All these YZ mods to a WR???

[Tim_in_WA]

I'm curious about something. After reading a lot of the mods that guys have done to their WR's (seems like most will note them at the bottom of their posts), I see a lot of guys out there that have taken the headlight off, removed the odometer, changed to YZ timing, switched to a YZ seat/tank combo, etc. If someone is going to go to the trouble and/or expense of doing all these mods, why didn't they just buy a YZ to begin with? I mean, is their anything still WR'ish about the bike after all these YZ mods? No flames intended here, I'm just curious.....

[vanxr]

I have not taken the odo and light off but I personally did everything else. For me the

WR could be Dual sport if I decided to slow down a little. The WR Transmission is my main reason for the WR. 95MPH sideways is always a way to get the heart pumping.

Stay Upright

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2001 WR426

[BlueThunder]

My WR is a dual-sport so I left all the gear on(headlight, taillight, odo etc), which combined with the "Wide Ratio" 5 speed makes it a formidable trail weapon that can legally cruise down USFS roads with no hassles. IMO, the 5 speed transmission makes the WR an easier bike to ride on the trails, with less shifting and gives the bike a great top speed when road riding to the nearest gas stop .

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Y2K WR400FM,Answer top tree w/Accu-Trax clamp,Pro-Tapers(CR-Hi w/ EE handguards),Devol Rad. & frame guards, Guts tall soft foam w/ ballistic cover, 14/52 w/DID VM X-Ring, Kouba-T,Michelin M-12's ft.& rr.,12 oz. flywheel weight, Zip-Ty Racing Link & Shark Fin(plus everythhing else cool that Ty offers), Cycra front rotor guard and T.M. Designworks Chain guide, buffer & chain wheels. Street legal except for the non-"DOT" tires.

[dhowell]

I actually went in the other direction. I got my YZ taged so I could ride it to the trails. WR headlight and stator along with baja kit (wich was mostly removed after passing inspection). It is still more YZ than WR. But I often wonder which route is more economical, making a WR more YZish or a YZ more WRish. Bottom line, like most guys in the group, I love my bike, but would find something to mess with or change on it no matter what.

[crazyadam]

the WR is faster!! My baby is a Y2K WR 400, but it does not look like it, the only parts left are the tranny and the rear wheel, ( i might even find a 19" sometime). I love the five speed and the top end for the woods, but also love to be able to stay in front of my friends on my track. its more fun to roost, than being roosted on!!

[Scott_in_KC]

You're right. Some guys are getting the bikes for the tranny & flywheel alone and dumping all the other heavy stuff. Not sure what it would cost to get the cases split on a YZ and have the WR gears installed...anyone have an idea?? But, the gears ARE A FACTOR. To me the YZ doesn't feel like it has a 1st gear, no tractor gear for tight/steep trail riding. But, I know guys that ride the YZ perfectly off road and win races...so go figure. One guy rode mine and admitted it would be real nice to have that gearing for trails. The real must-do's on the WR are the seat/tank & jetting (perhaps a YZ pipe if choose)...the rest of the stuff you'll do is a given on every bike: bars, handguards, personal stuff.

[sirhk]

I've got a YZ and often wonder if I should have bought the WR. I mean, I've already redone the suspension including springs to my liking and changed all the plastic over to Yellow including a yellow Clarke desert tank. I wish I did have that low 1st and higher 5th many times. A light would be cool as long as I could get it yellow somehow also. I also would rather have the 18" rear wheel. Damn, now I'm thinking I should have bought a WR. Oh well, I still have a blast on my bike and will be keeping it for a while!!!

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Khris

"What's that?"

"It's a Yellow 99' YZ400!!"

[bender647]

Can someone list the differences between

a YZ and WR? I think I know a bunch, but

I'm hearing some new ones here.

[YAMAKAZE]

In my case it was simple. I wanted a YZ initially and my dealer didn't have any in stock. I had 6K burning a hole in my pocket from a bonus and wanted something that day...so I bought the WR. The more I rode it the more I liked it. I ride both woods and MX. I made the body changes because I thought the WR looked stupid on the race track with a headlight and tail light installed. Everything else I personally have done is for either better performance or protection. Since doing the many MOD's that I have done, I find that I now have the best of both worlds. My next mod will be the 420 upgrade....MORE POWER.....Urghhhhhhhh!

Bonzai

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1999 WR 400F:

Headlight Removed,Odo Removed,Gray Wire - Cut,Throttle Stop - Trimmed,YZ Timing,GYT-R Pro-Bend Hand Guards /Tripple Clamp Mounts,YZ Front/Rear Fender,YZ Number Plate,DEVOL Radiator Guards,Race Tech Suspension(by MXTuner),Dunlop 756 Front and Rear,Renthal Fat Bars W/GYT-R Pad,Renthal 14/53 Gearing,DID Race Chain,Custom Grips,Graphics by CEET,White Brothers E-Series Exhaust,Modified Compression Release,Acerbis Frame Guards,12 oz Flywheel Weight;Polaris 400 Sport,Polaris 250 Trailblazer

[sirhk]

WR has a 18" rear wheel, Yz has a 19" rear wheel.

WR has lights, YZ does not and doesn't have the electrical to just bolt them on.

WR is timed for a more mellow power then the YZ.

WR has a throttle stop, grey wire, and muffled exhaust.

WR suspension is softer for trails.

WR has a lower 1st gear.

WR has a high 5th gear (I think).

WR has a larger tank and softer seat then the YZ.

WR may have a heavier weighted flywheel then the YZ, correct me if I'm wrong.

WR has a odo up on the bars.

