WR450 on the road

[dr350dude]

i'm thinking about a 06 wr450 - i haven't heard anything bad about them for trails/enduro stuff, but how about on the road? once you get up to higher speeds, do they still have some reserve power for passing on highways? and is the stock gearing a good balance between trails and road? how about a top speed, and stability on tarmac? lemme know your thoughts... and no i dont want a road bike ( i wouldn't have the money for two bikes- and i wont give up dirt-bikes!)

[edwardsp]

Folks here may disagree with me(my reply isn't based on first-hand experience), but from all the reading and listening I have done, I think you would do best with a DRZ400 or similar bike from Suzuki or maybe Kawasaki. I have a WR450 and would not part with it, but I think the maintenance schedule would be too hard for frequent highway use. You'd be changing oil all the time. A recent article in Dirt Rider reviewed some of what could be called highway/enduro/trail bikes.

If anyone with a WR450 has good road experience, hopefully they will read your post and respond.

[katoom525sx]

Why does every one think the wr's ,crf's and ktm's should not be on the road in Europe they sell them for road use?

I have had a 03 crf450r 03 525sx and a 04wr250f plated and have had no problems with any of them.

[pkcof]

hmmm ... my thoughts exactly ! ...My '05 WR450F was and is designed specifically for trail/enduro/competition use and i use it predominantly for club racing and trail riding with my mates as practice (ok, Aussie here !). There are many dual purpose bikes available for road/trail use and yes the DRZ400, XR400 and KLX400 are very good examples of these bikes. Not only can they hold their own on the trail but their road manners coupled with their servicing schedule make them attractive alternatives to the more serious race oriented mounts.

I realize that not all of us can afford more that one bike but if you do your homework and choose a bike that will satisfy 85% of your needs then you've at least got 85% of the value of your bike and the maintenance that goes with it is purely karma

[poffer]

Know about some guys here in Norway that have driven their wr long distances without any problems. One has 20000km on it and the only thing done exept from changing oil every 1000km is adjusting the valves 2 times!! Another wr had 27000km on it without any problem but the owner choosed to rebuilt the engine at that point, he didnt want to wait until the big bang... Both bikes mostly driven onroad. Gearing is 15/50 But if you are looking for a dirtbike that you can drive in speeds such as 75-95 miles/h over long distances, I think probebly this bike isnt made jet.... I have no problem reaching 95 miles/h with stock gearing but over long distances in this speed the engine would be weared out in a short time I think. I think f.ex the DRZ is a ok bike but you cant compare it to a wr! like some other said, its like comparing a orange to an apple.....

1mile=1,6km

[02YZ426]

I have my 426 street legal and love it... I converted mine because I wanted the awsome power and torque it puts out opposed to the purpose built enduros. My bike will eat those bikes for breakfast. I say if you want yours street worthy, go for it! you wont regret it and you can always change up your gearing if you want to go faster than stock.

[edwardsp]

Looks like I stand corrected. That's a GOOD thing.

[dr350dude]

awesome guys, sounds good- thanks for all the input. I do love xr4's, but they dont challenge me- to tell the truth, im really surprised these things (wr450's) dont require more engine maintenance or top-end rebuilds. guess it depends on the way you ride it. they've got cylinders that are nickasil (sp?) plated- or equivalent- right?

[glovrin]

the 2006 runs great on the street we have two with plates in CA and are planning on running super-moto 17" excels and tires

[BajaFool]

Glovrin--- where in the California do you live? What was your magic to get a plate on your 2006 WR450F? The general consensus in the San Diego area is forget about trying to dual sport 2005 and newer WR450F's, the DMV here is up to speed on the EPA sticker situation.

[5spoke]

once you get up to higher speeds, do they still have some reserve power for passing on highways? QUOTE]

If going from 70mph too 100mph in a few seconds isn't enough, then no, it doesn't have enough power

[Stranglersfan]

I love my WR on the road. i'm on it everyday and apart from regular oil changes and tyres (gotta love slidin them roundabouts) and it's been the most fun i've ever had on a bike that was ridden on the tarmac.

