VOL. 55 ISSUE 35 SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 P89
T
he 2019 Yamaha YZ250F isn't the same ol' motorcycle.
It might look that way, yes, but it isn't. Not even close.
Last year, the YZ250F's bigger brother, the YZ450F,
got all of the attention. That's because it got a complete over-
haul, while the YZ250F held its ground, re-emerging in '18 just
as it had in '17. But now, everyone is talking about the 2019
YZ250F, because it got many of the same changes the 450
got last year, like an all-new frame and engine, and suspen-
sion refinements. And if you look a little closer, you'll notice
that the bodywork has been significantly altered, as well,
although it really doesn't look like it at first glance.
In the big picture, Yamaha stayed true to its
rearward-slanted cylinder, with its down-
draft-style forward intake and rear exhaust,
but changed just about everything else.
They started with a new engine case to house
the compact, high-output, electric starter and
a new stator and rotor. By losing the manual kick-start
system, it actually freed up a little power that was nor-
mally absorbed by the charging system. Now, with the addition
of the new, lightweight, lithium-ion battery that's been installed
to run the electric starter, the engine no longer has to produce
as much power from the stator, freeing up more power for the
rear wheel. Hey, in the 250 class every little bit counts.
The center-mounted starter motor is direct-mounted to
a new clutch basket. The whole clutch assembly has been
beefed up as well for a softer clutch pull and better durabil-
ity. Yamaha increased the clutch plate diameter, added an
extra clutch spring (from five to six) and increased the steel
cutch plate thickness. This allowed them to lose a clutch
friction plate (from nine to eight). Now, the clutch action is
both smoother and lighter than before due to the softer clutch
spring pressure, yet it still grabs extremely strong with the
extra spring for a wider spread of clamping force.
What's
New And
What's
Not
Ask our testers
what they like best
about the new
YZ250F and they
will unanimously
tell you—turning!
Electric starting is a
close second.
