Considering selling my motorcycle...

[Greg]

... in order to upgrade, of course.

I would really love to have a Yamaha WR250R and it seems that slightly used bikes are becoming more & more available. Of course, my DR650 has been a great bike and I love what it's capable of. My biggest hangup with the DR650 is the forks... it's to the point that I'm debating swapping on a set of RMZ450 forks. I was out riding it awhile ago and was moving pretty quick, bounced thru a wash and bottomed out the bike so hard it killed it. That was a first! The other things are that it's a big, heavy bike and isn't the most capable thing when the trail gets tight & technical.

I would really love it if I could afford 2 bikes, but that's not going to happen. I might be tossing the DR650 up for sale pretty soon, just to see if I get any bites. The sad part is that the DR650 is perfectly built for Adventure riding and is highly modified and I'd be starting over with a WR250R. :-\

 

[UNSTUCK]

I'm still in the market....

 

[Goose]

Im a fan of the 250's just because they are a little more nimble on the technical trails & still have good power.
I think it just comes down to what you enjoy doing the most, & picking your bike to fit the task. (easier said than done)

 

[Greg]

I'm still in the market....

Are ya? Well then... what would you like to know?

I'll work on a list of all the mods... may be a day or 2 before I can get to it, but I'll list it here. But here's some basics...

The bike is a 2008 Suzuki DR650, it has just over 8,000 miles on it. Kelly Blue Book value on the bike is around $3,800-3,900. I would like to get $3,900 out of the bike and have a few extras I can throw in. The fuel tank is a 8 gallon Aqualine Safari tank and it's probably the most expensive aftermarket item. It retails for $550 and the added fuel capacity makes it well worth it. Another item worthy of mentioning is the windscreen... it's the best looking windscreen out there for the DR650 and it came from Australia. It works well, keeps my chest in clean air when scooting down the highway/freeway.

If you want the Wolfman saddle bags and mounts, I'd like an extra $250 for them. They are brand new and cost $450. I also have a set of Intiminators for the front forks, they are supposed to make the forks perform much better, but I haven't installed them. They cost $210 new, an extra $100 and they're yours.

I'll put 2 new tires on it for you, with new heavy duty tubes, so the only thing you have to worry about is keeping the gas tank full.

 

[Caleb]

Your bike is setup perfectly for those adventure rides, obviously I agree about something smaller and more nimble for the tight technical stuff. I've been thinking about getting something (probably next year) in addition to what I have that can handle pavement a bit better (something in the 600 range again) but still hand offroad on the fire roads, etc. I've been semi eyeing the XRs.

UNSTUCk, if you're seriously considering something like a DR, Greg's would be the one to grab. He's obviously got that bike setup perfect for those rides. Greg also knows how to take care of a bike, that's a big deal with these thumpers. Get his bike, load your bags, and go ride!

 

[Rot Box]

Greg, If your main complaint is the forks go out and unbolt them right now and send them to a reputable shop (I like Pro Action) for a re-valve and re-spring. There is nothing that can compare to suspension that is tuned for your weight and riding style and its my belief that suspension work should be the first modification made to any bike.

 

[Tacoma]

I'm also a firm believer in proper suspension tuning... but that's still a big bike.

I thought your 400 was about the perfect size for a trail bike, but I seem to remember something about it winding out a bit on the highway? Too bad they don't make something like a double-overdrive DRZ400.

Those extras you've got are pretty sweet. I think you'll get your asking price, all things considered.

 

[Greg]

Your bike is setup perfectly for those adventure rides, obviously I agree about something smaller and more nimble for the tight technical stuff. I've been thinking about getting something (probably next year) in addition to what I have that can handle pavement a bit better (something in the 600 range again) but still hand offroad on the fire roads, etc. I've been semi eyeing the XRs.

