Best bike for enduros

[WR250F Captain]

One of the salesmen said both of the WRs are dogs that weigh too much and that I should get a yzf 250 for the weight reduction and power. But I have stalled bikes on hills or other obstacles and had to start with my left leg. I don't think I want to be trying to start a yzf in that spot. Maybe it wouldn't be bad ,but watching the pros trying to light em back up when there hot doesn't look like fun. With an automatic clutch doesn't your bike roll back down the hill without the brake on? The wide ratio tranny and four stroke motor i'm thinking will let me roll the power on and off instead of constant shifting and braking. My 200 exc was fun but it was a work out because it constanly had to be shifted.

thats why I said uncorked. they come with throttle stops, ignition inhibitors. bad jetting.

your dealer is a poo poo head for saying a 450 is a dog. they are by no means dogs. even the WR250f(which has pretty much the same engine as the yz250f) has great power when woken up.

[tribalbc]

Yeah I'm not a big fan of the auto clutch for like you say rollback reasons, no pig dogging, lugging, bomb starting, the list goes on. If clutching is already second nature, what are you gaining ?

And that Estart is a savior liked you guessed starting in gnarly positions. I also love how you don't have to worry about stalling on downhills. Clutch, hot start in, estart on the fly

It seems to be an abundance of KTM's at the races these days. Here's the starting lineup for my class, Senior A at the last race.

A Berg, Honda, Suzuki, a whole wack of KTM's and my lone WR

[WR250F Captain]

I see a brand new KTM first, in the corner picture. doesn't look too much like a husaberg.

KTMs imo are great for desert, and thats about the only place I think they stand out against a WR. WR's 5 speed stops, while the KTM shifts into 6th and goes.

In the woods, my KTM would be a handful with its quick steering(stabilizer on the way! usps is slow)

for what you are going to do, a WR450f would be not a great bike, but an awesome bike. though I am biased, tearing up the desert on a yamaha. all yami's are great bikes. I know this is a tough decision. but the 450 for an experienced rider isn't bad, its when you stick someone on one who doesn't know how to let out the clutch.

Yeah I'm not a big fan of the auto clutch for like you say rollback reasons, no pig dogging, lugging, bomb starting, the list goes on. If clutching is already second nature, what are you gaining ?

And that Estart is a savior liked you guessed starting in gnarly positions. I also love how you don't have to worry about stalling on downhills. Clutch, hot start in, estart on the fly

It seems to be an abundance of KTM's at the races these days. Here's the starting lineup for my class, Senior A at the last race.

A Berg, Honda, Suzuki, a whole wack of KTM's and my lone WR

[tribalbc]

I see a brand new KTM first, in the corner picture. doesn't look too much like a husaberg.

KTMs imo are great for desert, and thats about the only place I think they stand out against a WR. WR's 5 speed stops, while the KTM shifts into 6th and goes.

In the woods, my KTM would be a handful with its quick steering(stabilizer on the way! usps is slow)

for what you are going to do, a WR450f would be not a great bike, but an awesome bike. though I am biased, tearing up the desert on a yamaha. all yami's are great bikes. I know this is a tough decision. but the 450 for an experienced rider isn't bad, its when you stick someone on one who doesn't know how to let out the clutch.

Umm just giving the different brands of bikes, not their particular order ?

[Demo_Slug]

Yes, but how often are you in that situation? Are there things you can do to avoid such a perdicament?

I fail to clear hillclimbs all the time. so the roll back issue with the autoclutch bothers me, but if combined with the handle bar mount rear brake and i'd be totaly down with it. ? but the whole package gets pricey at that point:eek: . and I do like my clutch.

[Ironhorse]

Geez, you know you're racing in the woods when they're using a shotgun at the start. A guy I used to ride with moved to bellingham a couple of years ago and said you Canadians ride some tight woods.

[dazzabb]

Thanks for the replies. I'm leaning towards the 450 cause it will proboubly be more fun for everyday riding.Truth is my 250 exc is a great bike for racing. But I have always wanted the wr 450 and a local dealer has one for $5495.00. I just dont want to hate it when it gets ugly.

