DR650 Weight Reduction equals WR250R

A

Airride

Member
After 75,000KM of offroad trips on the DR it was finally time to loose a bunch of weight and replace it with
a WR250R as I am not getting any bigger or stronger prior to retirement.

I have done 4 months of work on the WR since I purchased it new in Jan getting the ergonomics and luggage setup
and just hitting 5000KM of testing and totally pleased.This is about the only lightweight machine that can also put out 350watts
for all electrical needs which my DR could not come close to even with the high output Stator installed.
Still love the DR,s so dont get the wrong idea it,s just that I stopped growing about 40 yrs ago and....... nowI can keep riding for
who knows how long.

Was really sceptical with the highway use but it has proven to hold a constant 65MPH which is about what I
liked to cruise at on the DR except for the occasional faster burst on the Interstate section which I avoid at all costs.

The bike has close to 500km range and very low centre of gravity as I now carry all my gear below the seat height.

Some pics for the visual types.

The Old and Heavy
gPWnlYkm.jpg


The New and Lighter
YqEkhiwm.jpg


All tools now fit in one larger tube.
n9BM1Ymm.jpg


The cockpit
WW5JjSEm.jpg


Fully loaded setup with all camping gear for TAT (Trans America Trail)
FZV17k0m.jpg
 
Grove

Grove

New member
Awesome WR250 ya got setup there, I too ditched my KLR650 in favor of a KLX250 for same reasons....bugger just too heavy when riding solo loaded up.
 
A

Airride

Member
Sprockets

Sprockets

what broke now said:
Are you staying with the factory sprockets? That would sure keep the fuel mileage up, but I found mine was sweeter overall at 13/47.
Click to expand...

Planning on maybe running a 13 X 47 for local BC rides which drops the speed by about 8.5% which may be an issue when going cross country.
It would certainly improve the snap as an 8.5% increase in torque would be noticeable.

I may go with a 14X47 for long trips and switch back to 13X47 but to early to tell right now. I find dropping down to 5th I can climb most grades and still maintain 60ish mph and the 1st gear range has not been to much of a problem as I prefer to have a little bit more speed/ momentum to get through the rough parts, my focus is not on single track which differs from most WR riders.
 
W

woofer2609

New member
Nice bike!
13/46(7) is a beauty for pretty much all types of riding, depending on what speed you like to cruise at. Tire diameter will affect final gearing a fair amount as well.
I think the flatlands skidplate, and gearing, along with maybe a riser bar are the best alterations to this bike. Keep abreast of your chain tension to avoid chewing through the slider.
 
A

Airride

Member
woofer2609 said:
Nice bike!
13/46(7) is a beauty for pretty much all types of riding, depending on what speed you like to cruise at. Tire diameter will affect final gearing a fair amount as well.
I think the flatlands skidplate, and gearing, along with maybe a riser bar are the best alterations to this bike. Keep abreast of your chain tension to avoid chewing through the slider.
Click to expand...

I think I will be putting on the 13X47 spare set that I have as it will give me real info that I need along with the Mitas tires I will be using.

Put Highway Dirt Bike risers and I modified their top clamp for my switches so quite happy with the whole setup and ergonomics.
Did a couple of 14 hrs days on the bike with no issues and its as good as I had my DR650 setup or my BMW road bike.

WW5JjSE.jpg
 
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