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/128365
Yamaha: Ughter and more f1ickable. 'OS HIGHLIGHTS Like Kawasaki, Yamaha, the company that got the four-stroke ball rolling in 1998, went all out on its new 250 and, by doing so, made a big statement about its long-term commitment to the two-stroke market. (C/ap, clap, clap.) Obviously, the big news here is the aluminum frame, which Yamaha claims feels and handles just like last year's steel frame because of a unique mix of forging, extruding and casting that yielded the desired blend of rigidity and flexibility. But the real advantage here is that the aluminum frame is 1/2 pounds lighter than the steel frame. And that's not all. The '05 YZ also got a lighter swingarm, titanium footpegs and aluminum Renthal handlebars. As you can see, Yamaha went the extra mile to make the yz lighter and more competitive against '* the four-strokes - and two-strokes, for that matter. The yz also got the new KYB fork with the twin-chamber-Iike air-oil separator, and the shock and linkages also took on some considerable flne-tuning. As for the motor, Yamaha left an already good thing alone, though it did get a reshaped piston and a new exhaust pipe, mainly to accommodate the new frame. TRACK TESTED Going to the aluminum frame was a big risk for Yamaha. After all, the yz was already an outstanding bike, and look what happened when Honda came out with its first aluminum frame in 1997: Jeremy McGrath abandoned ship and fled to Suzuki, and no one else jumped on the aluminum bandwagon until eight years later. Obviously, Yamaha leamed a lot from Honda's mistakes, because its first effort in the aluminum-frame wars is a pretty good one. On the track, the Yamaha does feel a little lighter than the '04 yz and handles - at least - as good. It's right up there with Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda when it comes to hammering down a rough straight and bending it through the turns, but some of our testers said that the Yamaha felt somewhat more "busy" at ultrahigh speeds. Perhaps the biggest improvement we noticed was in the cornering department. The Yamaha steers light and requires less effort than before to get it in and out of the turns than it used to, making it far more competitive against the Suzuki or Kawasaki, for example. The yz loves the big sweeping berms best and does a pretty good job staying pianted in the ruts. In the motor department, the Yamaha is still plenty fast. It has a nice, broad powerband and is very controllable, not much unlike the Kawasaki. It's a bit smoother off the bottom than the Suzuki but isn't quite as torquey as the KTM's motor - but, then again, what bike is? Overall, we like the YZ's motor very much. Our only gripe? Vibration. The yz seems to vibrate more than it used to; perhaps this has something to do with the frame. The Yamaha would most likely benefit from rubber-mounted handlebars, but for now you get solid mounts, unlike the CR, KX and RM. We liked the YZ's new fork. Yamaha has come a long way in this department in the last few years, and now we rate it right up there with those of the best of them, including the Honda's. The fork soaks up the hard landings better than ever and feels more confident-inspiring than ever before. Yamaha's front-end hop seems to be a thing of the past. The back end is still as good as ever. It's especially good touching down from the big jumps - we couldn't tell if it was bottoming or not. Nice. The Yamaha is also extremely comfortable and is one of the most ergonomically friendly of the bunch. The bike has a neutral, kind of flat layout that is easy to adapt to (though the seat is a little narrow), and the controls all have a nice, positive feel. The clutch has a light pull, and the brakes are strong and positive. The KX250 has been a favorite of ours for quite some time now but not enough of one to win our shootouts, at least as of late. The bike has stood out in either the chassis department or in the motor department, but not both - until now. Two years ago when Kawasaki totally redesigned the KX's chassis, we fell in love with the way it handled and glided over the bumps, and we have enjoyed its new more modern-like feel. Unfortunately, the motor left a little to be desired then. Not anymore. The 'OS KX rips. The KX's motor is definitely in the same league now as the other bikes, feeling not much unlike the Suzuki's and Yamaha's motors - and we know how good those are. The KX hits hard off the bottom. pulls strong in the middle, and continues to make power way up top. Overall, ~ feels significantly more robust than last year's motor. And to put icing on the cake, the KX just sounds awesome, too. It has that deep, rich, throaty tone that gets your blood boiling. Getting the power to the ground is Simple enough. The KX changes gears with the best of them, but the clutch pull is noticeably heavier than the rest, especially after coming off the KTM or Suzuki. When ~ comes to stability, there's none better than the KX, according to the majority of our testers. The KX plants itself to the ground and stays there; it takes a fairly significant obstacle in your path to get the KX to kick or swap. The back end soaks up everything like a sofa, yet it maintains enough resilience to handle the big stuff. And so does the fork. The new fork works really well. It's plush and does a fine job handling the slap-down landings, and headshake was never an issue with our testers. Getting the KX slowed down for the tums wasn't a problem, either: Like all of the bikes, the KX's brakes are beyond strong and provide good feel. The KX also tums well. It ralls the comers w~ or vvithout a berm. It probably isn't the qUickest-tuming bike of the group, but it is one of the most stable and predictable. Not long ago, previous KX250s felt like a well-used Lincoln - big, heavy and mushy - but those days are a thing of the past. The KX has a sportier, slimmer and trimmer feel, but it does still feel a little on the heavy side compared to the other four. While we rave about the KX, Kawasaki could, however, pay a litde more attention to detail. It's the only bike of the five that still uses steel handlebars and is the only one that doesn't offer an on-the-fly clutch adjuster. /