Torn between WR450F vs.WR250f

[Busher]

I am 5'11 about 185 and have been riding for about 5 years. I am just coming back to riding after taking 2 years off. I about to get a new bike and am wondering if the WR450f would be too much power or is it bearable to eaze into it? I've been on YZ250's and can handle myself just fine but am afraid that the WR250f will end up not being enough in the long haul. Any suggestions to help with this?

[Indy_WR450]

The way I look at it is the 450 is the lugging monster and the 250 is the high rever. If you like to rev and shift a lot get the 250. The 450 is great for short shifting and riding around in one gear if you so like. I dont rev mine. They are equally fast in most conditions. The 450 works better in deep sand and rock crawling. The 450 wears you out quicker if you like riding at the limit. JMO! ?

[the426master]

go with the 450 you can learn to not use all the power for a while and if you leave it all stock until you get use to it you don't have to worry about it being to powerful ?

[mjb40]

go with the 450 you can learn to not use all the power for a while and if you leave it all stock until you get use to it you don't have to worry about it being to powerful

I was in the same boat last winter. ? I went with the WR450 and love it. A friend bought a WR250 and it was a dog until he uncorked it. I rode his 250 on a track last weekend and it's now a scream to ride, but you have to ride it like a two smoke. The quote above is right on. Have Fun! ?

[tallfider]

If your going to do mainly trail riding i would go for the 450. It`s a much more versatile machine; that extra torque makes it a absolute charm that plows through anything. However, If your going to race, spacialy in tight stuf i would probably opt for the 250. The extra weight of the 450 and its gyro effect will tire you out much quicker.

Good luck

[YamahaSteve]

Go with the 450... you will kick yourself for not getting the extra power. I have been riding my 450 for about 6 months now and the first ride was a bit exciting on it to say the least... but it is actually a very mellow and easy going 450 but can rip your arms off when you need it to.

[sabin]

Also keep in mind that the high reving engine has less life.

[chais1]

go the 450 bud i am only light in weight and if you dont use the power well so be it but if you what it, it,s defintely there to use ,best bike i ever owned, ?

[roktoy]

I just got back on a bike after being off for about 6 years. Last bike I had was an old, but trusty, '83 YZ250. Had been riding YZs for a long time. So so rider...just for fun.

I'm 5'-8" and 145 lbs. Not a 450, but maybe a helpful data point. Two weeks ago I bought an '01 WR426F. It is a blast! I'm working to soften the suspension for my weight, but I really like this bike. A tad lighter would be nice but I can get well used to it.

The engine pulls and pulls but has manageable delivery. I'm running WR timing now and have the option to kick in the YZ timing later if I want more mid range pull. The bigger motor lugs well and doesn't require as much shifting if you choose not too. I'd never ridden a bike with this much power, but with just a little throttle control, it is easy to ride. I find having all that torque pulls me out of trouble many time using a tap of the throttle. Compared to riding a 2 stroke....I use practically no clutch.

Having fun!

These forums are great....tons of good info.

Jay

[holeshot426]

If you do any sort of off-roading or hill climbing, you want the 450. Trust me... ?

[NewBee]

Hey guy I bought the WR450F. It is the first bike I have ever owned and I love it. It is a bit heavy and high but I have learned to get use to it. Something that I really looked at when I bought mine last month was that the difference in the price between the 450 and 250 is only $800. I can safely say that I love my bike. Go for it. ?

[Sylvain]

Go for the big blue one ! You will not regret it. ?

[Gordingull]

I'm switching to a YZ-250f but I would not won't to go to a 250f WR, the 450f WR is the greatest enduro bike I can imagine, you will not be disapointed, go for the 450f, but I'm started to lean towards motocross witch is why I'm changing... ?

[Bliz]

I think it depends on where you ride. Tight stuff I'd take the 250. If you ride open stuff I'd take the 450. I own a 01 250 with about 2000 miles on it. Absolutely no reliability problems. You also hear the 250's have no torque or bottom end power which is BS. No they're not going to have the bottom end power of the 450 but to say they are like a 125 2 stroke is nonsense.

[Guest SirTeachAlot]

Any information yet about the 05 WRs? I heard a rumor that Yammy would change things around to meet CA green sticker requirments as a response to the 250X...

[wrooster]

Also keep in mind that the high reving engine has less life.

you base this "factoid" on what data ???

jim aka the wrooster

'01 wr250f (@3000 trail miles)

[MrBlahh]

Also keep in mind that the high reving engine has less life.

you base this "factoid" on what data ???

Just about every FAQ on engine life there is maybe?

On BMW Cars, you get 10,000 base miles, every mile deducts from that. The computer tracks rpm & temp, cold driving = 3x mile deduction per mile, over 3000 RPM = 2x mile deduction per mile.

If you rotate a given part at a higher rpm, take that extra ratio, that's the extra wear, in some cases it can be twice as high, I run my WR400 at idle to 5000 rpm, if you run your wr250 at 3000 rpm to 8000 rpm than that's going to wear the parts 2-3 times faster.

Not that these engines wear that fast anyway, the main problem is high revving breaks down the oil faster, as long as your religious with changes like you should be with a modern WR, then engine life is a moot point.

[wrooster]

Also keep in mind that the high reving engine has less life.

you base this "factoid" on what data ???

Just about every FAQ on engine life there is maybe?

[bmw trivia deleted]

read my question again.

"data" means a higher incidence of 250F engine failures vs 426/450F failures.

it's a nice theory that the 250F engine, which is rev limited at 13.5K rpm, will "wear faster" than the 450F engine, which is rev limited at 12.5K rpm.

disregarding the WR450F's problems with the starter pinion and the crankshaft taper, i don't believe (i.e., i have not seen on TT a trend either way) that the 250F engine is any more or less reliable than the 426F/450F engine. hence, i questioned the original poster's assertion that "the high reving [250F] engine has less life". given the same maintenance schedules (e.g., OCI) i don't think that is the case.

as for

If you rotate a given part at a higher rpm, take that extra ratio, that's the extra wear, in some cases it can be twice as high,

you also must take into consideration the mass of the parts as well. the rotating/reciprocating internals of the 450F are somewhat heavier than their counterparts in the 250F. for example, the piston is larger and heavier, leading to increased rod end loads and increased crank bearing loads. so it's not just as simple at "more RPM = more wear". but again, i am talking theory here.

which gets me back to my original question:

what data leads you to believe the 250F is any less reliable than the 450F? don't tell me what bmw does with their engine management computer (i've got a bimmer, i know what it does) -- tell me how you came to the conclusion that the "250F engine has less life".

jim aka the wrooster

'01 wr250f

[MrBlahh]

The starter issue on the 03 450, and the conrod rod failures on the earlier WR250 are not wear issues, they are failure issues.

Wear issues are directly related to temp & rpm

The 450's may have a 12.5k rpm redline, but most humans cant rev them that high very often, unlike the 250's, which are known to be reving machines.

[toolie]

Like some of the people have said it really depends on what your using it for; play, race, open or tight single track terrain. I've raced my wr400 in all conditions, you will feel the weight in the tight areas and if it gets really muddy sometimes less weight/power is better. The main reasons for ME picking the wr250 is weight.

Case in piont; when I first got my 400 I set-up a timed tight section. Even with the 400s better suspension settings for woods than my yz250wr I was still faster on the yz250. You really have to work with the 400, and this was a short 4km section 10-15sec adds up!

What ever you deside just make sure it's blue! ?