Motorcycle specifications YamahaDT 200 WR 1991

In the early 1990s, the Japanese manufacturers' green bike range was literally teeming with models of all kinds. Yamaha's range included extreme models (YZ cross bikes, YZ-WR 2-stroke enduros, TT350 and TT600 4-stroke soft enduros) and versatile 2-stroke (DT-R) and 4-stroke (XT-K, XT-E, XTZ) trail bikes. But not content with having one of the most comprehensive ranges, Yamaha was continually looking for new ways to offer its models.

Thus, in 1991, the brand with the tuning forks imagined a vehicle that would be capable, for a reasonable price, of dragging its tires on the road during the week, taking you for a ride on the trails at the weekend, and why not entering amateur enduro competitions from time to time.
For the first two uses, the DT125R and DT200R are perfectly suited to this role, but their (close) parts won't allow them to shine in enduro. For this purpose, Yamaha offers its YZ-WR range, whose high-performance models are unfortunately ill-suited to road use, and are even rarely homologated.
The brand has therefore come up with the ingenious idea of mixing its two ranges: an enduro chassis, equipped with a DT200R engine (or almost) and all the paraphernalia required for homologation (a real headlight, 2 pairs of indicators, a license plate holder). An even more rugged version, simply called the WR200R, will also be available (not homologated, but sold in France for around 27,000 FF).

At first glance, the DT-WR doesn't impress. The beast's aesthetics seem to vacillate between its two ascendants: an air of DTR lightened with WR sauce, and unfailingly sober colors (but in the spirit of the enduro range). Even in fluorescent fuchsia pink, it seems to want to keep it simple.

But if the plastic leaves you wanting more, once you're in the saddle, the fun starts all over again. The 200cc engine, taken from the DTR, gets a special treatment: a surprising 0.8mm increase in bore to 199cc (the DTR is really only 195cc), a 30mm carburettor instead of the 28mm, and a slightly reworked valve all add up to 2 horsepower and 0.2mkg of torque. This doesn't change the engine's already playful character, but it does make it more demonstrative, much to the rider's delight.
And as in enduro riding, the engine isn't everything. Yamaha's expertise in chassis design is perfectly demonstrated here. In this respect, the manufacturer has deliberately placed the DT200WR closer to the WR than the DTR. A comparison of the characteristics of these 2 DTs leaves no room for doubt. With a wheelbase 35mm longer (1450mm instead of 1415mm), the DT-WR gains in stability and precision. What's more, this bike is equipped with stronger, longer-travel suspension.) The simili-enduro absorbs, absorbs or overcomes obstacles, whereas the DTR, although very sound, struggles and reacts in a more blurred way.

All in all, the DT200WR is one of the most homogeneous and opens the door to the enduro world to amateur riders. With a friendly, accessible engine and a serious chassis, this bike offered, for just over four thousand of today's euros, a hefty dose of green fun. A pleasure that today's bikers will surely be able to find again with the WR250R model 2008, if Yamaha Motor France chooses to integrate it into its range alongside its Supermotard variant, the WR250X.

Tanthallas - Photos: Manufacturer