Hi All:
Just back from a splendid trail time and I have some first hand info for all interested. My Buddie owns a 2002 XR400 and I am riding a new 2002 WR250F. I weigh 215 and my friend weighs 205. Both bikes are bone stock with nothing done in any kind of modifications (including the famous throttle stop on the WR - it is still operating at 3/4 throttle LOL)...
To begin with we weighed them both on the scale in my garage - both full on fuel. The WR 251, the XR 279.
In a drag race on pavement from a roll (no hole shots). The XR seems to have a small amount of real low torque (below 2 grand) that the WR does not possess. Off idle it pulls away by about a 1/2 bike length and then bye bye XR. The little 250 is GONE!!
In the woods (very tight stuff) we switched off and on about a dozen times so we could get a good feel of each others bikes. We both agreed The WR is by way far nimbler and quicker then the XR. The XR seems to get heavier as the day wears on and the WR is very simualar in nature to riding a 125 mx in feel (dont misunderstand here - it is a totally different motor then a yz125) - gets more fun the more fatique your fighting.
I think the WR carries its weight differently - the XR likes to wash out in the switch backs and the WR is like a razor knife - point and shoot!
On the whoops and jumps - hahahahahaha - no comparison!! It instantly becomes apparent that the XR has NO mx heritage. The WR on the other hand could probably go right from our woods riding onto a genuine MX track andbe an absolute blast!!!
The XR had some real nasty habits for both of us when it was landed flat (hard to find nice table tops in the sticks) from more the a 6 feet in the air! It really wanted to "shake" loose from the bottuming it was taken. The WR - well like I said..
Gas mileage - now this really suprized me. You would think with the pumpercarb on the WR it would use alot more gas then the XR but that was not the case. They were close with the XR taking on about a 1/2 gallon more out of a 105 mile ride - go fiqure..
Wheelie ability - basically the XR lofts its front end fairly well on its own in the first two gears and the WR in its first 3 gears. Both have stock gearing could be lifted with out much trouble in the next subsequent gear. The XR was a NO-Go in fourth gear without bouncing the front end up (it seems very front heavy). The WR easily bounces up in fourth and will ride out in gear 5 if you pull hard up. Both my friend and I have many years on dirtbikes and we understand the implications of this wheelie business. If you as a reader dont, you must be one of those riders who putt thru creeks/mudholes/ditches and log crossings. Bottom line is you can go faster on the WR with confidence that the front end is light when you need it!!
Hard starting - I have news for all you folks that think the XR does not have a starting drill. You are wrong! From cold his XR started within 5 kicks (it was 53 degrees this morning) and it took two restarts on the XR to finally get it woke up - very cold blooded. I found that starting the XR was easiest if you kicked it over until you found compression and then rolled it a little more until the cam was between the valves (just like we started the ol Triumps... Does that sound familiar to you WR owners out there? The only differents is the WR has a higher compression ratio so you have to get past both valves before whooping it!! The WR started 1st kick, did not stall, idled out on choke and we went riding hmmmmm....
Neither of us fell during the day ride so we took the bikes and laid them down on the ground first on the left then on the right. Same amount of time on each side (about 5 seconds). The WR started 1st kick after kicking it thru 10 times on the compression release and pulling the hot start. The XR had to be pushed started (it probably would have started if we were not worried about over using the starter gear from over kicking it...
I guess all in all the only thing I can think of that we were not able to compare to our liking was operation in real high temps. We are going to find out about that though cause we are planning a trip out to Utah in the near future.
If you folks would like me to I will write an update about that adventure when Iget back!!
Be interesting to see which one handles the desert the best....
Any of you have any thing to add in here I would be thrilled to read your input!
CYA in the woods!
Woodsy
Just back from a splendid trail time and I have some first hand info for all interested. My Buddie owns a 2002 XR400 and I am riding a new 2002 WR250F. I weigh 215 and my friend weighs 205. Both bikes are bone stock with nothing done in any kind of modifications (including the famous throttle stop on the WR - it is still operating at 3/4 throttle LOL)...
To begin with we weighed them both on the scale in my garage - both full on fuel. The WR 251, the XR 279.
In a drag race on pavement from a roll (no hole shots). The XR seems to have a small amount of real low torque (below 2 grand) that the WR does not possess. Off idle it pulls away by about a 1/2 bike length and then bye bye XR. The little 250 is GONE!!
In the woods (very tight stuff) we switched off and on about a dozen times so we could get a good feel of each others bikes. We both agreed The WR is by way far nimbler and quicker then the XR. The XR seems to get heavier as the day wears on and the WR is very simualar in nature to riding a 125 mx in feel (dont misunderstand here - it is a totally different motor then a yz125) - gets more fun the more fatique your fighting.
I think the WR carries its weight differently - the XR likes to wash out in the switch backs and the WR is like a razor knife - point and shoot!
On the whoops and jumps - hahahahahaha - no comparison!! It instantly becomes apparent that the XR has NO mx heritage. The WR on the other hand could probably go right from our woods riding onto a genuine MX track andbe an absolute blast!!!
The XR had some real nasty habits for both of us when it was landed flat (hard to find nice table tops in the sticks) from more the a 6 feet in the air! It really wanted to "shake" loose from the bottuming it was taken. The WR - well like I said..
Gas mileage - now this really suprized me. You would think with the pumpercarb on the WR it would use alot more gas then the XR but that was not the case. They were close with the XR taking on about a 1/2 gallon more out of a 105 mile ride - go fiqure..
Wheelie ability - basically the XR lofts its front end fairly well on its own in the first two gears and the WR in its first 3 gears. Both have stock gearing could be lifted with out much trouble in the next subsequent gear. The XR was a NO-Go in fourth gear without bouncing the front end up (it seems very front heavy). The WR easily bounces up in fourth and will ride out in gear 5 if you pull hard up. Both my friend and I have many years on dirtbikes and we understand the implications of this wheelie business. If you as a reader dont, you must be one of those riders who putt thru creeks/mudholes/ditches and log crossings. Bottom line is you can go faster on the WR with confidence that the front end is light when you need it!!
Hard starting - I have news for all you folks that think the XR does not have a starting drill. You are wrong! From cold his XR started within 5 kicks (it was 53 degrees this morning) and it took two restarts on the XR to finally get it woke up - very cold blooded. I found that starting the XR was easiest if you kicked it over until you found compression and then rolled it a little more until the cam was between the valves (just like we started the ol Triumps... Does that sound familiar to you WR owners out there? The only differents is the WR has a higher compression ratio so you have to get past both valves before whooping it!! The WR started 1st kick, did not stall, idled out on choke and we went riding hmmmmm....
Neither of us fell during the day ride so we took the bikes and laid them down on the ground first on the left then on the right. Same amount of time on each side (about 5 seconds). The WR started 1st kick after kicking it thru 10 times on the compression release and pulling the hot start. The XR had to be pushed started (it probably would have started if we were not worried about over using the starter gear from over kicking it...
I guess all in all the only thing I can think of that we were not able to compare to our liking was operation in real high temps. We are going to find out about that though cause we are planning a trip out to Utah in the near future.
If you folks would like me to I will write an update about that adventure when Iget back!!
Be interesting to see which one handles the desert the best....
Any of you have any thing to add in here I would be thrilled to read your input!
CYA in the woods!
Woodsy
