Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

1994 Yamaha WR250Z By Chris Jonnum Photos by Donn Maeda Y maha's WR250 is a different kind mo torcycle, so unique that it can be ha rd to determine the bike's exact intend ed purpose. If yo u b eli ev e Ya ma h a's lawyers, it's a closed-eourse-o nly motorcycle, des ig ned never to lea ve a motocross track. That's because it's not EPA-ap pro ved, and isn't equipped with a spa rk arrestor, hand gua rds, headlight, or many of the other features that typically co me sta nd ard on off-road bikes. But it's a well-known fact that lawyers and the truth go together like oil and water, so we wouldn't blame yo u if you were a bit sk eptical of the "closed -course" label. After all, Yamaha alread y has a motocross bike - the YZ250 - and when yo u factor in standard WR250 features like a lighting coil , a wide-ratio trans mission, a sidestand and more crankshaft inertia than the YZ250, it becomes more and more clear that the bike is actually intended to be used offroad . Fine, so the WR250 is an off-road bike, but for what portion of the offrood market? Let's see, when manufacturers sa y "o ff-road ," they typically mean "enduro." You see, in most other areas of the world, enduro is really the onl y form of off-road competition that exists (other than specialized events like rallies and observed trials). Hence, bikes like the Kawasaki KDX200 and Suzuki RMX250 tend to be aimed at the enduro market, and one would tend to assume the same about the Yamaha WR25O. One " would be overlooking the fact that the WR doesn't come with an odometer or a headlight, and that it does come with a harder-hitting po we rband than works well for technical trails. "O h, so it's a desert bike," we can hear you saying. No, because its suspension is not set up for hand ling two-foot d eep sa nd whoops at 80 mph . Perhaps the best clue - is to look at the only National circuit which Yamaha has serio usly followe d with the WR - the Grand National Cross Country Seri es. Th is circuit - like th e National Championship Hare Scrambles Seri es - is strictly an American inven tion, and Yamaha has owned it for the past two years. Fred Andrews won the cham pi o nship on a mod ified YZ last year, and with the help of the revamped ' 94 WR, he stands a good shot at defending his title this year. So it's settled; the Yamaha WR250 is a cross country and hare scramb les bike. FRED'S SLED Top hare scrambles racers like Fred Andrews demand a powerband with plenty of boost, and while they want the rear wheel to hook up, they don't require the ability to bog down like a true enduro bike. However, these same riders won't pu t up with motocross fork and shock settings, instead preferring their suspension to soak up rocks, roots and the occasional fallen lap per. The y generally don 't like a headlight hanging on the front of their bike, but insist on a large-eapacity fuel tank. The Yamaha WR250 fulfills all of these needs. Add a pair of handguards and a spark arrestor, and the bike is pretty much ready to race hare scrambles out of the crate . Yam aha completely revamped the WR250 for '94, utilizing the '94 YZ250as a star ting point rather than us ing the typical off-road app roach of "updating" old technology by adding new graphics. For ' 95, they've again opted to hold their cards for the most part, alte ring only the suspension settings, the graphics, and the price. The '95 WR will cost just $250 more than the bike we tested. The WR gets resh aped exhaust and (Right) The WR250 is the jack 01 all tra des. In stock condition, It can be ri dden competitively In mot ocross and hare scrambles, and with a l ew minor modifications, It makes an excellent enduro and dese rt racin g bike. (Below) The WR Is more than Just a yz with a bigger gas tank. transfer ports compared to the YZ, and a clutch with more spring tension and steel plates instead of alu min um. The po rt updates are aimed at increasing low and m id-range p ower, and the clutch changes provide longer clutch life and more flywheel effect. A stro nge r ignition system gets a lighting coil for easy addition of a head and tail light, and the crankshaft has a 7% gr eater rotational mass . A wide-ratio gearbox is dropped in as well. Suspension is id entical to th e ' 94 YZ250, with a few exceptions. Damping rates are aimed at hare sc ra mbl es instead of motocros s; both the fork and shock are IOrnm shorter to make it easier to put a foot ou t in rough conditions and to improve cornering prowess; and the rear compressio n damping valve is 4mm larger. Frame geometry is identical to the YZ, bu t an 18-in ch rear wheel (w it h snail cam adjus ters) replaces th e MX bike's 19-incher. A larger 3.4-gallon tank is added, requiring a different -seat as well. Also WR-specific are the front disc g ua rd and sw in gar m-m o u n ted sid e stand. THE GNCC JAMMER The WR250's uniqueness makes it a little hard to test, since there's really nothin g to directly compare it to. Lined up agai ns t a starting-gate full of '9 4 motocrossers, the WR will come up short in the power department, but then we' ve already established that it's not really a mo to cr oss b ike. Thread ing through the trees and bogging down over slimy logs, the WR will have more beans than th e '94 line-up of end uro bikes, but th en we' ve alread y es tablished that it's not really an enduro bike, either. What it comes down to is that of , the bikes designed specifically for hare scrambles and cross country, the 1994 Yamaha WR250 is best you can get. (For now , let's just overlook the fact that it's the only such bike you can get.) The WR has a smoother hit than its MX brother, but not much smoother . This is still definitely one fast moto rcycle. When the going gets really tight, the Yama ha can be a bit of a handful, though Terry Cunningham has turned in some good res ult s on the National

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