Who's ridden WR & YZ 426?

[Scott in KC]

Hoping to hear from a few that have ridden both bikes to give my an idea of the feel & handling characteristics of both. I know all the physical differences, just curious about the "feel".

I have ridden a YZ426 & 400, but haven't been on a WR, only showroom racing. Is there a noticable weight difference once the WR is rolling? I really should get the WR for my needs, but I don't want to take a step backward weight-wise from the husaberg. The YZ "felt" 20 lbs lighter than my 'berg, and handled way better, carries the weight low. I ride mostly trails, the YZ felt good & relatively flickable, again compared to what I've been on. Just don't want to get a WR and realize that I got the wrong bike.

 

[Hick]

The one thing you cannot easily (or cost effectively) change between the two bikes is the tranny ratios. The WR has what I would consider, after hopping off my YZ, a ridiculously low first gear. But if you ride a YZ in the trees, down a hill, you will wonder what idiot made first gear so tall. As in, only 6% shorter than WR SECOND gear. You can’t really remedy this with a sprocket change.

While the WR is heavier, I’ve spent a pretty fair amount of time on my friends’ WRs (3 of them) and can say it doesn’t feel like as much as it (purportedly) is, and the suspension isn’t a huge difference, either. When you consider that you could easily put the WR on a four or five pound diet this aspect matters less still.

So I think the question you need to ask yourself is, what kind of riding do I want the bike to shine in?

Technical off road: You better get the WR. You can put on a YZ-style tank and seat to improve the turning when you do moto, and since third and fourth gear aren’t much different WR vs. YZ, depending on the track you like, the difference may not matter that much.

Moto head: You better get the YZ. The WR tank is really in your lap and makes it harder to turn aggressively, especially if you aren’t so tall. If you trail ride a lot you can add a flywheel weight (or lighting coil) to smooth the delivery and help prevent stalling (easier to stall with YZ cam timing and taller first gear). And of course there are several aftermarket options for larger capacity fuel tanks.

But out west, where I ride, IMO there is no good reason to buy a WR. Yet three of my friends did. Sometimes they just wont listen. :D

Hope this helps.

 

[Scott in KC]

Hick, excellent message, thanks for your time doing that. Mainly off-road for me sothe WR gets another vote. I kind of like that extra low 1st gear on the tight climbs, if 2nd runs out I always have panic gear!:scream:

 

[OldManIn]

Originally posted by Hick
since third and fourth gear aren’t much different WR vs. YZ

Is the 426F different than the 250F with respect to gearing between WR & YZ? On the 250F the following holds:

WR 1st gear is lower than YZ
WR 2nd gear is the same as YZ
WR 3rd, 4th, 5th gear are all taller than YZ

 

[wayneo426]

My .02 cents

Scott,
First gear is a bit low on the WR. But if you ride anything similar to what I ride, as far as tight woods, extreme hills, that gear is NOT totally useless. Sometimes having to navigate up a nasty, rock infested, single track trail, with nowhere to go but straight down, you will use that first gear. This is one of the reasons why I picked the WR over the YZ. If I spent more than half the time on the track it would have been the YZ for sure. I went to the YZ seat/tank, and let me tell you, this was one of the best mods. I rarely need 3.2 gals, or the extra weight of it, so the 2.2 YZ tank suits me fine. Besides, Id rather go back to the truck for more fuel than haul it around on my lap. I am really getting used to the bike now, and am very happy at this point.
As far as the WR being "heavier" than the YZ, I have taken off the kickstand, 2.5lbs, and "slimmed" it down w/ the tank seat combo. It does not feel that much heavier at all.
Good Luck!

 

[Traildale1]

Originally posted by OldManIn


WR 1st gear is lower than YZ
WR 2nd gear is the same as YZ
WR 3rd, 4th, 5th gear are all taller than YZ

Just to clarify, the above gear ratio relationships are correct if you look only at the gearbox. Since the YZ has a 13-48 final ratio and the WR has a 13-52 final ratio (front and rear sprockets) the combined result of the gearbox and final drive sprockets is that both WR 1st and 2nd are lower than the YZ, third is virtually the same, WR 4th is higher and WR 5th is much higher than YZ.

 

[sodhead]

I am probably like many in that I would like some characteristics of the YZ and some of the WR. I mostly ride off road and occasionally worm around the MX track.
The first blue bike I bought was a YZ400F. Felt very light coming off an XR600 and I could "fly" over jumps for a change. COOL! But I could definitely tell the suspension was setup for MX, not off road. It is a bit of a rough ride in the woods, and I stalled it quite a bit in the technical stuff.
I added a flywheel weight, added a few teeth to the rear sprocket, and turned the suspension clickers out some. That made the bike feel closer to what I was looking for, but then I noticed I was hunting for another gear when going down high speed sections (lower top speed).
I read about the WR tranny being wider, so I thought that maybe the WR would be a better fit for me. I found a heck of a deal on a WR, so I bought it. I changed valve timing to the YZ spec, changed to a YZ exhaust, and changed all the WR plastic out for YZ including the seat and tank.
I have to say that I like the WR better than the YZ. The only thing I miss is the stiffer suspension when jumping very hard, but I guess that’s the price you have to pay for a smoother ride over the trail junk.
I ride with 3 guys on the YZF's and another guy on a WRF, and don’t notice any difference when switching bikes around, although the bathroom scale says my WR is still a few pounds heavier than my buddies YZ's. I can't figure out where the few pounds are coming from as our bikes are almost identical now. Maybe the different gears in the tranny?? I don’t know. Like I said though, cant really feel any difference in weight as much as the difference in suspensions.

