Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eTEST ~ Yamaha TY250Z am not a trials rider. I am a motocross racer. As a matter of fact, until I attended last year's Trial des Nations in Watkins Glen, New York, I thought that trials riders were a bunch of sissies who were afrai d to go fast. Since then, however, I have gained greater respect an d a deeper understanding of the finesse discipline of motorcycling com petition. Prior to receiving the TY250Z, my trials experience was limited to two eve nts. At my first trial, the Laugh In Industry Trial, I competed aboa rd my girlfriend 's Honda XR100 mini bike. Though I never stood up and tended to go a little too fast through the sections, I ended the da y with only two dabs and a win in the Press class. My second trial was a bit more serious, so I borrowed a 1991 Fantic K-Roo. After only a little time on the bike I felt comfortable and began my first loop . My scores improved with every lap , and had it not been for a laugh-induced five in a section that my brother was checking, I would have walked away the Novice A class winner. Instead, I ended the day fourth and anxious to compete again . Enter the Yamaha TY250Z. "Now I'll really w~x those guys," I thought. In order to familiarize myself with the machine, I spent a day practicing before " my next trial. But to my surprise, I found the trick new Yamaha much harder to ride.than the .Fantic. Instead of transforming me into a world-class competitor as 1 a ,e~ it ,would · the t me on the ground and f .ng like th~ begiMer that 1 :; Af~ A ' . ~. _ '_}~~;~,:!;~§$ ':;;<;:',:" "' -" , But even w '.. . ,'. . .. , dabbing along an on more than one occasion s ing,n/lveronce did I think, "This bike stinks." Instead, it was me who stunk ply was not experienced enough to appreciate what the.TYZ had to offer. ' • And our test results confirmed that. While I thought that the clutch was grabby and offered little feel, the trials experts who rode the machine felt that it worked fine. I thought that the brakes were too touchy, but they received rave reviews from the others. Compared to the Fantic, I thought that the Yamaha'smotor felt pipey. When riding the Fantic through slippery loose-dirt sections, I was able to simply chug my way up. But in the same sections, the Yamaha would either spin the tire or dig a hole . Slipping the clutch helped, but as I said, the clutch was a bit too grab- . by for my tastes. The front end felt extremely light, much more so than the Pan tie's, But while it required less effort to wheelie up and over obstacles, it also "looped out" much easier. Even though riding the TYZ was an extremely humbling experience, I came away quite impressed. No t on ly with the motorcycle, but with the skill that Exper t-class trials riders possess as well. Close ins pect ion of the bike reveals an incre di ble am oun t of a tten tion to d eta il. Th e entire machin e is wellthought-out, and every thing that can be d am aged in a crash is either well protected or tucked out of harm's way. And I should know - I did plenty of cras hing. t didn'ttakeme lorig to feel comfortable on the new Yamaha. With a minimal amount of peg-time, I came to trust the machine and attack obstacles with greater confidence than I would on my usual mount - a 1985 Yamaha TY350. The bike has a wide stance that feels secure and easy to balance, and the aluminum-framed bike allows for good leverage and control while working the bike through even the gnarliest of sections. The perimiter-style aluminum frame ad ds extra girth to the midsection of the motorcycle, but it isn't in any way unco mforta ble, even when sitting down while riding from section t o section. . The front-end of the Yamaha is very easy to lift up and over obstacles, yet it stays down low in situa tions where a wheelie wouldn't be desirable, like climbing a steep hill, for ins tance. The fron t and rear disc brakes are a huge improvement over the drum versions that the last Yamaha tri als machine offered, and easily up to par w ith wha t the European machines have to offer. The braking response is excellen t, both front and rear . These are some of the strongest brakes I have ever encountered. Th e mot or produces a smooth type of power, 'b u t there is ii no ticeab le surge wh en the motor reaches the mid-rpm range. WhIle it is nothing overly ab rup t, it does make me wonder how the motorcycle would perform on slippery or wet terrain. The motor does seem to rev pretty cleanl y on top, something that the older TYs didn't do well at all. The TYZ's clutch works wonderfully, combining an easy pull with a good release. I am surprised, however, that with all the trickery found on the rest of the machine, Yamaha didn't opt to incorporate a hydraulic clutch. At first, I was afraid that the Yamaha 's suspe~sfon was ~et up too softly for both my weight and riding ability, but when riding}hebike through a section of jumbled boulders with wheel-sized gaps in between them, both the front and rear ends soaked up even thitbiggest hits with ease. I actually fo und