Bigger radiators. (I think, correct me on this one too if I'm wrong.)

What else am I missing?

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Khris

"What's that?"

"It's a Yellow 99' YZ400!!"

[This message has been edited by sirhk (edited October 19, 2001).]

[BlueThunder]

Kev....lets be accurate here, shall we. You have a dual-sported WR, not a street legal YZF. Regardless of the YZ mods done to your ride it's a WR at heart. Unless, of course, you want the close ratio gearbox? I'll stick to my 5 speed....gives me more time to pucker in between shifts on those cliffside goat trails I ride !

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Y2K WR400FM,Answer top tree w/Accu-Trax clamp,Pro-Tapers(CR-Hi w/ EE handguards),Devol Rad. & frame guards, Guts tall soft foam w/ ballistic cover, 14/52 w/DID VM X-Ring, Kouba-T,Michelin M-12's ft.& rr.,12 oz. flywheel weight, Zip-Ty Racing Link & Shark Fin(plus everything else cool that Ty offers), Cycra front rotor guard and T.M. Designworks Chain guide, buffer & chain wheels. Street legal except for the non-"DOT" tires.

[SFO]

Since when is the Wr seat softer than the Yz?

My butt begs to differ

[BlueThunder]

Roger that SFO....same brick, different shape. Thank the ass gods for Guts Racing. No more monkey butt!

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Y2K WR400FM,Answer top tree w/Accu-Trax clamp,Pro-Tapers(CR-Hi w/ EE handguards),Devol Rad. & frame guards, Guts tall soft foam w/ ballistic cover, 14/52 w/DID VM X-Ring, Kouba-T,Michelin M-12's ft.& rr.,12 oz. flywheel weight, Zip-Ty Racing Link & Shark Fin(plus everything else cool that Ty offers), Cycra front rotor guard and T.M. Designworks Chain guide, buffer & chain wheels. Street legal except for the non-"DOT" tires.

[MN_Kevin]

My dealer made my 99 street legal, w/ registration, for $99.00.

Right out the door I purchased a detuned, street ready AND street legal YZF!

I also wonder about the YZF w/ a street legal kit. The YZF would have been much less of a nightmare w/ jetting IMHO (although Nick Puza Jr. had his problems w/ his YZF).

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'99 WZ/YR (you choose!) with ALL YZ mods, de-octopused, DSP Doug Henry airbox w/ velocity stack, FMF PowerBomb header, Stroker SX-1 silencer, SS front brake line, OEM YZ tank, IMS YZ seat, Mobil 1 15W-50.

[DOC]

Kevin, stupid question. What is meant by 'de-octopused'?

[BRIAN400]

I'm a Drz "e" owner who appreciates a good bike no matter what the color. Last week I had the chance to ride both a WR426 and a YZ426 on the trails. I preferred the WR because of the low end torque however I noticed that at low speeds the YZ seemed more nimble than the WR but once I went above second gear the steering was a moot point. The WR was more stable and the torque was easier to use than the hit of the YZ. For that matter the YZ caught me off guard a couple of times when the power would suddenly come on. WHOA CRAP! Better hang on tight when you twist either one of these puppies hard. They both have way more power than my 01 DRZ but for the tight trails down here it isn't a factor. It's all in the preferred riding style of the rider.

I got the impression that the fork rake was a little shorter on the YZ than it is on the WR. Is this a correct assumption it sure felt like it. It made me feel that the WR would be better at high speed stuff than the YZ.

[funktree]

I wanted a do everything bike, and the wr is the closet thing to this that Ive ever riden. I can trail ride, the low first and the flywheel weight really help with this. I can desert ride, i can almost hit 90 mph with stock gearing on my wr. I can mx, I change my wr tank and seat to a yz for this, this bike kicks ass at mx, I can run two of the local tracks in 3rd all the way around. In short this bike will do everything well.

[Tim_in_WA]

Well, since I haven't had the opportunity to ride a newer YZ, I don't have any way to compare one to my WR. I have a Canadian model, so I didn't have to worry about the throttle stop or grey wire stuff. As far as performance mods I've done, it's pretty simple: Took off the airbox lid and added a performance exhaust tip. The rest of her is basically stock, and she rides, rips, and roosts just great for me! It was interesting to see why you guys did all the other mods to your YZ's. Makes sense to me.

[Tim_in_WA]

Turp,

I got mine street legal before the big mess when WSP stopped inspecting these kind of bikes. I didn't get a Dual Sport kit, but just piece-mealed the necessary items together to make it street legal. There is already a brake wire circuit installed in the factory wiring, but you need a hydraulic solenoid switch that mounts in the top of your rear brake master cylinder. I don't have blinkers or a hi-beam circuit. Other than that, I'm pretty much street legal. Get a bicycle computer for a speedo (I use a cateye enduro 2 which works great). For more info, just do a search on dual sport kits. Good luck!

[Bill]

DOC,

de-oct is removal of some air hoses (on the carb) that are specific to 98-99 US version WR's. You can view the octopuss in the tech section.

Bill

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99 WR400f, YZ timed, MX-Tech suspension, Scotts steering damper, White Bros E-Series (12 discs), tapered header and a/f. Kouba T-handle for the fuel screw. Works Connection billet throttle tube and frame guards. Cycra Pro-Bend, triple clamp mount handguards. Thumper Racing rad guards, Renthal Jimmy Button highs, All YZ Modifications, de-octopussed (Thanks Clark) EKP #4, 50PJ, 175MJ, 100PAJ and 65 SJ at 500-1000' Thanks James Dean!

AMA, Happy Ramblers MXC (Dist #7), Tower City and Rausch Creek