The Yamaha has more than enough top speed for any northeast riding. The new WR trans is sort of a hybrid CR/WR and works well. Up in Hancock it did over 70 on the road with no problems. You know, I'll take a few lbs to gain reliability in a motor any day. Hell, thats the trait of the GG 2-stroke motor, its far from the lightest but bulletproof. FWIW, a stock '07 WR250F with handguards weighs just 3 lbs more than my old '03 EC250 fully decked out, both bikes approx half a tank of fuel.
In addition to the the fact that I still can't stand the way KTMs feel (yes I have ridden new ones), that 250F has its issues. Major boilover problems in tight slow going on the the couple I've seen for starters. How many KTM 250Fs can go multiple seasons with just a valve adjust and a cam chain? Not being a smartass I'd really like to hear longevity stories, and how much it costs to fix if it does go boom. I'm a Euro bike guy for sure, but have to admit that the Yamaha is a good motor, there are a lot of older WRs still running around. A fast reliable 250F is a major engineering challenge, especially in this economy for a small company. Sure it would be great for have an in house GG motor but probably not worth the risk right now for them. If Cannondale Motorsports adopted this philosophy, they might still be around today.
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