Easter has just come and gone and I’ve had to quickly write this piece or DIE, or so Bill says, and who am I to argue after such a fun-filled weekend, and to be honest I’d like to live a while longer, thank you. And Bill said he’d rather give me this 2015 WR250F to play with instead of a sickly chocolate egg anyway – sweeeet.
Fear of death swept aside; do you remember your first holiday romance? The excitement, anticipation and laughs, knowing full well it’ll all end in tears when you need to part ways, promising to write or Tweet, depending on how old you are. Well that pretty much describes my short relationship with this little beauty. I enjoyed every moment but with the grim thought that it would break my heart to see her go, which I haven’t done with any motorcycle for a very long time.
Now I’m not going to drivel on about the specs and stats of this 2015 WR250F because you can read everything you need to know right here: http://billysbikes.co.za/news/739-new-2015-wr250f.html, so there.
But let me start by saying this isn’t your ‘dad’s’ old WR, this new beast is fully up to date and ready to conquer anything put in its way. The old WR of last year was an overweight, underpowered tub of lard. Harsh words I know, but compared to this little svelte machine it is just that! This new 2015 WR250F is totally based on the, now well-sorted motocross YZ250F. Side by side the only ‘tell tails’ is the headlight and side stand. Then of course there’s the electric starter, which is fantastic and needs to be on the YZ250F.
This engine is slightly restricted by the huge silencer, I believe. It’s so quiet that you actually hear the engine induction noise bellowing through the air filter, which is in front of the fuel tank now. This wasn’t noticeable on the YZ250F; I rode a while back, as the exhaust had a powerful roar to it. This slight restriction isn’t a bad thing though because the motocross bike is too much for some, and designed with one thing in mind, MX-ing. So, because the WR needs to be more versatile it needs to be mellow at slow speeds to help regulate power over tricky sections and then open up excitingly when speed is called for. The Wide Ratio (WR) gearbox helps here; as the gears are tightly spaced and then warp drive you into top gear and so well sorted now, that gearbox.
The suspension is harder than I expected. I was expecting to wallow around, like you do on many “off-road” specific bikes, but not this beauty. This superb suspension is taught and takes a little getting used to at first, but the advantage is when you do hit an object at speed the bike doesn’t ‘buck you’ like a cheap Rodeo simulator, you just carry on your way. A very decent set up and exactly what I’d expect from the latest and best WR250 ever!
So on to the handling. This bike is nearly perfect for all types of riders. Fast, slow, intermediate, novice, you name it. Professional riders love anything that gets given for free, so they’re useless with this type of assessment. So after some convincing, I had some weekend warriors of various skill levels and various states of disrepair, ride the bike. The slower riders loved the stability and lack of weight. The faster riders loved the exciting power “for a little 250 F” and its planted nature. Although initially sceptical of the bike as a “Baby enduro 250F thumper”, the general consensus after riding was very positive, and that’s after only a quick tear around the field, see where I’m coming from now?
To conclude, I really enjoyed my time with my “new Beastie”, we had a great Easter, shared some laughs, but ultimately the Monday Blues set in, as I drove her back to Yamaha. So would I put down the R89 950.00 asking price to keep this romance going? Probably, but I would also consider buttering up her twin sister the new WR250FX and elope to riding nirvana, oh how fickle us men are? And I’m so glad Bill’s fictitious egg was discarded in exchange for my time with this WR250F – sweeeeet.
