More ADV Bike Discussion - Big v. Small

[KTMrad 512]

Chris, I really enjoyed your trip report when you flew to Colorado to get the KTM 620 Adventure.......you seemed to be into that ride, and I thought....YES, another Adventure Bike for the crowd.

Crawdaddy's Colorado to San Diego write-up on his new to him KTM620.....

I'm curious (your sudden change from ADVbike to little bike), after reading this report and seeing your enthusiasm about this ride, would you attempt a similar ride on your little WR250 ??

Doesn't seem like this type of ride would be fun on a 250.

[TrophyHunter 15]

With Chris' bike having the ability to go ........................... I think I know what the answer is.

Fact is, I'd do it on my cool DS/ADV/Sand Bike

No way I'd hit the posted top speed but I'd enjoy myself nontheless. As I've stated before, we're all spoiled here (me included) and many have ridden more miles on lesser machines.

I need to get the oil injection system checked (while running pre-mix) and ride this thing! I think a Giant Loop bag and a gas can & I'm off!

[Strega 0]

...would you attempt a similar ride on your little WR250 ??

I'm gonna guarantee a BIG yes on this one. No doubt he'd do it on the 250.

[blind_in_1_ear 0]

ANYWHERE: at, in, or to any place or point

...and based on his current mindset, i'd say YUP, he'd do it!!

[KTMrad 512]

I'm gonna guarantee a BIG yes on this one. No doubt he'd do it on the 250.

Waiting for Chris's response.........I guess it's easy to say YES, but will those long stretches actually be fun on a 250.

[kellymac530 0]

i am SURE chris would do that ride on the wrr...and i respect him for that....to me the 620adv is not neccesarily a better adv bike than the wrr in any way other than top speed and overall power...i have never thought that the earlier generation Lc4 motors were very smooth running, at least neither of mine were...the newer gen 660/690 are way smoother with the counter balancer change...

i think the wrr is a smoother running motor than the Lc4...no offense streeegs...

in his ride report tho he clearly complains about the pavement sections...and yes, while personally i prefer dirt...a big adv big, i.e. bmw gsa, Vstrom, ktm adv would definately be more smooth and ultimately more comfortable on the pavement sections... imho

right now, that is what i personally am looking for...but that is another thread...

crawdaddy...cant wait to see your ride report of tha ride on your wrr

btw randy, this thread sounds a little passive aggresive...be careful or everyone will stop being angry at me and get mad at you...for a change

[KTMrad 512]

So Chris, what's the WR250 weigh ? Does it feel heavy for it's size ?

Would it make a good bike gnarly, difficult trails ?

[Crawdaddy 96]

So Chris, what's the WR250 weigh ? Does it feel heavy for it's size ?

Would it make a good bike gnarly, difficult trails ?

I think it weighs about 298lbs wet or ~285 dry.......feels like a pig next to my 520 when rolling both bikes around in the garage.......but the weight is carried low, it has a short wheel base, and when you're out on the trail you're wringing its neck at 3/4 or wide open throttle which makes it "feel" lighter because you have to ride it like a 2-smoker and stay on the throttle to make up for the lack of power.....as stated before, I've come to realize that I can have just as much, if not more, fun riding a slow bike fast than riding a fast bike slow......

Regarding terrain, there are better bikes for the knarly stuff.......like a 300XCW!!!.......but I've ridden plenty of knarly stuff on the WR250R in Big Bear/Bass Lake/etc......haven't you been paying attention???......it can go ______

[bikeslut 1]

anywhere?

[kellymac530 0]

quote:WR250R will hum along at ~70mph on pavement all day without straining (even with the lower gearing I put on it) and I don't have a need to go any faster than ~60-70mph (most of the time - HA!)

end quote:

says the guy who's gps said 92ish on that first days ride on his new to him 620adv

[Crawdaddy 96]

quote:WR250R will hum along at ~70mph on pavement all day without straining (even with the lower gearing I put on it) and I don't have a need to go any faster than ~60-70mph (most of the time - HA!)

end quote:

says the guy who's gps said 92ish on that first days ride on his new to him 620adv

Wait a minute.....I also typed, "most of the time"

That 92mph stretch was on a DIRT road after Gunnison......no radar, stop lights, cars......heaven......

