BUSINESS
VOLUME ISSUE OCTOBER , P85
I
f it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Time
and again, motorcycle manufacturers
don't heed this bit of advice. Instead,
they often opt for change in the name
of performance or sometimes just for
the sake of change. Unfortunately, this
doesn't always amount to a better prod
-
uct, so anytime a manufacturer messes
with an already good thing, like the
YZ250F, it can be a risky move.
Enter the new 2024 Yamaha YZ250F.
The blue crew recently dropped the veil
on arguably the most anticipated 250F
of the year. Yamaha's current model
('23) was, in most people's minds, the
best stock 250F in the field, with several
media shootout wins to its credit and
championship plaques over the recent
years to back that up. Results don't lie.
But, as good as the YZ250F has been,
nothing is perfect. YZ riders still voiced
a few complaints, mainly about the
bike's wide front end and ergos. For
2024, Yamaha addressed these issues
by introducing a significantly changed
motorcycle. Yamaha could've just left it
alone, and we'd all be happy, so we were
curious going into this first ride review
if they should've just stuck with the "if it
ain't broke..." adage.
BY RYAN NITZEN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER