Hi RacMan,
Great choices and both are very capable on the trails.
Yamaha's are very well built and very reliable bikes.
I have owned both the TTR250 and the WR250F.
The TTR is a fantastic trail bike and will last longer.
If you want to use the bike to commute to work then deffo the TTR and they are very low maintenance bikes eg oil changes aprox every 1500 miles.
They are a little heavy and dated but still a great choice for a first bike.
A TTR will require a few small mods to get more speed opening it up a bit to breath ie exhaust and air SEE:
www.ttr250.comThe WR250F is the better bike if you are not using it on the road much, Enduro bikes are crap on the road.
If you really get into it and decide to go racing then you will be much better off on this bike.
The oil changes do not need to be done every 30 miles for trail use.
Just replace the oil aprox every 500 miles and check the air filter is clean after every ride. You need to check the valve clearences every so often too.
I have also had a WR450F which I would not recommend for a newbe. You just wont learn as quickly on a bigger enduro bike.
The R version looks like it would be an amazing bike for the trails and it is also low maintenance.
If it was me starting out again I would go for this bike after reading all the great reports on it in TBM.
They were expensive brand new and not many second hand at good prices yet but if you kept this bike for a long time it would be worth spending the extra as it will last a long, long time.
The WR250F may at this time be your best option as prices are low and they are such great fun to ride!
You wont go too far wrong with a Yamaha mate.
Good luck with whatever you get and welcome to the club.
Get down to your local TRF meet and have a chat with them too.
http://www.trf.org.uk/groups/group-listing.htmlHope this helps,