myself selecting some pretty. gnarly lines with full assu rance that the TYZ's suspenders would soak everything up " The only complaint that I had was that iI\~comparison to the European competi: ~ tion, the Yamaha seemed reluctant to kick its rear end over and around when trying to negotiate a tight tum. This may have been exaggerated, though, by my obvious deficiency in trick riding abilities . ' ," Overall, I feel that the TY250Z is superior in every way to myoId TY350, and is a compe tent, world-class trials machine that is fun, easy to ride and ready to challenge the Eu ropean marques. Age: 34 • Height: 5'10" • Weight: 155 1bs. • Riding ability: Expert trials rider. spo ke s penetra tin g the rim surface . Instead , the spo kes are threa ded through th e fla ng e and ma y be changed a nd re p lace d w ithout re m oving th e ti re . Equally as attention-grabbing is the radical-looking rear hub that is d esigned to accommodate the straigh t-pull spokes. Aside from the front and rear fenders, bodywork on the TYZ is minimal. Since the small fuel tank is nes tled inside the frame, only a small plastic tank cover is visible on top. Look ing at the tiny sea t a rea a nd thi n ly padd ed sa d dle, one m ight wond er , "Wh y ev en both er? " After all, trials bikes are not meant to be ridd en sitting do wn. 0- Age: 24 Height: 5'10" Weight: 165 lbs. While Cycle News believes theforegoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers ollly and should not be relied Up OIl in determining the performance or sa fety of the oehiclefs). The reader should make his or her own investigation Riding ability: Beginner ~ij~tJh~~~~I-; s ia n is m ated to a n alumin um Deltabox swingarm and a Bilstein-type rear shock. The shock, which featur es a large -di ame ter 46mm bod y, and the forged alumin um linkage componen ts, yield 7.2 inches of wheel travel. Brembo brake calipers are mated to a drilled front and solid rear rotors. The front hydraulic brake features a braided steel line, while the rear uses a rubber hose. The rear brake caliper is Specifications tucked awa y inside the frame to protect it from crash damage. The rear wheel is a work of art. A T- type rim features a vertical flange around the center of the wheel. This allows the use of a tubeless tire, since there are no he TY250Z is the smoothest-running trials bike that I've ridden. It has plenty of good, usable power that is delivered without excessive use of the clutch. Many bikes aren't like this, and require cons iderable clutch slippage to get the power to the ground. The motor ran cleanly off the bottom without any of the "jerky" power that its older brother, the TY350, was famous for. The bike always started easily within one or two kicks, even after it had been crashed and left sitting upside down. I think the bike would work even better if you took a tooth or two off the rear sprocket, but I must admit that the bike has a good rpm range that helps overcome a wrong gear selection. One thing that really caught my attention was the lack of detonation, even when the motor heated up and the radiator fan came on. The dutch pull is very light and has a short amount of grey area, but it is easy to get used to and would reduce rider fatigue due to the short distance that the lever needs to be pulled to disengage. . The TYZ's ergonomics are very neutral and require very little time to get used to. The sea t height is very low, as is the tank and frame area. The whole pike has a very light feel. . .' .' . ' . . The brakes on !?0tfier:ds work very well with almost no'noticeable change when wet. Another tester felt that the brakes were grabby, but I think re just extra -strong and take a bit of getting used to. <:'" ,.. " The forks felt g' . . > . d plush. But at the same time; they seem to ride up in the travel andprovidf.!·g~eater gro~nddea ance. The rear 'shoc\workS wf.!lIalso. I backed the rebound ofEtwo clicks fr0n:l the stock setting in 9~af.!r tq give the, rear end Iighterfeel and to help when hopping the rear wheel. '.,~' . ;F ' ; . . "'••' ' ' ' ' : •., ,' " .. Overall, I feelthat the bike is a beautiful piece of work. Quality is typical Yamaha, and the att ention to detail is impressive, It's too bad that Yamaha won't- or can't> import this machine. ' 12 'Datdd'PfI/e Age: 30 • Height: 6'. • Weight: 170 Ibs • Riding ability: Experttrials rider . Yamaha TY250Z Suggested retail price N/A Engine .....Liquid-cooled, piston reedvalve, forward-inclined single-eylinder two-stroke Displacement 249.0 cc Bore x stroke 74.0 x 58.0 mm Compression ratio 8.5:1 Carburetion 26mm Mikuni Ignition CDI Transmission Wide-ratio six-speed Suspension: Front 41mm telescopic , cartridge-type Kayaba fork Travel 180mm Rear Monocross linkage ' single Kayaba shock Travel : 180mm " , Brakes: Front ..,.ol8Omm singlehydraulic disc Rear .161mm single hydraulicdisc . '01A length 80.5" ~· O/A width , ,.32,7" , . 0/A,height ; 42.7,. Wheelbase ;;·; .52.8" Ground clearance ~ 13.6" Seat height 28.5" Dry weight 174 Ibs. Fuel capacity....................... .8 gallons.

• Cover