As the title suggests, The TT250R was in production for many years & served Yamaha very well, the WR250R came out in 2008 so here in Australia Yamaha sold TTR's up until 2013 & are still selling the WRR's until stock runs out, the WRR has also served Yamaha very well, I am lucky to have bought both from new but where does Yamaha go from here ?
Honda now has the CRF300 & there is also the Kawa 300cc as well, not sure about the new Kawa but the last model KLX250 with the 300cc barrel performs around the same as the TTR ( I have two mates with the 250/300) So will Yamaha come out with a 300cc replacement for the WRR, if they did a 350cc version I could be temped.
I know what you guys are going to say "fit a 350 kit to the TTR" but it is perfect as is, no leaks, does not use oil etc.
I guess even though Australia is a small market for Yamaha there is more use for a dual sport here than the UK, do you agree ?
Give me your thoughts or ideas on where Yamaha will end up, some thoughts are they won't bother while they are making & selling road bikes in good numbers
They should build a road legal TTR400/350 (or WR400/350R) decent suspension long service intervals like a better DRZ400. EFI 6 speed. And keep the weight down.
They should build a road legal TTR400/350 (or WR400/350R) decent suspension long service intervals like a better DRZ400. EFI 6 speed. And keep the weight down.
I know plenty of guys that would jump on board for a WR450R but for me a 350/400 would be ideal.
Agreed on the DRZ400 the 5sp gearbox is the biggest issue, my XR400 was the same & had to gear it up to cruise on 90/100kph along with the fuel range, I had my WRR doing 2.9lts per 100kls up in the Flinders
For me, 350 is about perfect - enough torque and power without being too aggressive and breaking traction too easily. I like the idea of a WR350r, as the 250 requires revving which is not my style - I'm a trail rider not a racer, and ride in expectation of meeting horse riders, walkers and dogs round every corner. Is Yamaha going to produce a 350? Highly unlikely I think. A mildly tuned 450 like the Euro spec CRF450L is more within the reach of an R and D department that has little cash to throw at an all-new engine.
Sadly none of the watercooled bikes appeal to me with their high narrow ironing board seats. I keep looking, but always come back to the TTR, with a lowering link, and Raid "sofa" seat which is 12 hours comfortable (to me at least!) I toyed with the idea of a DRZ4, with the wide ratio gearbox mod. Maybe I'll try one some day...
As trail riders/"dual sporters", we are such a minority in the bike - buying world that there is not much incentive to develop bikes that suit. I think that Honda overpriced the 450L and Yam would probably make the same mistake with a 450r - there's already a platform - the engine just needs tweeking. Why price it like an all new development?
Agreed on the WR250R she likes to rev, bit like riding a two stroke but when it's in the happy zone it goes pretty well, the TTR seat is way better than the WRR seat. I havn't played around with any lowering links & at 5'6" I do struggle with the seat height.
The TTR is a much better hill climber than the WRR as it breaks traction when the power comes in.
The CRF300 rally is getting good reviews on youtube on another note a mate has a SWM350 very light but crappy plastics & was pretty cheap as well.
Pretty hard to get the perfect bike but my two are good but both are on 22k without a suitable replacement out there ATM
