SuperMoto Junkie banner

Supermoto noob with a bone-stock wr450f - my shopping list

21K views 21 replies 6 participants last post by  jp51mustang 
#1 ·
Just got my 2015 wr450f home yesterday - the only departure from stock is that the PO had already added turn signals/horn etc. to get it plated for the street. It had 11.0 miles on it when I rolled it off the truck into my driveway, up to 77 as of this morning :D, but on the street with the OEM knobbies :headshake. So I'm itchin' to get started with the conversion.

As I wrote in my intro thread, I'm an ex-sportbike guy, track-day rider and (for a very short while) a club racer. So a) I have zero experience with dirt bikes in general and b) I haven't been on two wheels for just about two years now, so I'm asking for experienced motard guys to check my initial shopping list. Here's what I'm thinking so far, based mostly on the stickies at the top of this subforum:

* Final drive ratio of 43/14 = 3.07 (vs. the stock ratio of 50/13 = 3.85) - most likely Renthal, steel front, hard anodized aluminum rear, with a Renthal R3 O-ring chain. I've read a couple of places that O-ring chains are ever so slightly wider than non-O-ring, but I'm not going to be racing and I like the peace of mind/reduced maintenance.

* Warp 9 forged wheels with cush hubs, 4.25 rear. Since I'm coming from sportbikes, spokes and tubes sound like a hassle, and I like the look of the forged wheels anyways.

* With 3.5" front and 4.25" rear rims, I'll be wanting 120/70 and 150/60 tires, correct? Waaaaaay back when I was riding sportbikes on the street I liked the Conti Sport Attacks, so I'm leaning towards Contis at the moment, still deciding though.

* Motostrano caliper relocator bracket for the stock Nissin caliper.

* Graves chain block: http://www.gravesport.com/Graves-Motorsports-Yamaha-YZ450F-YZ250F-Supermoto-Chain-Block.html - the sticky here recommended this, and I'm sure liking the idea of anything that will keep the chain away from the tire and/or wheel.

This ought to be basically the same as Motostrano's bare-bones kit, with some upgraded parts. That's the goal for this year - just get the bike into basic motard form, the budget doesn't have room for much more than that. Next year I'll start thinking about real performance upgrades, like an exhaust and all the other goodies I read about in the de-restriction sticky.

Here's a pic of her as she stands today. Not that nobody here has ever seen a photo of a stock wr450f ... but this one is MINE!!! :bannana:

 
See less See more
1
#2 · (Edited)
With the 4.25 rear and a 150 I doubt you'll need the chain block, should have plenty of clearance.

Handguards are almost a must IMHO, I like the Cycra ones myself but there are many options ( HDB, Acrebis, Zeta ) and they all work well.

One more piece of protection is Axle Sliders, they can be as simple as some hard skateboard wheels and some all thread or really cool ones with built in axle blocks like the ones from Slidemoto.

Other than that looks like you have the basics covered.:bannana:

Edited to add, For your WR you'll want to pick up the GYRT race ECU and the shorter throttle stop screw for your bike if you don't already have it. it makes a HUGE difference in power on the FI WR450s. A slip on exhaust can goes well with the previously mentioned mods.

Have a read through Crashes FI wr450 thread for a little more detailed info if you haven't run across it yet.

http://supermotojunkie.com/showthread.php?146405-Crash279-s-Fuel-Injected-2014-WR450
 
#3 ·
I should be finishing my WR project soon, my advice would be to avoid the o-ring chain, use a renthal works non o ring chain, o rings have a lot of drag that rob some of what little horsepower you have, and the chain guide is not wide enough for most oring chains so it will rub there

I like a 5 inch rim in the back with a 160 , anything else is a compromise , I'm not a fan of the cush hub either, if you have RR experience and you blip the throttle on downshifts you should be fine, many riders are gear jammers and don't know this technique

get the hand held tuner with the race ECU

get a PIPE!!!!

open up the airbox!!!!!!!
 
#7 ·
What kind of chain you use really depends on how much maintenance you want to do. Given that he bought a WR I imagine he doesn't want to do all that much, so he probably wants O/X ring.

If you're blipping the throttle on downshifts you aren't really backing it in...
 
#4 ·
I have a RK-Xring chain on mine with the 5" and a 160 with a chain block from Toxicmotoracing. It occasionally touches the tire but just barely, it leaves a little mark but never takes any off the tire.

Cush drive isn't for folks that don't know how to downshift only ( hell it hardly does anything there anyway ), it helps with the beating the tranny gears take on a thumper it also makes the bike vibe a lot less when you ride. When I go out I spend all day on my sumo, every little bit helps and for only an extra $100 when I ordered my wheels it was a no brainer.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Thanks for the feedback, guys.

