A shun from Iberia Airlines left our intrepid feature writer in a mood to buy a new bike. And here it is .. image by jimola, imola

A couple of months back, I was scheduled to go to Valencia, Spain, to cover the opening European round of the World Superbike series. I've been going to Valencia since 2001, when Troy Corser did the double on the mighty Aprilia RSV 1000. It's really difficult for a man to have a bad time anywhere in Spain, but in Valencia it's especially hard. The smiling bartenders on Caballero Street pour strong, cheap drinks until the night runs out of darkness. Raven haired women take a smoke from their pack, put it between their lips, light it, then reach over and place it gently in your mouth, receptive to your babblings. If it is Friday or Saturday, there is absolutely no chance you'll be in bed before 5am, even though you have to be at the circuit at 9 o'clock. The media room is awash with dark sunglasses, headache remedies, and quiet groaning throughout the weekend. Attend a race in Valencia, and deep in your soul, you will BELIEVE that everything about Spain is perfect.

So long as you can get there, that is.

I could not get there from here. No bikes, no bullfights, no bonita senoritas por mi. I was bummed, I was pissed, I was inconsolable. It was the weekend and I was in NY, not Spain.

I booked my flight to Spain on Iberia Airlines. Lots of carriers have trouble keeping schedules, and they all have occasional mechanical problems. But it seems that quite often when I fly Iberia, there's some kind of issue. On the day, I sat at JFK with all my camera & computer gear, watching the clock tick down to the departure time. Just before boarding time, they announced that the plane was late, a small technical issue. Another hour, small issue was now a major fuel leak, no parts, flight cancelled, "not sure when you'll be heading to Valencia, Sir!" Airline-connected Friend of Soup Chris Hudson tried to help get me on another flight, to no avail—booked. Sadly, after 24 hours of imploring every customer service asshat at Iberia for a shred of useful information, I bagged the trip. I could not get there from here. No bikes, no bullfights, no bonita senoritas por mi. I was bummed, I was pissed, I was inconsolable. It was the weekend and I was in NY, not Spain.

"Let's go look at some bikes," my brother said. It will cheer you up. Okay, says I.

There's a Yamaha shop near my folk's place, on Long Island. In 2001, I bought a WR250F from them for just under 6 grand, my first dirtbike. I loved that thing—it handled like a bicycle, and you were required to rev it to the moon if you wanted to go anywhere. Threw a Yosh pipe on it, and carried on doing nothing to disprove the theory that 4 stroke dirtbikes are too loud. Cheap thrills by comparison to European bikes, it was one of the most fun machines I've ever owned.

So here we are in 2008, and Yamaha has just released a supermoto version of the 250F—the WR250X. This bike has 17 inch wheels, wave rotors, full street lighting including a LED taillight, an EXUP valve, and fuel injection. And unlike almost everything else on Planet Earth, the price was just about the same as I paid in 2001—6 grand. That's progress! The salesman was a little desperate, as he had his mechanics pull the WR-X out of a crate and build it for a customer who never showed. I circled the bike, admiring the fit and finish, but wondering if this poor little bike could drag around my 215 pound keister. Currently bikeless, I had been taking a break from riding, having gotten a little burned out over the past year. The salesman sweetened the pot, no prep or freight fees, would i buy it? I looked at my brother and said, well Jeez, I don't want to be responsible if this guy swallows his polyester tie, so what the hell.

It took about a half hour to complete the paperwork and put the plates on the bike. Throwing a leg over the WR in the lot, it was apparent that this bike had a much more manageable seat height than its pure dirt counterpart. I've got a 30 inch inseam and can almost flatfoot it, although perhaps I'm compressing the suspension a bit (ahem). Out into traffic, I'm immediately impressed with the fueling of the bike, no stumbles or snatchiness. I've owned a bunch of supermoto bikes, mostly carburated, and they all fuelled nicely, unlike many FI bikes. I haven't cared for any of the recent fuel injected KTM bikes, twins or singles, which all seem to require investment to obtain a smooth throttle response. Not so the WR250X, which was flawless in this regard. Another component that impressed was the gearbox, which is unbelievably smooth and positive. Neutral was as easy to find as any other gear, which is unheard of in a brand new supermoto bike. It was still a bitch to find neutral on my 05 Husky SMR450, 6 months after break in.

Getting onto a major road, I was surprised how quickly the bike spooled up to an indicated 70 mph (I've had it to 90). There was no strain keeping up with traffic, as the bike has 6 speeds. The top cog feels like an overdrive, and brings the revs well down when you click up into it. Most supermotos have 4 or 5 speed gearboxes, and are geared quite short, for acceleration. This usually means that at higher speeds, they vibrate as if engineered by Jenna Jamieson, not a good thing (in this venue at least). The Yamaha does not have this problem, so a 6 speed box seems to be a key ingredient for a civilized street supermoto. Another welcome feature was the quality headlight and turnsignals, which are usually total crap on supermoto conversions. If you ride the WR250X at night, you'll be able to see the road, and people will be able to see you too, which makes this bike much more usable for commuting. The 298mm front disc stops the bike real good, too.

Recently Soup Has Tested the ... '08 Ducati 1098R '08 Honda CBR1000RR '07 Ducati 1098 '08 Ducati HyperMotard '08 Yamaha YZFR6 '08 Suzuki Hayabusa '07 Honda CBR600RR '07 Kawasaki ZX14

Powerwise, let's face it, it's a 250 four stroke. It weighs 280 pounds dry (claimed), which helps, but you're not going to scare yourself on this bike, unless you're Mini-Me. So if you want to hustle, it's all about momentum, and keeping the revs high. This is.....fun! I cannot believe how fast I am entering tight corners on my favorite backroads, probably 20% faster than on a sport or adventure bike. You just don't feel like you can crash this thing, the handling is a true extension of your thoughts. I find myself giggling in my helmet as I ride, my feelings of bike burn-out totally cured. The WR250X awakens the sensations of my first years as rider, the simple pleasures of shifting, braking, working the clutch, feeling the undulations of the road, the human/mechanical interaction. I suspect that much of this is due to the user-friendliness of the bike; as beautiful as the exotic european supermoto stuff is, the bikes are often quite hard on the rider.

Foibles? The seat hurts after about half an hour. There's no rev counter, and this bike needs one badly—the power builds and builds, you're laughing & wondering how high the bike will rev, and then you hit the limiter, coitus interruptus. The rear shock is sprung for sprightly youths, not for shambling mounds such as myself, so hopefully Ohlins will make a shock for it (Yamaha stock suspension can only be replaced with Ohlins, or the universe will implode). The stock exhaust sounds great with the spark arrestor removed, but it's got a catalytic converter built in, and its heavy. Yosh just released a tasty slip-on which frees a few ponies, although it's a little pricey, almost 400 bucks.

The 2008 Yamaha WR250X is a great beginner bike, but it also has a personality that will remind a mature rider how much fun a simple ride can be.

If you're commuting, there's another benefit to consider - 60-ish miles to the gallon. That's pretty great considering that I ride it like an idiot 90% of the time, throttle to the stop. Of course, caning the bike is optional, but you probably won't be able to stop yourself. The 2008 Yamaha WR250X is a great beginner bike, but it also has a personality that will remind a mature rider how much fun a simple ride can be. Everyone should try this little gem, and be sure to ride it hard—it really is a hoot.

If my flight to Valencia hadn't been canceled, I might not have bought the WR250X. So thanks again Iberia Airlines - keep up the good
work!