I'm gonna buy a smaller bike to go with my s10, wondering why most are going with the wr 250 and not the 450. Seems to me the 450 would be more versatile ,especially with a street kit , I have not ridden the 250 but seems it would be under powered and leave me wanting more, just seems the 250 is super popular.
Why not the 450?
- Thread starter ridefire
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Stray Goose
New Member
It is.
Take a look at the Suzuki DR650. An old school bike, but very capable and dependable.
Take a look at the Suzuki DR650. An old school bike, but very capable and dependable.
squarebore
Well-Known Member
Wr450 is an awesome bike. I have a yz450 and it could only be improved with an electric leg. Very popular bike in oz as they are registrable and make up a large percentage of bikes at trail rides. I will be getting rid of the yz for a WR very soon. The 250 is fun to ride but the 450 just does everything easier and should last longer as it doesn't have to work as hard.
It's really quite simple, the 450 is not available as a street legal model.
The 250 may not have the grunt of the 450 but I am finding it is not to be poo poo'd as not capable. It is also not to be viewed as a bike that can't do miles upon miles. Yamaha wouldn't have given (sold for very cheap) a five year no mileage warranty for it and there wouldn't be many, many posts of 250s with some serious miles and long distance trips.
Yes, I would have bought the 450 had it been available as a street legal bike. It is not and there is a reason for that here in the US. It involves the actuarials, the expectations of the populous here, and the fact that the current WR450 would not, in the Yamaha business model for N. America, be successful. And, yes, I am fully aware that the WR450 is available elsewhere as a street legal model. What kind of warranty does it come with......
The 250 may not have the grunt of the 450 but I am finding it is not to be poo poo'd as not capable. It is also not to be viewed as a bike that can't do miles upon miles. Yamaha wouldn't have given (sold for very cheap) a five year no mileage warranty for it and there wouldn't be many, many posts of 250s with some serious miles and long distance trips.
Yes, I would have bought the 450 had it been available as a street legal bike. It is not and there is a reason for that here in the US. It involves the actuarials, the expectations of the populous here, and the fact that the current WR450 would not, in the Yamaha business model for N. America, be successful. And, yes, I am fully aware that the WR450 is available elsewhere as a street legal model. What kind of warranty does it come with......
MrTwisty
Member
Get a KTM 500 or 350 EXC and never look back (or an older 450 or 525 EXC). They are street legal and blow away everything else in the small DS class. The 6-speed transmission makes cruising at 70mph a breeze and when the terrain gets rough they can hang with anything.
Firefight911 said:
::026:: to all Phil wrote.
talonboy
Member
As Phil said, it is because the WR250 is street legal. For many, that is their only option. I have never ridden the WR250, but I think many dirt only bikes, transformed to street legal status would be better dirt bikes. I have done this transformation on a number of bikes, one was a 1998 WR400. It was a decent street bike, and a great dirt bike. A couple friends did their WR426 and WR450, very similar to my WR400. My next one was a CRF450R, fantastic dirt bike, just a horrible street bike. My current one is a XR650R, a pretty good street bike, a great gravel road bike, but a bit tall and heavy in the tight/rough stuff.
Dirt_Dad
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::026::Firefight911 said:
As a former owner of a KTM 520EXC, I'm cautiously endorse that suggestion strictly because you live in Utah. If you lived on the east coast I would say stay away. The 520 or 525 is an absolute fire breathing monster. Great for wide open spaces. Even fun in the tighter east coast stuff for an hour or two. But it is so fast that keeping it in control in the tight stuff will wear you out. Your body and brain are fried, but the bike still wants to charge. Fatigue and that level of power were a scary combination for me. One of my lessons in more power is not always better.
I can vouch for the "fire-breathing monster" description but that side only shows up towards half-throttle and above. By using a Rekluse and a taller gear, I can putt through and around obstacles using the abundant torque. That being said... if Yamaha were to offer US the WR 450 R/X, my KTM would be on CL tomorrow.Dirt_Dad said:
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Interesting, never thought about the changes that could be achieved with the setup you mentioned. I was a stock setup, and rarely had the discipline to spend much time under 1/2 throttle. Phenomenally powerful bike. Way more than I had the skills to use in my environment.BaldKnob said:
talonboy said:
Turning a dirt bike into a good dual sport takes a lot more than just changing the tires and we can use the WR250 as an example. As with the WR450, a number of people converted the original dirt-only WR250F bikes so they could get license plates in States where they could. (It sure wasn't where I live!) Yamaha had that option when they were going to come out with the dual sport 250 and did not.
The F model is peaky, doesn't have the rear frame for passengers or luggage, and takes a lot of maintenance.
The R (and street X) models are mud bester all-'rounders. They have an engine developed for the task from the nearly bullet-proof R1, a steel rear subframe, fuel injection, lights that are usable, 26,000 mile valves and other easier maintenance tasks, etc. Of course they also weigh a bit more.
^^^ Good advice. They are almost $10K but are excellent bikes: true dirt bikes that can legally run on the road. I have been thinking about getting one of these for about a year. I've had a WR250F and a KTM 300XCW, both were great bikes (neither was street legal) but the 300 was better than I was and just amazing how light and fast it was. I loved how the WR250 could find traction anywhere though but it needed a little more punch sometimes. The KTM 350 exc seems ideal but it'd be hard to not buy the 500 since it's only a few hundred bucks (and only a few pounds) more.MrTwisty said:
kmac
Kelly kmac
Some have expressed the longevity of the WR450 as a street based bike. I disagree. The WR450 would be every bit as reliable and longer service intervals than the KTM 450/520/525/530/350/500 ever will be.
