First of all, I hate when others post when they ve chose another bike or sold their xt. I don't see how it's productive. So I apologies, I'm not here to gloat.

However, I'm about to trade in my tenere for a wr250r. And I just don't want to regret it.

So what are the reasons for why I shouldn't do it? Is my question.

I have both bikes. While the WR will eventually do everything the Tenere will, it's nowhere near as relaxed over long distance, particularly on any road.
However, the WR is a very capable trail bike, reputed to be bulletproof. They almost are. I have about 500hrs/7500km on mine. Both fork seals were/are a problem, the camchain tensioner is, erm, erratic (I have a manual one to fit soon). It also has a tiny fuel tank (7.8L), which is pathetic imo. And fuel pumps can be a problem in hot weather.
The WR is easy to maintain and is a far better off-road bike than the Tenere if things get tough.
There are people here in Australia and other countries who have done great long-distance travelling on 250Rs. For example, I'd far rather ride my WR across the deserts than my Tenere, but the Tenere would still be pretty good and much better on the open roads.
Your choice, as usual. Just don't expect the WR to be something it isn't.

Thanks for the insight. Could you be more specific about not being as relaxed as the tenere. I know the tenere is a very relaxing ride though. I don't usually go over 60 kph

I just changed my tensioner on the ten. How is does the manual one work?

If you don't go over 60kph then the WR is probably going to be fine. I thought touring involved higher speeds where a 250 works pretty hard.
I'm not sure an XT660 manual tensioner is available or needed, usually. The design is one of the better ones, and has been around in form or another for years in Yamaha big singles.
A manual tensioner simply involves a threaded block bolted to the cylinder in place of the original tensioner, with a long bolt held by a locknut pushing against the rear slider. When the chain rattles, the bolt is screwed in a bit until the engine is quiet again, and locked up. The manual tensioners are great imo, but you have to be really careful not to overtighten the camchain.

If...

• You spend more time on tarmac than you do trails.
  
• You need to cover more than 150Km in a day.
  
• You ride far in rain and/or cold weather.
  
• You ever ride in the dark.
  
• You like long service intervals.
  
• You want to get places quickly.
  
• You don't like visiting petrol stations.
  
• You value comfort.
  

Well, they're the sort of things I would be thinking about if it were me in your shoes!



Seriously though, only YOU can make this sort of decision. You need to draw up your own list of questions and see how well each bike scores on YOUR criteria.



Whatever you choose though, you must at least get yourself a decent test ride on a WR and cover similar ground/roads to those that you would normally travel. You'll be able to make a decent comparison with the Tenere, answer all the questions and make an informed decision...

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The only one of the above that may not apply is the service interval. They are very long - 40,000km valve checks, 6000km oil changes.
Valves I might leave, but oil changes every 50hrs and filters every 100hrs.

Have a wee peep here for a spot of light reading lol

There's only 3009 pages of other WR owners writing about their experience

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...9337&page=3009








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__________________
The Suit:What would you consider to be your greatest weakness?
Me: Honesty.
The Suit: Honesty? I don't think honesty could be construed as a weakness.
Me: I don't give a f**k what you think.

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