the small chatter, which is usually where you end up compromising one direction for the other. The chassis would have to be one of the most comfortable Japanese platforms I’ ve stood on. The WR has a tall, slim stature that I reckon suits taller riders. I’ m over six foot and it fits me properly, which isn’ t always a given in the 250 enduro class. Moving around on it is easy too, the shrouds are narrow and the seat is flat, so you’ re not fighting the bike to get your weight where you need it in the tight stuff. The brakes are sorted from the factory with a braided front line and quality Nissin calipers. You can’ t really go wrong there. Servicing is a highlight too. The airbox and filter access is genuinely easy, and the filter itself is tiny, about the size of a slice of bread.
WHAT’ S NEXT Racing kicks off again in August and runs through to the end of the year, so I’ m using this small window of downtime between racing to get the suspension components greased and get a stack of parts on. There’ s some Zeta and DRC gear going on, including race silicone hoses and footpegs, plus a few other bits that should make the WR even more bulletproof than it seems to be already. As for the season so far, the more I race it the more I like it. That’ s usually a good sign.
KIWI RIDER 37