250-500cc Issues with '13 WR300

I know this has probably been discussed ad nauseam already but can you guys give me a quick run down on the issues of this bike. I have heard of issues with fueling, poor clutches, electronic issues and fatigue cracking on the exhaust bridge of the barrels.

I need to make a quick decision as to whether or not to swap my my 610 for an almost new WR300.

I have a 2012 300 and had a 2010 Before. I never had any fueling issues,but the keihin PWK carb i use is much better than the stock Mikunin when it comes to Clean low speed running and jetting sensitivity. clutchwise there is some drag, less or more, depending on oil. it's important to have a clutchcable in good condition, or change to a motion pro Cable. the only electrical issue i've had was a shortcut in the rear light, making the bike misfire when i hit the brakes. strange but true. I just cleaned the Contacts and the problem was gone. otherwise i like my Husky, even that i liked the Kokusan ignition more than the Ducati.

Johnny

I've already commented on your swap, so I won't go there.

I bought my 2012 WR300 in December last year. It has 1200 miles on it, all this season, probably 60 hours. Lots of racing and hard trail riding miles. I have had zero problems with the bike that didn't result from crashing it into stuff.

-The stock carb isn't too bad, but the stock jet setup is stupid. Plan on buying some jets or a jet kit. Lots of guys run other carbs (myself included), but properly jetting the Mikuni TMX works fine.

-Clutch is fine. With proper oil change intervals and a clean cable, it has zero issues. Some may think the pull is a bit heavy, but it's no different than my cable-actuated 2006 TE610. 2-strokes need much more frequent oil changes than a 610 with 2-3 quarts of capacity, especially if you ride it hard.

-I have had zero electronic issues. My bike does start a LOT easier if I turn the headlight off when I'm kicking it, but I don't consider that an issue.

-For every report of the jugs cracking, there are probably 100 guys hammering the crap out of their bikes with no issues. I would suspect that something else is at play in these cases.

same here,i pounded my WR for a couple of years and no issues, Kyle is on the mark with that headlamp switch!

No clutch problems, however, the stock clutch CABLE sucks. I went with an ARC shorty lever, Motion Pro cable, and lengthened my clutch actuator by 5mm.
My stock carb works great. (I won the lottery apparently)
No electric issues, period. (I have a no-headlight model)
I have 52 hours on the motor and havent opened the top end up yet. It runs like a beast.

I have had experience with the difficulty of jetting the Mikuni on my Honda CR250 and eventually threw in towel and ordered a keihin PWK carb (pre jetted) from JD Jetting, which transformed that bike.

The other thing that I am seeing is that the bike is quite tall and I am only 5'8" at a push (I seem to be getting shorter as I get older ). What I also did not mention is that I predominately ride single trail in the dunes, this bike can do soft sand??? The 2t MX bikes like my RM excel in this type of environment.

With the factory Mikuni TMX carb, bone stock it was troublesome. I swapped a couple jets and it was acceptable. Then I went to a JD jet kit and it ran great. I only swapped to a PWK because the character of the power suits my riding better, not because of issues with the TMX. For fast dune riding, the TMX may work really well, I think it's "pipier" and has more top end.

The bike is pretty tall. Some guys have them lowered a bit, I know K5PL5 has his dropped an inch or so. Some guys hate tall bikes, some guys don't mind, so this is pretty subjective.

I ride in sand, but it's enduro sand riding, not wide open dune stuff, so I'm not so sure about that.

On my 12 it blew a head gasket within 11 miles, got that fixed the. Seized the top end wich resulted in a cracked cylinder, got a jd jet kit to straighten out the jetting, the over heating damaged crank seals and intake boot. The bolt on the end of the shift drum that holds the detent star on came loose resulting in poor shifting into second and from second to first.The cdi went bad.ordered a custom clutch cable 4 inches shorter , and used a different clutch perch and lever that i had laying around. This helped w the clutch drag issue. The bike is awsome now!

Yes i seemed to have bought a bad one!! The cyl a d te kit were covered. The rest wasn't. So yeah you guys have less to worry about. Lmao. I think they used all rejected parts to build mine lol.love it now though, except my friends w ktm's talking the usual crap. Funny thing is i converted one of the. To husky, and another said he wants his ktm front end to feel like mine (planted). Go figure!!

The jd kit was money well spent! Sucks about you being short, however you don't have to duck to go under branches and downed trees! Ha

i hated my wr300.

had it 4 months then shipped it down the road. never looking back.

I am glad not everyone does not ride a Husky 300 Then it would be harder to win on mine

Im glad some people hate them. I dont want to get on the wrong bike before I race.

Keep the 610 and get a 300. I have both and its the best of both worlds!

Ive got an 06/610 - and an 11 WR300.

My 300 engine detonated at 600klm and was covered under warranty - new motor.
My 610 had electrical issues but has been mechanically flawless.

610 has now been retired to ADV with a 20L tank 15/45 gearing, Giant loop and big light for those big rides and the 300 is a single trail, log jumping weapon.




Stu

Had my 04 250 for 5 years now and have done lots of road miles etc whilst out laning, had a major overhaul over the winter and tech reported very little wear anywhere

I bought an 09 WR250 thinking I'd make it into a 300 when the top end was played out knowing that the rest of the bike was identical. I've done some mods to customize it but I have had zero issues with reliability. The only dealer part I have purchased is the lower shock bearing and the original is still good enough for a spare to use in a pinch. I can't speak to the cracked exhaust bridge problem on the 300 and will probably never know because after adding the Lectron and the Gnarly pipe I have all the smooth usable power I'll ever need. If you want a bike that's as tough as an anvil buy a 250 with the older ignition.

It would probably be helpful if you posted why you hated it. Reliability, suspension, power, starting, too much awesome, etc.