Cush drive seems like a no-brainer to me, if for no other reason than I've never seen a (sport) bike without it. I might be a little rusty after two years away, but I think I'll do just fine matching revs on downshifts once I've got some seat time again. :lol: Besides that, I really like the forged wheels and AFAICS Warp 9 doesn't have direct-drive hubs for them yet (motostrano's page says "a few months").

You've both made me rethink whether I should go for the 5-inch rim and 160 rear setup. The only reason I was shying away from that is worry about clearance issues with the swingarm and/or chain. But you both say you're running 5"/160 with no (major) issues. I saw one thread mention offsetting the rim by tweaking the spokes when running a 160, did either of you have to do that? Obviously not possible with a forged wheel.

EDIT: here's the post from Crash's sticky that basically swayed me towards the 4.25/150 rear. He mentions offsetting the rim (which I can't do, and that's where I got the pointer to the Graves chain block. But that thread is for an '09, dunno if the issues are different for the FI versions? http://supermotojunkie.com/showthre...ec-Street-Legal-Machine&p=1504480#post1504480

I'll definitely be looking into performance mods (ECU, pipe, throttle stop, brakes) once I've got the basic conversion done ... and once I've got the cash to do them! Thanks for the reminder about sliders though Pinepig, gotta check that out for sure. And thanks for the point to Crash's thread, lots of goodness in there.
 
#6 ·
I didn't have to offset my Warp9 spoked wheels when I got them, they were perfectly offset when I got them. I have about 1/8" on each side. You'll have to run your tire fairly far back ( about 1/2 distance in the adjuster range ) as the swingarm tapers closed the farther forward you run your wheel.

Like I said on your other thread you'll have to be careful on tire choice if you run a 5", some just won't fit, 09 swingarm and ours ( 12-15 ) is the same.

NP on the link to Crashes thread, his threads are goldmines of info.
 
#9 ·
Emailed with MotoX Industries last night and found out that the WR450 hubs for the Warp 9 forged wheels don't quite exist yet ... :( but they are expected to be shipping out within a week. This morning I called Warp 9 directly and they basically confirmed what MotoX told me, so *nobody* has WR450 forged wheels in stock yet, regardless of what their website says. But the first run is at the anodizer and should be shipping out, so I'm going to stick with the plan and wait it out for a bit.
 
#12 ·
Hmm ... I'm reconsidering my wheel choice and thinking about going with Excel rims and Talon cush drive hubs. After doing more research, it sounds like a) the Excel/Talon combination is generally considered to be a better quality choice, and b) if I've read correctly the Talon hubs will work with the OEM Yamaha Speedo drive, so I could offset the higher cost of the Excel/Talon by eliminating the need to mess with a TrailTech or other aftermarket dash. Although ... the tach and temperature gauges on the TrailTech Vapor would be nice to have ...

Opinions? Can anyone confirm that the Talon hubs do in fact work with the OEM speedo drive?
 
#13 ·
As long as you order them with that provision, yes they will work with the OEM speedo. Warp9 has that also on their spoked wheels if you ask.

As far as the Vapor dash, I don' use the tach, my ears know full well when it's time to shift. I do like the temp and hour meter on the vapor which the stock dash doesn't have.
 
#14 ·
I've had a Vapor sitting in a box for well over a year, and no gauges at all on my WR.

I don't know what years have what but I'd prefer an electronic speedo to a cable driven speedo.
 
#15 · (Edited)
It took a while but I finally got enough parts in to start the conversion on my '15 wr450f (after putting nearly 600 street miles on the OEM knobbies :headshake). Had some limitiation both with my budget and with ready availability of some parts, so there are compromises here and there - but it'll be good enough to get me rollin' for this season:

  • - Talon Hubs with OEM speedo drive, but standard rear instead of cush (compromise #1, forged Warp 9's and Talon cush hubs were both weeks or months away)
  • - Dubya rims (compromise #2, wanted Excel but would've busted the budget)
  • - Warp 9 rotor, bracket and sprocket kit w/ standard non-floating rotor (compromise #3), Apex floating rotors and Motomaster street rotors were out of stock for weeks
  • - RK 520 X-ring chain
  • - 14t supersprox front sprocket - intended to go with 14/43 gearing
  • - Slide axle sliders front and rear
  • - Toxic Moto chain block
  • - Galfer stainless front brake line
  • - TRX450 master cylinder (from eBay, nice clean 2013 part)
  • - R6 right-side kill/start handlebar switch from eBay
  • - A bunch of Sumitomo conncetors for a harness to wire the R6 kill switch inline with the aftermarket key switch the bike came with and eliminate the OEM main pushbutton
The main parts (wheels/rotors/sprockets) showed up on Thursday, I started work Friday evening. First thing I noticed was that the front rim was offset relative to the hub by about 3mm away from the rotor side. The rotor sat perfectly in the caliper, so "all" I had to was find a truing stand and spoke wrench and learn how to dish the rim myself - a bit of an adventure, never having had any experience with spoked wheels. Went just fine though, and as of tonight I have the front end done. I've also pulled off the rear sprocket, broke the OEM chain and pulled the rear wheel off. But now I'm faced with a decision ...

