KDX220 vs. WR250F

Member LawManNV switched from a KDX to a WRF. You might try sending him a PM, although I havent' seen him around DRN much lately.

My riding buddy has a WR 250F and my wife bought me a WR 250F for my birthday. I returned the Yamaha in exchange for a KDX 220. I love the KDX!

So far, the only mods I have done to the KDX are an FMF Rev pipe and stiffer fork springs (I haven't even done the free air box mods). It's lighter than the WR (and it feels MUCH lighter). Power-wise, they're comperable; the WR may have a bit more peak power, but the KDX has just as much, or more, useable power. Everyone complains about KDX's outdated suspension, but (with the fork springs) I have few complaints. The bike goes exactly where I want it to and handles jumps pretty well. If necessary, I'll have the forks re-valved and bring the suspension more up to date. The KDX also starts in one kick every time and cost about $1,200 - $1,500 less OTD (but count on spending about $400 more in necessary mods).

To me, the WR just sin't as fun as the KDX. It feels top heavy. It's also pretty tall (I'm 6'0" and I can't flat foot it). As a result, it's hard to toss around. With a less restrictive exhaust (which is necessary to unleash the motor's power), the bike is WAY, WAY too loud. To get the engine's power, you need to keep it spinning super fast (it rev's out at like 14,000 RPM). That takes a lot of effort and, when combined with the noise, makes the ride less fun. My buddy has also had some pretty bad starting problems (e.g., kicking for 1/2 hour until he's so tired he's about to puke). Lately though, he's been able to start it in one or two kicks. On the plus side, the WR 250F's suspension is really sweet, especially in fast open sections and whoops.

You should take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I am biased towards green bikes (my first bike was a 1982 KDX 175, which I still have and which still runs great). All of the magazines love the WR 250F (although in its enduro shoot-out, Cycle World had the bike coming in sixth (out of six bikes)).

Whichever way you go, have fun!!

When the WR 250F came out I thought wow, there's my new bike. Now, after the hype has died down I'm left wondering if the WR is really a good replacement for my KDX.

Trial Rider recently did a test on the YZ 250F and said they would rather use the YZ for woods work than the WR. I thought that was interesting. At present I'm going to keep my KDX since it seems to be a better all around trail bike than the WR. I supposed if I raced the WR would be a better choice, but for trail and play riding, it is very hard to beat the KDX.

What EBOD says. I'd pick the KDX with some mods. I had a pretty well set up KDX and have ridden the bud's WR. The WR is pretty tall, and starting it is a major chore at times. Plus the KDX is a lot trimmer and lighter, as well as lower center of gravity.

IMO, my 220's dialed in suspension had a better balance of firm + plush, but that could be due to adjustments, too. The WR does have some good components and has definite potential.

One thing about the KDX, is that you can sorta tailor the bike to your needs while you're parts shopping.

The WR does have a nice powerband, and the bud sure seems to like the bike. I wouldn't be so friendly towards it after the hard starting episodes.

One thing of note, is that both bikes have a wretched "ski-jump" type seat, which you will quickly dispise once you ride on a bike w/o a S-J seat.

mn kdxer, by ski jump seat, do you mean that dip right behind the tank? The wr250f I rode, which was a shop demo bike, had a pretty flat seat.. Maybe they put a yz seat on it...

On anything remotely tight, I'd rather be on a kdx with the standard mods too, even though the wrf has far superior ergos and suspension. If you want a bike that works well in the tight in stock form, try out the current euro bikes and jap mx 2 strokes.

I rode my brothers 2001 250F last summer. It did not live up to the hype and my expectations. Maybe I am so used to the powerband on my 220, but it seems slow and clumsy. The bike also felt alot heavier. One thing that I noticed was that once you did get the motor into the right RPM's it did come to life somewhat. I also had a difficult time bringing the front wheel up.

