wr 450 or drz 400e for trail riding.

[northeastd5]

Just getting back to riding and looking for opinions on a 2003 wr 450 or 2003 drz 400e.. both selling for about the same price and both in great shape.

Just wondering about reliability and maint. ?

[SJMC_DON]

The Zuk is a good bike but the WR is more of a "true off-road bike". It will out perform the DR in just about every category...

In regard to reliability, the Yamaha 4T is in a league of it's own:prof:

Only thing to ask the seller about the 03' WR is if he had the starter / woodruff key mod/fix done. The 03's are the only WR that had a "factory defect". I never owned an 03' but have read about it here in many threads. Do a search here on "woodruff key" or "2003 starter mod" and you should get all the info needed. As I understand it, Yamaha stepped up and provided parts to replace that eliminated any potential issues but it was up to the owner of the bike to make sure he got it done... kinda like a warranty re-call.

Maintenance on the WR is pretty elementary, oil changes and valve check/adj... not rocket science and the 03' - 06' steel framed bikes are easy to work on.

You're in the WR forum so I don't know what you expect to hear but my advice, without any doubt, is to pick the WR:prof:

[ECKS-Man]

As a DRZ rider, I agree with ↑ above. The DRZ is OK off road, the WR is great off road. If you look after a WR there is nothing out of the ordinary that goes wrong with them, they are a very reliable bike as well as a performer.

[jandmsuburban7]

Hi, my friend had the DRZ and decked out with all the goodies and did well at riding, especially in the nasty single track rocky stuff. He decided to ride my WR 450 and a couple of others. He now has a WR 450 and will never look back. Jason

[yz-dwg]

I'd say it depends on what kind of riding you do, the DRZ is very comfortable on slow easy roads, if you want a little more agressive riding the WR will out perform the DR everywhere, get the WR, you can ride it slow if you want but you cant ride the DR as fast as a WR, both bike are nearly bullet proof

[Regalman]

I've got 40 miles on my WR so far, its way better on the trail than my DRZ was... of course, I had the S model... which had less HP and was heavier, so it isn't a spot on comparison.

As for reliablility... here is my DRZ motor, lost the big end bearing just shy of 10k miles. Amsoil 10w40 every 1k miles or less.

[taycam]

I bought a 07 WR450 after researching this web site to find the best bike for me.All I can say is WR all the way, it flat out does everything well

[kjr247]

WR is the XR of modern bikes. Super reliable no worries. Get the WR no doubt.

[mikeythefokker]

The wr is more of a performance machine, and the drz is more of a mellow trail bike. The drz is by no means a bad bike, as they are cheap and reliable, but they are no where near the wr in terms of performance. It all really depends on how you want to ride. The wr responds really well to being ridden aggressively and is a great bike for really tough riding. The drz is a little bit heavier and doesn't make as much power, and has a much older suspension design. The drz will get you there, but the wr will get you there faster.

[Thumper_Bloke]

WR450 all the way!!!

It would be funny though, ask the same question in the DRZ forum.

[Mosow]

WR!

[YamaLink]

The WR, for sure. I had a DRZ470 with a full Yosh exhaust and revalved suspension, and it was a monster stump pulling machine that had few equals in deep sand or anywhere it was not too rough. The weight and rear suspension had me looking to pull over after the 4th whoop! And seeing as how I don't live near too many 4th and 5th gear glass-smooth sandwashes and hills, I sold it.

The WR even in full stock trim is a much more adept bike for both leisure riding and aggressive riding.

[northeastd5]

Thanks all of you... My soul told me the wr450 would be the best choice for the long term smile, so i bought the 03 wr450 today and can't wait to go for the first ride....thanks

[C-P]

Hmm...I really don't think you'd find anyone in this forum that would recommend the DR-Z over a WR450 for off-road riding. Ditto on everything said so far, enjoy the bike, let us know what you think, and you've got great expertise here to help you out when you need it. I'm on my 2nd WR, it even seems to be getting lighter when I have to pull it out of the bushes!