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/126924
The YZ12S's motor (above) has a stronger, smoother an.d wider powerband. while ,the YZ490's (below) powerplant is more predictable. power, much better than the 1986 125. It pulls strong off the bottom and continues to pull hard until topped out in sixth g,ear. The powerband is super smooth and wider than before, making it much easier to ride. One thing I noticed, is that the "bog" the 1986 125 had off the bottom has virtually vanished for a more precise throttle response. The overall performance of the new 125 motor is comparable to the 1986 Honda but doesn't have as much low-end grunt. There is less vibration on the '87125 than the '86, and I was definitely impressed with the l25's new motor. The YZI25's suspension is better but was too soft at both ends for me, and I weigh 155 pounds in street clothes. The Perris track features many steep, flat-landing jumps, and I had no problems bottoming the suspension, especially over highspeed compression bumps. I even had problems jamming my wrisls and ankles as I landed off the hard jumps. Most of the problem was the rear shock, but a little bumping up on the preload adjustment would've probably cured the problem, The new Kayaba fork on the 125 worked much smoother compared to the '86 fork. There's less twitching and harsh feeling over the smaller bumps than before, and bottoming was less frequent than in the rear. 'Straight line stability was first rate. The front brake is strong and positive, while the rear shoe setup gets the job done. I've never liked Yamaha-bend handlebars, and I still don't. They still feel too high and have a strange bend that I have a hard time getting used to. In tight turns the handlebars feel awkward, and I have problems reaching the levers, as well as banging my knees on them. After riding the YZ125, I grabbed the 250 and headed out on the track. I quickly adapted to the 250 after riding the 125, and started to enjoy the 250' s power, which isn't radically different over last year's 250. The 1987 250 feels like a cross between the 1985 and '86 YZ250s, leaning a bit more towards the '85. The '87 YZ has more low-end than last year's 250, but not qu,ite as much as the '85 250, while top end is closer to the '86 than the '85. Overall the new 250 has a strong, sound motor capable of nabbing holeshots and keeping you there. It's powerful, yet easy to handle and likes to be revved. Other than the motor, the new 250 feels very similar to the '86 250, except the rear suspension is pi usher. Up front, I felt the fork was too harsh over the smaller stutter bumps but handled the sharp impacts okay. At speed and in a straight line over a rough section of track, the YZ250 was stable, but like the 125, the rear end would bottom with ajoltover the compression bumps but didn't swap on the rebound. I found myself searching for the berms a lot more than usual on the 250. It's not the best turner around, and neither was the '86. The YZ likes to be railed and leaned far over when following a groove, or it will rise up too soon and drift wide. It's not a major problem, but if you don't pay attention, someone on a Honda or Kawasaki could dive underneath and pass you during a race. After a' long rest and drinking a lot of Gatorade, I was ready for the beast - the YZ490. There are two things that really hampered the '86 YZ490, and that was vibration and an abrupt transition between low-end and midrange in the powerband. Unfortunately, the new 490 still vibrates', but the powerband is smoother than before. Off the bottom, the 490 pulls slightly harder but more predictable and doesn't hit so hard at mid-range, but there isn't any horsepower loss between 1986and '87. Justa smoother powerband. Top-end didn't seem to be any diUerent from the '86, which means the '87 490 is still very fast. Suspension is mildly improved with the forks being more sensitive over the smaller bumps, which reduces a lot of twitching and unstable feeling the '86 had. The rear Monocross suspension worked very well over the whoops and wl'ien landing off skyscraper Jumps. Just about everything else on the· '87 YZ490 performed on par with last year's machine. None of these motorcycles are radically changed but they all seemed to be improved, with the YZl25 being the most improved; then the 250 and 490. The 125's motor is very good and is complemented by good suspension and handling, making itthe shining star in the YZ lineup. • 29