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Yamaha WR250X Reviewed!
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When asked what type of bike I wanted to test for the next review, I immediately jumped at the idea of a supermoto. After some quick phone calls by Cal and many text messages later, I was down at Alba Action Sports cruising the rows of bikes for a volunteer. While the new Honda 230M had just come out for 2009, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the other bike just along side it in the line up. The Yamaha WR250X. Right off the bat, this bike wins a beauty contest hands down. The boys and girls over in the Yamaha design studio really know how to work with sexy lines. Everything from the sharp fairings and retro R1 tail light to the aluminum frame and wavy rotors makes you want to touch it. Having not covered this bike when it was introduced last year made it a perfect candidate for the day’s ride. After a couple handshakes and a promise not to wreck it, I was on the saddle of a brand new motard and on my way to wildcat canyon.
Now riding a 250cc bike on the street has it’s limits, and this is not Yamaha’s supercross machine in street shoes so there is a bit of compromise when it comes to the bike’s power and acceleration. In comparison to the WR250F bike it’s derived from, it starts off with less compression than it’s dirt sibling. The WR250F uses a 12.5:1 ratio where the WR250X model is only 11.8:1. The bike’s 77.0 x 53.6mm bore and stroke remains the same and sports titanium intake valves, fuel injection, and a 6-speed transmission. The bike’s power band is linear and caps of at 10,000 rpm giving the bike fairly long legs for freeway use. Top speed is somewhere around 90mph and can cruise all day long at normal freeway speeds without sounding like it’s going to explode. The bike is quickly brought to a stop using a single caliper up front with a 298mm wavy rotor and sintered grip pads while the rear wheel is kept in check by a similar setup using a 230mm rotor made from forged aluminum. Suspension is definitely street stiff as it held my 180lbs easily and didn’t have a long travel feel you would get from a full dirt bike. The 250X has a 10.6” front and 10.4” rear suspension travel giving you a difference of nearly 2” from the WR250F. The bike’s suspension offers inverts up front and both ends are fully adjustable with rebound, compression, and preload. Fuel consumption is rated at 71 mpg on a 2-gallon tank. This gives you the fuel range of a liter bike and comes in handy if you live far from your favorite canyon road.
Once I had the helmet on and the bike up to temp, Cal and I headed out on the road and into the hills. For putting around at low speeds and navigating through stoplights, this bike is a breeze to ride and is pretty comfortable. You also get the great sensation of doing something wrong by being on a dirt bike on public roads, always fun. Once in the canyons I was given the chance to open it up a bit and see if it had some marbles. I soon found out the marbles may have been left back at the dealership. Making passes on slower traffic requires some timing and enough open oncoming road to complete the maneuver. The bike will pull you along pretty well in most conditions, but the second you are on an incline you are quickly reminded you are riding a 250. I found that carving down the open road required an almost athletic use of the bike’s shift lever to find that sweet spot in the power band. Choosing the wrong gear or slowing too much before a turn punishes you with a heavy bog on the motor and no drive out of the corner. Such is the nature of any smaller displacement motorcycle. This can either be an upset, or an educator for you on how to use corner speed and consistency. If I owned this bike, the first thing I would do is swap sprockets for a little more grunt down low. I think the bike would be a lot more fun and worth the sacrifice of that 90mph max speed if you dropped a tooth up front or went up a few in on the rear sprocket. On a plus note, the brakes offered a nice progressive feel and could stop the 300lb motard on a dime and give change. The suspension was decent, as I mentioned earlier, and I didn’t see a need to make adjustments. The forks soaked up every little bump and dip without upsetting the chassis one bit. My time on the bike was limited to a day ride so I put in a couple hours of canyon time, took some photos and brought her back in one piece. I would have loved to practice the fine art of “backing it in” to a couple corners, but I don’t think the friendly people at Alba would ever talk to me again if I scratched up any of their inventory. While I didn’t ride the wheels off the bike I was still able to row through the gears and stretch out her legs a bit on some of my favorite roads.
Every time I think about a supermoto I can’t help but think of the similarities to a factory produced “streetfighter”. They are both a compromise of performance for the simple means of riding modified form of a race bike or dirt bike. They both fall into funny categories. Does a track junky/racer really want to put Renthal bars on his race replica, strip it naked and change the power of the bike for more streetable midrange? Would a hardcore dirt or desert rider want to put street tires on his supercross bike and deal with restrictions of a public highway? Most likely the answer is no, but for a select group of riders both of these bikes fit a niche that nothing else can compare to. Rather than converting something you already own or changing your bike after a wreck, you get a turnkey product with a factory warranty and shiny paint. Now that starts to make the whole thing more appealing to me. This bike could be a lot of fun in the right hands, but would most likely be a bit lacking in the thrills department if you want something that can really rip. With an MSRP of $6,190 she’s not cheap, so I would test out some of the other models in the supermoto department before you make your choice. Quick tip, Suzuki’s 2008 model DRZ400SM lists at $6,199 and can still be found on the showroom floor of many dealerships in town. But if you are a die hard Yamaha fan and simply can’t go any other way, head down to Alba Action Sports and get up close and personal with Yamaha’s WR250X.
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