WR250R - Less May Really Be More.

Is the WR250R in RideADV spec the best sub-450cc adventure bike in the world? Nick Dole applies some art and science to Yamaha’s small-bore adventurer.

I remember when the WR250R came out in 2008. There was some advertising but not much hype and the model seemed in no-mans’ land. It was substantially less powerful and had a lower-spec everything than the WR250F, and no racer or ex-racer would want that. It was liquid-cooled with a tall seat height so it didn’t appeal to the farmers buying the TTR250. Was it a commuter? A single-cylinder 250cc trailbike with no windscreen as a commuter? No thanks.

I do remember Darren Thompson, Yamaha Motor Australia (YMA) head tech, discussing the new model with me, and he mentioned the manufacturer’s service intervals were 25,000km between oil changes(!) This had been knocked down to 10,000km for Australian release. YMA told Japan it was going to change the schedule, and Japan thought there was no need because 25,000km intervals was what the engine was designed for. YMA stuck with 10,000km oil changes and left valve adjustment at 25,000km.

A cutting remark

The WR250R was a Japanese domestic model that escaped into other markets. Unlike many trailbikes we now see from the Japanese Big Four that have a large content, or are entirely, assembled in Thailand, the WR250R is entirely built in Japan, so it was expensive at $10,499 when released in 2008 and stayed at that price until 2013.

In 2012 Yamaha-sponsored ride organiser RideADV was using 660 Ténérés as pre-run bikes. The nature of course pre-running is exploring trails and trying to join tracks on maps. The 660 was heavy when stuck on a hill and a handful when the track being followed suddenly wasn’t there. RideADV boss man Greg Yager saw the WR250R and requested two as pre-run bikes from YMA. A chainsaw (originally out of my shed) was mounted on the back of one and Greg reported that the bikes were actually very good, but the shock was so bad the chainsaw kept falling off.