that speaks to their talent... not saying they're needed... just saying that Knobbies don't require extra talent to be used... in actuality to ride off road with street tires even on dirt roads or gravel is HARDER on street tires than knobbies...

yeah, but if he is fine with riding it, he will learn to control his bike better and not waste money on ditching a pair of tires early. Win win

5,000 miles on them and they're pretty shagged. Time for replacements and I'm tempted to buy another of the same set. They took me through everything I put in front of them and I have no complaints.

Nearly bald down the middle and I still burned a tank of gas on the trail with them today.

A year with the Yamaha now and still the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle.

Let's talk more about the WR!

I love my TE630, but there's always this sinking feeling that I'm putting too many miles on it.

It is higher maintenance and I can live with that, but I have a feeling that these are not high mileage bikes. If I have to check valve clearances every 3000 miles, am I going to be rebuilding my engine at 30,000?

I just turned over 9100 miles on mine. That was a season and a half of riding.

The Husky sure does bring on the grins, though!

The only complaint I have about the WR is the shift action. It feels crunchier than other bikes I've owned and I hit false neutrals all the time. It's just something I've adapted to and otherwise the bike has been excellent. The suspension handles everything I throw at it, throttle response is about the best I've sampled, and while power on the street is pretty anemic, out in the woods it has taken me up and over just about everything. I conquered a hill yesterday that was easily the steepest grade I'd ever attempted, and the WR didn't break a sweat.

I will probably buy another bike in the next month or two, however. An addition to the Yamaha, not a replacement. As much as I love the WR, I want something bigger for commuting duty.

Ideally, what I want is a lightweight DS that will take thousands of miles of riding and not bat an eye.

There really isn't much available that'll do that and still be fun to ride. The TE630 was only made for one year (and as of right now, I'm worried that I'm asking too much of the engine), the DRZ400S is pretty dated and has a narrow transmission. The WR250R fits the bill, but I'm concerned about the lack of power.

Who knows, I could be worried about nothing. All I can do is keep riding it and find out.

BMW G650, Honda XR650L, Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650L.

All make more power than the WR, they're all nearly indestructible, and you already said you don't mind the frequent maintenance.

None of them will perform off-road as well as the WR or your TE630, of course.

For your area, temple, I can't see why something like a 800 adv bike may be the way to go. Its not like you have big hill climbs out there. Do you go mud bogging a lot?

What Honda needs to do is take the XR650R and modernize it. That XR line is damn close to what I want, but they've been making that same bike since when, the 80s?

G650, KLR, DR650, all too heavy for my liking.

I don't go hunting around for mud to roll around in, no. But, I don't avoid it, either.

I don't want a big heavy bike. I know that something like a KLR, 800GS, KTM990 or the like would be just fine for most of the riding I do. But, it's still not my style.

What I want doesn't always make sense. :D

What I'd like to see is more 400-600-ish, lightweight, 6 speed EFI thumpers to choose from. Right now, there are none.

I want to be able to do a 500-600 mile weekend trip and not have to wrestle a 400+ lb bike around off road.

I want to have my cake and eat it too, dammit.

Did you ever just look at bikes, and say to yourself you have the technology!?! just use that frame, with this engine, with that stuff and this stuff and you have what I really want! But alas they make what the masses want, not what you need