~. TEST Yamaha TY250Z
~.
The TY250Z is Yamaha 's first all- new entry in to the trials market in over eight years. Unfortunately for Am erican trials enthusias ts, it isn't ava ilable in the United States.
By Donn Maeda
10
h e Yamaha TY350 tr ia ls
motorcycle was availa ble in
the United Sta tes in 1985
and again in '86 and it was
well recei ved by the relati vel y s mall, b u t h ardcore gro u p of
American trials riders. Not only .was the
TY350 compe titive , but the air-coo led,
single-shocked machines were also easier
to obtain, more reliab le and less expensive than the crop of European machines
available at the time.
In 1987, Yamaha stopp ed exporting
the TY to Am erica, even thou gh it
remained available - basically unchanged
- in Europe a nd Ja pa n up until 1992.
Even so, the TY350 remained as popular
as ever in the Sta tes . Even now, the
seven-year-old, red-a nd-white motorcycles are a common sigh t at any club-level
trial across the na tion.
But while the TY350 is still a good
choice for most rid ers, yo u don't see
man y (if any at all) National and World
Ch amp ionship jo ck eys rid in g them .
Simply put, the old-style TY350s pale in
comparison to the new high-tech Pantie,
Beta, Montesa and Gas-Gas offerings.
When you consider the pop ularity of
observed trials in Europe and Japan, one
mi ght wo nder why Ya maha opted to
leave the TY unchanged for so long.
Maybe they we re holding out.
This year, Yamaha introd uced the allnew 1993 TY250Z to the European and
Japanese markets. While it can hardl y be
. consi d e red re volu tionary, it is, o nce
aga in, up to par with the cu rrent
Europe an offerings a nd worlds better
tha n the old TY350. Though Yam a ha
developed the machin e withou t the assistance of a .Wo rld Champ ionshi p-class
rider, the machine provides fit, feel and
per for manc e similar to ev en the bes t
machines availa ble. Watercooling, an
aluminum pe rimiter fram e and all-new
styling highlight the new machine.
Un fo r tu na te ly, th e TY250Z is not
sched uled to be ava ilable in the Uni ted
Th e TYZ features an alu minum perimiter fr ame , a watercooled motor and con vent ion al forks . It's definitely an eye-ca tch er.