 

[Dead eng start]

Scott, my ridding buddy (Bwes) had a wr 400. He was able to ride it soo fast. Faster than any other bike he had ever had. That is why I bought one. You know if you can't beat them join them. So I got one to. I love the bike. Anyway Bwes thought he would try a yz 426 when they came out. Lucky for me because he was'nt near as fast on the yz as he was on the wr. Of course we both ride woods. I know you read in the magazines that a mx bike is the best bike to turn into a woods bike. I don't agree I think if a person is going to race mx buy a mx bike. If your going to ride woods by a woods bike. He is selling his 426. I tried talking him into keeping the yz. I sure hope he does'nt buy back another wr. Man he was fast on it. I don't think I have to worrie he has a pumkin on the way for halloween. I sure hope he does'nt want to go fast again and get a blue wr. That would be bad for me. Thats what I think about the wr-vs-yz thing.

Scott you better be at dirtweek its coming up soon.

 

[Scott in KC]

Thanks for the poop on the WR! I've got one held and will pick it up this week. Can't wait. I had to rule out the KTM as much as I wanted one, just too much $$$ for a dirt bike and I really don't think my ability justifies the cost of such a bike. Frankly after reading all my back issues of mags & online stuff on the WR I'm more excited now than ever.

 

[Tree Crippler]

I would like to see my first gear a little lower and second also on the WR. I'm with Wayneo with the nasty uphills and tight woods. The WR250 is also a little easier on you and great on the trails. Last weekend I rode the DRZ400, WR250 and my WR400 back to back and liked them all. The WR400 had the most power while the others were a little easier to handle and turn.

 

[Dead eng start]

Scott glad to here you chose the WR. I don't think you would have been happy with the yz. Make sure first thing you do is go through every bearing they don't seem to use very much grease from the factory. The only bad thing is it does'nt have that magic button. That HoT stat works very well though. I have my idle turned way up on mine so I won't kill it as easy. Sometimes through real tight stuff it idles faster than I what to go. But, it wont die. ;) When you through it on the stand is the only time it feels heavy. When your rolling you won't even notice how much it weighs. I don't think first gear needs to be lower. I don't even use first. I take off in sec. every time even when I race. Sec. seems real low. I weigh alot too.

 

[Scott in KC]

I think the WR will be the best for me too. The whole grease thing just seems kinda whack though. Seriously, why don't these manufacturers just smear some more grease in there to begin with? There must be some manufacturing process reason for this. But, it's probably not a bad idea to get the link broke loose while it's still fresh.

 

[wayneo426]

Cool!

Im also glad to hear you went with the WR. This bike will do whatever you want and more. Make sure to follow ThumperTalk for the few mods, that will even make you happier. :cool:
Or feel free to PM me, and I'll give you all the fresh dirt on it!

 

[Scott in KC]

Well, now I HAVE ridden both! Just brought the blue beast home yesterday!! Took it for a spin around the 'hood for a bit, then to the garage to get the swingarm & linkage lubed up. Baffle out (what a joke that is), and airbox lid off. Will get the throttle & gray wire deal next. Hopefully get out tonight or tomorrow to get the break-in out of the way.

Thanks again for everyone's help. I know now I made the right choice. The bike runs & handles great...plus it has all the "stuff" on it!

 

[Dead eng start]

Scott,
Glad to hear you got it home. That baffle is a joke kind of choked up huh.
I am not sure but, I bet I know some one who has a white bros. exhaust for that. He is sell his bike he would probley sell it. It is alot lighter than stock. Stock I think sucks. Ok now that you have it, load up and come and ride with us at Casey next week.
good luck with the new bike.:cool:

 

[Scott in KC]

Don't know anyone with a White Bros.? Should I?

Took it out last night and got it broke in. It runs good, even with the throttle stop & gray wire attached. But, I could definitely feel the throttle stop & the lack of pull in the middle (gray wire I'm assuming). I cut the throttle stop this morning and will do the gray wire too. Wanted to do it incrementally so I could see the difference just for fun.

The suspension is just awesome though! Very excited about that. The forks, I'm sure, will be a little stiff for the first few rides at least on the slow stuff. But the shock is all good! Man, what traction. Where my Husaberg would just roast & roost, the WR really hooks up, even over the ratty, rutted area I was in. A lot of nice extras come with the bike that I really hadn't looked for or expected... like a quick adjust on the clutch, foam filter, reusable oil filter (to an extent) and the tires really aren't THAT bad for my conditions. I do have to admit that the tank/seat is already bugging me! And the bars go without saying. I've never seen a carb with so many hoses!! I love the gearing and am very glad I got the WR, it has more than enough power to lug it around in whatever gear you're in. Plus....the kickstand...yzf buddies will be jealous of that one while they're hooking up to a tie-down when we get back from a ride. :)