138 |MAY 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au
FACTORY RIDE/READERS RIDE / HERITAGE / ACTION / OAS / BUYERS GUIDE
THE BASICS
THE 1996 WR250 was ADB’s
least favourite enduro bike but
Yamaha turned things around
with this 1998 model and was
back in our good books. In 1996
the WR250 went through ADR
compliance and, in an effort to
make it more accessible, the
two-stroke engine was tamed
and the suspension tuned for
the average competitor.
Long considered one of the
head kickers in its class, the WR
now had smoother power but
the suspension was way off. It
had gone from rock hard but
good through the entire range
to confused, with a soft and
spikey front-end and a rear that
kicked like a mule with colic.
The changes made for 1998
were all in the right direction.
They began with the ’97 model
being upgraded to match the
specs of the YZ but with an 18”
rear wheel instead of the
motocrosser’s 19-incher, a
wide-ratio ’box, sidestand and
lighting coil along with enduro
spec suspension. These
upgrades carried through to
the WR-Z you are looking at
here, along with some others.
For 1998 the combustion
chamber volume was
decreased from 23.3cc to
22.9cc with a drop in
compression ratio from 9.2:1 to
8.7:1 and port timing had been
delayed by .5mm. The exhaust
power valve was reshaped and
the governor got a new spring
rate, resin parts in the water
pump were changed to
aluminium with an improved
water/oil seal and ballbearing
for increased durability. CDI
timing was revised, and caster
and trail went from 27.7
degrees and 122mm to 26.9
degrees and 115mm. Defi nitely
a lot of major changes.
Previous WRs delivered the
power “like a knockout punch
from Mike Tyson” but this
engine was described as a real
sweetheart. The new WR250
was willing to trials ride throughsharp loose rocks, but would
hurl its strong mid-range
behind too tall a gear on a hill
or out of a corner.
The jetting was a little rich
down low, loading up a little out
of corners, but improved with
the needle clip set on the
highest position. Stock was
second highest so it was
thought a little fi ne tuning with
the pilot jet was required to get
the needle in the middle. This
test bike had had the restrictors
in the header pipe and the
throttle limiter removed.
The suspension was fi rm but
progressive, with the shock a
little softer than the fork, which
was “beautifully forgiving on
hard-edged steps and rocks”.
All the clickers were set at the
12 out position and that suited
all the test riders, from
clubmen to experts, with
nobody doing the normal
fi ddling. It was found to be
equally good in the bush and on
the MX tracks at the test venue,Louee Enduro and MX Park.
Everyone was happy with the
brakes, with the new larger-
diameter rear disc receiving
praise. Both brakes offered
good feel on loose, snotty
downhills. The only negative
mentioned in the test was the
early failure of some of the
ADR gear, which most owners
would remove anyway. The rear
guard extender hit the tyre at
full compression, the speedo
only lasted 23.9km before
failing and the rear blinkers
shook the lenses loose in the
fi rst half hour, with the right
one beating itself to death
against the muffl er.
In Yamaha’s defence, this
was a “pre-production” ADR
effort and the company
assured ADB that full-
production models would have
those issues addressed. The
WR250Z sported a fi ve-speed
gearbox with USD fork up front
and a single shock out the back.
Heritage Editor Warren JackQUICK RECOVERY
WHAT
Yamaha WR250Z
WHEN
February, 1998
PURPOSE
Enduro
HOW MUCH
$9180 plus on-roadsBIKES FROM THE DAYS WHEN DINOSAURS ROAMED THE PITS
REAR GUARD
HE
RITAGE
RIDE
YAMAHA
WR250ZABOVE. The bike came with
restrictors in the header and a
50mm longer muffl er to meet ADRs