Henry_Bowman
Member
- Mar 3, 2003
- 4
- 0
KDX200 Vs. WR250F
I got back in to dirt biking after a long hiatus a few years ago. My first new bike was a 2001 KDX200. I mainly got it because it was the cheapest full-size dirt bike available at the time. List is $3,999. I have a few kids, including a daughter, now 14. She was riding an XR100, and needed something a bit larger. So I picked up some lowering links for the KDX and dropped the forks in the clamps to lower the seat height about 3” so she can touch the ground, and then went shopping for a new bike for me to ride ;) I wanted to get a new 4-stroke to see what all the hype is about. After test riding a Suzuki DRZ400E (heavy pig) and a Honda XR400 (boooring!), I ended up with a 2003 Yamaha WR250F. We went riding over the 4th of July and I got a good chance to evaluate the two bikes side by side. We were riding near Island Park in eastern Idaho, which is pretty high in elevation (6000 ft.?) The WR250F is stock except for a GYT-R exhaust baffle. The dealer modified the throttle stop but the grey wire is still hooked up. The KDX has been re-jetted and has an FMF fatty pipe and stock silencer.
The WR250F has a list price of $5,799, or about $1,800 more than the KDX. Is the price difference worth it?
Slow speed trail riding
My youngest is 5 and rides an XR50. When I go on rides with him, we have to go pretty slow. Second gear slow. The WR is *very* sensitive to throttle position is the mid-range. There is only “accelerate” and “decelerate”, no “stay-at-the-same-speed”. So you end up shifting to 3rd and lugging. The KDX is much easier to ride slow. Neither heats up.
Faster Riding
The power output of these two engines is remarkably similar. Both have decent low-end torque, with the KDX being a little stronger right off the bottom. The WR has a stronger top end. A drag race between the two would be very competitive, with the WR having a very slight edge. The suspension is also very similar. The forks are the same diameter, although the WR has upside down forks with the thicker part in the triple clamps, so it *seems* to have a beefier fork. The KDX suspension seems to work better on washboard roads, while the WR seems to work better on jumps. Both can be ridden quite fast with stock suspension.
Components and other stuff
The WR has a very nice on-the-fly adjustable clutch perch. The KDX has snail-type chain tension adjustments, whereas the WR does not. The airbox of the WR opens up with three quarter-turn fasteners, so getting to the air filter is trivial. The KDX has a master link in the chain, the WR is all staked. Both come with nice Dunlop tires (same sizes, slightly different models). The WR came with an O ring chain, the KDX didn’t. The front brake calipers look interchangeable (Nissin). The KDX oozes spooge out the tailpipe sometimes and smokes when cold. The pipe and motor of the WR run *much* hotter than the KDX. The seat of the KDX is marginally more comfortable. The overflow bottle of the KDX is behind the right radiator and is easy to see when riding. The WR’s is under the rear fender and cannot be checked without dismounting. They seem to weigh within 5 lb. of each other. Changing the gear oil in the KDX involves one bolt. Changing the motor oil of the WR involves several bolts, two tubes, one or two screens, and a filter. The oil in the KDX gets changed once a year (I use synthetic), whereas some people have told me they change the oil in their YZF/WRF every 20 hours of riding.
Conclusion
Every time I ride another dirt bike, I am amazed how good the KDX really is. I rode a friend’s KTM300MXC last year and it is a great bike, but I liked the KDX better. That said, I really like the WR as well. Both are super easy to ride well. The arguments in favor of the WR are the electric starting, slightly better suspension for going fast, and being able to use straight gas (no oil mixed in). If these things are worth $1,800, then the Yamaha is the way to go. If I were to describe the perfect bike for me it would be a KDX 300 with even more low-end torque, lots of top-end, Yamaha suspension, and oil injection.
Henry_Bowman
2003 WR250F
2002 Honda 919
I got back in to dirt biking after a long hiatus a few years ago. My first new bike was a 2001 KDX200. I mainly got it because it was the cheapest full-size dirt bike available at the time. List is $3,999. I have a few kids, including a daughter, now 14. She was riding an XR100, and needed something a bit larger. So I picked up some lowering links for the KDX and dropped the forks in the clamps to lower the seat height about 3” so she can touch the ground, and then went shopping for a new bike for me to ride ;) I wanted to get a new 4-stroke to see what all the hype is about. After test riding a Suzuki DRZ400E (heavy pig) and a Honda XR400 (boooring!), I ended up with a 2003 Yamaha WR250F. We went riding over the 4th of July and I got a good chance to evaluate the two bikes side by side. We were riding near Island Park in eastern Idaho, which is pretty high in elevation (6000 ft.?) The WR250F is stock except for a GYT-R exhaust baffle. The dealer modified the throttle stop but the grey wire is still hooked up. The KDX has been re-jetted and has an FMF fatty pipe and stock silencer.
The WR250F has a list price of $5,799, or about $1,800 more than the KDX. Is the price difference worth it?
Slow speed trail riding
My youngest is 5 and rides an XR50. When I go on rides with him, we have to go pretty slow. Second gear slow. The WR is *very* sensitive to throttle position is the mid-range. There is only “accelerate” and “decelerate”, no “stay-at-the-same-speed”. So you end up shifting to 3rd and lugging. The KDX is much easier to ride slow. Neither heats up.
Faster Riding
The power output of these two engines is remarkably similar. Both have decent low-end torque, with the KDX being a little stronger right off the bottom. The WR has a stronger top end. A drag race between the two would be very competitive, with the WR having a very slight edge. The suspension is also very similar. The forks are the same diameter, although the WR has upside down forks with the thicker part in the triple clamps, so it *seems* to have a beefier fork. The KDX suspension seems to work better on washboard roads, while the WR seems to work better on jumps. Both can be ridden quite fast with stock suspension.
Components and other stuff
The WR has a very nice on-the-fly adjustable clutch perch. The KDX has snail-type chain tension adjustments, whereas the WR does not. The airbox of the WR opens up with three quarter-turn fasteners, so getting to the air filter is trivial. The KDX has a master link in the chain, the WR is all staked. Both come with nice Dunlop tires (same sizes, slightly different models). The WR came with an O ring chain, the KDX didn’t. The front brake calipers look interchangeable (Nissin). The KDX oozes spooge out the tailpipe sometimes and smokes when cold. The pipe and motor of the WR run *much* hotter than the KDX. The seat of the KDX is marginally more comfortable. The overflow bottle of the KDX is behind the right radiator and is easy to see when riding. The WR’s is under the rear fender and cannot be checked without dismounting. They seem to weigh within 5 lb. of each other. Changing the gear oil in the KDX involves one bolt. Changing the motor oil of the WR involves several bolts, two tubes, one or two screens, and a filter. The oil in the KDX gets changed once a year (I use synthetic), whereas some people have told me they change the oil in their YZF/WRF every 20 hours of riding.
Conclusion
Every time I ride another dirt bike, I am amazed how good the KDX really is. I rode a friend’s KTM300MXC last year and it is a great bike, but I liked the KDX better. That said, I really like the WR as well. Both are super easy to ride well. The arguments in favor of the WR are the electric starting, slightly better suspension for going fast, and being able to use straight gas (no oil mixed in). If these things are worth $1,800, then the Yamaha is the way to go. If I were to describe the perfect bike for me it would be a KDX 300 with even more low-end torque, lots of top-end, Yamaha suspension, and oil injection.
Henry_Bowman
2003 WR250F
2002 Honda 919
