Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125828
Page 26 , October 2, 1973 Yamaha's split personality motocrossers Yamaha has two (2) production motocross machines for 1974 and there are great differences between them. The greatest difference is the $500 span in pnces. The MX 250 goes for $1089, while the YZ lists at $1593. So what are you getting for' that extra green. A completely different motorcycle, actually. And in most respects the standard MX is a toad compared to the YZ. However, we should note that given each machine in its stock configuration, a good rider could cut faster laps on the MX than could an average rider on the YZ. And between two average riders, the one on the MX would probably come out ahead. Why? It has to do mostly with the relationship between power output and suspension capability. Yamaha, as most other manufacturers, has done welJ in the engine muscle department, but not so weJl (as most other... ) with suspensions. The YZ is esentially a works replica of their GP machine, which accounts for the price variance. It won't be produced in great quantity for 1974. The results of our hypothetical match race have little ~ ho' I DWCI". The yz W more stink than the MX. But it also shares the same shock absorbers, which are barely adequate on the MX. "Thermal phase" sounds better than its works. the YZ's front forks seem to be milled down versions of the standard item, and they work well but are a bit stiff. Suspension design is obviously the least exact of the motorcycle sciences. The bikes have gotten faster bu t suspensions haven't become proportionately Detter. Maico now seems to have the hot setup using traditional components. (At Carlsbad, DeCoster absorbed more punishment than Bauer did.) And the new Yamaha works machine has a single cushioner mounted inboard in axis with the frame. The result is a substantial increase in swing arm travel. Another result is some strange behavior when the bike gets sideways in rough stuff. The standard MX 250 is little changed from last year, beyond the spiffy yelJow and black paint scheme and a silencer that looks like a mortar barrel and cuts horsepower (though Yamaha claims otherwise). A sa tisfactory amount of torque i. induced by the "torque induction" powerplant, which is supplemented by Autolube injection. In effe.ct, the YZ has relegated the MX to ''play bike" status in terms of motocross. the MX could be readily adapted. for desert competition, but it has nowhere near the agility of the YZ in tight turning situations. The MX seems to prefer going straight. While we had no difficul ty in bottoming the MXer's suspension on a We compared notes with some of the opposition.