After selling my beloved "red-sticker" 2013 Honda CRF250R offroad motorcycle in December 2016, I have been looking to replace it with a "green sticker" Yamaha WR250F for many months. The Yamaha WR250F was my #1 choice since it can be ridden year-round in California (being a green sticker bike), has a wide ratio transmission, and is expressly designed for trail riding.
I found an almost brand-new 2015 Yamaha WR250F on Craigslist. Anthony Souza, the gentleman selling it, had purchased the bike for his 73-year-old father, who was no longer up for riding it. The Yamaha had only 254 miles on it - so it was almost brand new, though with a few scratches (as it was obviously dropped a few times).
A brand new 2017 Yamaha WR250F motorcycle was being offered to me for $8500 out-the-door (with California sales tax) by Brandon of K&B Motorsports in Petaluma. I decided to save a few bucks by purchasing this relatively new 2015 WR250F from Tony. I also had another almost new bike in mind - a 2013 Husaberg FE250 from Rick (with only 80 miles on the odometer). However, I was worried about the high maintenance costs of the Husaberg, the low resale value, and the fact that Husaberg no longer existed as a company (it was acquired by KTM). Getting parts for an older bike would be costly and complex. I decided to purchase the lightly used 2015 Yamaha instead.
After negotiating a great price for the Yamaha ($6000), I picked it up on April 17, 2017, and took it to my favorite mechanic, Jeff Morris of Morris Industries.
Jeff spent almost a day thoroughly going over the bike. He checked the valves and installed a hardline engine hour meter, Cycra handguards, and Renthal grips. He also changed the oil and filter, cleaned the air filter, and replaced the old brake fluid.
The bike already came with a pre-installed FMF Muffler, GYTR Competition kit (to increase power and increase airflow), and Yamalink trail link (to lower the bike by 1.25") - all the modifications that I would have wanted for myself.
Here is the complete repair bill:
Here are my first impressions of riding the new (to me) WR250F:
Positives:
Negatives:
I found an almost brand-new 2015 Yamaha WR250F on Craigslist. Anthony Souza, the gentleman selling it, had purchased the bike for his 73-year-old father, who was no longer up for riding it. The Yamaha had only 254 miles on it - so it was almost brand new, though with a few scratches (as it was obviously dropped a few times).
A brand new 2017 Yamaha WR250F motorcycle was being offered to me for $8500 out-the-door (with California sales tax) by Brandon of K&B Motorsports in Petaluma. I decided to save a few bucks by purchasing this relatively new 2015 WR250F from Tony. I also had another almost new bike in mind - a 2013 Husaberg FE250 from Rick (with only 80 miles on the odometer). However, I was worried about the high maintenance costs of the Husaberg, the low resale value, and the fact that Husaberg no longer existed as a company (it was acquired by KTM). Getting parts for an older bike would be costly and complex. I decided to purchase the lightly used 2015 Yamaha instead.
After negotiating a great price for the Yamaha ($6000), I picked it up on April 17, 2017, and took it to my favorite mechanic, Jeff Morris of Morris Industries.
Jeff spent almost a day thoroughly going over the bike. He checked the valves and installed a hardline engine hour meter, Cycra handguards, and Renthal grips. He also changed the oil and filter, cleaned the air filter, and replaced the old brake fluid.
The bike already came with a pre-installed FMF Muffler, GYTR Competition kit (to increase power and increase airflow), and Yamalink trail link (to lower the bike by 1.25") - all the modifications that I would have wanted for myself.
Here is the complete repair bill:
After picking up the bike, I took it a few days later to ride on my favorite trails at Hollister Hills.
Components: Qty Description Retail Each Extend 1.0 Liter Lucas 10/40 synthetic blend (.85 l w fltr) $9.95 $9.95 1.0 KN-140, K&N Oil filter $8.59 $8.59 1.0 Air filter cleaning chemical application $3.00 $3.00 1.0 Bel-Ray air filter oil application $3.00 $3.00 1.0 Brakleen $4.50 $4.50 1.0 Renthal dual density open ended grips $16.95 $16.95 1.0 Renthal Grip glue application $2.00 $2.00 1.0 Cycra racer pak hand guard set $134.95 $134.95 1.0 KL-22-2243 Hardline engine hours hour meter $34.95 $34.95 12.0 4" mini zip ties $0.15 $1.80 4.0 DOT-4 Brake fluid flush (2 ea.) $2.50 $10.00 1.0 Motul off road chain lube application (recommended!) $2.00 $2.00 1.0 Battery Tender charge dongle lead/connector $8.39 $8.39 Please remit to: Parts Ttl $240.08 Morris Industries Tax $21.00 16400 Lark Ave. Garage One Waste Oil/EPA Expenses $2.00 Los Gatos, Ca 95032 Freight Labor Ttl $425.00 Total $688.08
Here are my first impressions of riding the new (to me) WR250F:
Positives:
- I love the electric start - no need to use the kick starter anymore!
- The suspension is plush and is easily able to handle going over trails
- The bike handled very well
- Shifting gears was very smooth
- Lots of power at higher RPMs. The engine loves to rev!
- The fuel economy was excellent!
- I can move much more over the front wheel as the gas tank is covered up.
Negatives:
- The rear brake is overly sensitive. I was locking up the rear tire quite often (unintentionally)
- The 3rd gear is so much different from the Honda CRF250R.
- Low-end power was not as mighty as the Honda CRF250R
- WR250F felt heavier than the CRF250R
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