New blues!
By TMX Archives on 7th Jan 05
Mid-Wales! December! Joy! The Yamaha WR launch is always an eagerly awaited test for the masochists at dbr! But I suppose I should be grateful as the weather turned out not too bad considering it was the end of December.With a man (Lawless) Mid-Wales! December! Joy! The Yamaha WR launch is always an eagerly awaited test for the masochists at dbr! But I suppose I should be grateful as the weather turned out not too bad considering it was the end of December.With a man (Lawless) down due to pudding eating and general seasonal joviality, Sutty (Deputy Dawg) was drafted in as replacement. So it was just me and Tank who soaked up the all-day punishment dealt out by Geraint Jones and the rest of the crew as we put the '05 WR four-fiddies and two-fiddies through their range of tasks...The WRs' pedigree as winners at WEC level is unquestionable and the boys in blue have really found a groove in the past when it's come to building versatile and useable machinery. Basically, if you wanted a pretty bullet-proof, very competitive and sturdy ride you could have done a lot worse than getting yourself a WR...Times have changed for the better and there are a lot more four-stroke enduro bikes available on the market. Choice is a great thing and with this wider choice comes a bigger effort in development from all the manufacturers of this category of bike - and that's got to be good for us!WR250The baby of the bunch has a great competition history with a few world enduro championships under its belt. That obviously isn't the whole story - the bikes being raced in the WEC are pretty heavily modified to increase performance, as well as being tailored to each individual rider. But, generally speaking, by getting stuck in at the deep end at the highest level of the sport a manufacturer gets an insight into the best all-round set-up for their production bikes.The 250 four-stroke has been a great bike on the last couple of tests as the power seems to get just a little stronger every year.The bikes had just arrived in the UK so there was limited time to get them run-in. This is always a bit of a problem with a four-popper as there are a lot of moving parts to get going. But as the 250 got going it got better and better as the day unfolded. The motor simply needed time to reach its optimum performance and the signs were good towards the latter part of the day - although as we ended the test I felt there was still a little more to come from the 250cc motor.The overall feel from the engine was pretty positive although there was a little lean spot just on the bottom-end when rolling on the power. This was nothing too serious as a little adjustment on the fuel screw and possibly a larger slow jet would sort the job right out...As in previous years there's an improvement in overall power from the little thumper, making it great fun to ride. The harder you ride the puppy, the more fun you're going to have. Although the top-end power is not there in abundance, you can still get away with being a wee bit rev-happy (eh Sutty)!The power in the middle is easily found and is there to be used wisely to get the best from the motor. Keep this puppy in the mid-range and you'll have a blast...The chassis is great on the 250. One of the best changes made to the bike is the addition of a more user-friendly fuel tank. The thinner tank makes for a more controlled ride in all situations.The suspension will be pretty soft for a large percentage of riders but this is the way forward for a long day in the saddle. Myself and Sutty went bar-to-bar for around 20 minutes on one of the laps we ran and quickly found the maximum point to push the bikes to in the stock trim. But the 250 didn't start to react negatively until the stoopid level went off the scale...The fork and shock felt balanced and worked together to keep the ride feeling easy. So it's official, the chassis rocks on the WR250 - even with over 15 stone parked up on it!As expected with most bikes these days, the controls and seating position all felt good and positive on the 250 - although the bars are a little too low if you're a six-foot-plus human.The electric start works flawlessly at all times, as do the lights. The speedo cable coming from the front wheel is a bit medieval and it wasn't long before Sutty had ripped the little sucker from its home so ditch it when you get your bike unless you're planning on road use...To wrap-up on the WR250, the package has again taken a positive step forward in both the engine and chassis departments. This bike is all about having fun and, after all, that's what riding is all about.WR450Last year's 450 made great improvements over the previous model in all departments. The motor was smoother, the chassis was balanced and as a package the WR450 was a great fun or competition bike.As with the 250 the 450 needed time to bed into its performance and, again like the 250, it improved as the day went along. But unlike the 250 the 450 didn't improve in leaps and bounds, it just kind of got a little bit easier to ride as a test bike...For '05 Yamaha seems to have turned back the clock and gone for a slightly more aggressive feel to the motor. There's a lot of power packed into the lump and at times on the test it was a little difficult to get the power to the floor. Don't get me wrong, in grippy or sandy conditions the motor would rock but as the test ground was mostly technical with some speed work on rocks and roots the motor made things a little tricky at times.The power could be tamed a little with some beefier settings in the carb to settle the weapon down a little and a larger rear sprocket would allow an easier ride as being able to hook up an extra gear would be a great way of finding a bit more traction on the slippery stuff. The gearing was too tall on a lot of the more technical terrain as when I up-shifted the motor stalled out most of the time. But the leccy start saved the day as the WR soon fired back to life in all situations.The 450 chassis has to work in harmony with the motor to get the best from the bike as a package. As the motor was playin' the bad boy the chassis was a little difficult to read for a while on the test. But after a bit the motor calmed down a little and I could get a feel for the chassis.In previous years the 450 has always felt really balanced in the suspension department. Well, the '05 WR is just a little 'pushy' on the front wheel making steering on technical stuff a bit of a nightmare at times. The forks work really well through their stroke in a pretty smooth action - the problem seemed to be from the rear of the bike as the shock didn't work in harmony with the forks. This imbalance in any bike makes for an unstable ride and causes the rider to use more energy than is necessary, making the day a very long one...The shock could be sorted easily with some simple set-up but we were on a schedule so I didn't have much time to play with the puppy to find its optimum.As with the 250, all the controls and shifting were spot on and for my bigger frame the seating position felt great with plenty of room to move around. And the new tank proved an even bigger asset on the 450 than its little bro as there's a greater need to use your knees to help with the handling.So there it is, the '05 WR 450 and 250 as we see them... To wrap-up, the 250 is a great fun, well balanced all-rounder. Not exceptional in any one department but a great ready-to-go package. The 450 is almost there but this weapon requires a bit more set-up time to get the power and chassis balanced.