250-500cc WR300 ride report

I finally had a chance to get the bike out (and close to properly jetted) in something other than snow. Bike had 1.6 run time hours when I unloaded it yesterday and has 3.4 when I was done. Here's what I can say....

It's freaking rad !
My other bike is a 06' YZ250 punched to 285cc's, porting and head mods, suspension revalved/resprung, Scott's SUB mount and some comfort items. It's certainly on the radical side of things.

I can say that even though the WR is new and tighter that a Politician when the dinner tab comes, it absolutely hammers down in the woods and should only get better as it loosens up. I'm 10-15% faster without effort right off the bat vs. the YZ. I've yet to really push it and see how far it (and I) can go. It steers on command, it changes lines without thought and makes traction like a thumper.

The Yamaha is a point and shoot affair. I see a corner, I gauge my speed, I determine how long it will take the piss-poor Nissin's to slow me down, I think about gear selection, I enter corner, hit chop and crap myself. I recover, blow the corner up, blast down the straight to the next corner, rinse and repeat all day long. With the WR I dont have a clue what's going through my head. It just happens. I'm spending much less time thinking and far more time enjoying myself. This bike makes riding the forest so much easier that I almost feel guilty about it. Plus I feel like a damn MAN with how high I sit in the saddle. A bike made for men and not 5' 4" 140lb weaklings

I've yet to touch the suspension, but I'm rather pleased with it thus far. The mid stroke feels pretty harsh still, but I've yet to touch a thing so I might be able to tune it out.

The chassis is the most stable I've ridden. I would get sloppy and it would almost correct itself with a little bit of throttle. Far more forgiving than my other ride. Regardless how old the design may be on paper.

Brakes and clutch are ridiculous. Once I became accustomed to the stopping power I was gleaming. I'm big on brake and clutch feel. Both are top of the charts. I have a Hinson clutch setup in the Yamaha and the factory Husky clutch was superb feeling. Better than the high dollar Hinson setup in the Yamaha IMO.

Motor is the icing. Now that the jetting is close and the mid/top blubbering is gone I can say it's pretty magnificent. Low end was jetted lean, but still impressive. Almost feels electric. I was floored at how low the RPM's can drop yet it will still lug and pull with some authority without clutch work. Low into mid range was a pretty substantial change. Mid throttle is where the motor starts to come alive and loses the 'electric' feel. The ground starts going by quickly and then the top end arrives. It revs out like a full on MX'er.

I spent lots of time and money chasing after this type of power delivery on my Yamaha and didn't come close. Many might say the 300 is only a 250 with a bigger jug, but the engineers obviously spent considerable time on port size/timing, head characteristics, power valve characteristics and exhaust characteristics. It doesn't feel quite as lively as the 06' WR250 I rode, but it certainly pulls harder off the bottom and makes more power in the mid. Top end feels remarkably similar. Or at least my memory tells me it does, but the extra low/mid grunt may make the top end feel less enthusiastic. It feels quite a bit faster than the few KTM 300's I've ridden. It still wont show my YZ it's rear fender in an all out drag, but not many bikes will.

My friends ask me why I have two 2-strokes that are so similar (similar displacement anyway) and I didn't have an answer until yesterday. The YZ is a pure race bike. It doesn't like a slow to moderate pace and there's very few places I can push the bike to perform at its best. The PNW mountains are certainly not the place! The WR is a highly capable, competitive machine at home anywhere but an MX track. While it does jump decent and the motor is more than capable, I dont feel the forks are up to it as I was nearing the end of their comfort zone on a few of the larger kicker jumps I encountered. Plus it's very long feeling and likes to be steered with the bars and not the rear wheel like most 2 stroke MX'ers. A capable pilot would prove the exception to the rule, but I'd be much faster on an MX track with the YZ. No surprise there.

There's lots more I could say, but this post is nearing 'Genesis' lengths as-is. I love that bike. Race season starts next weekend and I have 2 weapons at my disposal. The Yamaha for the more open GP or desert type events and the WR for the tighter woods events. Although the WR would shine just as well in the open events, I'd like to spread the abuse and that crazy YZ power will actually work to my benefit.

I Never owned a Husky before this one, but I can certainly see their charms. A bike at home on the trail or race course. A rare crossover breed indeed.




I have 2 gripes however. The shifter gouged the clutch cover and it looks like crap now :foul:. And the mud flap has 2 ribs that eat into the swing arm weld from the suspension action. WTF were they thinking

NWetRider actually told me about both of these, but I let them slide for 2 rides. That's all it took to do its damage. Minor and easily fixable issues, but they'd be easier to fix from the factory. With that said I give the 09' WR300 9 out of 10 on the bike scale. It may not be for everyone. It is for me though!

If I can answer any questions then ask away!

Here's how that conversation would play out with me and my wife
pc:
wife:
pc:
wife:
pc: rofessor:
wife: :foul::foul::bonk::rant::rant:
pc:

It's a silent film

I'm sentimental and attached to it. Plus I'd lose my ass selling it.

