All you have to do is walk into your local motorcycle dealership to see how popular adventure touring motorcycles are becoming. Almost every motorcycle manufacturer is presenting their own interpretation of what an adventure motorcycle should be, and buyers are flocking to the machine that they think will take them to the “back and beyond.”

Top-tier adventure-class motorcycles share similar characteristics when looking at their specifications such as engine displacement, power, comfort, etc. They also share two more characteristics: weight and price. So through the years of the adventure bike evolution, an axiom has developed — a competent adventure travel bike is going to be big, heavy and pricey, especially after being outfitted with all the accessories needed to traverse the harsh landscapes the owner dreams of seeing.

So what are your options if you don’t want the weight or price that is typical for adventure-class motorcycles? Many people have looked at smaller displacement, dual sport motorcycles as a potential solution. And the Internet is full of examples of “dual sport builds” that can be implemented. Often these builds solve the problem of weight but not always price, and many of the available mods for smaller dual sport motorcycles are designed to make them better track performers than long-distance travelers.

If approached properly, however, a small-displacement dual sport can be made into a competent adventure touring bike. This is NOT to say that a smaller dual sport can be made to match the comfort, power and longevity of a top-tier large-displacement adventure motorcycle. But the gap between the two classes can be narrowed while still retaining a reasonable weight and price. And in the next few articles on this subject, we will examine ways in which that can be achieved.

A small-displacement dual sport motorcycle can be an ideal starting point for building your own lightweight, long-range adventure bike on a budget.

In this segment, we take a look at our bike of choice for this build, its benefits and shortfalls, and the motivation behind the build. First, let’s address one significant challenge when looking to “adventurize” a smaller displacement dual sport. Price! It goes without saying that, with enough money and fabrication expertise, almost anything can be achieved. And when it comes to the “big bikes,” investment in aftermarket products yield a fairly decent ROI for your resale value. But smaller dual sport motorcycles aren’t pricey to begin with, so adding thousands of dollars in accessories to a thumper won’t necessarily add value to the bike.

So you may create a wonderful dual sport/adventure touring hybrid for yourself, but you could struggle to find a buyer that will appreciate what you did, when the day comes you are ready to sell. For this reason, we wanted to keep the cost of the motorcycle and its upgrades relatively reasonable for this build. To meet this goal, we set an upgrade budget of $2,000. In addition, we wanted to keep the motorcycle purchase under $5,000, giving us a “worst case scenario” of a $7,000 total investment.

“Adventurizing” The Yamaha WR250R

We chose a used Yamaha WR250R for this build, which may not be surprising as the WR250R has created quite a reputation for itself, even amongst the “big bike” community. Of the Japanese dual sports, the Yamaha WR250R is one of the most expensive. But for this build, we felt it would be an ideal starting point based on the following characteristics: power-to-weight ratio, off road agility, on road capability and affordable accessories available.

Our stock 2015 Yamaha WR250R ready to receive mods that will transform it into a more comfortable and convenient Adventure Travel Bike.

The WR250R is a motorcycle that can go just about anywhere and do just about anything. It is the “pickup truck” of motorcycles. Like many of its counterparts, the WR250R has been left relatively unchanged for years (since it hit the market in 2008). So the year of the motorcycle is not quite as important as the mileage when considering a purchase. A Low-mileage WR250R in good condition and a fair price, isn’t hard to find.

It’s also known for being a well-balanced and reliable machine, with class-leading power from its 250cc powerplant. Yamaha has also given the WR250R a fairly comfortable 6-speed transmission, allowing the motorcycle to cruise at highway speeds with relative ease. Road handling is also good, especially when compared to its Japanese counterparts. But the WR250R, like many of its little friends, has shortcomings for long-distance adventure travel. Let’s take a look at a few WR250R mods that can make an immediate improvement.

Fuel Range

The WR250R comes stock with a 2-gallon fuel tank. Even with its 71 MPG average fuel economoy, this will not take you to the “back and beyond” of things without leaving you stuck there. If doing doughnuts around some abandoned slag heap is all the interest you have, then the 2 gallons of fuel will suffice. But if traveling is what you want, then an upgrade here is necessary.

In order to get the longest range out of the WR250R, we installed an IMS 4.7-gallon fuel tank. In addition to this tank being the largest aftermarket option available for the WR250R, it was also a cost-effective option (MSRP: $359.99). And the design of the tank made installation fairly simple.

Out of all the WR250R mods available, a larger aftermarket tank may be the most important. Adding the 4.7-gallon IMS fuel tank increased our fuel-efficient WR250R’s range to well over 300 miles.

Thanks to the the exceptional fuel economy of the WR250R, we were able to increase its range from around 142 miles to approximately 334 miles. This important upgrade increases the distance the WR250R can travel between fuel stops, and gives it a better fuel range than most of the big-bore Adventure Bikes on the market.

Seating

This may be subjective to say, but sitting on the stock seat of the WR250R for more than half an hour is like trying to scale an elm tree naked. It hurts terribly, and you have to question what kind of permanent damage you might be doing to your “special place.” So it makes sense to have a seat change as the next item to address with the “adventurization” of the WR250R. Aftermarket seats are often pricey. However, we found a comfortable and affordable seat solution from Seat Concepts (MSRP: $279.99).

The Seat Concepts aftermarket seat is a significant improvement in comfort over stock. A “low” version also drops the WR250R’s tall seat height ¾ of an inch.

We should also point out the high seat height that comes with the stock WR250R. At 36.6 inches, the WR’s seat is about 1.6 inches higher than the BMW R1200GS Adventure. For those with a shorter inseam, Seat Concepts does offer a “low” seat for the WR250R that makes it easier to touch the ground.

Wind Protection

The amount of wind protection needed when traveling seems to be a very individual preference. Some like smaller fly screens, while others want a giant front sail to push through the wind. The WR250R, like the other smaller dual sport bikes, has neither of these options. Some type of wind protection will be necessary if you plan to spend much time on the highway. Since the WR250R is incredibly lightweight when compared to the “big bikes,” there was some concern about using too large of a shield. Pushing a large shield through the wind could cause some instability, requiring a steering damper to stabilize the front end (a pricey solution). We also didn’t want a large windscreen that would be cumbersome off-road.

This Cee Bailey windscreen for the WR250R helps reduce fatigue on long-highway rides and offers a factory look.

Fortunately, we were able to find an affordable, functional windshield from Cee Bailey (MSRP: $109.95 tinted). A simple shield that, with a bit of drilling, connects directly to the stock front number plate on the WR250R. This takes the wind pressure off the chest and pushes the area just above the head (assuming an approximate rider height range of 5’10” to 6’1”). The Cee Bailey windshield was also a bit wider than some of the other options we considered, giving extra wind protection for the torso without being too tall for off-road use. The long-standing, good reputation of Cee Bailey was the final aspect that attracted us to this solution.

More WR250R Mods to Come

Addressing the fuel range, seating and wind protection of the Yamaha WR250R is a great start to making a competent dual sport/adventure traveler hybrid. But there is more to do and more money to spend. So far we’ve gone through $750 of our $2,000 budget for WR250R mods. In Part Two of our “Adventurizing the Yamaha WR250R on a Budget” series, we will be addressing ergonomic solutions, cargo options, protection, and more. And we will be addressing these issues, hopefully without needing a second mortgage on the house. So stay tuned for more to come!