I don't see much written or reported from travelers riding the Yamaha WR250R.
Is it that some parts of the world can't get hold of this machine? Too expensive?
Or what?

Has the whole of the HUBB community all gone Cheap Chinese bikes now?

Or is everyone too afraid to go anywhere?

Seems the folks "at the top" are still buying new BMW GS's and 1290 KTM's. But not all have $25K USD to spend on a bike ... then another $4K or so to make it road worthy. (not a joke!)

I'm shopping now for a WR250R and used ones are a bit pricey I guess. I'll keep at it, in the meantime I'd like to hear from other WR owners who have taken the bike out for some testing and torture.

How's it doing for 'ya all?

What I have seen on here has been very positive but with a UK price of £7,500 when an F700GS BMW is only £8,300 I am not surprised few if anyone from the UK is riding one.

The low weight is attractive, but even if the £7,549 price was more reasonable, the 7.5-litre fuel tank would eliminate it for me.

I'm not about to spend that much on a bike and then have to spend money getting it to a reasonable configuration.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Surprised to see such prices in UK for used WR250R. As far as fuel range and small standard fuel tank ... AKAIK, most every dual sport bike out there requires a larger tank, especially KTM/Husky. Every bike needs upgrades ... whether a Chinese 250cc or $25K BMW GS. Setting a bike up for travel takes time, money and new parts!

I've modified every bike I've ever owned ... as most here do.

But with 60 to 70 MPG, the WR250R goes far even with tiny standard 2.0 gal. tank. Many reports I've read (US/Canadian owners mostly) do well with stock tank, some returning 70 MPG. Others carry a Roto-pax tank or one gallon jug or bladder.

In any case, buying a larger fuel tank for the WR does not break the bank.
A couple hundred USD and you are there. Or ... you might even find a nice used one

IMS (USA company) make two tanks for the WR250R:
IMS 3.0 US gallon ($247)
IMS 4.7 US gallon ($383)

The IMS is the most popular upgrade but also Safari make a tank. Safari are good but expensive here in USA.
Safari 3.7 US gallon ($574)

In grand scheme, seems the WR250R needs fewer "upgrades" than most other bikes out there. Many retain stock seat (hard to believe but true), many also stay with stock suspension. (I would not) The hard core WR owners do everything as they are pushing the bike into Pro Enduro type conditions.

IMO, this is great for us mere mortals to learn from (or old guys )
Proves how good the bike actually is in tough conditions over time.

Elec. power output is fairly strong for a 250cc bike, so a good thing if powering heated gear/accessories.

Used WR's in USA are fairly high priced. From about $4000 up to $6000 for nice, low mile examples. They rarely drop below $3500 and tend to be well used. Good for long term, but means price of admission is high.
Worth it? I think so in this case ... as the bike is discontinued by Yamaha!

I have no experiences whatsoever with the WR but it should be a very well suited travel bike afaik. With some upgrades of course. Bigger gas tank, seat, windscreen, better footpegs, handlebars, hand protectors, bash plate, luggage etc etc.
But it is quite expensive for what it is, no doubt about that. The Honda Crf 250L which looks to be 30-40-50 % cheaper seem to be more popular and more available too although the WR has better specs.

Would have been nice to see a thorough write up about the WR from someone who have used it on a long overland trip - as Mollydog asks for...

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Well no worries, we've got a few guys here riding the WR, so perhaps they'll post up something? I only put this thread up yesterday, so plenty of time to allow folks to chime it here.

Here in USA the Honda CRF250L is less money, but no where near 30% to 50%. Maybe 15% to 20% most. Lots of great deals here on used ones and deeply discounted on new ones too.

The WR250's are not discounted much at all from dealers, but some sellers of used ones eventually come down on price and take lower offers ... eventually!

wr250r is discontinued by yamaha and IMO it was always overpriced so selling was not so good like e.g. crf250l.

Really? So why am I still riding my Morocco/Spain KTM 690 with the standard 11.7-litre tank? Over 25,000 km now.

Why did you made such a trolling post with your comments about Chinese bikes and suggesting people on HUBB are too afraid to go anywhere?

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

What year WR250R do you own (owned)? CRF250L?

Can you share a review of your experiences riding either bike here? Where did you buy yours?

