my 2013 WR450F review

[Bass Mechanic]

i posted this in the CRF forum, i thought i would start a thread here.

i have a 2006 CRF 450X ive been riding since new, and just bought a new WR450

here is what ive just posted on the crf section..

OK, now that i have put about 75 miles on my new bike and have the proper mods, let me finish this thread out by saying, i am absolutely in love with my new WR!

for 1 thing my 2006 CRF has the 3.2 gal IMS tank, radiator braces and skid plate as well as HID headlights. otherwise stock.

the WR is outfitted with the skid plate, brush guards, radiator braces, programmable tuner and the FMF exhaust pipe. so just basic protection gear and the obvious things to uncork the bike and get it running like it should.

all i did to the bike was let some air out of the tires, and crank the compression and rebound down a few clicks on the front and rear shocks. first thing i noticed is i don't get as tired riding the WR.

the ride is even better than my re-valved setup on my CRF the suspension is a dream, its so smooth and easy to ride.

the weight of the bike feels 20 lbs lighter to me verses the CRF, with the new GYTR fmf exhaust i just installed i can now pull 3rd gear wheelies with minimal effort.

the bike is worlds more quiet in the engine and transmission, even the exhaust is more quiet than the stock CRF pipe with the quiet insert removed.

the throttle response is very controlled, my CRF felt like it wasn't as linear, like you twist 15% and you get15% at 50% you get 50% that much power. its the same all across the rev band coming over whoops i can hold the front tire in the air exactly how high i want it depending on how much throttle i give it. very precise!

the WR is so much easier to ride wheelies with, i can literally grip the bike with my legs, lean back and in 3rd gear ride a wheelie for as long as i want. (keep in mind im at 7000 feet) my crf would do that in 2nd gear but not 3rd because the front end of the WR feels so much lighter than the CRF it could be in part due to my larger gas tank but even 1/2 full of fuel this bike feels lighter with a full tank.

anyway, i am totally happy with my decision to buy this bike, i really cant find anything i don't like about it. i guess maybe it was time to upgrade. i suspect some of the short comings are due in part to the fact my CRF has about 140 hours on it, but only about 20 on the new piston and valves i had to replace.

i have not heard of too many people with the yamaha having to replace valves like the CRF's so i hope mine stay in good condition.

anyway if you guys are sick of waiting like i was, you wont be disappointed to ride the blue bike.

i really liked my CRF and i still do, i had high hopes that the new WR would live up to those expectations and i am happy to report i think it has in every way.

[Bcfd113]

Great to hear man as i am interested in getting one as well. I have a 500exc now but wanna add another to the stable.

Can I ask what OTD price u got it for? Im going to start a new thread now on what would be a good OTD price on a 2012 Im looking at. Good luck with your new ride.

[Bass Mechanic]

sure, there is a deal going on through yamaha good through the end of sept i think. up to 1000 off and as low as 3.99% finance with approved credit.

on a 2013 the discount is 300 on a 2012 the discount is 600 i paid 7400 for the bike msrp is 8290 so basically i got 1000 off. on a 2012 you could see another 300 off and i think the msrp was a little less on a 2012. so if you could get it for 7000 even on a 2012 thats a good deal.

i dont know what dealer markup is but if i had to guess it has to be somewhere around 1,000

my dealer also waived the setup fee and because they are located outside the city the sales tax was only 4.25%

they gave me all my accessories at cost or pretty close to it.

i got the rad guards, the brush guards, skid plate and the tuner with ecu all for 622 i think retail might be somewhere near 800

all total out the door with tax was 8300 something.

so the way i look at it i got the bike with a boat load of mods for the price of a MSRP bike including tax.

i can say the biggest improvement was the GYTR exhaust not counting the throttle stop screw removed by the dealer before i got it so i don't know what its like with that restriction installed.

[Bcfd113]

Thanks brother, great info. I appreciate it.

[Ride-n-Hard]

Thanks for the write up. Makes me want to finally get some seat time on mine. I have had it a week and have only about 10 minutes on it. The bike does have a different "steer" feeling over the Hondas.

Any thoughts on break in? I used the tuner and put a +5 on all the fi settings. The thought was to run it a bit rich for a while. I did try a few different ignition settings and did feel a difference in the "pull" from a stop. I ended up leaving it for now in that map 9 with a richer fi setting.

[mgrob]

First off thanks for the review! I'll add my 2 cents to this one too in case anyone's looking for another vantage point on this bike.

