VOLUME 63 ISSUE 36 SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 P105
tain its high-strung personality.
There's no doubt this is a full-
fledged race bike, and it wants to
be ridden as such.
The YZ250F again comes
standard with Yamaha's Power
Tuner app. We opened it up to
give the bike a more aggressive
feel on the soft South Carolina
soil and uploaded the Free Rev
map. This map gives the YZ a
faster pick-up from the bottom
through the mid and keeps the
engine working well toward the
red line. The Free Rev map also
removes most of the engine
braking, which helps free up the
motor and chassis. It's amazing
how a slight tweak to the EFI
mapping can make a bike feel
so different on the track, in this
case, lighter and more playful.
Suspension has always been
a strong suit for the YZ250F, and
this year is no different. The KYB
forks offer exceptional comfort
and front-end feel. From small
bumps to big, flat landings,
everything is absorbed in stride,
furthering the "ease of use"
theme for this bike. I softened
the forks two clicks to help get
more weight on the front wheel
and found this helpful when
placing the front tire into long,
sweeping ruts.
Suspension is as sweet as ever.
