As for standing on the pegs, what is right handlebar height, there is no easy answer. In real hard-core off-road riding, standing on pegs still generally means hunching over uncomfortably but being better able to absorb bumps and control bike.


In "old man" off-roading, standing on the pegs means we can easily stand near vertically and stretch our aching back or relieve our aching butt! I fall into this category!

There's plenty of articles on it!

Nice bike! Good choice.

First mod for me is to add a pigtail charger cord to the battery so that you can keep it on a Battery Tender and keep the battery charged.

And some sort of tire pump system, either a small electric one that you can plug into the pig tail, or a small manual one. Maybe some tire slime for small punctures.

For handguards, look at Barkbusters. They have an aluminum spine that will protect your levers far better than plastic guards. More $$$ initially, but not in the long run.

Well, congrats on the new bike. That will be fun. Enjoy.

KBobAries congratulations on the new very capable dual sport bike.

For my wr250r the 1st thing a did is what bubbatime suggested, a battery Battery Charger and Maintainer set up.

The Yuasa YUA1201000 1 Amp Automatic Battery Charger and Maintainer works very well. I got motorcycles with batteries 7 and 8 years old and still going pluging it in every 2 to 3 weeks for a day when not riding.

Next I would look at at skid plate I used the Moose Racing Pro Skid Plate. Its a 6mm plastic and seems to do the job. Mainly for the Reduced vibration and noise compared to aluminium skid plate. Back in the 80s I put a rather large hole in the engine case on a dirt bike. So I rank skid plates very high in on an important list on offroad bikes. LOL

For tank bag I'm currently using Nelson Rigg trails end adventure motorcycle tank bag RG-1045. Is is small and is not made that well (durable) but it does stay out of my way. Something many tank bags for small dual sports don't do well.

For a windshield I fell in love with Madstad windshields after trying a bunch on my MT10. So this winter I ordered and installed a 20" one for the WR250R but have not used it enough to tell if I like it on the WR. It rains a lot here in the PNW is the reason I went big on the windshield.

https://madstad.com/products/yamaha-wr250r-2008

Good luck with the new ride.

quote:

Originally posted by KBobAries:
Brought home a 2020 WR250R Monday night....

congrats!

Hey congrats on the Yamaha! You made an excellent choice.

My first entry into the wonderful world of motorcycles was via a two stroke street legal Kawasaki dual sport. It was basically a dirt bike with lights and turn signals and it was amazing.

All motorcycles are fun but dual sports are about the most fun you can have on two wheels.

I cant imagine or understand them discontinuing this bike. Its the best dual sport in its price range.

I can only hope that they come out with a new 2023 model with some updates. There is a lot of demand for a 400cc light weight dual sport. Honda has one for $10,000... I'd like to see Yamaha compete in that segment.

Looking at pictures of the bike, I think it could use some fork tube gaiters. I don't know how often this actually occurs, but the tubes look vulnerable to getting hit and nicked by rocks or dirt/dust buildup on top of the lower tubes and damaging the seals.

I have a 15’ WR250R and it is a great bike for a lot of things. I use it for trips around town and I have ridden off road with it in N Michigan. It is a to heavy and a little underpowered for my old ass and the brakes are really weak. I have changed out the pads and put a stainless steel brake line on the front and now it’s decent. I will probably move to a KTM 350 EXC F in the future. I don’t have the strength to wrestle a 300lb bike through the woods and I only rode off road once or twice a year so my skills, which were marginal at best, are perpetually rusty. If I was only riding fire roads and two track it would be staying in the stable for awhile.

Xer0,

Thanks for the detailed reply and passing on your experiences.

quote:

Originally posted by Xer0:

#1 If you're going to road commute a lot... ...regardless of utility, looks are still important!

Commute will be to and from the areas I want to explore; closest is about 35 minutes & the longest perhaps just over an hour. Thinking about a windscreen just large enough to protect my phone/ipad and help some with the wind. Yup, looks matter!

#2 Handguards before bash/skid plate. Why? Because the handguards protect the clutch/brake levers from snapping off when you drop the bike on it's side (like in the driveway), which is far more likely than bashing a large rock... ...I've got a bash guards on my stuff, even though I'm too chicken to really traverse big rocky areas where the guard is actually useful...

Opinion on single vs dual point attachment? Another chicken here. If I ever see an area that I'd need a bash plate or high-center the bike I'll turn around and go back the way I came. Mostly thinking about random crap flying up.

#3 If you are just day/fun/work commute riding (not camping)... ...add a cheap tail rack like the Tusk (around $60 bucks ebay) and bolt on a cheap harbor freight Apache 16 or 18 inch plastic waterproof storage cases... ...Throw the backpack back on...

No bike camping. I'll truck or trailer the bike if I'm going to camp. Tail rack and case is a good idea. Somewhere in the garage I have a couple Pelican cases that have never been used and I don't mind drilling holes in the bottom of those.

#4 For cell phone, I use this on three of my bikes... ...it probably wont survive a 50mph off road crash, but then again, I don't do 50mph off road riding...

I like that mount. I don't do 50 either. I haven't even been in 3rd gear off road. I can have plenty of fun under 20mph.

As for tools. Tire patch kit and levers to get tire off (yes there are creative ways to break the tire bead with the kickstand and such, but like starting a fire, I'd rather carry a lighter than rub two sticks together). Extra front tube (because it's easier to simply swap a tube, then patch a tube on the side of the road/trail and the larger front tube will work in the back tire too for short term), mini electric air pump (because you can use a tiny bicycle pump to pump it back up, but it really sucks!), and the tool kit that should have come with the bike should be enough for tools. Throw in a Leatherman for everything else.

Thanks for the photos. Love the "old man" description. That's me as well. Anyone know if there's enough cable slack to put on a 2" riser?

Dan

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime: ...First mod for me is to add a pigtail charger cord to the battery...

...some sort of tire pump system, either a small electric one that you can plug into the pig tail, or a small manual one. Maybe some tire slime for small punctures.

Dealer already had a pigtail on before I looked at the bike. I have a VIAIR that I carry in my truck but it would take up a lot of room. Opinion on the CO2 cartridge kits?

quote:

Originally posted by phydough: For handguards, look at Barkbusters. They have an aluminum spine that will protect your levers far better than plastic guards. More $$$ initially, but not in the long run.

I like those. Opinion on single vs dual mounting point models?

quote:

Originally posted by KBobAries:
Xer0,

Thanks for the detailed reply and passing on your experiences.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Xer0:

#2 Handguards before bash/skid plate. Why? Because the handguards protect the clutch/brake levers from snapping off when you drop the bike on it's side (like in the driveway), which is far more likely than bashing a large rock... ...I've got a bash guards on my stuff, even though I'm too chicken to really traverse big rocky areas where the guard is actually useful...

Opinion on single vs dual point attachment? Another chicken here. If I ever see an area that I'd need a bash plate or high-center the bike I'll turn around and go back the way I came. Mostly thinking about random crap flying up.

Definitively get the double mounting point type. They are much stronger. Also there are some with the little plastic guards, and some with larger. I like larger because of the wind factor. They don't look as cool though..

As for an tire inflator, you don't need to drag around your big VIAIR. Just get something like this little Slime brand unit Slime 40061 Power Sport Tire Inflator. It is pretty tiny and works well. Comes with extra electrical attachments too. Since I only use with motorcycle, I modify electrical connectors with the kind already attached to your motorcycle. BTW: actual Slime inside the tube works VERY well to keep any little punctures from ruining your day of fun! Also serves as a marker marker to where the leak actually is if you actually need to repair.

Another FYI is that because of the crossbar on your stock handlebars, it really limits handlebar "stuff" mounting options (phones, gps, power, etc). Since you are thinking about adding a clamp riser anyways. You might want to instead replace the handlebar instead with a taller bend bar that doesn't need a cross brace like this (just an example of the type of rise on handlebar that I'm talking about) . Why? because the costs are about the same and a good aluminum bar is lighter and stronger than your stock one even with the cross brace.

Clamp riser is much easier to install though!

its hard to encapsulate decades of off road riding and breaking things into a short set of things to carry with you, but here goes on what I minimally try to have when alone offroad on a simple motorcycle (if support is available I adjust downward and if the bike is complex I may add some special tools/parts like plugs for a 2 stroke)...
1. You want a new tube AND a repair kit.
2. You need the tools to remove a wheel and tire irons. Luckily you can sometimes get them in the same combo tool.
3. You want an actual manually operated small pump. depending on your electrical system, co2 or anything else will go badly wrong. CO2 is small and carrying it is not that big a deal to save time, but you want a manual backup when you pinched the new tube you just put in. I have never broken a manual one and not had it work even after years of carrying it in my camelback.
4. You want zipties in qty and a few of the metal ones so that you can ziptie stuff that gets hot like an exhaust.
5. A very small pair of vice grips (this can be used to fashion workable cable actuators and pinch of broken fluid lines.
6. A tow rope of some kind in case some help is available, can be very nominal.
7. A chain masterlink and a couple of spare links.
8. Basic first aid stuff. If you are in an area where cellular is possible then some form of connection to use your phone off your bike battery so you can have extra battery life.
9. Some basic water (I always ride with a camelback, but if you don't then some amount of water and a snack).
10. GPS if you don't know the exact and explicit locations of where you are.
11. LED headlamp so you can still work in the dark when that tube change takes you way way more than you think in terms of time. (you are going to practice doing one right?)

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:


All motorcycles are fun but dual sports are about the most fun you can have on two wheels.

While my AT was a little too big for really tight trails, it was a lot of fun. I regret selling it.
The new owner did put it to good use at Baja.

quote:

Originally posted by Jelly: ...The Yuasa YUA1201000 1 Amp Automatic Battery Charger and Maintainer works very well. I got motorcycles with batteries 7 and 8 years old and still going pluging it in every 2 to 3 weeks for a day when not riding.

Will look into the Yuasa. 7 years is impressive. Arizona heat its brutal on batteries. Usually replaced every 2-3 years.

...Next I would look at at skid plate I used the Moose Racing Pro Skid Plate. Its a 6mm plastic and seems to do the job...

I like that. I've been reading about plastic/aluminum and think plastic will work. No plans to be anywhere an aluminum plate would be required.

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
I cant imagine or understand them discontinuing this bike. Its the best dual sport in its price range.

I can only hope that they come out with a new 2023 model with some updates. There is a lot of demand for a 400cc light weight dual sport. Honda has one for $10,000... I'd like to see Yamaha compete in that segment.

I wonder if they're following Honda and Kawasaki and bringing out a 300. One of several reasons I went with a 250 is that $10K price tag. That's a lot of cash for a hobby.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore: ...I think it could use some fork tube gaiters. I don't know how often this actually occurs, but the tubes look vulnerable to getting hit and nicked by rocks or dirt/dust buildup on top of the lower tubes and damaging the seals.

I'll look into those, thanks.