So question then: We rode roughly 50 miles from Furnace Creek in Death Valley to Scotty's castle, then back. This was all at about 55-60 mph. Would you consider this riding for "long times"? I just ordered a few oil filters and a case of Castrol Power RS 10w-50 oil (was cheaper to buy a case of 6 on Amazon) and have no problem changing the oil more often if that helps.
I got the 2004 WR450F - It's liquid cooled - I believe the 99 model is fan only , hence the problems over heating.
I don't know man... The TE is a race engine basically. I know there are other 250s that can sustain long road travel, but their intended use was more oriented towards actual dual sport rides which involves more road riding - and less potent of an engine as a result.
Do you know how high you kept the revs? As I mentioned - from factory - there is a throttle limiter (not the redline) that prevents you from exceeding 6500rpms , and I believe gives you a 6 month warranty. When you power it up and remove throttle stop, among other things, your warranty is void. There is a reason for that
I'd just be careful, keep an eye on oil levels, and if you are sustaining high revs, frequent oil changes to make sure it's clean and fresh. This hasn't been documented too well so it's kind of an on-going experiment
.That said, I have a 2010 TE 250 - and absolutely love it in the woods / tight stuff.
I don't know how much more powerful a 310 is then a 250. But a TE449 , I would imagine, be fine for 55mph travel as long as you are weary of the oil and such. I guess it also depends on Sprocket sizes too. Problem with the smaller bores (250 and 310) is that they hold so little oil - and on some models, the oil gets sucked up through the airbox...
On my 2010 TE 250 - 6th gear is practically useless and garners no power. Maybe it's different on a 310. If you are sustaining 6000rpms - I wouldn't worry too much - just change that oil and maintain it well.