…machines regularly. Check out the 2012 Yamaha WR450F First Ride for more details. To help serve those faithful racers the Tuning Fork crew has given the WR a new fueling system and entirely new chassis to make it even better than before. The Yamaha DOHC, five-valve engine is pretty burly. It’s always been…

…powered by a liquid-cooled engine and comes to our shores as a 2010 model. The final bike in this comparison is the Yamaha WR250R. Like the Honda, the WR saw its most recent update in '08. With its liquid-cooled engine and premium components, this bike is designed for those riders seeking an upscale dual…

" WR Stands For Wild Ride! Yamaha has carved its own little niche in the enduro market with the successful WR series. Part of the reason why is that the blue bikes are heavily based upon their YZ motocross brothers. Rather than mild trail bikes like most of its competitors, the WRs are just a small step…

…starting to get interesting in the off-road market place. Yamaha heard Honda's footsteps loud and clear because in it made significant changes to its WR-F line-up in anticipation of running with the new competition. Yamaha recently allowed the media to check out the new WRs when they held a press introduction…

…fuel line joint, and fuel filter. Yamaha went to great lengths to insure the WR was as light as possible, just check out the cool weight-saving aluminum sidestand as an example. When the engineers at Yamaha finished the WR's extreme makeover, it emerged a svelte off-road fighter, 1.1 pounds lighter to…

…liquid cooled, 449cc powerplant with a 39mm Kehin flat-slide carb. ""The WR offers great power for trail riding,"" reports veteran rider Brian Chamberlain. ""It didn't hit nearly as hard as the YZ, but the trade-off was that the WR power is always useable. The YZ hits almost hit too hard at times, spinning…

…from Yamaha . The familiar WR model, the 250F enduro, has a totally different engine, chassis, suspension, computer, seat, you name it. The same goes for the YZ250F motocrosser which is even further away in the Yammie quarter-liter lineup. Since it didn't rework its YZ-F or WR-F mills that means the Tuning…

…ride, not race, so that's a good thing. We've seen what can be done with the WR lineup as a race bike and the results can be impressive, but our months of testing in southern Oregon and Southern California reveal that the big WR is a machine capable of taking everyday riders almost anywhere. We spent most…

The 2011 Yamaha WR450F is a proven desert warrior. We are so confident in that statement that we put our stock WR through the ultimate test: Two days of full-blown desert racing during the 2011 AMRA Dual-Duel in Wickenburg, AZ. Look close at the starting line of any enduro, hare & hound or cross country…

" Although the YZ is a capable steed it just cannot compare to the WR when it comes to play riding. In the hands of a capable rider however, the YZ is pretty much unstoppable. For the average person, the WR is just awesome. Here I was with a 450cc 4-stroke, throttle pinned and going through the gears…