I need a better solution for spending cash. Like bank robbery or meth production.
You know, reasonable ideas.

It's not really about the money. It is right now cause I just got a new bike and she didn't, but she'll forget about it eventually.

and it's only 3.4 hours old. I may love the boingers once they're broken in.
Doubtful, but its definitely possible.


You guys are ruthless. Like the little devil on my shoulder whispering in my ear.... :devil:

Where'd the angel go from my other shoulder!?!? Uh oh.

PC.

Use the YZ as a back up bike. Back your truck up and hit the brakes hard with no tie downs on it! ( Just kidding).

Next time you go to the races. Find one that has about 3,000 riders and spectators. Raffle it off for $20 a ticket. Go get another eight husky's. You will be the first guy to have Octuplet husky's and be in the news! That is a fine looking bunch of Octuplets!

Typpyt

Wonder if it doesn't crank due to the extra piston weight? Could be using heavier flywheel weight?
When my neighbor years ago, talked me into getting my first Husky going from YZ. He told me that I had to stop being an aggressive rider, always on the clutch/revs, and learn to be a more smoother faster rider using the bike's, tractor like motor. At the end of six months, after getting used to it. I was definately faster than I ever thought possible.

Now I want one!

Typpyt

Just got back from East Fort Rock OHV area near Bend, OR. For those that have been there, no need to explain. For those have not been there... it's motorcycle bliss IMO. It's high elevation desert with a mix of dusty, whooped out trails to the North as well as pristine, kitty litter graveled, perfectly banked, elevated forest trails to the South. Miles, miles and more miles of 3ft berms, perfectly spaced 3rd & 4th gear whoops, slight elevation changes, fast straight and the occasion play area, which usually consisted of some giant piles of lava rock.

Spent 2 days there with the 300. Racked up about 135 miles on it.
Simply amazing!

The bike had about 7hrs on it when I arrived, so its pretty well broken in. And It's bone stock down to the suspension clickers (except for the jetting, which was too rich for the 5k ft. elevations and temps in the 60's)). After a few runs I did back off the compression on the forks and slowed down the rebound on both ends.... much better. The bike is simply amazing. The front tire sticks like a 4 stroke, the rear makes traction like a 4 stroke but the motor does anything but act like a 4 stroke. I've never seen a bike lug so well down low and scream so well on top. I think I'm going to trade the 48T rear for a 50T rear to liven up the bottom end a little and slow down the top speed. I dont need to go 70MPH anywhere I ride!

I'm in awe of how well the bike handles. The Husky absolutely sticks to the ground, doesn't get out of control without major warning and can be precisely steered. I was putting the front tire where I wanted to every time. I could come out of a corner on the gas hard, let the rear slide out and shift my weight back just enough to make it catch. I really, really feel connected to this bike.

The bike feels tall, slightly long and doesn't want to wheelie, but it does want to make serious traction and accelerate hard. It's a very efficient 2 stroke as far as delivering power is concerned and it doesn't tire me out like a hard hitting MX bike does.

The brakes are the best. Period. So progressive yet so strong when you really need to slow down. This alone makes riding SOOOOO much more fun for me. I can dive into a corner way faster than I'm used to and have 100% faith the brakes will be there and act how I expect them to. I'm still all giddy about the brakes and steering capabilities. These are the 2 most important aspects of how fun a bike is to me.

After 100+ miles at EFR most bikes suspension would be broken. Mine are finally broken in! I weigh about 225#, run a quick 'B' level pace and I dont see a revalve in the immediate future. I'm very pleased with the stock stuff. It seems very sensitive to the rebound setting compared to the newer KYB stuff. Not a bad thing, just different to me. It's a little harsh in the initial and mid stroke, but there's still lots of room left for tuning. I never once bottomed out either end and I was hitting some huge whoop sections in 4th, 5th gears. Right now I'm happy. I'm sure once I ride a similar bike revalved and setup for someone similar to myself I'll be changing my tune though.

The motor is one of a kind. Even compared to a KTM300.
It will chug-a-lug all day up anything just off idle yet it will absolutely fly on top. It seriously feels like a full blown MX'er on top but has big grunt of the bottom. I usually ride the local tight forest trails, where I rarely get to see the top end so this trip was a treat. I spent most of the time 'on the pipe' in the upper mid-range rpm's. Occasionally I would get a long straight and just let it rip to the redline and it does not sign off early (**Ahem** KTM 300 I'm talking to you!). It will rev to the moon and thrive there happily. It's a pure race motor with a fat bottom end. A rarity.

It's a new bike and I always rave about a new bike, but this one is different. It's my first bike that wasn't built in Japan and it's my first bike that wasn't born as an MX'er and converted to trail duty. The only fault I can find is the weight. It's a little heavy, but I'm sure this is partially why it sticks so well. It jumps surprisingly good. I wasn't airing it out like the YZ, which wants to launch everything in sight, but I was airing it out. The WR handled doubling though tricky rhythm sections like a champ.


I honestly never thought Husky 2 strokes were this good. I thought Husky owners we're just trying to spread propaganda. How wrong I was.

I was registered, but gave up my minute to a rider on the waiting list last week. It's been a rough few weeks and my heads not into competition now.

After seeing someone get life flighted out of there I felt I made the right choice.

I'm in complete agreement with PC's assessment of the 300. My 300 continues to amaze me each time I ride it. I rode the KTM 300 more than a few times and while it's nice to have E-start when you're old and fat like me, the KTM's motor can't hold a candle to the Husky!

I have intentionally tried to stall the Husky by lugging around some really tight stuff at such low speeds a 4 stroke would tremble... but the Husky has proven virtually impossible to stall unless you are a complete idiot. Conversely, I have ridden some fire roads at WOT in 5th gear and I saw God! The WR is SCAREY fast!

Once you get the jetting right on this bike, it can do anything and everything.

Krieg,
Did you end up with the 30 pilot or the 32.5? I got a 30 from Gerald, but he doesn't seem familiar with the "half" sizes.
You still running the needle clip one notch leaner/higher? Have you kept
the stock main so far?

Either of you guys happen to know the correct float height setting for this new TMX? I can't seem to find any specs on it anywhere.

How much range are you getting out of the stock tank? How 'bout you PC? How far were you going at EFR on a tank of fuel?
I ask because some of the systems I ride have some pretty long loops. My KTM300 will make it around any of them,...but I think it carries a little more fuel than the Husky.

Sorry for all the questions, but you guys are way ahead of me on set-up and dial-in. Work has driven me nuts this spring so far,...I haven't had time to do much of anything to my new WR300 at all yet.
I got invited up to PA a couple weeks ago to ride with 3 good buds of mine at a system called Rock Run. I took a long week-end and went, but I had to take my '06 KTM 300XCW because I just didn't have my Husky prepped and ready yet. That really sucked, but I just couldn't bring myself to take the new WR300 out into the hard core stuff before I was satisfied that it was jetted right, dialed in, and ready for action.

I saw the Pope once when I was climbing a set of horrible crazy steep switch-backs down at Hatfield~McCoy on my KTM,...but that's about it.

Float height should be at 10mm per Husqvarna, but I'm not sure if they're using the same method as I do. They must mean to turn the carb upside down and measure from the bowl mating surface to the peak of float. Otherwise it's going to be WAY high.

Mine is high now, but I can get at least 50 miles from the tank with heavy throttle. And this includes leaking gas from the carb when its on its sidestand due to the high float.

I went one up on the pilot and leaned out the needle one slot. This was perfect for my local forest (1500-2000' and temps in the 50's), but too rich for the high dez (4800-5500' and temps in the 60's). I actually fouled my first plug on the Husky leaving the choke on a little too long. Once I backed the air screw out it ran okay, but was still on the rich side. The needle is the worst culprit if you're running rich and spooging from my experience.

Thanks PC,
I don't know whether to fool around with my float height while I've got the bowl off to change the pilot, or not. It doesn't leak any gas while sitting on the kickstand with the fuel valve on,...but I'm not gonna be able to afford to lose any fuel like that with a 50 mile tank range on some of the loops we ride. I have four of these one liter aluminum fuel bottles with o-ring sealed caps that I got from a backpacking/hiking outfitter's catalog,...they're actually intended for cookstove and lantern fuel. They fit nicely in my backpack, but a gallon of gas is kinda heavy on your back, so you tend to start putting them in the tank as soon as there's room!

On just about any other bike I've had, when I set the float to the manual's spec the horizontal seam or line on the side of the float usually ends up being perpendicular to the bowl mating surface,...but those have all been Keihins. Is that even close to being the case on this Mikuni?

That's exactly what I've done too. I had it like this once and it ran great and I did not notice any gas leaking, but I raised it after reading info regarding the old style carbs needing to be at 18mm. I didn't realize the 300 has the new carb until after making the change.

I'm going to adjust it back to the old school 'parallel' position and call it a day.

I have one of those aluminum containers too. Works much better than Gatorade bottles with the cap duct taped on

Parallel!,.....that's the word I was looking for. Perpendicular,....good grief I'm brain dead anymore. That means just the opposite doesn't it? Glad you knew what I was driving at.

Yeah,...my riding buddies call me 'The Suicide Jockey' with those gas bottles strapped to my back, but whad'ya gonna do?

I didn't even realize it until you brought it up. In one ear and out the other!

I always use 'brackets' to emphasize words.... I wasn't meaning to point out a mistake.

Now that is classic!

I wonder if you'll get 100 virgins if you take out a flock of greenies setting up booby traps!?!?

Hmm...don't know for sure. I think those Muzzies have to shave off all their body hair and meditate and stuff first, and I'm just not that commited. Tell you what we could do though,...I could get a wrist-rocket slingshot and a bag of M-80s & cherry bombs and we could sit back in the brush and lob 'em at them from a distance.
I'll do the shooting if you'll light 'em when I draw back!