UNSTUCk, if you're seriously considering something like a DR, Greg's would be the one to grab. He's obviously got that bike setup perfect for those rides. Greg also knows how to take care of a bike, that's a big deal with these thumpers. Get his bike, load your bags, and go ride!

It really is and that makes it hard to part with. I have it built up to the point that it's great for how I love to ride and selling it would mean starting over. I'd bet there's over $2k in aftermarket parts on the DR650. The bike is built almost perfectly well. We will see how serious I get about selling it and upgrading.

The ideal solution would be 2 bikes, a big 650 thumper and a smaller, more nimble 250/450 sized bike for the tight trails. At this point, I just can't justify 2 bikes. Hell, I'd like to have 3 bikes... a WR250R, the DR650 and then a V-Strom 650 for mostly pavement touring. I think a V-Strom would be the perfect 'ride-to Alaska & back' bike.

Greg, If your main complaint is the forks go out and unbolt them right now and send them to a reputable shop (I like Pro Action) for a re-valve and re-spring. There is nothing that can compare to suspension that is tuned for your weight and riding style and its my belief that suspension work should be the first modification made to any bike.

I'm also a firm believer in proper suspension tuning... but that's still a big bike.

I thought your 400 was about the perfect size for a trail bike, but I seem to remember something about it winding out a bit on the highway? Too bad they don't make something like a double-overdrive DRZ400.

Those extras you've got are pretty sweet. I think you'll get your asking price, all things considered.

You know, the front forks are only part of it, while I do love the DR650 I would like to have a bike that's more of a high-performance machine. I do love the WR250R, but I am still checking out the Husky TE610.... 50+ HP and a 6 speed transmission sound great to me. :greg:

While I'm sure the full treatment from Pro-Action (or similar) would make a world of difference, they are still old-tech forks. The springs in the fforks have already been upgraded for the bikes & my weight, but it's still not ideal. I honestly think the RMZ fork swap would be more worthwhile and probably cost less... you gain compression & re-bound damping and the forks from later model RMZ's are 48MM Showa's... killer forks. It's a bolt-on affair for the RMZ forks. And it's not to say that the setup I have now is all that bad, its only when I'm riding the bike as if it's a smaller bike that I have trouble with the forks.

The DRZ is a great trail bike, but it has the shortest transmission ratio of any of the modern 400/450's. Mine was stock and it hated spending time over 60 MPH. My current DR650 will run 85 MPH down the freeway and feel right at home. Either the WR250 and TE610 have 6 speed transmissions with a deep 1st gear for technical trail riding, but a wide ratio transmission with a steep OD 6th gear.

If I end up keeping the DR650, there's a good chance I will be swapping on the RMZ forks and tossing in a high-compression piston, along with a performance camshaft. Those 2 things will get me around 45-46 HP and a bike that handles quite well.

 

[Greg]

Here's the list of mods...


- FMF pipe and Q2 muffler

- Dynojet kit with carb screws, extended fuel screw. Carb slide has been drilled, diaphragm spring shortened. Modded about as far as the carb can be. TwinAir air filter.

- Keintech choke conversion

- Rear Ebay 'BBQ' Rack, chain rollers, Acerbis handguards, UFO fender, Utah Sport cycles alum. skid plate

- Eibach .50 front springs and rear springs, Superbrace fork brace, Seal Savers

- Corbin seat

- Aqualine Safari 32 liter tank (actual capacity almost 9 gallons)

- Screens For Bikes windscreen from AU

- Engine Case guards from Advanced Motorcycle Prod.

- Tires- Front TKC 80, Rear Dunlop 606. Both will be new, with new HD tubes.

- 14 tooth front sprocket, geared down for better technical riding speed.


I have some additional parts I can include, for an additional price.-

- Wolfman Expedition dry saddle bags with side racks. They are almost new and have 1 ride on them. Cost $450 new, will include them for $250.

- Intiminators fork inserts. New in packaging, retail for $210, will include them for $100.

