2000 Wr400 vs Xr400

[Dlaning]

I'm just getting back into riding and have my eye on

either a WR400 or XR400. Can anyone supply any pros/cons?

[SXP]

I have both bikes. The WR is a 99 and the XR is a 00.

1. The WR is lighter and waaaay more powerful

2. The WR has beefier suspension components. The forks on the XR look like matchsticks next to the WR.

3. The WR is more complicated to maintain. Valve adjustment involve shim under bucket vs. adjustable set screw. Also the time required to adjust the valves is like 20 minutes with the XR vs ~2 hours with the WR if you have to change a couple of shims.

4. The XR is air cooled and bullet proof - less to go wrong and fix. Crash hard on the WR and you are likely to damage the radiators. They are over $100 a piece to replace.

5. Putting the power to the ground with the XR is much easier with the XR than the WR (Doh! It makes less!). The reason I say this is I've looped out a couple of times on the WR going up really steep rocky hills. When the tire hooks up be ready to fan the clutch! Never had to do that on the XR.

6. The XR uses 87 octane, the WR 91-92 octane. An advantage when siphoning gas of unknown origin from some villagers stash in the middle of Mexico.

Having said all that, for my skill level and riding needs, if I had to sell one bike it would be the WR.

The XR is a keeper.

[PumpkinHumper]

I was just riding with a fella in Moab that had a xr400. My yz400 was steaming hot and his xr just kept on chugging. Depends on what/ were you ride. They both have there benifits. If you want to crawl along for miles at a time and let your bike sit and idle for like an hour the xr will be happy to do this. The wr will boil over sitting still. Not as fast as my yz but in time it will boil over.

[ZEKEDAWG]

aggressive riding style will match up well with the wr.

more laid back the xr 400 will be fine. Mods to the xr 400 wake it up but the wr is an all around better machine IMO.

[SMD]

here we go with that radiator crap again....... ?

I have owned both, and would give up riding before returning to an XR.

One is a trail bike and the other is a competition bike.Think long term and make your decision from there.

[the go-devil]

My friend has a 2000 XR that I've ridden enough times to know that it sucks IMO. After being on WR's it feels very akward and unbalanced. If you want a fairly easy to ride but perfomance related bike to grow into then get a WR.

[jwriott]

I always had 2-stroke MX bikes for the woods and bought an XR400 and sold it the next year. Too slow, poor stock suspension and very old school feel. The only selling points for me was that it is a Honda, superb reliability and it's extremely durable. It came out in 1996 and hasn't changed. As stated above, it's a great bike for low speed trail riding in stock form. If you want to dump a ton of money into it, the bike can be made to be fast and competetive. Big Bore kit, suspension work, fork brace and clutch.

The WR with free mods is a very capable, extremely fast bike. I can ride it better in the slow stuff than I could the XR but most seem to say the opposite and I've YZ timed mine. Suspension, handling and brakes are awesome if you ride fast. For slower trails, it can be a little stiff. Unlike Don, my WR has never overheated on the trail but I do have the overflow tank. I also have installed Devol radiator guards and have experience zero problems with damage.

You need to decide what type of riding you do, how aggressive you are and whether or not you like working on your bike.

Good luck.

[Slyce]

I'm in the same boat as the threadstarter. I am trying to decide between the two bikes. It sounds like I will be much happier with the wr, but I am worried about the maintenance. Could you wr400 owners please tell me about how often you change your oil, check the valves, and performa basic maintenance? I do not want to change the oil after every 2-3 rides. Maybe four times a year, riding every weekend would be nice. I would not mind spending 2 or so hours checking the valves once a month either. Air filter cleaning is no problem. Have any of you ever had to do a top end? I definitely do not want to be doing this very often at all. Please tell me any maintenance you do to your bike, and how often you do it. Thanks for any help.

[Guest Guest]

I change the oil every 3 rides or 100 miles. Oil filter every third change. Valves only one time after the 450 cam. Should be checked every year. All this maintenance is easy and I find it interesting to perform. I just rode a friends XR400 for the first time and after riding my bike for so long, I also would rather give up riding before owning a XR. Now maybe a CRF450 would be fine ?

[Slyce]

Doesnt that get expensive quick, changing it so much? And is it necessary to change it that often? Have you ever had to do your top end? Thanks for answering all my questions. One more thing, does all of this maintenance apply to the wr426 also, or would it need more?

[trailsnail85]

i ride a modified xr that out runs my buddies yz 400, but i have done alot of stuff to it to get it to do this. the suspension on the xr is kinda poor but again with mods it can be very good. My dad just bought a wr 400 and i can out run him in tight wodds easily. Basically it comes down to what riding you want to do. the xr is a great bike to start on cuase they provide a platform that is comfortable and easy to ride and you can modify them to make them better when you are ready. another great thing is that you can seriously chug an xr with out it deing due to the huge ( i think 3lb) flywheel weight.

for just getting back into the sport an xr would be a great choice cause less maintance, easy to ride, dependable, and bullet proof.

don't get me wrong the wr is an awesome bike and that is why i am retiring the xr to move to a wr but this is only because i am needing something that i can take out to the mx track every now and then and not bottom out on hard every time i jump. i just don't have alot of experince on them. But everybody that has them loves em and i like them alot now that i have ridden a few.

