In the midst of purchasing a 2003 WR250F, just a few questions.

[j0hn]

I went to see it today and for a 10 year old bike, it was in pretty good shape. However, I have a few questions about road legality.

It comes with front/rear lights, a horn and an odometer. Which is in the list of requirements to make a bike road legal.

1) The bike does not come with a speedometer. It's not required to pass an MOT but you must have one to be road legal. I read that cheap push-bike speedometers are acceptable, any truth in this? Also, any recommendations for cheap speedometers?

2) It has one of those small flexible number plates fitted. I think it might be a 6 x 4, not too sure. Would this still be illegal on the road for an enduro? I saw a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bwPvd4G8Qk) where the rider was stopped and VDRS'd by the police. He later commented that his small plate was still legal on road due to the following reasons:

Certain imported vehicles may be permitted to display number plates with smaller characters if:

The vehicle does not have European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval

AND

The vehicle's construction/design cannot accommodate standard size number plate

Anyone able to clarify that or am I just going to get into a lot of bother with the cops? I think it's 3 points + fine for illegal plates now?

3) The rear tyre does not say it's for competition or race use only. So by virtue, it should be road legal, right?

One thing I forgot to check was if the rear tail light was on when the bike was running, I know that's a requirement for a full MOT. Anyone know if this is standard with the WR250Fs so I don't have to worry about it until I check again. Bear in mind that this bike passed its previous MOTs before in the current conditions, but passing an MOT these days doesn't exactly make it road legal .

I'll probably have a lot more questions but can't think of any at the moment .

[blackhat250]

9x7 Is law jOhn , the speedo thing is a grey area, and i thought bikes after 1981, had to have a front brake light switch,,

[j0hn]

I'll have to double check the front brake light switch to see if it works, I just assumed it was standard for a WRF. The other issues listed (plate, speedo etc.) seems to be easy and cheap fixes but the exhaust is more worrying now. If it does end up being a race only exhaust then is it possible to legalise that by inserting a baffle in? Not even sure if that's possible, kinda clueless lol.

[blackhat250]

As long as Exsaust dosn"t have , " not for Highway use" or the like stamped on it , your OK,,,,

[DirtyDT]

Speedo - buy a vapor one.

Number plate - get a standard one. Saves any hag.

Tyres - even if the are not marked, I would consider getting some that will last a bit longer on Tarmac.

Exhaust- as Blackhat said. You can anything fabricated but cost may be an issue.

Generally - they do light kits for them. Here is a US example

www.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=221218212113

[dt502001]

You can buy a db killer insert for most any pipe cheap to get it down under 96db 30-40 bucks.Some tracks now require them.

As the bike was not equiped from the factory with a front brake switch and delivered for road use that way then the wr is exempt here not sure about there.

But a banjo type brake switch is easy to install just need the longer bolt to fit it inbetween the master and the brake line.

the odmeter is driven the same as any cable drive speedo so you can install one from another yam or aftermarket 1,just remove the 1 on the bike and install the spedo/od counter. Much cheaper than a vapor,thought the vapor adds alot of extra featuers and cool factor.

EDIT ps the tail is on when running well at least on my 01 can't see they changed anything in the 2 yrs.

[j0hn]

I'll look into getting a standard sized road legal number plate, not worth the hassle. I hear you can get one that can easily be removed (like a clip-on plate) because I'm not sure how even a shatter-proof full plate would survive off-roading. For the tyres, not sure what it currently has so I'll probably stick AC10s on it. Need to learn how to change the tyres myself lol. Same again with the exhaust, I'll see what markings it has and stick a db killer in like dt suggested.

Wasn't aware of banjo brake switches, that's the lighting side of the bike sorted since indicators aren't required.

DirtyDT, I was thinking of the vapor, but the pricing seemed too high. I would have never thought you could simply replace the odometer to a speedometer/odometer combo, thanks dt502001. So I take it the cable is a universal size so any device should work? Would the calibration be done in the meter manually or is that handled by the speedometer drive? Good to know the tail light is on when running and doubt it would have changed in 2 years either, thanks for letting me know.

Sorry I've been pretty vague about the bike, I'll be getting it sometime this week so I'll post back exact details on it. Thanks for all the help so far guys .

