VOLUME 58 ISSUE 41 OCTOBER 12, 2021 P111
ern YZ250F four-stroke brother.
The YZ250's previously much-liked
KYB SSS fork and shock feature
specific valving for the lighter
two-stroke and are sprung stiffer
than last year's YZ250. These new
changes land the 2022 Yamaha
YZ250 at $7799, which is a $300
increase in price.
Yamaha offers the Monster Ener-
gy Racing Edition model for $7999,
but unlike some of the other "edi-
tion" models out there from com-
peting manufacturers, Yamaha's
edition version is all about graphics,
with no performance mods.
Kick, Kick
The YZ250 still starts the old-
fashioned way—manually. Luckily, it
never takes more than a few kicks
for it to fire.
Just sitting on the bike, you
can tell it's different. The slimmer
cockpit feels modern and racier,
and the flat seat is easier to scoot
around on. The previous seat had a
more bowed-out shape that cre-
ated a deeper rider pocket, giving
it a somewhat "vintage" feel. The
YZ's new, flatter seat feels more
like those on more modern KTM,
Husqvarna, GasGas and Honda
motocrossers.
It's been a few years since I rode
a two-stroke at the track, but the
new YZ had me asking, why? The
sweet sound of that meaty two-
stroke powerband instantly put
a smile on my face, and the YZ's
lightweight feel is simply amazing.
The YZ is only five pounds lighter
than its YZF counterpart, but the
bike feels much lighter than that on
track since it doesn't have all those
moving valves and cams inside the
motor producing unwanted recipro-
cating weight. Plus, you have zero
engine braking. As a result, the
YZ250 is easy to maneuver from
side to side and requires less effort
when barreling through braking
bumps.
The motor and overall engine
character are, without a doubt, the
biggest takeaway. Yes, the actual
powerplant is the same classic YZ
that many know and love, but the
way it delivers power now is night
and day.
For me, two-strokes have always
had that light switch-type power de-
livery; they're either on or off, mak-
ing it challenging to find the power's
sweet spot. Maybe that's why I've
stayed away from two-strokes for so
long. This new YZ, however, feels
more like a 250cc four-stroke but
with more excitement. You can't
be lazy, necessarily, but you don't
need to work as hard to make it
rideable as you did before. The bike
builds tons of speed from bottom to
mid, with every part of second and
third gears being that true sweet
spot. It carried longer than I antici-
pated, too, and it didn't scream for
a shift in every high-rpm section.
That crispy two-stroke snap and the
sheer connectivity of the throttle to