[kellymac530 0]

is that whats wrong with me? my "most of the time" on pavement is over 80 and at times over 90, even clipping the century mark occasionally...

i just CANT ride smooth flat stuff slow...i cant believe i havent been arrested and my bike impounded...YET...heck i wish my ktm had 7th gear sometimes...do they make a kit for that?

[Jim 0]

This past weekend at Mammoth, Slowdown and I were headed back to town on CA 395. I was leading on the girl bike going about 60 (speed limit was 65) and Ron got on the radio said we were holding up traffic......I radioed back saying I couldn't go any faster! I was WOT at 60mph at 8000 ft, but in the little bikes defense, I was going up a steep hill. Needless to say, this was the only time I've ever not been able to get more speed (at least do to bike ability, not rider ability) out of the girl bike. Does better at sea level. Otherwise I topped out about 72 on the flat roads.

Not bad, as I really don't need to be going that much faster on the road. As Chris said, you ride it like a two stroker, and have fun with it!

[Crawdaddy 96]

This past weekend at Mammoth, Slowdown and I were headed back to town on CA 395. I was leading on the girl bike going about 60 (speed limit was 65) and Ron got on the radio said we were holding up traffic......I radioed back saying I couldn't go any faster! I was WOT at 60mph at 8000 ft, but in the little bikes defense, I was going up a steep hill. Needless to say, this was the only time I've ever not been able to get more speed (at least do to bike ability, not rider ability) out of the girl bike. Does better at sea level. Otherwise I topped out about 72 on the flat roads.

Not bad, as I really don't need to be going that much faster on the road. As Chris said, you ride it like a two stroker, and have fun with it!

Jim - Lose the stock gearing......6th is pretty lame on FLAT/SEA Level roads with the stock gearing......spend $15 on a 12T up front and drop it to 5th or even 4th if necessary........the street bike engine can take the high revs.......I was at 77mph (GPS) when we rode up to the Convict Lake turn-off.....went down to 4th then up to 5th........don't be afraid to bang the throttle

[kellymac530 0]

i wonder if they gear all of these street legal bikes so high because of the db levels test...they have to be at X db at X speed..so if they gear them way up they are lower in the rpms and thus quieter for the test...or maybe it is also part of the smog crap like jetting the ktm SOOOO lean..again lower rpm at the preset speeds=lower emmisions....

not sure why but they sure jet and gear them way off.

crawdaddy...did you have to remap the FI on your yami...i know on most bikes that are fi you need to do that since they still have to be lean to pass smog...

[Crawdaddy 96]

crawdaddy...did you have to remap the FI on your yami...i know on most bikes that are fi you need to do that since they still have to be lean to pass smog...

Yes, an FMF programmer......removed all the smog crap, stock can, added programmer, removed flapper valve in airbox, etc., etc.......

Similar to what you'll see here:

http://www.wrrdualsport.com/tech-guide/air-intake/68-flapperrem

and here (though my airbox mods were not as extensive)

http://www.wrrdualsport.com/tech-guide/air-intake/77-airboxmod

http://www.wrrdualsport.com/tech-guide/dynotesting (I used slightly different FMF settings)

I put way more cash into this little/girl bike than I should have.......in hindsight, best bet might be to leave it fairly stock (and quiet) and just change the gearing......the things to focus on are skid plate, bark busters, handlebar.......ergo stuff/protection stuff.......then wiring harness powering all accessories.......and figure out gas option (bigger tank or carry rotopax and/or bottles)

[Crawdaddy 96]

New trip report was just started by BigDog.........27 days...........5300 miles.........on two WR250Rs.......I'd say that duration/distance qualifies as an "Adventure Ride/Bike"

Mexico to Canada and beyond........the ride goes thru the states of Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, Washington and Oregon......