[dt502001]

Cable is the same size but you need to get the right ratio ie 1 to 4... or ....1 to 5 or the speedo will be out . I'm prety sure you need a 1to 4 . but if you get the wrong one just have a mate ride with you and check the speed then adjust in your brain ie shows 40 but actualy 50,I never put a speedo on mine don't care how fast I'm going.

Not sure about your laws but the plate has no light so a tail tidy is the better option,the accerbis one fit on nice and then you get bracket for plate and light for it. about 60 bucks.

[j0hn]

Well here it is

Just to clarify: WR250F is the same as WRF250 right? I'm seeing a mix of both.

Is there any where I could look to see what the exact ratio would be? Weirdly, parts and support for the WR250F seems to be lacking here in the UK. I noticed that both the US and the Australian markets seems to fully support the bike in every aspect.

Good call about the plate light, I think that's required by law. Is this the Acerbis tail tidy you are referring to?

The rear tyre is a MIchelin M12 XC (off-road use only) so I'm going to have to get an AC10 rear, not a biggie. This means I'll have to get some tools to change tyres on my own, anything else I should get apart from tyre iron(s) to do the job?

The current exhaust has no "race use only" stamp, only has a BSAU mark. Not sure where I stand with this one. I was given the original exhaust but that only has a Yamaha part number stamped, again, not sure if the standard can is road-legal because no marking says otherwise. This is a picture of the current exhaust. I'm hoping it is road-legal and that the baffle has been removed then lost in the process. If so, anyone able to identify what exhaust this might be?

As you mentioned dt502001, no front brake switch, I'll have to check if it's required since it's factory standard. Rear foot brake light works fine.

So a recap on things left to do:

• Get a standard size licence number plate
• Look for a speedometer/odometer with the correct ratio
• Get an AC10 rear tyre + tools required for tyre removal/fitting
• See what the law is on the front brake switch, get a banjo switch if required
• Check if adding a baffle to current exhaust will make it road-legal, if not, check stock

[Airhead]

That looks great John, it's tall isnt it

no chainguard whatsoever?

[j0hn]

I think it comes with no chain guard from the factory, wouldn't hurt to add an aftermarket one though. And yes, it's really tall, I was worried when I first checked the seat height for the WR, but the suspension is soft enough for me to put at least one foot down .

Here is a picture for comparison with my XT.

[dt502001]

Bike is the same save for the alumi sub frame .

yep that the tail tidy I was on about and if you get a yz rear fende then it fits under with no ugly holes. and is nicer looking as it has a flatter shape

About the speedo I would look into getin a rz/rd one then it should work yam uses the same drive on most of thier bikes.

some of the aftermarket ones will say fits yam and give the ratio still think it's 4:1.

As far as the chain guard no place to mount 1.

[dt502001]

Original can is quite and road legal,but it looks like someone has been riding with that 1 I would go with it and see if you can get it DB tested,its a older can befor db reg's were in place at tracks and look a little like a Vance and hines can but not sure. If they removed the baffel then throw it away ,its junk, the bike needs the back pressure and if some dolt pulled it out for sound then the bike is slower than with the stock pipe,actualy the best pipe's only make 1 hp or so difference but mess with the mid range HP and tend to move it up in the rev range so you have to be realy on the gas and reving the crap out of it to notice. Yzf cams make a bigger difference in HP

I run the stock pipe and 4th gear wheelies are no problem.Motor is ported and fitted with yz cams.Top speed yes bigger bike's will win but 0-60 you will stomp all over them if you can keep the front end down.Anything under 600cc won't stand a chance.

Well I bet your all giggles after your first ride and a wee bit shocked to think it's only a 250 where did they hide the nitros bottle, after so many miles on the XT,enjoy your new steed. I love mine and as all the parts fit up to 2010 shouldn't have any problem for a while getting parts so it's a keeper.

I have a question do the wheel axel's from the xt look like it would fit,I doubt it.But if the part number for a XT rim and a sm wrf250 are the same then it's just a matter of swaping out the bearings,I want to get a set of Sm wheels for my bike and the best price I can find is in the 2 grand mark so looking at other rims to put on ,mabey just some cast wheels used

[DirtyDT]

Speedo ratios are set by the front wheel size. See if a ty has the same size rim as you can get these easily.

[Grouch]

Put a Vapour speedo on, they are well worth the £130, ots just fitting them that are complicated.

Buy it! While you can!

[j0hn]

Bike is the same save for the alumi sub frame .

