Is an '04 WR450F for me???

[DSCanuck]

Hi Folks,

I've ridden street bikes for many years, but got a DRZ400S last spring and started riding trails. I had a blast, but even though the DRZ is a fun bike, it does seem a little tame, even after a gearing change. I called a buddy who is a Suzuki & Yamaha dealer, and asked him what kind of a deal he'd make me, to trade my S for a DRZ400E. He said he doesn't have an E, but would make me a great deal on a leftover '04 WR450F that's still in the crate. So know I'm asking myself if I'd rather have the Yamaha. I am not brand loyal, don't have a great deal of off-road experience, will not be competing, but do enjoy a "spirited" ride. I ride a mixture of woods, ruts, single track, short but fairly steep hills, and of course, mud. I've heard the Yamaha is somewhat top heavy, that it is about an inch and a half taller than the DRZ400E, and that it is more maintenance intensive, and does not handle tight technical stuff through the woods, as well as the heavier DRZ.

Although I like the looks of the Yamaha better, I'm concerned about the top heaviness of the WR, as well as the increased seat height. I'm just over 6' tall with a 33" inseam. The DRZ felt tall when I first rode it, but it's fine now. Obviously with only one season (no fun riding this time of year where I live) under my belt, I've still got a few things to learn. My heart wants the WR, but my brain keeps nagging that I don't need a competiton machine, and that a top heavy machine will mean more crashes. ?

I'm not looking for a direct comparison between the two bikes, just your thoughts about the bike being top heavy, and how well suited you believe the WR450F would be for my purposes and experience. TIA ?

[Indy_WR450]

If you like your DRZ you will like the WR450 better. It is a great trail bike with a very reliable track record. The bike is flat out awesome on high speed, whoops or nasty mud. It has a weakness in quick right left turns in the woods where it feels like a dump truck. But if you are not racing you learn to go at its pace and it can handle tight spots well enough. ?

[Rip Wheeler]

Top heavy? The DRZ I think is heavier. If you did OK on that 297 lbs DRZ400S, the WR450F will feel light compared. You were complaining about the lack of ooomph in the DRZ, well, the WR will definitly cure that too! Maintanance? An old wives tale. Sure, valve adjustments are tough with the shim under bucket desing, but its the only way to set it up with higher lift cams, otherwise, shim above the follower, it would spit them out. Change your oil often enough and you wont have any trouble. Otherwise, there isnt no more maitanance over the DRZ. ANd once you've had the power of a WR450F, you'll throw rocks at the DRZ400. But the DRZ400 is still a nice bike too! Just not as slick as t he old WR450.(my unbiased opinion----NOT)

[ncmountainman]

there are ways to lighten the 04 wr450,YZ rear fender -2 lbs,ironman sprocket-1 lb,lose the odo and cable -1.5 lbs,aluminum bars -?, sdg seat almost -1 lb,the coolant overflow tank can go if you put on a 1.6 kg cap -1.5 lbs,fmf powercore 4 -4 lbs,and if you wanted to get crazy the titanium rear spring -2 lbs,and you can always lose the e-start like i did -13 lbs and this allows you to run the yz airbox -1.5 lbs. i've done all this to mine (except the ti spring,want one though)and added back about 9 lbs of other crap ,mine now weighs 249 wet w/out gas. its still top heavy, but alot more manageable than it used to be. if your not to heavy you might want to check out the 250 f's. they can be modded to supply plenty of power(the 05 yzf250 is supposed to have 35 HP to the rear wheel) and feel way better balanced in the tight stuff. ?

[xcracer123]

I still own a 02 DRZ400E. I bought a new WR450F last Feb. and haven't been back on the DRZ since. The Yamaha is a superior bike. From fit and finish to overall ridability. Once you do all the free mods you will fall in love with this bike. First thing I thought was, this thing is FAST! Like said before, lose the enudro rear fender to save weight. There's a bunch of stuff you can do to lighten up the bike if you want to. Don't do something stupid (IMO) like lose the E start. Enjoy!

[ncmountainman]

you callin' me stupid??? ?? not if you run the rekluse! can't even stall it when you wreck(i've had the bike on top of me after a good downhill wreck and still running!!) and i put on a pro-tec kwick kiik,which is lighter and spins the motor faster for easier starting. e-start was just 13 lbs of crap to me ,it never actually worked all that great anyhow,plus the best part is you can sell all that crap for almost enough to pay for the rekluse! ? pretty dadgum smart if you ask me ?

[xcracer123]

Sorry! ? That wasn't meant to be a personal attack. I just don't see the point of removing the e-start stuff. I find it to be a BIG advantage when racing and I inadvertently stall the bike during a race. I just bought a Rekluse today and will be trying it out soon. Maybe I will see your wisdom after acclimating to the auto clutch and not stalling the bike.?