[jwriott]

I've got the WR426 and the manual says something like every 500 miles but it's the life blood of the engine so it's up to you. I'd change it more often just to be safe. It's way cheaper than a rebuild.

Maintenance has not been that bad in my opinion. I've adjusted the valves just one time and I've got 1600 miles on mine. I checked them 3 times so far and only this last time did they need adjusted.

[Guest Guest]

Doesnt that get expensive quick, changing it so much? And is it necessary to change it that often? Have you ever had to do your top end? Thanks for answering all my questions. One more thing, does all of this maintenance apply to the wr426 also, or would it need more?

If your worried about the cost involved for maintenance, maybe you should choose a different hobby. The XR would be a better choice, they are bulletproof and easy to maintain. I have only had to do general maintenance on the wr, no major work. ?

[ZEKEDAWG]

Doesnt that get expensive quick, changing it so much? And is it necessary to change it that often? Have you ever had to do your top end? Thanks for answering all my questions. One more thing, does all of this maintenance apply to the wr426 also, or would it need more?

If you change your oil once a month and it cost $5 in oil, then that is $60, to me that isn't much over a year. If you want cheap try a different sport. The wr 400 that i have is a great bike and maintenance really depends on you some do mre maintenance than others and some do less. You could probably change the oil every 500 miles and be fine if you watch the oil level. I change mine every 300 which is probably about every 8-10 rides. The 426 and any other performance minded bike will be the same. Get an xr and run it with out changing the oil and it too will have problems.

[Slyce]

Well after hearing that the manual says every 500 miles, that doesn't sound very bad. And I guess I was thinking about synthetic oils making it expensive. It cost me around 60 dollars to put synthetic in my street bike, and I change that every few thousand miles so I was just thinking the costs would get outrageous with the wr. I guess if I'm using regular oil and not putting as many miles on it, it won't be too expensive. Thanks for all the help everybody. Looks like I'm gonna be shopping around for a wr.

[RHS]

Ok, not to open another can of worms, but did you ever consider a DRZ400? I have a DRZ400E, great bike (for what I do). I was debating between a DRZ and a WR450. I was riding an XR600R, the DRZ is a big improvement. I mostly trail ride, been riding for years, not an expert by any means though. I think the DRZ may be a nice compromise between the WR and XR. Just another option you should research prior to your purchase, good luck in whatever you deciede. ?

[tp3dxf]

Here is my take on the topic.

I own a 01WR426. The suspension on a WR is top notch for trail riding and even Dez racing. I race Dez. It can even handle some pretty harsh MX depending on your weight.

I use Valvoline oil 10-40 in my bike. I change it every 150-200 miles depending on the conditions I ride in. I think oil changes and filter cleaning every couple of rides depending on conditions no more then 4 rides, are key to keep the rev happy engine healthy.

My bike has over 2300 hard off road miles and about 170 hours on the engine. I have never adjusted the valves. I know I should but the thing just runs great and starts easily. In my experience XR400's are harder to start.

As far as overheating goes I have only got mine to do so twice and it was in extreme trail situations. Never a problem when racing in the dez. As someone has already said the WR comes stock with a overflow tank. The YZ426 didn't come stock with one.

I hadn't ridden a bike in 10 years when I got mine but the power deliver is so smooth that it really wasn't a issue. But as I got my legs back and started pushing the bike it has always performed. I have never felt a need for much more power. Don't be afraid of the power it's very manageable yet super strong when needed.

Overall I am happy extrememly happy with my WR I race dez with it have a Dual Sport kit for it and a plate and I can even do some MX with the stock suspension. It is a super versitile bike.

There is nothing wrong with the XR400 they are great bikes. But as you grow as a rider the WR will keep up with you where as the XR may not.

My bike has never let me down has always started and the suspension stock is great so is the power.

The bike is a much more advanced 4-stroke so you need to keep a closer eye on things but what I have found is that it is no more work to maintain then my XR600 was. It's just different.

[jchantzWR400F]

Your running Valvoline 10-40....Yikes ?

[oconnor]

The XR gets just as hot or hotter than a WR. There isn't any water to boil! You can't tell the XR is overheating until it's too late.

I would say if your even looking at an XR you don't need a WR, get a DRZ its in the middle. Hell, get a DRZS and you can ride it to work the next day.

[mahilimon]

I own a '98 WR400 and a '03 KLX(DRZ)400S, I had a '96 XR400 which is the same basic bike as a 2000 model. The XR is a great bike, but you will tire of it quick, after buying the WR I could never go back. I would recommend looking into a DRZ, mine handles just as well as my WR and is a lot more "User friendly".