get some excels on it and you'll love the flick-ability and balance these bikes have. My gearing is 15/40 on the 17" Excels and coupled with Maxxis Supermoto Street tyres she handles like a dream and sticks to the road like sh#t to a blanket. Even with this gearing it has bags of grunt and loads of mid/top end speed but i rarely enjoy going over 90mph as being so upright the faster you go the harder the wind is trying to blow you off and the front becomes very twitchy, but a soon to be fitted stabiliser will sort that out. To be honest, going fast for a sustained period on one of these on the open road when converted to road/supermoto use is pretty boring and tedious, but when the corners/roundabouts come..... Woohooo! Let rip and chuck her in there ? you will be amazed at the level of grip and the amount of lean these things have, awesome fun.. Then when you want to do the tracks, throw your enduro rims back on and a quick fettle with the gearing/suspension and your good to go in the dirt and have some fun too, best of both worlds. I wouldn't trade my WR in for any other bike, unless it's an upgrade to an an elecky start model? Now that is a pain, no elecky start when on the road which is no fun if you stall it at the lights i've got around this problem though. take the lights like the starting grid and ROAR off them once you get the green u gotta love the startled looks of the car drivers too.........

Just my 2 cents worth, not everyones cup of tea to do this to their WR's but i'm real glad i did it to mine ?

[WR450F_RDR]

Great post, I was interested in this myself, my 03 has been street legal since Feb 03 and I usually only use it for fire roads and a little asphalt. Over 5000 miles and no problems. The question I have is I have heard that extended road use on a WR is hard on the transmission because of no cush drive. Any input on this? I have thought of putting 17's on mine too for road use, would be fun.

[simon@vic]

all you need for road use is gearing and oil changes.

it seems like these 5 valves motors are built to last!!

[katoom525sx]

Cush hubs are a joke there are sports bikes that don't have them. If anything they will save your sprokests and that is it. Your sprokets take all the abuse, that is why you see suppermoto bikes break sprokets.

[Joe Reitman]

once you get up to higher speeds, do they still have some reserve power for passing on highways? QUOTE]

If going from 70mph too 100mph in a few seconds isn't enough, then no, it doesn't have enough power

Mine jumps from 55 to 75 in 4th gear (15 t front) VERY quickly. There will be plenty of passing power in most instances

[gary haskell]

Dual sporting my '05' wr450

works great, much lighter than a real dual sport, so I can blaze the sand washes in the desert or ride single track stuff in our Idaho mountains ( the tough technical trails I use my 200ex-w) lowered the bike 1.5" I'm short so this helps in being able to touch the ground. Gearing 15/46 cruise at 65mph smooth very little vibration, at 45 to 55mph on desert two track stuff, I can get 50 miles pre gallon if I'm easy on the throttle. You have to keep your speed up on the single tracks because of the gearing, if only they would put a six speed in like my Husabergs had( four, Husaberg 501s, my favorite bikes of any, in forty years of riding)

I'm using DOT Pirelli tires, dropped rear fender, stock muffler small restricter remover, balanced the tires.

I put a primary gear set from the 4wheeler in a few weeks ago, this got rid of the knock I had and the clutch has torsional springs for pavement use, works great.

I have checked oil temperature and after running 30 miles at 75 mph the temp was 185 degrees F this is great! I wrapped the exhaust and put the cool-it blanket between the exhaust and the carb, e-line skid plate with six one inch holes for air flow, this all helps the engine to run at the right temperature. 20/40 or 20/50 good quality oil,depending on air temp.

5000 miles and the valve setting is still within spec, great engine, just needs a six speed.

the bike has been a lot of fun, I rode it 300 miles one day(the furthest I rode my RI in a day was 230 miles) I used a pro gel pad their smaller one, works great on the narrow seat for two track and pavement riding, when I hit the trails I put it in my back pack or the soft saddle bags that hang from the pro billet rack.

have a great ride /haskell in Idaho

[kallen]

Hi

I have just purchased a 2005 WR450 and want to convert it to the road. Can anyone help with procedures or a website that sells a kit.

What is involved?? Lights, indicators and plates?? Can I use existing light?

Thanks for your help.

[rock_spitter 101]

you are 100% wrong about going to the drz400s for dual sporting i have

bought at drz400s last year and its a powerless peace of crap not worth the

money i spent on it .

lofting the front tire not an option unless ur sitting on the rear fender and

dump the clutch at 9000 rpm at a stand still then maybe it might... down a

hill it will go 150kmph wide open screaming like a little girl.

me my self am tradeing it in and going Ktm 525 and plateing it 6gears baby...

[rock_spitter 101]

http://bajadesigns.com they have some nice ones. go to ur nearest ktm

dealer ktm makes a snap on snap off for decent price