[DSCanuck]

? I thank you all for your input, it is no doubt well intended, and it is appreciated. No doubt the WR is lighter than the DRZE as well as more powerfull. The Zuki doesn't feel top heavy in the tight stuff, it's just heavy overall. I'm still left to consider the taller seat height of the WR, and the fact that it will cost me just over $1000 Cdn. more than the Zuki. ? If I were an accomplished rider, and was riding in competition, no doubt the extra $$ could be more easily justified. Fact is I'm not an accomplished rider, and the additional seat height is something that concerns me. I'll keep snooping around this forum, and do more homework. Hope you folks will be patient with me, as it is not my intent to unfairly criticize the bike, or this forum. ?

[ncmountainman]

the 05's are a whole lot lower!! i sat on one at the cycle shop and compared to mine it felt over 2" lower,i think the actual seat hight is lower than they state. ?

[Mattheww]

My uncle has a DRZ400 that I've ridden. For anything but the tightest singletrack I like my WR450 better. For really tight stuff the lower seat height of the DRZ is a big plus and you can chug the motor easier without stalling it. I find myself high-siding a lot on my WR when the going gets slow, but I love the power and handling when the trail opens up a bit. I knew from the reviews that the WR250 is better for tight singletrack, but I wanted the extra power of the 450.

[DSCanuck]

Nice to know the '05 "feels" even lower than the published "20mm" on the spec sheet; BUT, you're not helping the economic side of the equation ncmountainman. ??

[minion]

Nice to know the '05 "feels" even lower than the published "20mm" on the spec sheet; BUT, you're not helping the economic side of the equation ncmountainman. ??

ebay. I've seen several WR450s on ebay at very reasonable prices. My thinking though, was that even though the prices are reasonable, if I'm going to spend $4000 on a bike, I may as well get a new one and spend $6000. Yeah, it IS $2000 more, but then I'm the one that did the maintainence, I'm the one who broke her in. Plus, now you have a friend - the dealer - when it comes to getting advice and potentially after market parts that you're not quite sure about.

My dealer is small, and the entire shop is ThumerTalk daily readers. =)

[Jackazz]

I thank you all for your input, it is no doubt well intended, and it is appreciated. No doubt the WR is lighter than the DRZE as well as more powerfull. The Zuki doesn't feel top heavy in the tight stuff, it's just heavy overall. I'm still left to consider the taller seat height of the WR, and the fact that it will cost me just over $1000 Cdn. more than the Zuki. If I were an accomplished rider, and was riding in competition, no doubt the extra $$ could be more easily justified. Fact is I'm not an accomplished rider, and the additional seat height is something that concerns me. I'll keep snooping around this forum, and do more homework. Hope you folks will be patient with me, as it is not my intent to unfairly criticize the bike, or this forum.

Get the WR. I bought a "leftover" '04, in July of last year, 'cause I didn't want to wait until the '05s were out. I'm just under 5'11" with a 32" inseam & I have no problems with the bike being too tall. This was also my first "real" dirtbike (I owned a KTM LC4 Supermoto before the WR), & I basically learned (& am still learning) dirt riding on it. The low down grunt, strong mid-range, & zippy top end have made me seem like a much more seasoned rider on many occasions. I promise you won't be dissapointed if you get one.

[mousemeat]

I bought my WR450 after only having 4 days of off-road experience, and only ridden a cg125 on the road. It is more than enough, but not too much. It may be a competition machine, but if you don't ride it like a competition machine, it will last a long time.

[Canuck]

Nice to know the '05 "feels" even lower than the published "20mm" on the spec sheet; BUT, you're not helping the economic side of the equation ncmountainman.

DScanuck: Where you located? More than welcome to test drive my WR450 or WR250. Both machines are stellar and will wipe away any thoughts of yellow! Seat height shouldn't be an issue, but you can always belt sand the seat foam and lower the suspension if need be.

Cheers

[bandit99]

The 05 WR450 is much lower than the 04 and the center of gravity is much lower too. Worth the extra money.

[new04450]

This my 1st off road bike, and I know about enough about the WR450 to either get hurt on the trails, or get long term riders upset . But after spending some time on this bike, and enjoying it so much, I can not imagine anyone not being pleased with this bike- I got my 04 a couple of months ago- Also right out of the crate, It seems every time I go to CTOR, someone wants to try it out. They always come back impressed with the bike, The only mods I have done was, the grey wire, I took the baffle out, and the YZ screw. CTOR is private property and there is no noise limit, But even with the baffle out, it is pretty quiet. IMHO, you will be happy with the bike. Since you have been riding the trails more than me, I bet you will be able to ride it to it's potential. I sometimes think I am luggage with arms on it. But it is fun

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