2015 WR250R: Gravel Road fun for summer!

lakeview

lakeview

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Bought this at Two Wheel Motorsport in December; they stored it for me until yesterday when I went and picked it up. A thoroughly enjoyable and respectful experience with sales guy Graeme - they set the sag for me before loading it into my van. Didn't even ask why an old fart was buying a "dirt" bike. Big tip of the hat to Max Pete for coming along and sharing the new bike thrill.
This joins the FJ-09 and the Red Hammer (76D) so I have a variety of choices to compensate for the flat boring roads here in SW Ontario.
Weather man says it will get above freezing for a while this weekend so tomorrow I will see if I can put a tank of gas through it.
 

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Man that bike looks like tons of fun! I haven’t had a for real honest to God dirt bike since I was in my teens!
I hope you have a great time with that.
By the way, you should tell Pete to get one also and the two of you could go exploring! :D
 
We did indeed have a great day nipping up the 401 in the big blue V8 cookie-tin-on-wheels and picking up Lakeview’s new ride. As he says, that dealership was nice to deal with, they had some nifty bikes on display (Moto-Guzzis = yum!) and a good stock of useful accessory-type stuff as well. This was helpful to me in finding a place to store some of my cash. I found a set of nice mirror extensions for my SV - so now I’ll be able to see behind me in traffic (although I will miss the attractive view of my own shoulders in the mirrors). I also got a nifty little USB charger doo-hickey that plugs into an SAE connector so I’ll be able to charge my phone and earpiece easily.

We solved all the problems of the world along the way, had some good chuckles and a nice lunch served by a lovely young lass.

The new bike runs like a top, she’s clean as a whistle and looks to be fun fun fun! What a cool machine - road legal, tons of suspension travel, EFI (no danged float bowls) and new tires to boot! I may just have to swap a set of knobbies onto the SV so I can keep up!
 
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2M - the XL350 was my choice in 1974 - over the first year I put on a plastic gas tank, a Bassani exhaust system, I think a K&N filter, full knobbies and mounted the tail light to a piece of conveyer belt so it would stop vibrating off. There was a disused gravel pit in Guelph that I would ride to, pull out the baffle and have a glorious time all day!
 
Congrats !
I've been looking at one on Craigs, recently.
Would like to find a replacement for the '06 Kaw KLR I had for a number of years.
I welcome you to visit the Catskill Mountains here in NY.
The public dirt roads run up mountains with breathtaking elevations and sweaty inclines.

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wow Dude - beautiful scenery - but a bit of a handful on the FJR I’d bet.
 
Dude, that first picture looks like an impressionist filter was used. - Great shots.
That is exactly the sort of riding that would be ideal for this machine.
 
Got the rack mounted, now just need the thermometer to show a bit more warmth, 5 of our Cndn degrees without a windshield takes the edge off the thrill pretty promptly.
Measured the seat height - looks like 36" unladen. So it's a stretch for me, good thing I used to be tall! (Age related height loss occurs in the back) And on most pavement at the lights if you get into the right driving lane, the centre of the lane has enough of a hump to flatfoot.
 

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lakeview said:
Dude, that first picture looks like an impressionist filter was used. - Great shots.
That is exactly the sort of riding that would be ideal for this machine.
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I appreciate your artistic sensibilities, Lakeview.
In fact, Renoir, Matisse and Monet all snubbed me (Bastards !) when I approached them to contribute to the photo display.
The impressionistic filter, however, is fun to play with.

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lakeview said:
the seat height - looks like 36" unladen. So it's a stretch for me
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The '06 KLR I owned had 35" of seat height, and altho a Sergeant seat brought it down a bit, and I was able to almost flat foot, the height of the bike still bothered me and it might have contributed to my low-speed accident deep in the Dryden woods (Robinson Hollow State Forest) back in 2014(?), I think it was. Shattered my right hip. Sold it the next year. Two years later, I wanted another one, only a red one this time rather than the Green Monster.
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Happened upon a used one at a dealership which had been lowered (rather simple on the KLR) and rode it around for awhile. With a seat height of 32.5", just about what my FJR is, the riding experience was transformed. It felt much more manageable at lower speeds in the dirt. It appears that the WR250 can be lowered just as easily.

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Yamadudes experience with a severe injury and my own experience with a severe injury in a remote area ( I smashed a knee on a rocky outcrop while trail riding) makes a good argument for considering some MX style armor.
At the very least some good knee armor and maybe one of those upper torso do it all armored shirts.
Even gentle trail riding can have its surprises.
 
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Strapped a tank bag on for a tail bag and set out to explore, thermometer showed 12 degrees Cndn found a new path to the shores of Lake Erie just west of Dealtown called Burn's Beach. May have been more impressive when the cartographer came through.
 

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