Most of us are not Ryan Dudek. This is an important point for us mortals to remember. Along the same lines, the Yamaha WR250R dual-sport bike is not a WR250F enduro.But just because most of us aren’t pro-level riders like our Off-Road Editor, and the WR250R isn’t a race-ready off-road bike like that other Yamaha of similar name, doesn’t mean we aren’t worthy of having serious fun in the dirt.In fact, we are totally worthy, and so is the bike.The 2011 WR250R retails for $6490. It is more street-oriented in its engine, suspension and gearing setup. In price and ability, the WR falls between the softer-edged, lower-tech Kawasaki KLX250F that lists for $5299 and the full-on, racebike-with-lights Husqvarna TE250 with an MSRP of $7599. We enjoyed the Yamaha in stock form but wondered what it might be like with some mods to spice up power delivery and make it better suited to dirtier work. So, Yamaha pretty much threw the GYTR catalog at our WR250R testbike. GYTR? Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing, a long and sizzlier way of saying “accessories.”
On our WR, there are piles of billet aluminum parts both functional and aesthetic (look for blue anodizing), plus a fancy TAG Metals T2 OS handlebar ($89.95; mandatory mounts $49.95), titanium footpegs ($229.95) and more.
The stock WR250R makes 28 horsepower and 17 foot-pounds of torque. With the 6mm overbore, EFI box and slip-on GYTR pipe, output beefs up to 33 hp and 22 ft.-lb. Gains are large across the rev range, but the midrange boost is fantastic.
But smart money starts with the Athena 290cc big-bore kit. That $959 kit consists of an 83mm piston (6mm over stock) with matching cylinder and gaskets. It does for power on this 250 what a Red Bull-marinated steak does for Cernicky: adds energy and beef.
To suit the larger lung, EFI is remapped with a kit-provided plug-in piggyback unit. The add-on box features two settings, one to suit the standard exhaust and one for the GYTR Competition accessory slip-on muffler ($459.95). About that exhaust: It is equipped with an approved spark arrestor but, says the catalog, is “For closed-course competition only. Valid racing credentials from a recognized sanctioning body must be presented at the time of purchase.” Is my expired NHRA Pro drag-racing license okay?
Other performance changes for off-roadiness? A big one was gearing, which changed from a 43-tooth rear sprocket to a 49 ($59.95), working with the same 13-tooth countershaft cog. Oh, tractor! Unfortunately, the speedo/odo pickup is in the transmission, so the mileage and speed are rendered inaccurate with gearing changes. Bummer if you are trying to track trail mileages on a rollchart, for example.
But definitely not a bummer for rock-bashing fun in the Sierras, where we initially rode the WR290R. The combination of bottom-end torque provided by the extra displacement and the short gearing made this bike a rock-crawler superb. It was virtually unstoppable and unstallable (okay, I might have stalled it once or twice, but it worked so hard not to quit). The ability to go slowly and keep motoring along also minimized the need for clutch work.
Dudek complained about the “soft” stock suspension and not-astronomical ground clearance of 11.8 inches, particularly when doing the jumpy stuff for the photos. But at my slower pace, I found the supple settings comfortable and appropriate. Ditto for the comfy 36.6-inch-high seat, which is softer and slightly lower than your average full-on dirtbike saddle.
Cycra handguards ($44.95), Dunlop D739 front and D756 rear knobbies ($205) are close to mandatory, each doing their part to keep the brake and clutch levers intact in their own special ways.
To purchase every accessory part applied to this bike would cost $2655.56, resulting in a $9145.56 motorcycle if you buy a WR250R new at MSRP. But if you settle on the handguards, tires and that 290cc kit, it pencils out to about $1210 and makes for a great transformation. It’s still not a racebike with those limited mods, or even with all of them, but a few choice alterations expand the WR250R’s dirtability without harming its streetability. As for my mortal-level off-road-riding skills, the WR is a great bike to keep me in practice.
