Bye, Bye WR

[NewfieWR]

First of all. The 2004 Yamaha WR 450 F is an awesome bike with a few free mods & a little jetting. ?

I race strictly MX with this monster & have done really well. I have no choice to move onto a pure MX machine & have ordered a 2005 Honda CRF 450 R.

I've tamed down through the years & decided to get a performance enduro {WR 450} which turned out to be a capable MX bike. Of course it takes a pretty big guy to throw it around in MX conditions.

I found a new desire for MX once again at the age of 36 & will be doing MX only for the next few years. I though i would like vicious trail riding, & i do, but like MX alot more.

The local track is being upgraded & there will be 80-100 foot jumps there that you must make. I clear the 50 foot gaps easily & have had 70-80 feet of airtime but am pushing the WR to its limit. I weigh 220 out of the shower & am 6 foot 1. These are long leaps on old faithful. That's over 500 pounds all together travelling that distance & sometimes i've landed flat from 15-20 feet in the air ?

The CRF will take me to the next level, but i'll never forget the WR. It amazes people. I'm the only one who has one in my immediate area.

It is an amazing bike....if you don't have one.....GET ONE.

SO LONG....ITS BEEN A BLAST. ?

I'll have a few rides on her before she goes & i'll get a pic for the site of me jumping the Bulldozer at the local track.

One more time....the WR is wicked, tough, powerful & a blast to ride. I'd love to keep it...but it ain't feasable.

Sorry for the long post....i hate goodbyes ?

[BURLEY]

Great post. You gotta move in the direction you are headed in. Good luck with the CRF. I have a buddy that trail rides with me on a '04 CRF450 and has a blast, and it is a very popular desert race bike so, it's not like you give up riding the trails, but it is a hell of an MX bike.

[Math]

I guess the one and only question everybody will ask you is: why haven't you stay blue.

From what I've heard and red, the 05YZ450f is quite something.

[YamahaWR450FMike]

have fun on that CRF, be careful the valves might burn up on you

[Bamster]

Lord tunder'in jesus bye, keep the oil topped up.

[Dual_Dog]

Ride whatever makes you happy. That's why we ride. Maybe someday you can have a quiver of bikes.

Honda makes great bikes, no question there. But remember, it was Blue that really changed the performance levels of a 4-stroke dirt bike so don't count them out completely.

Good luck with your racing & keep the rubber side down.

[endurodog]

I got my 05 CRF about 3 weeks ago now. I do a mix of MX and off road. Just did my first race on the CRF, actually a 2 day enduro. I love the CRF!!! Your gonna like it way better on the MX track too. Luckly I'm able to keep the WR and it will be my trail bike. Both are great but you will be very pleased with the CRF

[NewfieWR]

I'm not brand loyal. I bought the CRF 450 R because it is simply the best 450 for 05. It has the wins, the reviews & a 5 speed.

I bought my WR for the same reasons in 04. {the best enduro} Unbelievable bike !!! I wish i could keep it, but i can't. ?

The WR is so wicked that i almost changed my mine on a new bike a dozen times.

Words cannot describe a WR 450 F. ?

Sorry guys. Have fun....i know you will.

[NewBee]

Hey Tony good luck on that CRF and i'll see you the spring.

[NewfieWR]

Thanks Craig, i'll definately see you the spring. Wait til you come by my shop. A friend of mine built a jump with a loader today across the street. I jumped the creek {40 feet / 12 foot reveen} .....not a great distance, but if you don't make it....you're dead. ? Fourth gear & you'll be fine...LOL !!!

You want to see the traffic going up the street & then i turn off at about 50 mph towards the gap ? I had one car blowing his horn steady & then pulled over to tell me off !!! I guess he though i was committing suicide ? That ole WR can leep ?

[patrickincc]

Do you really think the bike is going to make you faster. I had a beast way back then, A husaberg in which I did not want to jump the big doubles. A friend of mine had a very good stunt man friend who raced vet pro, he jumped everythink on my beast. Its the rider not the bike. Give someone really fast your WR and they will show you what it can do.

[patrickincc]

Wait till you stall it and you wish you had a button.

[NewfieWR]

I'm no slouch on my WR & can share pics with you to prove it.

Do i think i'll be faster at the MX track on my new CRF.....YES !!! ?

Will i even jump further on my new Honda.......YES !!! ??

Is the WR an awesome all around bike........YES !!!

With all skill levels equal.....the CRF will outdo a WR at MX.....HANDS DOWN !

As i said in my intial post words cannot describe the WR....but you have to keep things real. There is no comparison to a CRF as far as MX goes. ?

Now if you comparing a YZ 450 F.....then that is very comparible.

[Alabama_Rider]

So what did you do to your suspension to handle those jumps?

[NewfieWR]

Stiffened the stock settings to the max. Depending where i was riding.

My max jump was 80 feet or so. I've been thrown on a couple of occasions due to bottoming. The stock suspension can handle more than you might think.

There is a guy who rides a WR 250 F at the local track. He murders that bike & does jumps that would shock you. I've seen him land it on a flat from 20 plus feet in the air with no problem. That is the toughest bike in the world. He is a sick individual. ?

[endurodog]

Yep the rider is way more important than the bike but the bike does come into play. Thats why I'm not on a TT125. Most riders on a MX track will be faster on a CRF450 than a WR450.

As for the stalling issue. I just had my CRF on a 2 day enduro in Texas last weekend. I stalled it several times. It does take a bit more to get refired than a 2 stroke and I missed the button. However overall I think my end results were better on the CRF than my results at the same race last year on my WR. It's what fits my style of riding.

Before I get flamed I'm keeping my WR also, it's a great bike and has some great uses but there are better bikes for the MX track or racing.

[DIGITAL_SOLDIER]

Yeah I've been tinkering with the idea of a new bike for MX specifically. I think I'm going to pick up a YZ 250 two stroke for my track bike. ? I know it's a smoker, but those bikes are cheaper, lighter, easier to work on, and faily reliable. This is the bike I'll be stacking hard, jumping long and short, and in general just trying to kill. I didn't have the heart to do it to my WR. I get misty eyed when I lay her down on the trail.

I would have kept the WR AND scored a CRF 450, but I know, these bikes aren't cheap. Having both would be awesome.