I bought a '13 model at the beginning of the summer, getting back into dirt bikes after a 10 year break. I'd still consider myself a rookie, since the only other bike I've ever had was a 2000 model YZ426 that scared me silly a decade ago. I have right at 200 miles on the bike at this time. So here are my thoughts on the bike itself:

I first rode it for a couple of rides bone stock. Long throttle stop in, stock ecu, stock suspension settings, etc. Since I didn't have much of a standard of comparison, I thought it was great even in that form. WAY more stable and user friendly than I remember my old YZ426 being, and so much easier to live with for off road riding (lights, magic button, softer ride, kick stand, etc). In about a month I was ready for the comp ECU and full throttle capability, so I switched out the ECU and put in the short throttle stop screw. Huge improvement power wise, but definitely made the bike more of a handful. I also switched out the bars for some Pro Taper ATV High bend bars (better fit for me since I'm about 6'4"). The only other mod I did was to remove the pea shooter from the tail pipe. I started messing with the suspension, setting the sag for my weight (280 lbs) the best I could. Of course, I could get the rider sag but not the free sag numbers that I'm looking for. Stiffer springs are in the cards for next year, but I decided to just ride it as is for the rest of the summer. Even with the way-too-soft suspension for my weight, the bike is still freaking awesome. Every ride is giving me more confidence, and I'm feeling more and more at home.

The last mod I did was to put the "woods" map on the ECU to smooth out the initial hit, and I added a promoto billet exhaust insert. The woods map is great, but definitely lean. I get a pretty nasty deceleration pop and she's running hot on that map. Great on fuel mileage though. I'm thinking of going to the "mud/slippery conditions" map, or maybe the "Aussie" map next. They both look significantly richer, which is what my bike needs. I really like the exhaust insert from promoto billet. It gives the bike the bark i was looking for, but it's still not annoying by any means. It also seemed to deepen the exhaust note.

One more note - on a whim I decided to take the bike to the motocross track a couple of times as well. What a blast. I basically cranked the compression clickers almost all the way down on the forks and the shock (like 18-19 clicks in), and that thing's a riot out there on the track. It's hideously undersprung for me in that environment, but I'm still beginning to clear some of the table top jumps and definitely having a blast. I'd rather be on a trail anyday, but to mix up your riding environment, the bike handles the track just fine. I can't see myself ever becoming Mr. Motocross Racer Guy any time soon, so for play riding I really can't see needing any more bike than the WR.

All in all, this is one great bike. Since I don't have a huge inventory of comparison, I can't really speak much to how it stacks up against other bikes, but I really can't imagine any bike doing what I do any better. Oh and of course, it's been 100% reliable. Not even so much as a bobble to think the thing may leave me out in the woods. Not sure if this helped anyone or not, but I'm sure having fun with this thing. If anyone has any tips or suggestions, I'm all ears!

Thanks!

Mike

[jerejim]

I just did a road trip through Montana and both the Yama dealer in Great Falls and the one in Kalispell still had brand new '12 WR 450Fs! $6k out the door. My buddy worked at the Kalispell one and told me as he'd seen mine on the back of my RV when I was visiting with them.

[Ride-n-Hard]

Mike, the nice thing about this bike and having the tuner is you can leave any ignition map in but still crank in some extra fuel if its a bit lean for you. Even with +5 on each of the fuel inputs the bike didn't seem overly rich. It sounds like you have some good things to say about the promoto billet exhaust insert. I really hate buying a new exhaust when something like this might be the ticket.

thanks for the input

[cowboyona426]

I just did a road trip through Montana and both the Yama dealer in Great Falls and the one in Kalispell still had brand new '12 WR 450Fs! $6k out the door. My buddy worked at the Kalispell one and told me as he'd seen mine on the back of my RV when I was visiting with them.

6K out the door... what are the names of these dealers? Might be worth a road trip at that price...

I'm glad I saw this thread. I owned an 00 YZ 426F from new and bought my 06 YZ 450F new, and I've always felt my 00 was a way better trail bike than my 06. I'm tired of playing with the 06 trying to make it handle and behave like it should in the woods. I rode my cousin's 12 WR 450F with the FMF pipe/YZ ECU/short throttle stop screw and while I really like the ride and handling of the bike, I wanted a bit more grunt throughout the power band (more like how my YZ is now). Have any of you 12-13 WR 450 owners ridden/owned an 06ish YZ 450F and/or been able to get the power output of the WR close to the YZ?

[jerejim]

6K out the door... what are the names of these dealers? Might be worth a road trip at that price...

I'm glad I saw this thread. I owned an 00 YZ 426F from new and bought my 06 YZ 450F new, and I've always felt my 00 was a way better trail bike than my 06. I'm tired of playing with the 06 trying to make it handle and behave like it should in the woods. I rode my cousin's 12 WR 450F with the FMF pipe/YZ ECU/short throttle stop screw and while I really like the ride and handling of the bike, I wanted a bit more grunt throughout the power band (more like how my YZ is now). Have any of you 12-13 WR 450 owners ridden/owned an 06ish YZ 450F and/or been able to get the power output of the WR close to the YZ?

There is only one Yama dealer in Gr Falls and one in Kalispell. Back from 2 weeks ago so could be sold. I paid $6200 for my '12 in Feb here in Colorado.

[270winchester]

Have any of you 12-13 WR 450 owners ridden/owned an 06ish YZ 450F and/or been able to get the power output of the WR close to the YZ?