You dont say why you want a 4T, I have a feeling you might be dissapointed going from a 250 EXC to a WR450 for racing. If your racing terrain is tight, tree littered, I would look at other bikes before the WR.

Make no mistake the WR is a big bike compared to the KTM and getting used to the extra size and weight might not be something you will enjoy. Getting it from side to side in a hurry is a fair effort.

My KTM 300 feels and is so much lighter than my WR (though that the old 05 model) that whenever I have a race, I always choose the KTM.

I'm not slagging the WR, I still love trail riding it, but IMO for racing there are better machines.

I should add here that I have also spent alot of time and money trying to the WR to handle as I want (Revalve, new springs, e-axle, run forks up the clamps, fork oil level changes, the best tyres etc) and I still cannot make it turn as I would like it too.

But as a few people have said you really MUST get a ride on the bike you want, all the advice on this forum is useless if the bike does not meet your expectations.

[WR250F Captain]

DUDE, my 450EXCR feels lighter than my 06 WRF steel framed, and it was a 250f.

the new yamaha's feel light as well. I think KTM tricks you with its quick handling.

I want to ride a 300, heard nothing but good things about them. but if you want a 4 stroke with loads of power, 450.

300 was designed for slow to medium speeds. hence the 5 speed

450/530 was designed for high speeds. WIDE... WIDE 6 speed

yamaha and ktm feel way different, but a 450 wr vs the 250f doesn't feel much heavier and feels alot more stable at speed.

You dont say why you want a 4T, I have a feeling you might be dissapointed going from a 250 EXC to a WR450 for racing. If your racing terrain is tight, tree littered, I would look at other bikes before the WR.

Make no mistake the WR is a big bike compared to the KTM and getting used to the extra size and weight might not be something you will enjoy. Getting it from side to side in a hurry is a fair effort.

My KTM 300 feels and is so much lighter than my WR (though that the old 05 model) that whenever I have a race, I always choose the KTM.

I'm not slagging the WR, I still love trail riding it, but IMO for racing there are better machines.

I should add here that I have also spent alot of time and money trying to the WR to handle as I want (Revalve, new springs, e-axle, run forks up the clamps, fork oil level changes, the best tyres etc) and I still cannot make it turn as I would like it too.

But as a few people have said you really MUST get a ride on the bike you want, all the advice on this forum is useless if the bike does not meet your expectations.

[JSanfilippo]

I fail to clear hillclimbs all the time. so the roll back issue with the autoclutch bothers me

When I fail hillclimbs I go about it a different way. I generally lose footing (short legs) and fall over. Depending on how steep a hill I'll roll away from the bike anywhere from 10ft to a personal best of about 30 ft (that must have looked hilarious from the bottom of the hill). I fall regardless ?

Thats why I try not to fail hillclimbs:busted:

[dazzabb]

DUDE, my 450EXCR feels lighter than my 06 WRF steel framed, and it was a 250f.

the new yamaha's feel light as well. I think KTM tricks you with its quick handling.

I want to ride a 300, heard nothing but good things about them. but if you want a 4 stroke with loads of power, 450.

300 was designed for slow to medium speeds. hence the 5 speed

450/530 was designed for high speeds. WIDE... WIDE 6 speed

yamaha and ktm feel way different, but a 450 wr vs the 250f doesn't feel much heavier and feels alot more stable at speed.

What are you talking about, 5 speed box designed for low - medium speed, that is simply not true. Following that logic the WR 450 would be low-medium speed machines only.

And how does KTM trick you with the handling? They either handle well or they don't.

[Demo_Slug]

When I fail hillclimbs I go about it a different way. I generally lose footing (short legs) and fall over. Depending on how steep a hill I'll roll away from the bike anywhere from 10ft to a personal best of about 30 ft (that must have looked hilarious from the bottom of the hill). I fall regardless

Thats why I try not to fail hillclimbs:busted:

I get that when my rear wheel follows a rut and I end up turned sideways and off camber on the hill and fall down the long way ? .

[WR250F Captain]

What are you talking about, 5 speed box designed for low - medium speed, that is simply not true. Following that logic the WR 450 would be low-medium speed machines only.

And how does KTM trick you with the handling? They either handle well or they don't.

okay, a 90mph bike compared to a 100+mph bike is where I get its designed for.

