<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: reconranger

I checked them all out again today, and the WR is very tall (it is made to be easily lowered, but only by ~1").
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A good machinist/suspension guy could lower it more than 1" for you. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] Might not be "easy" but can definitely be done.

 

I was looking at the Yamaha websight and saw that the 250 was EFI thought that it was a nice feature for it to have! 60 mpg nice!

 

$4000 is hard to beat for a new dual sport bike reconranger. You can't go wrong there. Make sure you set the race sag for your weight, and that may help out the handling in soft terrain.

The economy with these things is great. I would certainly encourage anyone reading this that is considering a dual sport bike to go ahead and get one. Quit giving your money to the fuel companies, and spend the money on a dual sport bike instead. Even my KTM 530 gets as good as 60 to 65 mpg on the road driving it to work and back. Part of that is the way it is ridden. I didn't have a motorcycle drivers license when I first bought the bike. The bike had a licesnse plate, but even with 30 years of riding dirt bikes I had never bothered to get a motorcycle drivers license. So I initially rode the KTM super super conservatively on the road, so as to not draw attention. I would stop well back from every stop sign, look both ways, use smooth careful acceleration from intersections, safe following distances, use the turn signals, the whole routine. Well that likely also helps with fuel mileage, and it is so nice to fill the tank after two weeks of riding it to work and back, and have it cost $5 to completely fill the tank, even with premium unleaded, instead of spending $150 to fill the tank on the diesel pickup truck.

And now that I have my motorcycle drivers license I can really enjoy the freedom that reconranger talked about. I can legally ride this thing anywhere I want to. If a Highway Patrol car pulls up next to me at a stop light, I'm thinking to myself "I'm so legal, you can't touch me". I can take it on Forest Service roads, and in National Parks, and on any ATV trail I could do before with the dirt bike or the quads. Having a real license plate opens up the whole world for you. Dual sports are great.

DV

 

The little 225 has more guts than I thought it would. On the street, by the time I hit 6th gear I am going 60+....which is faster than I ever care to go on the roads I ride.

I have always believed in dressing for the crash not the ride, so I wear full MX gear even on the street. I know I look like an idiot on the mellow little Yamaha, but better safe than sorry. I worry though, because the LEO's are going to get the idea from my dress that I run out into the hills sometimes for a little fun.

 

Very cool RR. I love dual sport bikes. I would love to get an XR650 or something similar myself because I'm a big guy. I think I would be eating my knee's if I rode an XT225. Someday my wife will let me get a bike to save on gas, I hope.

 

Picked up a new 2009 KLX250S today. My son can get his MC license in 6 months, so I will hand the XT225 down to him.