I have not rode an 06ish yzf but have a 10-13 yzf. An uncorked '13 still does not get real close in power output to the 10-13 yzf. I suspect if you put the ported gytr head and gytr cams in the '13, it would get much closer (I will not do this mod though as I do not want to affect the wrs reliability with the stock head). Keep in mind the wr is ~40 lbs heavier than the yzf too.

IMO, a perfect stable for all situations :

FI WR450 - plated (when pavement is required)

'14 YZ450F - hard core off road and MX (my next bike)

YZ250 2t - what a great bike... ?

I used to be all Honda...

[throttle violence]

i posted this in the CRF forum, i thought i would start a thread here.

i have a 2006 CRF 450X ive been riding since new, and just bought a new WR450

here is what ive just posted on the crf section..

OK, now that i have put about 75 miles on my new bike and have the proper mods, let me finish this thread out by saying, i am absolutely in love with my new WR!

for 1 thing my 2006 CRF has the 3.2 gal IMS tank, radiator braces and skid plate as well as HID headlights. otherwise stock.

the WR is outfitted with the skid plate, brush guards, radiator braces, programmable tuner and the FMF exhaust pipe. so just basic protection gear and the obvious things to uncork the bike and get it running like it should.

all i did to the bike was let some air out of the tires, and crank the compression and rebound down a few clicks on the front and rear shocks. first thing i noticed is i don't get as tired riding the WR.

the ride is even better than my re-valved setup on my CRF the suspension is a dream, its so smooth and easy to ride.

the weight of the bike feels 20 lbs lighter to me verses the CRF, with the new GYTR fmf exhaust i just installed i can now pull 3rd gear wheelies with minimal effort.

the bike is worlds more quiet in the engine and transmission, even the exhaust is more quiet than the stock CRF pipe with the quiet insert removed.

the throttle response is very controlled, my CRF felt like it wasn't as linear, like you twist 15% and you get15% at 50% you get 50% that much power. its the same all across the rev band coming over whoops i can hold the front tire in the air exactly how high i want it depending on how much throttle i give it. very precise!

the WR is so much easier to ride wheelies with, i can literally grip the bike with my legs, lean back and in 3rd gear ride a wheelie for as long as i want. (keep in mind im at 7000 feet) my crf would do that in 2nd gear but not 3rd because the front end of the WR feels so much lighter than the CRF it could be in part due to my larger gas tank but even 1/2 full of fuel this bike feels lighter with a full tank.

anyway, i am totally happy with my decision to buy this bike, i really cant find anything i don't like about it. i guess maybe it was time to upgrade. i suspect some of the short comings are due in part to the fact my CRF has about 140 hours on it, but only about 20 on the new piston and valves i had to replace.

i have not heard of too many people with the yamaha having to replace valves like the CRF's so i hope mine stay in good condition.

anyway if you guys are sick of waiting like i was, you wont be disappointed to ride the blue bike.

i really liked my CRF and i still do, i had high hopes that the new WR would live up to those expectations and i am happy to report i think it has in every way.

hi can you tell me what the bike is like cruising at 60mph on a flat road?  is the engine screaming? does it struggle to sustain the speed? iam buying one and i dont want to change the gearing from std form, there is a flat road for about 10miles i have to travel on to get to my tracks.

[Navaho6]

Depends on your definition of "screaming". It does get high in the rpm range at 60, and I wouldn't like running it at that level for 10 miles or even 1 mile. Maybe the bike could handle it but I couldnt. I would not mind cruising at 45.

[080]

hi can you tell me what the bike is like cruising at 60mph on a flat road?  is the engine screaming? does it struggle to sustain the speed? iam buying one and i dont want to change the gearing from std form, there is a flat road for about 10miles i have to travel on to get to my tracks.

You might re-think the gearing change. I swapped out the counter to a 14t and mine cruises at 65mph at about mid rpms. I ride almost 100% ST with an occasional dirt road. I changed the gearing mostly to raise 2nd gear a little as it was just not working for me (use to mx bikes).

[throttle violence]

You might re-think the gearing change. I swapped out the counter to a 14t and mine cruises at 65mph at about mid rpms. I ride almost 100% ST with an occasional dirt road. I changed the gearing mostly to raise 2nd gear a little as it was just not working for me (use to mx bikes).

yeh i think a 14t swap is all it would need and just leave the stock 47 alone

[cwallershasta]

MGrob, I ride a 12 WR and had a YZ426 as well (02). What made that bike scary was because it was real top heavy, especially with a desert tank on it. But after a couple other YZ's I still say that 426 was my favorite motor, It was really, really smooth in power delivery.  A lot like this fuel injected one we have now.

[mebgardner]

MGrob, I ride a 12 WR and had a YZ426 as well (02). What made that bike scary was because it was real top heavy, especially with a desert tank on it. But after a couple other YZ's I still say that 426 was my favorite motor, It was really, really smooth in power delivery.  A lot like this fuel injected one we have now.

 

I'm interested to know whether or not your '12 WR has a (desert) IMS 3.0 gal tank on it.

 

If yes, what's your opinion of the "top heavy"-ness of using it?