Trying to decide to keep my 07 wr250f or upgrade to a '11 yz450f or something else.  I pretty much only ride trails and sand pits but may try a D23 harescramble so I don't know if the 450 really suits me.  I would really like more torque and raw power.  The WR is pretty quick but I feel like I want more.

The WR is paid off and have a tentative offer of around 2200.
The '11 yz450f @ the local yami dealer is in the 6600 range


Im at ~220 lbs and my WR is already fat man sprung but not valved.
Should I just save a bunch of money by throwing a little into the WR or just start fresh with a new bike?
my main list of bikes I have been looking into
yz450f
yz250
ktm exc 450/500
ktm 300xc xcw

If anyone can share their 250f to 450f stories that would be appreciated.  I have not ridden a 450 seriously before.. just my buddies ktm 450exc with supermoto kit.

Not sure why you are looking at a motocross bike (YZ450F) for riding trails and sand pits.  Had an '08 YZ450F that had great explosive power but wasnt ideal for trail riding (any amount of throttle either lifted the front wheel or spun it - depending on traction on the trail)  I spent most of the time thinking that I needed to change out the tranny to a wide ratio (like the WR).  I also added flywheel weight and geared down the sprockets to improve the low speed riding (but that takes a lot of speed off the top end when the trail or road opens up).   And I was never able to figure out how to add lights to the YZ450 (which may not be an issue for you).

The KTM's you listed seem like good ones to look at for trail riding, you might want to open up your search to:

Yamaha WR450F
Honda CRF450X
Kawasaki KLX450R

You should be able to find a low hour used version of any of these three bikes listed immediately above from '07-'09 for between $3000-$4500

In addition to the KTM's you listed, you might also consider these Euro Enduro bikes:
Husky WR250/WR300
Husaberg TE250/TE300
GasGas EC250/EC300
Husaberg FE390/FE450
Husky TE449

I dont think I would spend the money on a new Moto-X bike since you will take a huge deprec hit on them even it you dont track ride (take a look at used pricing).  And, I think you might come to the same conclusion as I did that it's not that good enduro/trail riding without a lot of mods.

I ended up replacing my '08 YZ450F with a 2010 Husaberg FE450 that I bought with 18 hours/324 mi for $5100.  I also plated it (which was easy to do in Colorado) so I could legally connect from trail to trail.  I wasnt specifically searching for one at the time I found it with decent asking price, but I had a long list of possible used bikes and shopped for the best year/condition/performance/price combination and this one seem to fit the bill better than my YZ450F.

Cool thanks for the info!

I think it depends on the level of your riding a 450 mxer is a ton in tight trails and over the tech rocky sections you would see in a hairscramble.  not saying it cannot be done if you want more  I would look into 250 2stroke  it would handel you size  fine with the big 450 trail bikes i dont know that with all the weight if you could race it hard for 2 plus hours.

how tall are you? diet? wr250s are pretty quick bikes.. I would never get a yzf over a wr for trails. are you planning on paying cash?

Im around 5'10 with not the greatest diet

I think what I want is to keep the WR and get a yz250 so I have both!

If you seen my other thread I may be able to pick up a nice old yz250 1997

I only have around 1500 cash if I don't sell the WR

pretty poor choice looking at MX 450 4 strokes, the closest/cheapest bike that ive seen successfully set up for trails is a yz250

where do u ride? desert riding you may want to consider the 450x, 450 EXC, 450 XC-W, WR450F, KLX450, TE450, FE450 for their wider transmissions...

I ride in Minnesota so dense woods on trails mostly destroyed by quads.  Lots of mud holes and a few very rocky (sand/lime) stone areas.  I tend to find lots of mud and sand in the valley's and hard, rocky, and dusty on top of the hills.  Some of the trails are connected with gravel roads.  I have a sand pit close by with decent piles of sand to climb and some sandy tracks. The WR does good on mostly everything but it's a bit on the heavy side.

I may get a mini battery to take some weight off.

living in minnesota, 5'10", wr250f.. sounds about perfect to me (shrug).

yz250 is not going to do anything for you unless you ride MX

either get in shape or get a wr450f and sell the 250. theres no mountains to climb out there, why the need for more power? I rode a 20hp xr250 for years and could keep up with my friends on 45-50hp 450f bikes in the tight woods

heavy??? wr250??
I know what heavy is.. this is what I used to ride.. XR650L. 330lb of pure beast

Edited by n16ht5, 05 March 2012 - 05:26 PM.

n16ht5, on 05 March 2012 - 04:50 PM, said:

I respectfully disagree.  There are tons of threads on TT about  whether a YZ would make a good woods bike or not.  (I asked it too myself...)  The answer seems to be YES, with just a little bit of work and minimal money invested.  Do a search, probably in the Yam. 2 stroke area and read what current owners say.  It looks like maybe a flywheel weight, maybe a pipe (although I read the OEM pipe is pretty good) and maybe some jetting.  Nothing really big. Great power.  Of course, you may want to do the suspension routine but you'd have to do that with anything new.  A YZ 2 stroke would be my choice.  You'll be the terror of Spider Lake!

theres better woods choices in 2t than the yz. if you want a good woods pinger, get a husqvarna wr300 or ktm300.

n16ht5, on 05 March 2012 - 05:37 PM, said:

The Husky WR300 would make an excellent choice. I spent yesterday, with one chasing me around. The YZ250 can make a decent "woods" bike. Much like my KX250, you have to RIDE it. Neither are very graceful, in tight single-track.

TrillXb - I sent you a PM

how about getting the yz250 then having it bored out to a 295 by eric gore and ported for trail riding.  bet it would be a blast to ride!