Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127681
(Above left) Tucked Inside the eng ine cases Is a wid e-ratio, flve-s peed gearbox. The engine has been re-tuned lor belter low- and mid-range performance. (Left) A swlngarm-mounted sldestand Is pr ovi ded on the WR. (Above) The large gas tank holds 3.4 gallo ns and is Interchang eable with the sma ller yz tank: but you'll have bUy a yz seat as well. Enduro and Reliability End uro circu its aboard his WR. Cunningham is a fourtime Na tiona l Enduro champ, however, and could probably tum in good results aboard a unicycl e. Fo r us mo rta ls, a slightly smoother delivery would come in handy on technical trails. Out west , however, where trees and slimy rocks are hard er to come by, the power delivery of the WR is perfect, and it also works well in the slightl y more op en env irons of a h are scra mb les course. Not that toda y's hare scrambles tracks are freewa ys, but compared to a tough Nation al End uro, most trails look pretty smooth. Like the motor, the WR's suspension also lies somewhere "in between." It's a tad on the soft side for MX or desert racing , and a li ttle harsh for eastern enduros. Put the bike on a cross country course, however, and you 'd be hardpressed to improve on the suspension action. We've heard complaints of the YZ's tende ncy to "squat" under acceleration, bu t we noticed the trait more on the WR. A switch to an aftermarket linkage piece may remedy the problem, and we're looking forward to seeing if the '95 updates prove helpful. Either way, the problem is not a big one. Handling-wise , Yam aha ye t aga in opted to go "middle of the road " with the WR. The bike feels quite long and is blessed with awesome stability, refusing to swap or shake its head . Still, the WR will tum when the need arises, though not qu ite as easily as an RMX or a KDX. Like the rest of the bike, the handling ca n bes t be described as a ve ry good compromise. The WR250 is a ve ry co mfor ta ble motorcycle ergonomically, though it does have 'a couple of problem spots. Most noticeable is the sho rt distance betw een the seat and the pegs, resulting in a cumbersome transition from silting to standing. We find this strange, since the rest of the bike is qu ite room y. Also, the large tank and resu ltant stubby seat force the rider 's seating position to be a little more rearward than we would like. Not much , mind you, but it is noticeable when you hop directly off a yz or other motocrosser . Still, the extra gas has to go somewhere, and the tank is a big improvement over the '93 bike 's deformed cell. We applaud Yamaha for providing the bigger tank in the first place. The YZ tank will swa p over to the WR if you don't need the extra range, but you'll have to buy the YZ seat along with it. Shifting is a little notchy, but the brakes are plenty strong and the clutch stands up well to abuse. The swingarmmounted sidestand hangs up in ru ts, but is handy and can be easily removed. We'd like to see it mounted to the frame. The 18-inch rear wh eel is welcome for off- road, as are the hand-holes in th e side panels. While the WR has earned most of its reputation in the eastern environs of the GNCC circuit, we also found that it has a niche in the California desert - not so much as a hare and hound weapon, bu t as an enduro bike for District 37. So Cal enduros require a blast of power and the cap ability to track on top of san d, but also demand the ability to track thr ough technica l sec tions. Sta y tu ned for a future story on the mod ified WR of District 37 ace Grant Palenske. Ov erall, w e we re qu ite impres sed w ith the WR, and sa lu te Yamaha 's "Jack-o f-all-tr ad es, master-of-crosscoun try " approach. For years we've asked manufacturers to give us their latest-techn ology motocross bikes, set up wi th the few off-road mods that are hard for the customer to perform, and let us do the rest. That's exactly what Yamaha has done with the WR. We just hope they don't slip back into the trap of skipping over the off-road bike when doling out future updates. a While Cycle News believes the foregoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers only and should not be relied upon in determining the per f ormance or safety of the oehiclets ). The reader should make his or her own investigation. Yamaha WR250 Specifications Engine type . .. . . . .. .• ... . •...Uquid-eooled. 2-stroke single Displacement 249cc Bore & stroke . . .• . . .• . . . .•.68mm x68.8mm ComPression 9.0 - 11.0:1 carburetor Mikuni VM38SS Ignition..• .•. .. .. . . •.• •.Capacitor discharge Starting Kick 5-speed Transmission Fro suspension . • . . •. . . . .. .KYB telescopic nt inverted fork Front travel 11 .8 inches Rear suspension . . . . . . • . . . . . .KYBrisingrate link-type Monocross Rear travel 12.4 inches Front brake . . . •• •. .. • . .245mm hydraulicdisc Rear brake 220mmhydraulic disc Front tire 80/100-21 Rear tire 110/1 00-18 OveraUlength 86.1 inches OVel'llll width; (. : •... , 33.5 inches Overall height . . •. . .. . . . . . .. . . . .47.8inches Seat height 39.9inches Wheelbase .. •. • • . ••.• . .. . . . . . .58.7inches .0inches Ground clearance . . .... ... . . •. . .15 Fuel tank capacity ... • . . . . . . . . . . .3.4 gallons Claimed dry weight . •. . • . . . . .. • .223 pounds Suggested retail price $4999