VOL. 53 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 19, 2016 P77
1
ST
PLACE
YAMAHA YZ250F
COUNTDOWN
A
s good as all of these
bikes are, it still amazes
us how the YZ250F can
still dominate our shootouts
like it has ever since its 2014
overhaul. All but one of our
test riders picked the YZ as
their top dog of the six, the
only one who didn't pick the
Yamaha picked the Honda,
but even that person—a nov-
ice-skilled rider—was super
impressed with the YZ.
The Yamaha isn't perfect by
any means—it's not the most
powerful bike in its class,
it's not the best turning bike,
and it's not the slimmest bike
out there, but, holy fork oil,
as a complete package, the
Yamaha is awesome! It is the
lightest bike of the six, has the
best overall suspension and
it boasts the cheapest MSRP
(okay, by only $9 over the
Honda but, hey, technically
it's the cheapest at $7,590.
That's great marketing.)
As mentioned, the YZ
doesn't win any peak
horsepower awards, but still
divvies out a respectable
37.69 hp @ 12,200 rpm.
However, it's how the Yamaha
distributes that 37 hp that
makes the YZ's engine so
special. From bottom to
top, there's useable power
everywhere, which makes the
YZ a great bike for both the
pro and novice rider. Overall,
this bike rips.
Mapping can only be
changed via Yamaha's power
tuner, which you have to
purchase separately, but we
won't hold that against them
because the tuner is easy
to use and your adjustability
options are pretty much
limitless.
And the YZ has the chassis
to keep up with the engine.
The SSS spring fork is still
the best in the business, it
has great performance and
consistency, and is super-
easy to dial in. The shock
follows suit. Overall, the YZ
has a plush feel and shines on
rough tracks, the rougher
the better.
The Yamaha has solid,
stable and predictable
handling. It rarely does
anything scary or surprising;
you can really charge hard
over the rough stuff with
confidence. It might not be
the sharpest-turning bike
of the six, but it turns good
enough.
What else can we say,
really? The YZ250F just
plain works. It's fast, it
handles well, it has great
suspension and it's also the
only bike that is offered in
two color combinations—
blue/white and old-school
yellow/black, and both look
sweet!
Without hesitation, the
Yamaha YZ250F is, for
the third straight time, our
2016 Cycle News 250F MX
Shootout winner. It still the
best bike in its class. Period.
