, semi-knobbly tires, I didn't push it.  The bike is light and steering seems quick enough.  Very light bars - I can see the need for a steering damper for fast dirt riding.  

5. Gearbox:  very nice, very light.  Shifts very well and neutral is easy to find.

6. Ergo's and Seat:  honestly, the seat's not that bad for being such a narrow shelf.  I can see having a wider seat or a sheepskin for a long trip, but for anything within 100 miles I don't think there is any reason to modify it.  

7. Controls:  the footbrake is, what?  How small is it???  I promptly locked up the rear and slid out the back.  The rest of the levers and buttons work fine.  The front brake is very controllable for being a single disc.

8. Lighting:  The turnsignals are HUUUUUGGGGEEEE!!!!!  The headlight is quite decent.  The forkleg reflector mounts would work ok for some lightweight fog lights.  I'm really quite happy with initial headlight.  Definitely going to change out them turnsignals.

My current changes:
Footpegs:  the oem's are lousy.  Swapped them for PivotPegz right on the spot.  LOVE my pivotpegz!


Current mileage count:  38.  Next ride?  April 16...grrrrr...on the road for 4 weeks.  

[Cablebandit]

Sweet.  Congrats on the new ride.  I've been looking at the same bike to replace the Weestrom in my garage for the exact same reasons.  Too much work off pavement.  Can it travel forest service roads, sure it can. However, it's a lot of work and something 200 pounds lighter has got to be better right?

[Lawn Dart]

...and something 200 pounds lighter has got to be better right?

Exactly.  And picking up a big bike is hard!    I'd much rather pick up a 300# WR than a 600# GS!  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Exactly.  And picking up a big bike is hard!    I'd much rather pick up a 300# WR than a 600# GS!  

So which one are  you going to bring over this summer?  

[KLRchickie]

Welcome to the asylum!

Initial thoughts based on a 10 mile break-in ride.  

1. Suspension:  not bad at all on the street.  Fork dive seems very controlled.  Not dialed in at all so improvements will be very real.  

Replacing the stock oil with Öhlins 5 wt does wonders for the front suspension.  I would (and did ) do that before trying to get the settings dialed in.

3. Power:  Not bad at all.  First gear runs out fast...Second and Third have a nice, broad range.  Bike won't top out in 4th, 5th or 6th.  Saw 87 indicated on the freeway - figure high 70's in real terms?  I wasn't passing anyone but I didn't feel like a target either.  Throttle is light and fueling is a bit snatchy on the bottom.  No cush drive I suppose.  

Change the sprockets!  With lower gearing you can actually *use* those top gears, in all likelihood you'll increase your top speed.  Also, Yamaha tried to do a pseudo cush drive with rubber bits on the stock sprockets.  Snatchiness improves with regular sprockets & a properly adjusted chain.


Have you found the WR forum yet?  Quite the cult following for the little bike.  Have fun!

[kurtw]

Very cool!!! I'm looking forward to updates!  

[1moreroad]

IMS has the 3.1 gallon tank and is developing a 5 gallon tank.  You WILL need one of these.  The 5 gallon would give a 250 - 300 mile range depending on gearing, farkles, and how hard you're riding.

[KLRchickie]

IMS has the 3.1 gallon tank and is developing a 5 gallon tank.  You WILL need one of these.  The 5 gallon would give a 250 - 300 mile range depending on gearing, farkles, and how hard you're riding.

We should have a good review of a pair of 3.1's in about a week's time.

[R Doug]

Congrats on the new bike, I can't wait to see some ride reports with it.

Now, call Heather (Jimmy's wife) and sign up for the April class with me in Pahrumph, NV!


http://www.jimmylewisoffroad.com/


Let's learn how to ride our light weight toys.  

[1000lbs]

Nice choice  .  I keep looking at the WR's everytime I'm done replacing the bars on my DR after my most recent failure to stay vertical.  Let me know when you want to ride Joshua Tree NP, its my closest and first choice offroading area when riding from home.

[County Tar]

My butt hurts just looking at that seat...