Setting up a WR450

[Coreshot]

Not yet, but with the new career change, it's on my mind more than ever. I'm living down in eastern AZ, close to the NM border, and there are endless miles of dirt roads/trails down there to ride. As soon as I catch up a bit more on finances, I'll have one. If my wife would let me, I would sell the RSWarrior and replace it with a dirt bike. I have to ride about five miles of dirt to get to pavemant now. It would spell the end of her riding with me though, so she won't go for it. Nice problem to have I guess.

 

[rholbrook]

Since we last posted up I put a RevLok Dynaring auto clutch in my WR and a 06' YZ exhuast cam. The RevLok is amazing, I absolutely love it, the exhaust cam really makes this thing run. I have been having a lot of fun on it. Just over a week ago I went and put on 140 miles of great riding from Green River to Moab and back. At about mile 45 I went down or should I say over leaping off of a ledge on at the bottom of Dead Cow Tube or Wash or Gulch or what ever it is called. Anyway, I tore the MCL in my right knee. The ride out sucked especially since my battery went dead. I was thankful for the clutch. It was a great ride but I do need a bigger tank. Good luck on getting your wife convinced you need to ride with the boys.

 

[Coreshot]

Since we last posted up I put a RevLok Dynaring auto clutch in my WR and a 06' YZ exhuast cam. The RevLok is amazing, I absolutely love it, the exhaust cam really makes this thing run. I have been having a lot of fun on it. Just over a week ago I went and put on 140 miles of great riding from Green River to Moab and back. At about mile 45 I went down or should I say over leaping off of a ledge on at the bottom of Dead Cow Tube or Wash or Gulch or what ever it is called. Anyway, I tore the MCL in my right knee. The ride out sucked especially since my battery went dead. I was thankful for the clutch. It was a great ride but I do need a bigger tank. Good luck on getting your wife convinced you need to ride with the boys.

That sucks about your injury, how long will you be out of the saddle? The autoclutches are intriuging, I have no idea how they work. Is there a website that explains how they work? I know several people on here swear by them. How far are you able to travel on a tank with your stocker?

 

[Corban_White]

The way the clutches work is pretty simple. They have some ramps and weights in them that put pressure on the clutch as the engine rpm increases via centrifugal force.

 

[Greg]

Figured I'd add some more info, after having my project WR450 out a few times now.

IMO the WR450 is a true dirt bike which isn't intended for lots of road use. The engine only holds 1.3 quarts of oil, which isn't much to begin with... lots of road riding will heat up and break down that small amount of oil.

There is no cush drive in the rear hub, which after lots of pavement use, could lead to severe transmission trouble.

The rear subframe is small and aluminum, not meant for holding much gear at all.


It's a dirt bike, dual sport at best, but not what I'd consider an adventure bike that you could load up and ride for a handful of days on the road and dirt.

If you're looking for something that's more road worthy and still a capable bike in the dirt like a WR450, I'd look into a Husky TE610. The bikes build a couple years before the EFI addition are preferred because you can get larger fuel tanks for them

 

[Coreshot]

what are your thoughts on it's dirt performance and offroad balance? would you take this bike on the AF singletracks?

 

[Greg]

what are your thoughts on it's dirt performance and offroad balance? would you take this bike on the AF singletracks?

It's a light, powerful bike that would be perfect for the AF Canyon trails. No question, the WR450 would be right at home up there.

 

[Coreshot]

Cool. This is really what I'm interested in mostly. Any road riding will be short distances to combine one dirt section with another. Any multiday rides will be accompanied by my toy hauler, so I shouldn't need to pack more than a small backpack/camelback.

I'm getting real close to pulling the trigger, I was in the local Yami dealer today picking up a new set of tires for my road bike. I was drooling over the WR again. If it wasn't for Tara loving the RSWarrior so much, I just might trade her in for one.

 

[Greg]

Cool. This is really what I'm interested in mostly. Any road riding will be short distances to combine one dirt section with another. Any multiday rides will be accompanied by my toy hauler, so I shouldn't need to pack more than a small backpack/camelback.

I'm getting real close to pulling the trigger, I was in the local Yami dealer today picking up a new set of tires for my road bike. I was drooling over the WR again. If it wasn't for Tara loving the RSWarrior so much, I just might trade her in for one.

The WR would be perfect for connecting trails, like I said earlier, I would ride my WR400 from our home in Lehi all the way up AF Canyon, then ride the trails up there. Probably not the best thing for the bike, but it did the job.

You'd be surprised what you can find, if you look for a project. My 'project' WR450 was down right cheap, but I spent more on parts to repair it than I paid for the bike. The end result is a bike that I know quite well and has plenty of new parts... Total cost into the bike is much less than what a similar WR450 is going for.

 

[Coreshot]

I'll have to start watching the CL in Pheonix, because there aren't any decent bike up where I am for sale. There was one, a really clean XR600 just like the one I had in '86, but I was too late.

 

[rholbrook]

The farthest I have ridden my WR on the road was from the campground just out of Moab with the gas station to Green River where the truck was. My ass still hurts and that was in November right after I wrecked. I couldn't stand very well because of my knee or I would have. What was that...maybe 70 miles or so? Will the WR go that far, sure, was it comfortable, no. I don't know how those guys that turn them in to SM's like to ride them on the road that much. Another thing with WRs is that they sputter at higher RPM if kept at a constant speed. Some claim it can be taken care of with jetting but my WR is dialed in and it still does it. Most people will buy different ignition boxes to fix it. I read an article on the internet saying that Yamaha did it to cool the engine at higher speeds that are maintained for longer periods of time. On the trail it doesn't do it. I don't make a habit of going more that 10 to 15 miles on the roads before I hit the dirt.

With all that being said, Greg is completely right here. The WR is a very capable bike off road, especially for places like AF or Moab and if the riding you do is on the road long enough to get to the dirt and having fun in the dirt, you'll love it. If you like the dunes, get a YZ or CRF, better yet find you a big bore oil burner. If you spend more time on the roads, get yourself a Tiger or something like that. Caleb had a nice Husky that would be perfect but off road for long periods of time it will ride you.

I bought my WR because it suited my riding style perfectly. I'm too old and fat to ride tracks for very long. I leave my house and in a couple of minutes I can be heading up Farmington Canyon or across the Fire Break and in 10 minutes I can be at the B. I have added the Revlok for the tight trails and a YZ exhaust cam because it helps feed my OLD ego and I can rip with the YZFs and CRFs at the dunes. It just hits so much harder and I like that feeling. The suspension fits my riding style now and I really like the bike. I am going to make a seat fix as per Gregs instructions and some lighting changes and then it will be perfect.

Tyler (pELYgroso) rode my WR the other night after we replaced his fork seals in his WR250Z(oil burner). Maybe he has an opinion now of how a WR450 is to ride and can post it up here when he gets back from Moab.

If I was to do it all over again, I would do the same thing. Keep your eyes out, watch Craigs List, KSL, etc and you will find a deal. Greg turned a real eye sore into a very nice bike and he can ride it for a few years and still come out ahead.