I have a stock seat I can include, the bike comes with a handful of oil filters and some other small parts. I also have a printed owners manual, copies of most of the receipts, etc.

I'm about to put the new tires & tubes on the bike and other than that, it doesn't need anything. It does have some wear & tear that needs to be mentioned. The front brakeline is doing some weird things, it's kind of bent funky and doesn't look too good. I think it's just a matter of securing it better. Also, one of the Seal Savers is a bit weathered and the outer cover has torn.

 

[Greg]

A few recent pics-

 

[Rot Box]

I'm surprised a bike that new doesn't have fully adjustable forks Seems kind of strange...

I can understand where you are coming from though. Trying to turn a bike into something its not can be a hard lesson learned--trust me I've been there before. I'm surprised that you are considering a WR250 and a Husky 610. While hey are both amazing they are both on opposite ends of the spectrum imo. If you want my opinion the 610 gets my vote. Husqvarna really built a winner with the TE. It won't be as nimble as the WR but I highly doubt it will let you down in any riding conditions.

 

[Greg]

I'm surprised a bike that new doesn't have fully adjustable forks Seems kind of strange...

I can understand where you are coming from though. Trying to turn a bike into something its not can be a hard lesson learned--trust me I've been there before. I'm surprised that you are considering a WR250 and a Husky 610. While hey are both amazing they are both on opposite ends of the spectrum imo. If you want my opinion the 610 gets my vote. Husqvarna really built a winner with the TE. It won't be as nimble as the WR but I highly doubt it will let you down in any riding conditions.

If Suzuki would put the front forks & rear spring/shock from the RMZ on the DR650, they would have one hell of a bike. But they don't... the factory setup is good enough for 90% of the people, but that 10% out there finds the stock parts lacking.

I would much rather have the Husky, but the one I was looking at was quite a bit more than I wanted to spend... plus, it sold yesterday, so it's out. I would love to have one though, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled.

The WR250R has been impressive, I went to the Yamaha dealer yesterday and sat on one. The fit is great, the maintenance schedule is simply amazing and they are getting a huge following in the Adventure riding world. Yamaha really did their homework when they built the WR250R and I think I'd be quite happy with one.

 

[UNSTUCK]

I'm guessing that the 250r will still keep up with everyone on the freeway? That is my only concern with a smaller bike.

 

[Greg]

I'm guessing that the 250r will still keep up with everyone on the freeway? That is my only concern with a smaller bike.

Yeah, the WR250R will do just fine on the freeway. The engine design of the WR250R is a copy of the Yamaha YZF-R1 1000cc sport bike, using 1 cylinder vs 4, of course. That said, the WR250R doesn't have a lot of bottom end, it makes power at high RPM's, by revving high & hard. By the time you load up the WR250R with gear, additional fuel, etc, it may be lacking in top speed, climbing up long freeway hills.

Of course, this is where the mods come in. You can leave it stock, or add a Programmer (since it's EFI), better pipe, etc or take it as far as a big bore kit and make it a 290cc engine, which lowers the powerband while increasing power at the same time. If you do all those things, apparently it rides like a different bike.

There are plenty of people that are using the WR250R's on huge rides and the bikes are quickly becoming recognized as a do-it-all bike. The biggest pluses are the maintenance schedule, the killer MPG (75+ MPG stock), the perfectly geared 6 speed transmission, EFI, etc, etc. All those things add up to make a great bike.

I want one, but I'm having a hard time committing to selling my DR650, since it's almost perfect as is. I really need 2 bikes...

 

[Greg]

We might be able to make this work AND keep the DR650... talking with Catherine, we may sell her TTR-250, save up some money and buy her a WR250R, that I can ride when we're not out riding together.

 

[benjy]

That sounds like the best plan yet

 

[Greg]

That sounds like the best plan yet

Catherine didn't like it at first, but after letting her think about it, she decided it was a good deal for her too. Plus, the WR is already street legal, her TTR isn't and would need everything done to get it plated.