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/128643
2001 Yamaha YZ250F (Left) Our brandne w test bike sits innocently in its pristine, unused state. Little did it suspect the solid month of non-stop abuse it would get at the hands of our testers. (Right) Because of its flickable feel and tractable powerband, the 250 F increases a rider's line-choice options and thus, his passing opportunities. Ther e' s ano t he r thi ng we intend t o tr y ou t w it h th e littl e Yam ah a, and th at' s stiffe r fork sp r ings. Our no v ice t este r s didn' t c o m p l a i n a b o u t th e st o ck c oi ls , b u t fo r th e afo re me n t ion ed V et Pr o , th e fr ont en d is t oo so ft o n bi g j u m p land in g s. O th er th an th at , the suspension is grea t , offering go od feel in b rakin g bumps and good b alance at all times. W e went in fo u r clicks o n com p re ss io n da m pi ng up front an d two on th e rea r , an d - t o c ounter th e so f t-s p r u n g f ro nt en d 's t endenc y to r ide l o w - d ropped the f or k tubes until th e y we re a l mos t flush with th e tr ip le cl am p . This set u p made i t e a s ier t o pin th e thr ottl e , hang off th e ba c k , and st eer with the rear end , a r id in g sty le that f its t h e 2 50 F to a T , an d h ad the added benefit of inc reasin g sta bility. (Above and above right) Two shots of the VZ250F's all-new powerplant. The cutaway shot on the right shows the titanium valves, light-rate va lve springs an d shorty piston, all of which contribute to the Yamaha's high- and qui ck-revving manners. One other ch ange we ' re e ag er t o try with the YZF i s an aftermar ket triple clamp th at moves the handlebar f o rwa r d . T he 250 feels p h ysicall y smaller than a 426 (u n li k e the KTM 400 and 520, w hi ch basica ll y sh are the same chassis). Some smaller rid - centration beg in s lapsing ne ar m o ta ' s Yama ha as is , but our lanky testers felt end , the forg iving 250F is th e b ike a b it c ra m ped w he n crawling all over you ' ll wa nt to be on . W hat about the sm all stu ff? A s th e bike on Supercross-style t racks . with the res t of th e bike, it's all g ood. Sp eak ing of wh ic h , you ca n do a lot of craw li ng around on t he YZ F We lo v e Yama ha 's n ew cl utc h lever, withou t getti ng tired. You fe el lik e a t he b r ak e s are st rong an d prog res - h ero rid in g th i s bi k e , n ot onl y sive , a nd t he tr an s m i s s i o n s hifts b e c au se you can ri de it so ag gres- s moo t h ly even with the th rottle siv el y , but b e c au se you ca n rid e it pinned . If pressed to com pl ain , we'd th at way for so lon g. Do a lon g m ot a ask fo r m ore p addin g in th e sea t , as on th e 250F, an d w hen yo u p ull off th e rea r is th in enough t hat ou r bu tt s the track , yo u' ll sti ll feel fairly fresh , looking forward t o the nex t o p portu - w ere sore at d ay ' s en d . As is rap id ly be coming apparent, w e lo v e this bike. W e cou ld go on and nity to get o n t he b ike . On e t e st er f irst got on t he Yamah a after o ver five on with t echn ic al explanations about weeks off wi t h an inju ry . Expect ing to h o w it 's so good and why we 're so j us t c ruise for a few laps , h e was enamored, but th e b o tt o m l i n e is shoc ked to find himse lf. pushing hard m ore simple : it's fun , and we 'r e pretty la ps for a half-hou r with no hint of su re j ust about any r id er w i ll agree arm pump. And even in the in stance wi t h us. Yamaha's new YZ250F gets an A « . _ t h at ar ms begi n pump ing an d conDECEMBER 13 ,2000' cue 2001 YalDaha YZ250F ENGINE TYPE: ers w ill pro ba b ly b e ha ppy with t h e 8 Specifications • e n e vv s Single-cyli nder, DOHC, five titanium -valve, liqui d-cooled. forward-in clined four-stroke DISPLACEMENT: .249cc BORE x STROKE: 77.0 x 53.6mm COMPRES SION RATIO: 12.5:1 STARTING SYSTEM: Kic kstarter IGNITION SYSTEM: CD! Magneto CARBURETOR: Keihin FXR-MX37 Flat-slide w/ Throttle Position Sensor FRONT BRAKE: Single 250mm hydraulic disc REAR BRAKE: Single 240mm hydraulic disc FRONT TIRE: 80/1 00-21 Dunlop 739FA REAR TIRE: 100/90- 19 Dunlop 739 FRONT SUSPENSION: Telescopic Kayaba inverted fork w/ coil spring/ oil damper REAR SUSPENSION: Swingarm w/ link (, coil spring/ gas, oil damper FRONT TRAVEL: 11.8 in. REAR TRAVEL: 12.4 in. FRAME: Semi double cradle LUBRICATING SYSTEM: Dry sump CLUTCH: .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. ... ... •.. . .. . .. ... .. . . Wet, multiple disc TRANSMISSION: Constant -mesh 5-speed OIL CAPACITY: 1.80 quarts COOLANT CAPACITY: 0.95 quarts FUEL CAPACITY: 2.1 1 gal. OVERAL L LENGTH: 85.2 in. OVERALL WIDTH: 32.6 in. OVERALL HEIGHT: 51.3 in. SEAT HEIGHT: 39.3 in. WHEELBASE: 58.1 in. MINIMUM GROUND CLEARANCE: 15.0 in. CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT: 216 Ibs. RETAIL PRICE: $5499