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/126467
!Above) TeMioner takes up lots of slack. (Right) Bike is easy to move around on. (Below) Small but nice touch - brake rod holder. Gold? line rough stuff proved to be relatively easy. Only occasionally would the bike want to hop from side to side and then, never to excess. A little application of rear brake always brought it back in line. The 425 also showed itself to be competent in slow going. We had the opportunity to go trail riding right after the infamous California deluge in a remote area that was full of scars. The IT was fairly nimble considering its claimed 250 lb. net weight (113 kg). Though no trials bike, it plonked its way around rocks and tree roots well. There was one particularly rocky stream bed that forced us to dismount and walk the bike across, an admittedly bumbling experience. That was the only time we wished first gear was a little lower as idling along in first was faster than we could walk the bike through_ It necessitated using lots of clutch as we alternately slipped and engaged it while wondering why we had to get to the other side. The clutch did heat up and begin to slip a little afterwards, but letting it cool off a while brought things back to normal. One thing about the clutch that we were never really enchanted with was its rather short engagement span. It could be more gradual. Routine maintenance should be easy enough. The foam air cleaner can be reached after removal of the right side panel/number plate and another plastic plate beneath that. Chain adjustments can be handled with one wrench and a tap or two on each of the notched snail-type adjusters. Both wheels are quick disconnect which should allow fast tire repairs or changes. Checking the transmission oil requires a Phillips screwdriver for the screw in the front pan of the right side case. There is no dipstick or little window. Draining the oil can be accomplished without removing the aluminum skid plate. Though the carb isn't as accessible as the throttle, it can be reached with a little maneuvering. You should be able to change the cables fairly quickly. As a bonus, all cables and wires are held in place or guided with plastic ties or loops. Many of the tools you'll need - for on-trail repairs, at least - come with the bike and live in a flimsy vinyl pouch (ours broke on the first rough ride) that is strapped inside a larger, zippered vinyl bag atop the rear fender and immediately behind the seat. There is room in tbe bag for quite a number of items beside the tool pouch, like a couple cans of beer to spray your buddies with after a long, bumpy section. The usual and some unusual items that should grace an enduro bike are included in the package. Folding tips on the shift and brake levers, dust/mud covers on the three hand controls, spring-loaded sawtooth pegs, rubber covers for the air valves on top of the forks and a clear plastic rock guard that looks like an additional headlight cover are some of the goodies. Nothing fell off during our rides (not even the tank decals) and except for the tool pouch, nothing broke. The bike seemed to have no really glaring faults or bad nabits and should prove to be reliable. The more we rode it, the more we liked it because it was such a fun bike to ride. With the flexible and ample power, it's easy to po almost anything with the bike and unless you start going way over your head, it shouldn't spit you off. It just might be what Yamaha's • ads say it is. . .~ ( 15