Trip report is just getting started.......subscribe here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=612543

[RogerTOWM 0]

Ah everyone on Adventure Rider knows that bigdog is just a wimp. He is just too scared to ride a big bike anywhere. That’s why he plays with the little bike.

[kellymac530 0]

the little "girls" bike.....

couldnt resist

[Jim 0]

I believe the correct terminology is "girl bike"!

As in it is a girl, not it's riders. At least I hope it's that way

the little "girls" bike.....

couldnt resist

[kellymac530 0]

my daughter...a girl...rides one

i may end up having to ride my daughters bike, since i might have to sell my 530...crawdaddy....when i ride her wr250, do i gotta wear her pink helmet, or a tutu or something....

ps. you know im just harassin ya right.... they are truly great bikes

[bikeslut 1]

I believe the correct terminology is "girl bike"!

As in it is a girl, not it's riders. At least I hope it's that way

the little "girls" bike.....

couldnt resist

no... it is about the rider

but it is a "joke"... good natured ribbing; at least with me it is. Kelly teases me for riding a 250F, as his daughter rides one too. But I LOVE mine... in fact; a new one is high on my list of bikes to buy next...

nobody who knows Crawdaddy would belittle HIS choice of bike seriously... the guy has ridden every fire-breathing beast you could think of.... KTM950, the 620 adv, a street legal YZF... he is long past proving anything to anyone. If he enjoys the ride, who could REALLY care what he rides. It works for him... if somebody else doesn't like him riding a Wr250R, don't ride it... ride your Xectr1000 to the tip of Baja and back, and thump your chest all over the innerwebs... or just ride your freaking bike.

but it's not going to stop me from giving him a hard time... and when I can't keep up with him on his little girl's bike, he will tease me right back for not being man enough to ride a DRZ400 to it's potential

[Jim 0]

When I first started looking at getting back into the sport a year ago, I was at MotoWorld and Jonathan Murphy said something about the WR250R. Didn't even consider it and went straight to "what I knew about", the XR650 and the KTMs. The more I read and looked into them, I was sold on the KTMs, only because Big Red hadn't updated the XR in a generation it seemed. Then one knight I stumbled across a WR250R thread on ADV, and saw this dude Crawdaddy interested in the bike. (Only knew him from an unrelated ADV post a year earlier when I lived in DC) The more I read his postings, the more I thought about it his logic and how solid it was, and eventually decided on the WRR for all of the reasons he has espoused.

One way I justified in my head getting it was that having not ridden a dirt bike since I was a teenager, I wanted to "start small", and then when my capabilities exceeded those of the bike, I would move up to the "man bike", KTM. Well, as most of you that have ridden with me know, the bike still has more capability than I do! I rode Chris' KTM, and it was some sweetness, but for what I use the bike for, the WRR is still the best fit. As Chris always says, the bike can essentially go "____________"!

Believe me, I make fun of it more than any other! During the Big Bear Run, I was eating lunch as saw one parked outside. There was only one table of bikers there, so I went up to the table and said "So, who rides the girl bike?", thinking that one of the bigger, older (like me) guys would answer. Well, the little 5'6", barely 16 year old, kid with them says its his. I felt like an ass, but said I rode one too. I've just gotten so used to calling it "The Girl Bike" from all you guys, that it has become second nature to me, and I don't even think about it anymore. Oh well....know your audience.

[Crawdaddy 96]

ADV riding is no longer the exclusive domain of oversized/overloaded pig bikes......long distance riding CAN now be done comfortably on a.......girl bike

Another ADV rider just finished up his report........10K miles in 5 Weeks........"TAT and Back.....from Maryland"........the WR250R is becoming a very popular "ADV" bike.......this guy had no issues in 10K miles......reliability of a road bike in a dirt bike frame......and it'll take you ________!!!

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=600760

[kellymac530 0]

i love a good ribbing

i know i cant out ride my daughters bike...and i actually have a girls name...so i guess we are even