Is that true for all WR/YZ versions? I am able to mix and match most parts without any issues? I read that the YZ rear fender needs cut to fit the coolant bottle. I assume since the YZ rear fender is smaller, there is no number plate light?

I looked more into legalising and I do in fact need indicators if the bike is to be used after sun down, if not, it will only be allowed to be ridden during daytime. I don't want to risk being caught during a late session and end up getting stopped by the cops for not having any indicators during night fall, so I'll have to look for a rear fender with indicator support and also front indicators.

There is nothing to really test for the exhaust as it's definitely too loud for the road, finding a baffle insert for it shouldn't be too hard.

About the speedo, I'm still looking for a second hand one on ebay, no luck yet. Just wondering, what do those ratios (4:1, 5:1 etc.) mean? Grouch, I'd rather not spend £130 for the sake of having a speedo, trying to save money here lol .

dt502001, I looked at the part numbers for the axle for both XT and WR. They are both different but there are some matching numbers in both. Not sure what that would mean, maybe a different model tag but the axle size is still the same? The XT is also due a tyre change so next time it's off, I'll compare the axle with the WR's and get back to you. I've seen a few pictures of WRs with SM wheels and they looked awesome .

I haven't even had a shot at riding it yet, can't wait till it's all ready . Ordered tyre removal tools, an AC10 rear tyre and an MX lift stand. This is starting to turn into a project lol.

[finnerz89]

They do make a SM version of the bike, not sure what years, do a search for wr250x.

Might be worth looking at part numbers for that?

[bippo]

Sorry, I'm not chipping in to offer any technical advice whatsoever - but I did just want to say that's a sweet looking bike John. Hope you enjoy it (once you finish off these bits!)

[j0hn]

Just an update on the indicator law, apparently, since the WR is an off-road bike and didn't come with any indicators, it's still legal to use on the road both day and night. This is an exception to off-road bikes. Great idea finnerz89, seems like I no longer need any parts from the X model so I'll go with a sleeker Acerbis.

Also for the speedometer, I was suggested a DT 125 might fit pretty well since the DT and WR both use the same speedometer drive. A cycle computer is the other option if I don't find a DT speedometer for cheap.

Thanks bippo, I'm dying to try it out !

[dt502001]

Hey John the fender bolts right on the side/number pannel need a small bit trimed to fit around the collant tank,but the rest of the bikes are basicaly the same,tranny ratios are different I think and obviously the fly wheel and staror are different(yz has no lighting coil and a lighter fly wheel.

Chang the spark plug often because it's a royal pain in the ass,and no way your going to do it at the side of the road.I use a socket drop it it the hole then a 2inch extension break it free with a wratchet then remove the rachet because it will get traped between the frame befor the plug is free,then to install the plug I cut the boot off a spark plug wire from a car to set the plug in and start it threading in. Always blow the hole clean before pulling the plug, not much dirt will ever get in because the top is sealed by the boot but you don't want any crap getting in the motor. Take care of the boot when removing it cause they are 80 bucks Canadian funds and nobody make one but yamaha.

I know because the resistor went in mine and I rebuilt it with a doner resistor.

Check the oil level every ride they all eat oil. Not much but enough.

Check the valve clearence often and replace the springs when you change the valves they get bent over time, the spring that is. And you will want to chang the valve's yearly at least depending on how much you ride,DEL WEST sell titanium valves,keepers and retainers bit cheaper and way better than stock you will get about 3x the life out of them www.hpsport.us .If you don't you can bet you will drop a valve and that will run you into the 3 grand mark to fix. The spring pressuer is so high that the keepers cut into the valve stem and then SNAP the top comes off or the keeper pop off.So when you check your clearence if 1 is getting tight more than the others best to pull the head and remove the valve and check it for wear you might even have to file the valve around the keeper area to get it out

The ratios 4:1 means the cable will turn 4x more than the drive for the speedo needle.

Them bicycle spedoos work OK but a pain in the ass to read cause they are so small and they don'trun on the bike elec's you have to put watch battery's in them and the magnet you stick on the rim tends to fall off if you go dirting then you end up buying a new one just for the magnet.The dt option is the better choice IMO or bit the bullet and get the vapor lots of cool featuers in them.

Anyway I have the factoy manual so any thing you need to know just ask and I can tell you what the book says