The pipe and power commander do raise the price quite a bit, especially considering the yammi is $1k more to start with. Power commanders are close to $400 last I checked and a pipe can vary but figure around $300 to $400 and that makes the wr close to $1800 more. Take a stock KLX, do a big bore, pumper carb, and exhaust and you should have less than that in it, even if you buy a brand new 300cc cylinder and have it bored and plated to 331cc and go with the FCR pumper carb set up by Jerry Leighton which would be the most expensive way.

So from a purely price perspective, I think the KLX is a better deal. If you want the extra performance, but want to do as few as mods a possible, the WR looks pretty attractive. But I like the looks of the '06 and '07 KLX better than the new WR250R/X and the 09 KLX. I guess I prefer the classic dirt bike look more than the newer offerings from Kawasaki and Yamaha. Nothing wrong with the WR250F, though, [sm=smiley20.gif] except that it doesn't have a plate. That's the draw of the KTM EXC for me - classic dirt bike with a plate.

But I only ride the streets to get to the trails, so road comfort is not high on my list of wants. The good news is that there's a bike for everyone.

 

The WR is also FI; has fully adjustable suspension front and rear; and will eventually have the same hop-up options the KLX has, eventually (Almost certainly.). It's more bike, for more money. Decidewhat you want.

EDIT: FI usually doesn't require a PC for just a slip-on can. That's the way I'd go. Hopefully, that will prove to be the case here.

 

I agree with nobrakes, I prefer the classic dirtbike looks over these new chopped up bikes...I call thejm chopped up because of the plastic shapes and such...love my 2006 KLX and the KTMs...love to be 6-inches taller too, then I'd have a lot more options!

I thought the DRZ400e (is that the dualsport version?) was lighter than 300, thought around 275?..I'll have to get my facts straight I guess.

 

Okay, had to clarify the weight thing for my own peace of mind..here's what I found (to my surprise)...the 2008 DRZ400S is listed at 291lbs, the WR250F is listed at 278lbs and the 2008 KLX250S is listed at 280lbs (these weights are for CDN models..a little heavier I assume for smog crap stuff?..I dunno). I thought for sure the klx was the lightest...wow...but I still love my KLX!

 

Looks like a vastly superior bike to me :/

I still love my KLX, but the WR probably has a much more durable frame, probably has much stiffer/higher quality suspension components (I haven't seen a single complaint about the suspension on the WR yet...), pumps a ****LOAD more HP than the KLX (for about 1000 USD more, you get a bike that puts 30 hp down on the rear wheel after "free" mods... 1000 USD will NOT get you that with the KLX), and looks to just have overall better components (footpegs, a removable subframe, a much more recessed shift lever, clutch & break levers with proper dust covers, what look to be wider dia. stanchions, propery routed break lines, proper 2 piece bar clamps, proper chain slack adjusters...)

 

If I were starting over today I'd be all over that WR250X. If they brought out a 450 no force on this earth could hold me back. It is what I've always wanted out of Japan.


Hell, I still may[sm=lildevil.gif]

 

You guys that keep touting the WR's peaky 24-25hp at 10,000 RPM are totally ignoring something that's pretty important...low end torque. Yeah, the 340 or 331 kit might put out about 28hp at peak RPM, but it's its low-end torque will blow the WR away...that's even true for the off road, 5 valve WR. There is no substitute for cc's when you want the extra grunt to suit where you ride.

Also, I'm not buying the 30 RWHP after free mods. That sounds more than a bit inflated.

 

I rode the WR250X and will be buying it as soon as the local dealer gets it back from being on display off-site.
I'm not going to get into hp figures or any of that jazz but it will eat my KLX's lunch and my bike runs much better then it did in stock form, the WR also feels very solid and is no doubt an extremely nice machine, anyone that snubs thier nose to this bike is in denial and I am not intending to take anything away from our beloved KLX.
It will make a great addition for me.

 

It's not intended to be a 'nose snub.' However, look at what you are saying. A similarly priced KLX wouldbe with one witha 331cc mod and beefed-up springs. You are comparing your unplugged KLX250 with a bike that costs at least $1500.00 more, which is apples and oranges in my opinion. The WR250X would not eat a KLX331 or 340 'for lunch.'

The 250Xappears to be a lot more bike then some were giving it credit for though.

 

All in all, the WR seems like pretty well rounded package. One of the things you might want to check into though is how the EXUP valve is mounted. On my YZF1000R, it was mounted in the stock header which pretty much limited you to a slip-on unless you were willing to sacrifice quite a bit of low-end torque by installing a full system. You would probably feel an even more pronounced drop-off of low-end torque if you were to remove the EXUP valve from a small displacement bike such as the WR which appears to be tuned for top-end power.

My feeling is that a slip-on will do just fine.