2 strokes shine at being low on weight, 220lbs vs a 250lbs

I didn't say low-medium speed machine only. but thats what its geared to be. if on concrete they make at around 90mph, then on a trail they will have wheel spin and hit around 85ish. So it seems to me that KTM put a 5 speed on this bike cause its nimble and can be best used at low speeds. and since the 450/530 shine at high speeds, they gave it a 6 speed and said hold on.

i'm really not going to dispute this past this because, if KTM wanted all the 300's to be scary fast, they would have put a 6 speed on them

Yamaha is not KTM and doesn't go by there rule of thumb. 03-05 yz450f's only came with a 4 speed and were designed for low speeds like on a track, the WR450 is Yamaha's fast bike which has always came with a 5 speed thats got a lower 1st for climbing and taller 5th for what they consider fast.

btw, a 300 won't get nearly as good fuel mileage as a 450/530. every bike has its ups and down

and with the light feel in the handling, I mean, the KTM turns quicker, its easier to turn for that reason, so it feels lighter to me, because its easier, and the motor is whats moving it, so I don't really feel much unless I put my leg down then I do, or when the kickstand auto up feature made the bike tip over while I was holding it and dragged me down with it

and WR's have way less speed wobble and to me feel like the steering is more suited for high speeds, and they don't turn as quick, most likely being the reason, so you have to lean more, work your body more, and it just feels heavier

sorry for the speech i know i know ?

[tribalbc]

Geez, you know you're racing in the woods when they're using a shotgun at the start. A guy I used to ride with moved to bellingham a couple of years ago and said you Canadians ride some tight woods.

It definately can be tight here. A 3hr race is generally 40-70km so about 25-40 miles?

If you get into second gear it's wide open ?

[STECKNINE]

I'm not a big KTM fan! They are good bikes but, if you ever need a hard to find part then, good luck! I rode my buddies 300 exc at Idaho City last year cuz, I smoked my YZ 250 the first day. I must say I loved the transmission but, that bike revved out fast. I would say the YZ 250 is my bike of choice for the woods. My 08 WR 450 is a desert sled and, I would not like to be on any other bike doing 85 mph through the desert.?

[tribalbc]

I'm not a big KTM fan! They are good bikes but, if you ever need a hard to find part then, good luck! I rode my buddies 300 exc at Idaho City last year cuz, I smoked my YZ 250 the first day. I must say I loved the transmission but, that bike revved out fast. I would say the YZ 250 is my bike of choice for the woods. My 08 WR 450 is a desert sled and, I would not like to be on any other bike doing 85 mph through the desert.?

That's my problem with Euro bikes. I would love a Gas Gas or KTM 300 but I owned a Husaberg in the past and have dealt first hand with the part issue.

I hear KTM's not so bad now but I'm still leary......

[WR250F Captain]

my old yamaha felt more stable at higher speeds, and I never needed a stabilizer, but now I ordered one cause it had, fixed 90% of it by bar position, bad speed wabble on the street.

but I wish Yamaha made a WR450F that was a dual sport, not like the R/X ones, and had a 6 speed. but they didn't

[Just_a_trail_rider]

have you noticed, that since the bike is heavier, it tends to not be pushed off course by rocks as much, my 250 bounced everywhere, and 20lbs and 200cc's more, it pushes rock, tracks straiter.

ABSOLUTELY! I love the light weight of my yz250, but its all over the damn place sometimes and much harder to hold my like. With the WR, I just roll over the smaller stuff on the trail like its not even there. On the yz, I have to be carefull of what I hit

[Just_a_trail_rider]

I fail to clear hillclimbs all the time. so the roll back issue with the autoclutch bothers me, but if combined with the handle bar mount rear brake and i'd be totaly down with it. ? but the whole package gets pricey at that point:eek: . and I do like my clutch.

With the autoclutch, you will clear those hills. Just pick a good line, put the bike in second gear and stay on the gas. You won't be rolling backwards at all. Stalling on those hills will not be an issue

[tribalbc]

There is always an unclimable hill lurking somewhere ?

[WR250F Captain]

There is always an unclimable hill lurking somewhere ?

not if you have a winch!