Like I said, I only rode it once and maybe Im not giving the bike a fair shake. I can only tell you that the first time I rode my KDX, I knew I was in love.
:cool:

B.

Oh yeah, that starting procedure it requires is a @#&% joke. If you dont get it exactly right, it'll piss ya off.

Bud the North American WRs come with a bigger tank than those pictured on the Oz Yamaha site. Our are bulbous.

David

Originally posted by rockrider
I supposed if I raced the WR would be a better choice

Click to expand...

What would make the WR a better bike for racing (Hare Scrambles) over a modified KDX? I ask only because I have entertained the thought of a WR in the future..very distant future.... say 2006:eek:
Lew

My wife's '02 KDX200 feels a bit cramped for me (6' 185 lb). I had no such problems with the WR250F. Ease of starting? The KDX wins that one for sure. Weight? I found the WR250F to feel much lighter than my WR426F, but it felt a only a bit heavier than the KDX. Between the KDX200 & WR250F, I feel their weight isn't much of an issue, but the WR carries weight higher. In the really tight stuff the KDX is easier to navigate with. But as the terrain opens up, the gap between them grows much wider as the WR250F's suspension soaks up just about anything. The KDX has crisp response off idle and a broad range of power for a 2-stroke, whereas the WR needs to wind up a little. The WR is unlike the "old" four-stroke stump pullers. It's got great power for a 250 4-stroke, but needs to rev to get it. I found the WR to be easier to maintain traction with on some hills, but still needs some clutch action at times like a 2-stroke. For more aggresive riding I'd easily choose the refined WR, with a YZF tank/seat. The KDX is a great bike, but gets overwhelmed easily in it's stock form when the pace picks up.

Stock for stock the WR appears to be better equipped for racing than the softly sprung KDX. Like you said, it would be interesting to mod a KDX for the price difference between the two bikes and see which one comes out on top.:p

I have owned many KDXs and many KTMs. Have you considered the KTM 200 EXC?
The KDX is the best low price option and works great. You need to replace the tires/pipe/front fork springs and add hand guards.
The KTM only requires hand guards.
If you live in the tight woods like we have in Alabama, then don't get the Yamaha. You don't want to have a top-heavy revver bike to go fast in the woods.
If you live out west, then the Yamaha is a great deal. If it had the magic button it would be perfect for Hare Scrambles and western riding.

If you only race occationally then the KDX is the best bet.
If you want to go fast, the get a KTM 200.
If you live out west, the get either the KTM or the Yamaha.
RAD DAD

I don't visit here much anymore since I started riding the WR250f. I guess you can see where I'm going here. I love the WR, but the KDX was a close second. Here's what I think the advantages of the WR. Suspension action is much better on the the WR IMHO, especially after I had it re-worked by MX-Tech. The WR turns better, but is a little top-heavy. Overall power is pretty similar, but power delivery is way different. I'm sure it comes down to personal preference, but the KDX has a better hit in the low end and the WR revs out longer. What I really notice however is that the WR hooks up where the KDX used to spin and you really can lug the WR down. Now the WR takes a little work to get it to work to its full potential (YZ-timing, gray wire, exhaust etc.) so if you're not into that the KDX is more foolproof. I don't think you can make a bad choice between the two bikes, but the WR is a better fit for me.

TomDex

Check out JustKDX website for new bike set up and hop ups, balancing the suspension. Welcome to the Green ide.

http://justkdx.dirtrider.net/

Got a ride on a YZ250F last fall. It riped at the track and thought "Wow this is great". Maybe the WR would be a winner. Then started to talk to owner about maintainance,,,,,,,,,,, WOW does this sound time consuming and expensive. I don't know if I would trade my bombproof, stallproof, partsgalore, eatpumpgas, inexpensivetofix, KDX220 for this Technohammer beast that feels like it could explode at any time. If you have lots of funds and time to wrench on your bike look at the WR. Otherwise KDX's rule



How fast you are is directlly related to the need to use the sh*ter and how far away it is.