As I already mentioned, Yamaha has priced their WR250R a bit higher than other Japanese 250's in the class. But "expensive" is a relative term, yes? Seems nearly ALL bikes are expensive now in 2017 ... especially the Euro gems.

At around $11K USD, the KTM and Husky 350's are the ones that are, IMO, truly expensive.

Heard rumors about WR being discontinued also. No news there. Whether or not it's for real remains to be seen.

Some say prices for used examples will go UP if discontinued, others claim prices will go down. I've no idea which way things will go.
What do you think?

Here in Brazil (and most Latin America countries) we have the XTZ 250 Lander and the XTZ 250 Ténéré. A few years ago we also had the XTZ 250 X, a factory made motard conversion based on the regular Lander
Their engine is basically the same engine (249cc air cooled and fuel injected) of the XT250 of the american market. Almost 21 hp on a 143 kg (154 kg on the Tenere) bike and 11 liters fuel tank make them a really interesting option IMHO.

I have owned 2015 crf250l for a year, and it was pretty beaten up when I sold it. Under powered, soft (susp), heavy and delicate bike. The only good thing it was cheap - no, actually for riding to church on Sunday morning it was not that bad at all.

wr250r I have only test ridden, before I got crf250l, a bit stiffer suspension but still for me not good enough. I liked crf engine.torque better, wr you had to rev it. In Europe the price difference was huge, like almost 3k dollars. For few more HP and a bit better susp not worthy. Did I mention yamaha ugly dash display? Also reliability of wr250r dropped, fuel pump and stator failures for instance.

All true and a good evaluation of the CRF250L!
It's true that neither CRF or WR has much power. Not ideal for any serious enduro riding (I prefer my old 2 strokes!)

Maybe in EU you can make road legal a Honda 450 CRF or WR450, convert to travel bike? Those bikes are cheap to buy used here in USA.

Correct, WR250's have had some issues but most owners have Zero problems based on the big ADV threads ... but the WR450's have been really good based on racer feed back ... even SuperMoto guys get a lot of life out of the 450 engine.

In USA it's now hard to make legal a 450 class bike if it was originally a race bike. The VIN gives it away and our DMV's block you registering it. So can be a dead end.

You can find road legal Husky or KTM in the 450 class, but new are over $10K USD and used ... tend to be quite used up. A good mechanic could rebuild an older KTM ... would be a great ADV bike, very good off road.

For me at this stage ( I don't need so much power ... but at times power is nice ... and the 450 is barely heavier than the 250! In deep sand I have struggled on a 250. Here the 450 just pulls through nicely. Big ups for that sort of use!

The advantages of the WR250R for me are: mostly very reliable, lighter than my DR650 by about 70 lbs. Great elec. output, good to load up with luggage. Tough. Gearing is highway friendly, can cruise beautifully at 65 to 70 MPH all day and it's easy to gear lower for off road. (change front sprocket) Lots I DO NOT know about the WR at this point ... hoping to learn more here on this thread.

You are correct ... (or so I've heard) that the WR250R needs revving to make power. I did not test the WR in serious off road so can only rely of comments of other WR riders who verify this shortcoming. With a loaded up bike for travel, this could be a Black Mark if in challenging, super steep uphill terrain. So not perfect ...

But I'm just not going to pay for a KTM or Husky. My travel bikes are EXPENDALE and will live a hard life ... then die. So better to sacrifice a relatively inexpensive USED bike than an expensive KTM or Husky.

I hear you, I am close to get new ktm 500 exc 2017 or Beta 480RR (both street legal) and yes they're damn expensive for throwing around in dirt But buying used dirt bike is kinda risky.

They're actually more expensive then my adventure bikes, weird...

exactly, I don't need tons of power either, but some practical minimum is necessary, especially when bike is heavy like crf250l. I have changed front and rear sprocket (13/42) to be able ride in sand at all but still bike was shaking and baking in deep s#$t. It's a shame there is no dual sport bike with proper power to weight ratio and we have to buy racing bikes. Actually the closest match would be DRZ400, only it's dated a bit.

WR250R.

Cons. : Cost (in UK)
Service Interval - 3000 mile for lube
Water Cooled.

Pros : Power
Light Weight
Powerful Generator

I have a TT250R

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