I absolutely loved my 530 excr and still label it my favorite bike of all time as it was a TRUE dirt bike, even MXable with a plate. But if Yami ever offered GOOD 450 dual sport I would trade it for a KTM in a heart beat.
In many states turning a dirt bike into a street legal bike, even if the bike started as a green sticker bike, is not possible....legally anyway, not saying some people have figured out some loop hole, but I have known 1 person who had his plate revoked. Some say that is an urban myth, but I personally know of 1 case and have heard of others.
The issue is a 5 speed gear box on the WR450. It just leaves a bit to be desired for a dual sport.
The current WR450 with its fuel injected engine could easily be given settings to pass emissions which is likely the biggest hurdle at least here in Cali, but there are also ever increasing safety issues, kickstand cut-off switches, clutch cut off...yada yada...that may just make it out of practicality. I personally believe if Yamaha took the current WR450 and made some minor changes to make it meet all of the street requirements it WOULD sell as sell well. KTM has no serious competition here in the states, they own Husaberg and now a controlling interest in Husqvarna and Beta is just TOO low key and unsupported dealerships to make a real impact. The Suzuki DRZ has sold huge numbers even though it is FAR inferior in every way to the KTM on a performance level. Yamaha could dominate the high performance dual sport market with a 6 speed version of the current WR 450, even if it had a higher service rate than the WR250R/X has, many would be willing to ride it because it would still be less than the ever popular KTM.
I am not holding my breath though.
The street kit would be great if a person could legally do it.
After I shattered my arm on my 1 week old 2008 YZ450 thanksgiving '07 I did everything I could to try to get it plated. Red sticker VIN codes are even harder, read impossible, to plate. I LOVED that bike and would have lived happily with the close ratio 5 speed gear box on the street if I could have plated it. I even tried to get a guy in Nor Cal who insists he could do it, he changes the OE VIN to a home built number like the chopper guys use but NO success. Sold it and dropped the bigger money on the 530 EXCR...Loved it, but not as much as a plated Yami would have made me.
I absolutely loved my 530 excr and still label it my favorite bike of all time as it was a TRUE dirt bike, even MXable with a plate. But if Yami ever offered GOOD 450 dual sport I would trade it for a KTM in a heart beat.
In many states turning a dirt bike into a street legal bike, even if the bike started as a green sticker bike, is not possible....legally anyway, not saying some people have figured out some loop hole, but I have known 1 person who had his plate revoked. Some say that is an urban myth, but I personally know of 1 case and have heard of others.
The issue is a 5 speed gear box on the WR450. It just leaves a bit to be desired for a dual sport.
The current WR450 with its fuel injected engine could easily be given settings to pass emissions which is likely the biggest hurdle at least here in Cali, but there are also ever increasing safety issues, kickstand cut-off switches, clutch cut off...yada yada...that may just make it out of practicality. I personally believe if Yamaha took the current WR450 and made some minor changes to make it meet all of the street requirements it WOULD sell as sell well. KTM has no serious competition here in the states, they own Husaberg and now a controlling interest in Husqvarna and Beta is just TOO low key and unsupported dealerships to make a real impact. The Suzuki DRZ has sold huge numbers even though it is FAR inferior in every way to the KTM on a performance level. Yamaha could dominate the high performance dual sport market with a 6 speed version of the current WR 450, even if it had a higher service rate than the WR250R/X has, many would be willing to ride it because it would still be less than the ever popular KTM.
I am not holding my breath though.
The street kit would be great if a person could legally do it.
After I shattered my arm on my 1 week old 2008 YZ450 thanksgiving '07 I did everything I could to try to get it plated. Red sticker VIN codes are even harder, read impossible, to plate. I LOVED that bike and would have lived happily with the close ratio 5 speed gear box on the street if I could have plated it. I even tried to get a guy in Nor Cal who insists he could do it, he changes the OE VIN to a home built number like the chopper guys use but NO success. Sold it and dropped the bigger money on the 530 EXCR...Loved it, but not as much as a plated Yami would have made me.
Found a 2009 KTM 530 exc today , It is my neighbors bike , he is very meticulous with maintenance but rides his bikes a lot , the bike is super clean , it has 265 hrs with approx 4200 miles , he's asking $4000 , wondering if I should worry about the milage , wasn't thinking KTM until your tips on this thread . Does the deal seam reasonable ! or shall I stay focused on finding a WR450 or 250?
Combo
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A friend and I are looking at getting the Yamaha WR450 and plating them within a year from now. It's not that hard to do in Texas. We are at that stage that who ever buys first ;D
talonboy
Member
In my home state of Michigan is was super easy, and you would be completely legal. It just required installing the parts listed by the state as needed, take the bike to any police station for an inspection. Once the officer signs off the paper work, get proof of insurance and go to the DMV. Done.kmac said:
Now I live in Nevada, they would not accept my Michigan legal bike. I didn't have turn signals, they're not required in Michigan. I added them, then I had to get a dealer to sign paperwork saying the bike had all the required equipment. Get proof of insurance and off the DMV. Completely legal now.
kmac
Kelly kmac
Now move to Cali, if it has a 3 or a C in the 8th digit of the VIN....not getting a plate here even IF it was registered in another state. Not saying it is impossible, but the Cali DMV is pretty on top of it.
They have stepped up enforcement significantly. I have first hand knowledge of this happening. Once this is found out the bike is forever banned from any form of California registration. No green sticker, red sticker, or plates.
Sent from my Windows phone. Spelling errors free of charge.
Sent from my Windows phone. Spelling errors free of charge.
California leads the world in protecting it's people. (and critters) Folks sure are safe there.
Nuf said.......snakebitten said:
http://www.policestateusa.com/2013/routine-smog-checkpoints-impede-california-roads/