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/126840
~ ~ a: 1 ~I ~I 0.. .... ;;:; 0 z < 0 0 < a: < :2 < w Ln 00 O'l ....... ::; -' ~ ~ c-r >- .... V '" rn 0 .... ..0 0 0 .... U :I: 0.. 0 The YZ125 is an all-new motorcycle that makes good horsepower. It comes on the pipe quicker and pulls longer than last year's 125. New bikes Riding the 1986 YamahaVZs By Kit Palmer (Above) The YZ2 50 has an even more powerful and broader powerband t han last year's 2 5 0 . (Below) The exhaust pipe is slightly changed. Yamaha Motor Corporation introduced its line-up of 1986 YZ motocrossers as well as the IT200 enduro and TY350 trialer last week, All the YZs feature a new Monocross rear suspension system with the rear shock running through th e swingarm and connecting . to new linkages. The YZl25 (Below) The new Mono cross rear suspension is where the YZ250 really shines. It still has the Brake Actuated Suspension System (B.A.S.S.). 22 .- . , .. . ha s an a ll -new motor, wh il e the 250 and 490 ha ve minor engine refinements. . The most changed of all th e YZ motocrossers is th e 125, which is basically a new mot or cycle. Yamaha focu sed mo st o f its a tte ntio n on th e production 125, which now has much more power and better sus pensio n th an la st year' s YZ. The most noteabl e improv em ent is th e power; the bik e comes on the pipe sooner and pulls much harder a nd longer than before. Low end isn't incredibly stro ng but th ere's eno ugh for quick exi ts o u t of turns with the use o f the clutch . Midrange is wh ere the YZreall y hooks up and does so ver y smoothl y a nd controllably; a nd, unl ike last year 's YZ, it keeps pulling and pulling at high rp m . Shifting is precise and clean, and th e clutch is strong and has smoo th ac tion . T he new Mono cross rear suspension is im p roved; no longer does it have a sp ringy, seesaw feeling going down rough straights or when la nding o ff lar ge jumps. The back end tracks well , rarel y swaps to th e sides over large whoops or sma ller bumps, and is very stabl e during braking. T he forks work well , a lso . Landing of f large jumps do esn' t send a viol en t jolt th rough the rider' s ar ms , but th e front end twitch es slightly some times wh en slowin g for turns over bumps: O verall handling is first -rat e; th e 125 holds it s line in th e turns wh en going wide or pivot in g. All th e contro ls are easy to use and find, a nd th e brakes are very strong, espe cia lly th e front disc. T he YZ250 has been improved in a ll th e ri ght pl aces - main ly suspe nsio n . The YZ250 was th e best J apanese 250cc mot ocrosser in 1985 despi te having o n ly so- so suspe ns io n; th e '86 250 now has excelle nt sus pen sion and a n even bett er mo tor. Last year 's made good horsepower throughout the powerband and so does th e '86; but th e new bik e does much sm oother. T he transi tion from low-end to m id ra nge is less exp losive, making th e YZ a little eas ier to co n trol. It still has a bro ad pow erband a nd pulls stro ng ly on top and vibrat es less. The new Mono cross rea r suspen sio n is 100% improved . Like th e 125, th e 250 no longer has a mushy feeling and is very sta ble over th e bumps. . T he YZ490 is still ai r-cool ed and pumps o u t more pow er than ever before. A q u ick tw ist o f th e throttle brings th e 490 on th e pipe quicker, and the result is explosive horsepower. The 490 h its very hard wh en it comes on the pipe and ca n be a little on the scary sid e. Once o n the gas, the YZ p u lls hard a nd long a t high rpm; low- end is slightly lacking bu t better th an before. Unfortuna tel y, th e 490 still vibrates, and th e more gas it's giv en , th e more it vibrates. Yam aha says o pti onal h eav y-duty mo tor mounts will cu t down on the p robl em . Again, lik e on th e 125 and 250 YZs, th e rear sus pe ns io n o n the 490 is exce llent , and th e most noticeabl e improv em ent is when landing off h igh-spe ed , larg e jumps . The back end absorbs th e impact smoot her and is more p rogressive than befor e, a nd th e rider 's heels don't gri nd into th e grou nd when th e su sp en sion is bottomed . The forks work eq ua lly well. When brak in g for th e tu rns , the back end doesn't hop aro u nd, and the forks rarely shak e. Steering on the 490 is a little slow, but rai sin g the fo rks in the triple . . . . '-\ • • 1 •