2 0 19 C Y C L E N E W S 2 5 0 c c F O U R - S T R O K E M O T O C R O S S S H O O T O U T
SHOOTOUT
P90
offers an unbeatable balance of small-
bump compliance and bottoming resis-
tance on hard hits. Even with various
skill sets and track conditions, most of
our riders made minimal adjustments
to the suspension settings.
Yamaha's rejuvenated powerplant
is one of the most rider-friendly in the
class. The strong bottom-end torque
transitions well to the powerful mid and
top-end, still with plenty of over-rev
until it finally tapers off at redline. Our
opinion? The Yamaha engine caters to
the widest variety of riders as it suited
all of our testers and their individual
abilities. The low-end grunt allows rid-
ers to lug the YZ-F around in low rpm,
but faster riders will still appreciate the
power up top, though it signs off a little
sooner than the Austrian bikes.
In creating the '19 YZ250F, Yamaha
made the bike compatible with the
Power Tuner smartphone app, which
was first introduced on the 2018
YZ450F. By using the app, riders
are able to make custom changes to
the bike's EFI system, while sitting in
the garage or trackside and instantly
upload maps via the onboard WiFi. The
app will also log the bike's hours and
inform owners of needed maintenance.
Nice. The app might not be as easy to
use as the KTM/Husqvarna two-map
switch but is way more tunable be-
tween motos.
So where does the Yamaha lose out
in this year's test? The YZ-F is annoy-
ingly loud, plain and simple. A combi-
nation of the front-facing air box and
exhaust pipe will leave riders wishing
for a pair of blue earplugs to match
their new YZ. All riders noticed the
distressing decibel levels on the track,
especially the faster they went. While
an exhaust upgrade would likely fix this
issue, we only tested these bikes back
to back in stock form.
In hopes of reclaiming the class
crown, Yamaha went all in redesigning
the YZ250F for 2019. Unfortunately,
the Blu Cru is having to hand its chips
over, once again. The YZ-F is a highly
capable package, but two others per-
formed just that much better.