I also ordered a 15t Sunstar front sprocket, thinking maybe I'd try 15/43 instead of 14/43. But of course the 15t front collides with the OEM case saver (and just *barely* fits behind the wraparound part of the chain slider on the swingarm). But I've read several threads here from folks that are running 15t fronts ... so what's the solution? Grind away the OEM case saver until the chain fits? Just don't use it at all? Or go with an aftermarket saver like this one from TM Designworks? http://tmdesignworks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=120_122_136&products_id=201
 
#16 ·
I put a 15 on mine at first, I just ground down the stock case saver a little bit. I ran it one time ( 15/42 ) it's TALL, didn't like it at all, dropped to a 14 /42 it'll still do 100mph and will go down the freeway at 70 no problem.
 
#20 ·
Well, if you're the type to say "I told ya so", now would be your moment. :D I got her all buttoned up at 15/43 late last night, and took it out for about 30 miles of mixed roads today ... UGH. You were right, that's waaay too tall, hardly even used fifth gear unless I was speeding on the freeway. When I got home, I immediately swapped the 15t for a 14t and did about ten miles (it was getting dark) ... MUCH better!

Next problem is the front brake. I picked up a TRX450 master after reading crash279's threads, mostly because I want to wire the front brake into the brake light harness. But I do NOT like the feel of the brakes now - the initial bite is way too fierce and there's no room to modulate brake pressure - it's on or off. I'm guessing this is mostly because of the larger bore of the TRX (12.7mm vs. 11 stock), although I also switched to Motomaster street pads (and went from the stock 260mm rotor to 320!). Not sure what to try there - maybe put the stock 11mm master back on and see how that feels, and if I like it better, look for an 11mm alternative that can accept an electric switch.
 
#17 ·
My thought was that with a 15t front I'd have a little more flexibility with the rear - it's a easy to go up to something like a 45t rear to get low-end grunt back if the 15/43 is too tall, but if I want to do a track day on a big track (e.g. Brainerd, that's the closest to me) I won't have to go soooo small with the rear to get respectable top speed. Dunno though, maybe I'm still thinking too much in sportbike mode?

How much did you have to take off the OEM saver to get acceptable clearance? There's only about 3-4mm of meat there before you reach the hollowed out part. Been looking at either TM Designworks (http://tmdesignworks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=120_122_136&products_id=201) or Hammerhead (http://www.hdmoto.com/YAMAHA_YZF450_2003_2010_Case_Saver_p/03-0222-00-00.htm) as possible aftermarket replacements.
 
#18 ·
I had to take quite a bit off, even stock thickness it's pretty useless, pick up something aftermarket, the house brand ones at RMATV ( tusk ) are priced reasonably and will do the job without draining your wallet.


As far as gearing it taller for bigger tracks, you aren't going to get more than about 100-105 out of it no matter what gears you run, it just won't have the HP to push the air out of the way.

Pick your bike out of the list, adjust the tire size and plug some sprokets in to see what you'll get. http://www.gearingcommander.com/
 
#19 · (Edited)
I've been spending lots of time on http://www.gearingcommander.com/, that's where I got the 15/43 idea. Call me stubborn :) but I went ahead and took my dremel to the OEM part last night and got the 15t to fit. You're right, I had to take a fair amount away to get acceptable clearance but I want to give 15/43 a shot - I've read a few posts that say in effect "bigger is better" regarding sprocket size and wear on the chain sliders, and with 112 links I'll have optimal chain wear multipliers (same tooth+link/chain revolution).

If I find I really don't like it right away, I already have the 14t so the switch to 14/43 is trivial, and I can lop two links off the chain to avoid having the it be an exact multiple of the sprocket size. I'm gonna order a year's worth a year's worth of oil filters/crush washers/o-rings from ronayers.com anyway, so I'll just throw in a replacement OEM case saver. It's only a $6 part so that makes it a cheap experiment :D

Here are a few pics of my progress so far.

Half a motard is better than none!


Front end is roadworthy, just needs a chain on the rear to be rideable again
 
#21 · (Edited)
Told ya so.:rofl::rofl::rofl:

I had the TRX sized master on my KTM, didn't like it at all, ended up going to a 12mm stock Brembo off just about any KTM dirtbike from 2003 to the present. On my WR I've stuck with the stock master, I like having a little more movement/feel to the front brake. I'll keep it that way till I have a grand burning a hole in my pocket ( or find a smoking deal ) and then pick up one of the Breaking master/caliper setups as I scored a nice Brembo 320mm rotor that was on Amazon listed as new old stock discontinued for a 06YZ for 50 bucks, If they would have had more than one I would have bought them all.



I just use the banjo bolts with the switch built into them to run the lights, 2nd time I've used one on a bike, haven't had one fail yet. Probably because I have a spare, you know how that works.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top