>
Did someone say four-
peat? No updates
were needed for this year's
Yami as a fully unchanged
machine still stands over
the competition. By a nearly
unanimous decision, the
Yamaha YZ250F takes the win
and graduates at the top of
its class yet again for 2023.
Simply put, the Yamaha
is the easiest to ride—on
any track, at any time, and
with any riding ability. All
the riders raved about this
bike, and it didn't get scored
outside the top three by
anyone in our group. The
YZ's engine holds some
magical recipe that allows
it to make power at the top
of the rev range or when
it's being bogged down. The
novice riders felt comfortable
leaving the bike in third gear
for the entirety of the track
and roll corners with good
speed. On the other end of
the spectrum, the faster
expert-level testers could
ring the bike out and use
every cycle of over-rev to
their advantage. The ability to
be lazy or aggressive on this
bike is unmatched.
Building on the engine
character, we must
talk about the mapping
capabilities of the YZ. The
Power Tuner phone app
makes switching maps as
easy as sending a text, and
the differences between the
"light on" and "light off" can
be dramatically different.
During one moto, the Yamaha
techs uploaded a map with
little to no engine braking
and one with heaps of over-
rev. Do a few laps in each
setting, and it felt like you
were riding two completely
different motorcycles. It's
like being a kid and growing
into a bike; owners can alter
power characteristics as
their confidence and ability
increase. Almost all the
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 49 DECEMBER 6, 2022 P91
FIRST PLACE
FIRST PLACE
FIRST PLACE
FIRST PLACE
FIRST PLACE
FIRST PLACE
YAMAHA
YZ250F
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