The Yamaha WR250 is back... - Dirt And Trail Bike Magazine

The WR250 is back in SA

It’s been a long time since our lot got to swing a leg over any Yamaha enduro machine, so it was a pleasant surprise to receive a call at the end of last year asking if we’d like to ride the 2023 Yamaha WR250.

Interestingly, Yamaha has not imported this versatile trail machine for a few years, so this one came as a bit of a surprise.

In our garage and amongst our group of friends, we have an FX and we have quite a few of the previous gen WR 250’s, so we made a few calls, grabbed the new (Yup brand new) bike from Linex Sandton and took off for a “Jolly good” day of riding just before Christmas.

The list of updates to the new gen WR250F is a long one and it’s worth running through it all.

“A new free-revving and more powerful engine, they say, updated suspension, brakes and a new chassis.”

New Engine:

The updated engine is derived from the motocross YZ model but is tuned for enduro.

Inside, the engine features all of the updates found in the race-focused YZ250F: a straight intake tract, aggressive cam profiles, high-compression “box bridge” piston design with DLC-coated piston pin and more. The engine breathes through a 44mm Mikuni throttle body fed by a high-pressure electric pump

Bigger Radiator: The latest WR250F uses a large radiator complete with a cooling fan. This one was fitted with PSP radiator braces.

Bilateral frame:

The latest WR250F’s aluminium bilateral beam frame is another update donated by the YZ250F. Included new suspension settings, a redesigned top triple clamp, new handlebar clamps and front axle.The extra stiffness of the frame is complimented by KYB suspension.We adjusted the suspension settings a bit softer than standard. Nice and simple.

Better Brakes:

A more powerful front brake set-up direct from the YZ250F with, they say a 30% more rigid front caliper with 25.4mm pistons and a new 270mm front disc, plus new brake pads with a 25% greater surface area compared to the previous setup.

Multi Function Meter:

We often wonder why Yamaha did not fit a display to their FX, while the WR’s have always had them. The meter features two modes: Standard and Race. Standard mode displays the speedometer, two trip meters, and clock functions while Race mode features average speed, timer and trip functionality. The meter has integrated low fuel and engine warning lights.

Mapping Tuner:

Yamaha’s Power Tuner App is a cool addition to this bike and it was fun playing with the settings on this test.

Compact Design:

The latest WR250F features updated bodywork from tip to tail. “The body design is narrow for more comfortable knee grip and control, while the seat gives the rider additional room to move. Even the rear fender is designed for added rigidity to make moving the machine easier.” Yamaha’s embedded graphics are built into the bodywork resisting both peeling and damage.

Enduro Stuff: As you’d expect, the WR250F includes a range of enduro-specific components like the wide, full-coverage composite engine guard, 18-inch rear wheel, large 9 litre fuel tank, radiator fan (As standard. Great Touch!), O-ring chain, fuel level and engine warning lights, steel rear sprocket, and a high-mounted folding aluminum sidestand. The bike we rode also had UFO brush guards fitted, along with stainless steel PSP brake guards and a swingarm protector. Noice!

All good in print, but how does that translate to real world riding?

Around sixty kilometres of lekker lekker!

Our trail includes rivers, rocks, fast flowing fields typical to the kind of riding a bike like this is made for.

Our riders for the day are of varying skill levels and ages – the Foley boys have been riding since they were 3 years old and ride anything and everything. 15 year old Kyle is a KTM 250 EXC and 18 year old Tristan, a 2019 250FX. Our buddy Craig Scott is almost forty – and he owns a carburetted WR250, with his son Brad rides a later model fuel injected WR250F.

With Brad away, dad took the opportunity to sneak a more modern bike out for the day with us…

The ride:

Having 3 different bikes along made it all quite interesting because you can see and feel whether what the book tells you translates to feel and smiles out on the trails. It’s also interesting to hear different riders comments and opinions.

Yamaha has always marketed the WR250F as a user friendly bushveld explorer – and they are quite correct about that. Whilst the more racy crowd have always gravitated towards the FX thanks to its more motorcrossy power delivery, the WR has always been a “calmer” choice for trail riders. According to our lot, the new bike delivers a bit more power without going mad. It’s worth noting that you can now tune the WR’s engine and power curves via an app on your phone. Cool huh!

The guys from Linex set it up for us – and with a bit of practice, it’s actually quite simple. So if you want a more aggressive power curve, you can set it up yourself. This bike was set to the trail traction map and then also the stronger power map. We found the trail traction map perfect for creeping up the loose rocks without spinning – and the stronger map – well that’s real fun on the more twee-spoor wide open stuff. And best of all- it’s not just smoke and mirrors.

All of the riders felt the difference between the maps. The clutch is soft and shifting gears is soft and intuitive. Maybe when she is properly run in, we will grab the bike and play some more.

You can see our riders comments here:

Please Note:

In the vid we talk about the bike not starting in gear. It turns out that a wire came adrift and that the bike does start out of neutral.

We were curious to see how the new bike fared – and according to our testers anyway, the latest gen WR 250F has really stepped forward in terms of power delivery, handling and suspension.

In Craigs words: “The original fuel injected bike is waaay faster than the carburetted model. Now with all of the electronic wizardry at their disposal, Yamaha has made this one torquier and more fun to ride, without making it wild. The only criticism – and it’s not really a thing, it seems to make a lot more induction noise than our bikes, something we need to get used to. But other than that – you cannot really compare old to new. I know that this bike is new but it’s better than our older models in every respect. “I would need to fit a pipe and take off with her again – now c’mon Yamaha how about it? The new bike is better in every way than the previous editions – and those, for me anyway are excellent.”

Tristan: “My FX is still quicker and faster and I personally prefer the more aggressive power delivery, but the new WR 250F is quite close. I like the new suspension and brake setup, it’s excellent, especially on the rocks.

It feels – easy… In my opinion, this is a bike that you’ll own for a long time because it’s fun and easy to ride.

Kyle: This bike feels very different to mine (2020 250EXC). “I had a lot of fun. I like the power compared to my bike in the faster stuff, it comes on quicker and it’s really good fun when you open the throttle. More snappy – and going fast is really good fun. The suspension feels a bit stiffer than on my bike. Tristans FX turns really quickly and I understand why the race guys enjoy that bike so much. The WR250-F is calmer and needs a bit more body english, but it’s really good fun and so easy to ride.”

Limited stock is available and if you are looking for a very versatile machine, go and check it out. It’s Another great choice in the world of two wheels. An excellent option for any four-stroke fan who needs a very tuneable 250 that you can ride fast or slow…

It’ll cost you R144900.00

This one from Linex Yamaha

Yamaha WR250F highlights: