Yamaha WR250R

In A Class Of Its Own?

Look, up in the sky. It's a trailbike! It's an enduro bike. No, it's the all new WR250R!

Coming to a showroom near you, is a bike Yamaha claims is in a category of its very own. That's right, it's a new category they've dubbed (drum roll) 'Supertrail'!

Using a sentence that makes no sense, Yamaha's press release describes the new ride as having: "Competition bike performance with everyday convenience", (so, like Chad Reed's bike with an attached coffee maker?).

Thankfully, it doesn't go so far as to suggest you wear your undies on the outside to enjoy the WR250R Supertrail - although a cool eye mask is never out of place, is it?

ALL NEW!
I'm always suspicious when a manufacturer releases a product that it claims is totally unique. To me that says: 'The marketing department really don't know who the hell would buy this thing, so let's call it unique and see if we can rope in some nerds'.

Like Day-Glo, the keyboard/guitar in the '80s or the Laser Disc in the '90s, most of these things are no longer with us because they were stupid and had a shelf life of 10 minutes - but they were in a category of their own, right?

Every now and then a product comes along that doesn't fit the common paradigms, but works nonetheless. The Gas Gas Pampera 450 is a good thing. As is the digital camera - even though it was once thought of as completely fanciful.

Whereas Honda sees itself as the master of precise engineering, Yamaha has always prided itself on its innovative approach, and as such has given the world a number of firsts such as the DT-1 dirtbike, the monoshock, oil injection and the YZ400, to name but a few.

That innovative approach hasn't always hit the mark (the Two-Track for example), but its constant efforts to address ideas slightly left of centre has again produced a bike that will surely be a sales winner for years to come. The introduction of the WR250R does in fact create a new category, and it shows the boys in blue are still thinking clearly and well ahead.

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS IT?
As it stands, the trailbike market today is a very healthy one. Bikes like the Honda CRF230F, the Yamaha TT-R230 and Suzuki DR650SE top the list of best-selling trailbikes, ahead of XRs, XTs and KLRs.

They're a pretty tired looking lot though, with few receiving anything more than some new stickers for years.

The XR250L and DR-Z250 are relics of an age when liquid-cooling was what you used your fridge for, while the KLX250R has, up until now, been the loan bastion of quarter-litre thumpers with a radiator. Enter the WR250R.

It comes sporting liquid cooling, fuel-injection, a combination aluminium and steel frame, an oxygen sensor and a honeycomb catalyser - all on a sesame seed bun. What does this all mean, you ask?

Technically, it's a green machine. The WR250R is an environmentally friendly dirtbike - at least it is to a degree not achieved before.

Its exhaust system exceeds emission requirements for any country in the world, which is a first for Yamaha if not all manufacturers. It's also fuel-injected courtesy of a Mikuni EFI unit, which delivers better fuel efficiency than its carburettor-equipped competition.

The power output is tailored to get torque to the ground without digging trenches (not to be confused with being namby pamby) and the engine note is mild and blissfully quiet (which is).

The overall styling is also a break from current 250 trailbikes. It looks like the WR250F enduro machine in most respects, and in fact is perhaps a little sharper in some areas than its racing cousin.

There's nothing obviously trailbike about it at first glance, except the low seat height (930mm compared to WR250F's 990mm) and the big pipe with the little hole.

DOES IT GO GOOD?
Getting comfortable is no drama as the ergos are excellent for a fairly small bike, but when you fire the WR250R up we advise you to ask for a bit of quiet, because anything above a murmur will drown out the engine noise.

Some people are obsessed with how loud their bike is and see it as a slight on their manhood if it doesn't rattle pictures off walls from 50 paces. These people and their bikes are, thankfully, a dying breed. They have to be, or we're all stuffed.

The WR pulls out of first and second with a decent amount of bottom end and revs happily up around the 10,000rpm range. In the first obvious concession to road use, the gap between second and third is quite large, but overall the gearing is spot-on for the bike's intended use.

Serious uphills are a first or second-gear affair, and any great amount of dirt use would require a change in gearing.

With a dry weight of 125kg it's no featherweight, but it carries that load well and it's no problem flicking this thing around whenever it takes your fancy. The front-end carries USD forks that do a good job at being all things to all people both on and off-road, while the rear complements the front.

The brakes are good - no complaints there. We tested the bike on the recent Yamaha New Zealand Safari and believe me, if the brakes were no good I'd still be plummeting down a ravine.

The Safari gave us the opportunity to rack up about 900km on the WRs and they handled it all very well. The riding wasn't necessarily all tough, but we did ride the bikes quite hard and clocking that many kays in three days puts a stress on any machine.

IN CLOSING
Would I buy one? Yes. I'd buy one for my wife or recommend one to a mate who's just starting out, no problems. It'll be a good commuter, but then the supermotard version (WR250X) would probably be even better.

Regardless of whether my wife gets one or not, Yamaha will sell tons of these. It looks modern - part time trailriders aren't being fed leftovers anymore. It is modern - it's relatively environmentally friendly, and that's a step in the right direction.

The WR250R will appeal to a broader range of people than its competition. It's a better bike than most of its competition, and Yamaha has backed it with a two-year warranty, which is a sign of confidence. Ironically, it may spell the end for its own TT-R250 who's only hope - along with everyone else's - will be to compete on price.

Times they are a changin'. Dealers should clear a path to the door, because these won't sit around for long...